Hitherto, the "Sennin-Bari" had keen the exclusive monopoly of women, But in the present emergent ey, a new version has been evolved for the men. These are the "Sennin-
Riki" or "Cloth With a Thousand-
Fold Strength." A total of 1,000 men are asked to write as many characters for "strength" (chikara) on a white stomach-band to be presented later to a front line defender.
As tar as numbers go, however, the "Sennin-Riki" are far outnumbered by the "Sennin-Bari" Pressing the flat end of a writing brush on an ink pad and then on a white cloth in turn, a series of dots is stamped. The stitches are then made with red thread from dot to dot until the necessary quota is completed. The gengrai rule is: one woman, one stitch. exception is made, however. in the case of a "Go-o no Tora" woman (that is, a woman born under the astrology ical combinations of the number 5, colour, Yellow, and zodiacal sign Tiger).
Such women are considered to be very strong and determined. When they appear, they are looked upon as lucky and are given the privilege of making 30 stitches in succession.
Perhaps the belief in her strength lies in another saying: "Tora wa senti ite senti kaeru" (literally: a tiger goes 1,000 miles and refurl 1,000 miles). "That is, no matter how far away. a tiger—and symbolically a warrior—imay go, he always has the strength to overcome all obstacles and to return.
An so, unmindful of time or energy or the roasting summer weather, these women stand at all busy thoroughfares the day long, asking devoutly, patiently for stitches.
Local "Stitches"
For the first time in Shanghai Japanese women here began yesterday to do their part in the business of providing "cloths with 1,000 stitches." In the Hongkew district yesterday groups of Japanese women were to be seen moving about on the streets and stopping other women passing by to have them add a stitch to be one in the eventual thousand that would at sometime protect from harm a Japanese soldier.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.