_Civilization of the
Japanese—Animals—Agriculture—Arts—Houses—Ships—Literature—Jurisprudence
—Character of the Japanese—Their Custom of cutting themselves
open—A. D. 1550._
The doctrine of the transmigration of souls, one of the most
distinguishing tenets of the Buddhist faith, had not failed to confirm
the Japanese in a distaste for animal food, which had originated,
perhaps, from the small number of animals natives of that insular
country [_sic_],—an abstinence, indeed, which even the ancient religion
of Shintō had countenanced by denouncing as impure the act of killing
any animal, or being sprinkled with the slightest drop of blood. Of
domestic tame animals, the Japanese possessed from time immemorial
the horse, the ox, the buffalo, the dog, and the cat; but none of
these were ever used as food. The Portuguese introduced the deer and
the goat; but the Japanese, not eating their flesh nor understanding
the art of working up their wool or hair, took no pains to multiply
them. The Chinese introduced the hog; but the eating of that animal
was confined to them and to other foreigners. The deer, the hare, and
the wild boar were eaten by some sects, and some wild birds by the
poorer classes. The fox was hunted for its skin, the hair of which
was employed for the pencil used in painting and writing. The animal
itself, owing to its roguery, was believed to be the residence of
particularly wicked souls—an idea confirmed by many strange stories
in common circulation. The tortoise and the crane were regarded in
some sort as sacred animals, never to be killed nor injured. Whales
of a small species were taken, then as now, near the coast, and were
used as food, as were many other kinds of fish, the produce of the sea
and rivers. Shell-fish and certain seaweeds were also eaten in large
quantities.
The soil of Japan, being of volcanic origin, was in some places
very fertile; but in many parts there were rugged and inaccessible
mountains, the sides of which, not admitting the use of the plough,
were built up in terraces cultivated by hand. Agriculture formed
the chief occupation of the inhabitants, and they had carried it to
considerable perfection, well understanding the use of composite
manures. The chief crops were rice, which was the great article of
food; barley, for the horses and cattle; wheat, used principally for
vermicelli; and several kinds of peas and beans. They cultivated, also,
a number of seeds, from which oils were expressed; likewise cotton,
hemp, the white mulberry for the feeding of silkworms (silk being the
stuff most in use), and the paper mulberry for the manufacture of
paper. To these may be added the camphor-tree, which grew, however,
only in the southwestern parts of Shimo, the _Rhus vernix_, which
produces the celebrated Japanese varnish, and the tea-plant, spoken
of by one of the early Portuguese missionaries as “a certain herb
called Cha, of which they put as much as a walnut shell may contain
into a dish of porcelain, and drink it with hot water.” From rice they
produced by fermentation an intoxicating drink, called _sake_, which
served them in the place of wine, and which was consumed in large
quantities. A yeast, or rather vinegar, produced from this liquor, was
largely employed in the pickling of vegetables. Their most useful woods
were the bamboo, the fir of several species, and the cedar.
They understood in perfection the arts of weaving silks and of moulding
porcelain, and excelled in gilding, engraving, and especially in
the use of lacquer or varnish. They also were able to manufacture
sword-blades of excellent temper.
As in other Eastern countries, the greater nobles exhibited an extreme
magnificence; but trade and the arts were held in low esteem, and the
mass of the people were excessively poor. Their buildings, though
they had some few solid structures of stone, were principally light
erections of wood, to avoid the effects of frequent earthquakes; but
this and the varnish employed exposed them to conflagrations, which, in
the towns, were very frequent and destructive. These towns consisted,
for the most part, of very cheap structures (like most of those
throughout the East), so that cities were built and destroyed with
equal ease and celerity.
Their commerce was limited almost entirely to the interchange of
domestic products, a vast number of vessels, of rather feeble
structure, being employed in navigating the coasts of the islands,
which abounded with deep bays and excellent harbors.
Of the sciences, whether mathematical, mixed, or purely physical, they
knew but little. They had, however, a considerable number of books
treating of religion, medicine, and their history and traditions.
The young were instructed in eloquence, poetry, and a rude sort of
painting and music, and they had a great fondness for theatrical
representations, in which they decidedly excelled. Their writing,
in which they greatly studied brevity, was in columns, as with the
Chinese, from the top to the bottom of the page, for which they gave
this reason: that writing ought to be a true representation of men’s
thoughts, and that men naturally stood erect. These columns read from
right to left. They employed, besides the Chinese ideographic signs,
a syllabic alphabet of their own, though in many works the Chinese
characters were freely introduced.[37]
Jurisprudence, as in most Eastern countries, was a very simple affair.
The laws were very few. Heads of families exercised great power over
their households. Most private disputes were settled by arbitration;
but where this failed, and in all criminal cases, a decision was made
on the spot by a magistrate, from whom there was seldom any appeal.
The sentences were generally executed at once, and often with very
great severity. Whether from their temperament, or their belief in the
doctrines of transmigration and annihilation, it was observed that the
Japanese met death with more courage than was common in Europe. It was,
indeed, a point of honor, in many cases, to inflict it on themselves,
which they did in a horrid manner, by cutting open their bowels by
two gashes in the shape of a cross. The criminal who thus anticipated
execution secured thereby the public sympathy and applause, saving his
property from confiscation, and his family from death; and, upon the
death of superiors or masters, the same fate was often, as a mark of
personal devotion and attachment, self-inflicted; and sometimes, also,
in consequence of a disgrace or affront, to escape or revenge which
no other means appeared.[38] The missionaries especially noted in the
Japanese a pride, a self-respect, a haughty magnanimity, a sense of
personal honor, very uncommon in the East, but natural characteristics
enough of a people who had never been conquered by invaders from
abroad; while the great vicissitudes to which they were exposed—all
vassals generally sharing the fate of their superiors—made them look
upon the goods and evils of fortune in a very philosophical spirit.
[Illustration: PERFORMANCE OF HARAKIRI]
Such was the condition in which Japan was found when it first became
known to Europe through the letters and relations of Xavier and the
other Portuguese missionaries, his successors.