DOMESTIC SERVICE.
To the foreigner, upon his arrival in Japan, the status of household
servants is at first a source of much perplexity. There is a freedom in
their relations with the families that they serve, that in this country
would be regarded as impudence, and an independence of action that, in
many cases, seems to take the form of direct disobedience to orders.
From the steward of your household, who keeps your accounts, makes your
purchases, and manages your affairs, to your _jinrikisha_ man or groom,
every servant in your establishment does what is right in his own eyes,
and after the manner that he thinks best. Mere blind obedience to orders
is not regarded as a virtue in a Japanese servant; he must do his own
thinking, and, if he cannot grasp the reason for your order, that order
will not be carried out. Housekeeping in Japan is frequently the despair
of the thrifty American housewife, who has been accustomed in her own
country to be the head of every detail of household work, leaving to her
servants only the mechanical labor of the hands. She begins by showing
her Oriental help the work to be done, and just the way in which she is
accustomed to having it done at home, and the chances are about one in a
hundred that her servant will carry out her instructions. In the
ninety-nine other cases, he will accomplish the desired result, but by
means totally different from those to which the American housekeeper is
accustomed. If the housewife is one of the worrying kind, who cares as
much about the way in which the thing is done as about the accomplished
result, the chances are that she will wear herself out in a fruitless
endeavor to make her servants do things in her own way, and will, when
she returns to America, assure you that Japanese servants are the most
idle, stupid, and altogether worthless lot that it was ever her bad
fortune to have to do with. But on the other hand, if the lady of the
house is one who is willing to give general orders, and then sit down
and wait until the work is done before criticising it, she will find
that by some means or other the work will be accomplished and her desire
will be carried out, provided only that her servants see a reason for
getting the thing done. And as she finds that her domestics will take
responsibility upon themselves, and will work, not only with their
hands, but with the will and intellect in her service, she soon yields
to their protecting and thoughtful care for herself and her interests,
and, when she returns to America, is loud in her praises of the
competence and devotion of her Japanese servants. Even in the treaty
ports, where contact with foreigners has given to the Japanese
attendants the silent and repressed air that we regard as the standard
manner for a servant, they have not resigned their right of private
judgment, but, if faithful and honest, seek the best good of their
employer, even if his best good involves disobedience of his orders.
This characteristic of the Japanese servant is aggravated when he is in
the employment of foreigners, for the simple reason that he is apt to
regard the foreigner as a species of imbecile, who must be cared for
tenderly because he is quite incompetent to care for himself, but whose
fancies must not be too much regarded. Of the relations of foreign
employers and Japanese servants much might be said, but our business is
with the position of the servants in a Japanese household.
Under the old feudal system, the servants of every family were its
hereditary retainers, and from generation to generation desired no
higher lot than personal service in the family to which they belonged.
The principle of loyalty to the family interests was the leading
principle in the lives of the servants, just as loyalty to the daimi[=o]
was the highest duty of the samurai. Long and intimate knowledge of the
family history and traits of character rendered it possible for the
retainer to work intelligently for his master, and do independently for
him many things without orders. The servant in many cases knew his
master and his master's interests as well as the master himself, or even
better, and must act by the light of his own knowledge in cases where
his master was ignorant or misinformed. One can easily see how ties of
good-fellowship and sympathy would arise between masters and servants,
how a community of interest would exist, so that the good of the master
and his family would be the condition for the good of the servant and
his family. In America, where the relation between servant and employer
is usually a simple business arrangement, each giving certain specified
considerations and nothing more, the relation of servant to master is
shorn of all sentiment and affection; the servant's interests are quite
apart from those of his employer, and his main object is to get the
specified work done and obtain more time for himself, and sooner or
later to leave the despised occupation of domestic service for some
higher and more independent calling. In Japan, where faithful service of
a master was regarded as a calling worthy of absorbing any one's highest
abilities through a lifetime, the position of a servant was not menial
or degrading, but might be higher than that of the farmer, merchant, or
artisan. Whether the position was a high or a low one depended, not so
much on the work done, as the person for whom it was done, and the
servant of a daimi[=o] or high rank samurai was worthy of more honor, and
might be of far better birth, than the independent merchant or artisan.
As the former feudal system is yet within the memory of many of the
present generation, and its feelings still alive in Japan, much of the
old sentiment remains, even with the merely hired domestics in a
household of the present day. The servant, by his own master, is
addressed by name, with no title of respect, is treated as an inferior,
and spoken to in the language used toward inferiors; but to all others
he is a person to be treated with respect,--to be bowed to profoundly,
addressed by the title San, and spoken to in the politest of language.
You make a call upon a Japanese household, and the servant who admits
you will expect to exchange the formal salutations with you. When you
are ushered into the reception-room, should the lady of the house be
absent, the head servants will not only serve you with tea and
refreshments and offer you hospitalities in their mistress's name, but
may, if no one else be there, sit with you in the parlor, entertaining
you with conversation until the return of the hostess. The servants of
the household are by no means ignored socially, as they are with us, but
are always recognized and saluted by visitors as they pass into and out
of the room, and are free to join in the conversation of their betters,
should they see any place where it is possible that they may shed light
on the subject discussed. But though given this liberty of speech,
treated with much consideration, and having sometimes much
responsibility, servants do not forget their places in the household,
and do not seem to be bold or out of place. Indeed, the manners of some
of them would seem, to any one but a Japanese, to denote a lack of
proper self-respect,--an excess of humility, or an affectation of it.
In explaining to my scholars, who were reading "Little Lord Fauntleroy"
in English, a passage where a footman is spoken of as having nearly
disgraced himself by laughing at some quaint saying of the young lord,
my little peeresses were amazed beyond measure to learn that in Europe
and America a servant is expected never to show any interest in, or
knowledge of, the conversation of his betters, never to speak unless
addressed, and never to smile under any circumstances. Doubtless, in
their shrewd little brains, they formed their opinion of a civilization
imposing such barbarous restraints upon one class of persons.
The women servants in a family are in position more like the
self-respecting, old-fashioned New England "help" than they are like the
modern "girl." They do not work all day while the mistress sits in the
parlor doing nothing, and then, when their day's work is done, go out,
anxious to forget, in the society of their friends, the drudgery which
only the necessity for self-support and the high wages to be earned
render tolerable. As has been explained in a previous chapter, the
mistress of the house--be she princess or peasant--is herself the head
servant, and only gives up to her helpers the part of the labor which
she has not the time or strength to perform. Certain menial duties
toward her husband and children, every Japanese wife and mother must do
herself, and would scorn to delegate to any other woman except in case
of absolute necessity. Thus there is not that gap between mistress and
maid that exists in our days among the women of this country. The
servants work with their mistress, helping her in every possible way,
and are treated as responsible members of the household, if not of the
family itself.
At evening, when the wooden shutters are slid into their places around
the porch and the lamps are lighted, the family gather together in the
sitting-room around the _hibachi_ to talk, free from interruption, for
no visitor comes at such an hour to disturb the family circle. The
mother will have her sewing or work, the children will study their
lessons, and the others will talk or amuse themselves in various ways.
Then, perhaps, the maidservants, having finished their tasks about the
house, will join the circle,--always at a respectful distance,--will do
their sewing and listen to the talk, and often join in the conversation,
but in the most humble manner. Perhaps, at times, some one more
ambitious than the others will bring in a book, and ask the meaning of a
word or a phrase she has met in studying, and little helps of this kind
are given most willingly.
We have seen that the ladies-in-waiting in the houses of the nobles are
daughters of samurai, who gladly serve in these positions for the sake
of the honor of such service, and the training they receive in noble
houses. In a somewhat similar way, places in the homes of those of
distinction or skill in any art or profession are held in great demand
among the Japanese; and a prominent poet, scholar, physician, or
professional man of any kind is often asked by anxious parents to take
their sons under his own roof, so that they may be under his influence,
and receive the benefits of stay in such an honorable house. The parents
who thus send their children may not be of low rank at all, but are
usually not sufficiently well-to-do to spend much money in the education
of their children. The position that such boys occupy in the household
is a curious one. They are called _Sho-séi_, meaning students, and
students they usually are, spending all their leisure moments and their
evenings in study. They are never treated as inferiors, except in age
and experience; they may or may not eat with the family, and are always
addressed with respect. On the other hand, they always feel themselves
to be dependents, and must be willing without wages to work in any
capacity about the house, for the sake of picking up what crumbs of
knowledge may fall to them from their master's table. Service is not
absolutely demanded of them, but they are expected to do what will pay
for their board, and do not regard menial work as below them, performing
cheerfully all that the master may require of them.
In this way, a man of moderate means can help along many poor young men
in whom he may feel interested, and in return be saved expense about his
household work; and the students, while always considerately treated,
are able without great expense to study,--often even to prepare for
college, or get a start in one of the professions, for they have many
leisure moments to devote to their books. Many prominent men of the
present day have been students of this class, and are now in their turn
helping the younger generation.
The boys that one sees in shops, or, with workmen of all kinds, helping
in many little ways, are not hirelings, but apprentices, who hope some
day to hold just as good positions as their masters, and expect to know
as much, if not a great deal more. At the shop or in the home, they not
only help in the trades or occupations they are learning, but are
willing to do any kind of menial work for their master or his family in
return for what they receive from him; for they do not pay for their
board nor for what they are taught. Even when the age of education is
already past, grown men and women are willing to leave quite independent
positions to shine with reflected glory as servants of persons of high
rank or distinction. "The servant is not greater than his master" in
Japan; but if the master is great, the servant is considerably greater
than the man without a master.
In a country like Japan, where one finds but few wealthy people, there
may be cause for wonder at the large households, where there are so many
servants. There will be often as many as ten or more servants in a home
where, in other ways, luxury and wealth are not displayed. In the _oku_,
or the part of the house where the lady of the house stays, are found
her own maid, and women who help in the work about the house, sew in
their leisure moments, and are the higher servants of the family; there
are also the children's attendants, often one for each child, as well as
the waiting women for the Go Inkyo Sama. In the kitchen are the cooks
and their assistants, the lower servants, and usually one or more
_jinrikisha_ men, who belong to the house, and, if this be the home of
an official who keeps horses, a _bett[=o]_ for each animal. There are also
gardeners, errand-boys, and gate-keepers to guard the large _yashikis_.
Such a retinue would seem a great deal to maintain; but servants' wages
are so low, and the cost of living is so small, that in this matter
Japanese can afford to be luxurious. Three or four dollars will cover
the cost of food for a month for one person, and women servants expect
only a few dollars in wages for that time. The men receive much higher
pay, but at the most it is less than what a good cook receives in many
homes here. The wages do not include occasional presents, especially
those given semi-annually,--a small sum of money, or dress material of
some kind,--which servants expect, and which, of course, are no small
item in the family expense.
Homes which maintain a great deal of style need many servants, for they
expect to work less than the American servant, and are less able to
hurry and rush through their work; and they do not desire, if they
could, to take life so hard, even to earn greater pay. The family, too,
in many cases are used to having plenty of hands to do the work; the
ladies are much less independent, and life has more formalities and red
tape in Japan than in America. A great deal of the shopping is done by
servants, who are sent out on errands and often do important business.
Maids accompany their mistresses to make visits; servants go with
parties to the theatre, to picnics, or on journeys, and these
expeditions are as heartily enjoyed by them as by their masters. It is
expected, especially of ladies and persons of high rank, that the
details of the journey, the bargaining with coolies, the hiring of
vehicles, and paying of bills, be left in charge of some manservant, who
is entirely responsible, and who makes all the bargains, arranges the
journey for his employer, and takes charge of everything,--even to the
amount of fees given along the way.
Perhaps the highest positions of service now--positions honorable
anywhere in Japan--are held by those who remain of the old retainers of
daimi[=o]s, and who regulate the households of the nobles. Such men must
have good education, and good judgment; for much is left in their
hands, and they are usually gentlemen, who would be known as such
anywhere. They are the stewards of the household, the secretaries of
their masters; keep all accounts, for which they are responsible, and
attend to the minor affairs of etiquette,--the latter no trifling duty
in a noble's home. It is they who accompany the nobles on their
journeys,--regulate, advise, and attend to the little affairs of life,
of which the master may be ignorant and cares not to learn. They are the
last of the crowds of feudal retainers, who once filled castle and
_yashiki_, and are now scattered throughout the length and breadth of
the kingdom.
The higher servants in the household must be always more or less trained
in etiquette, and are expected to look neat and tidy; to serve guests
with tea and refreshments, without any orders to that effect; and to use
their judgment in little household affairs, and thus help the lady of
the house. They are usually clever with their fingers, and can sew
neatly. When their mistress goes out they assist her to dress, and only
a few words from her will be necessary for them to have everything in
readiness, from her sash and dress to all the little belongings of a
lady's costume. Many a bright, quick servant is found who will
understand and guess her mistress's wants without being told each
detail, and these not only serve with their hands, but think for their
employers.
Much less is expected of the lower servants, who belong to the kitchen,
and have less to do with the family in general, and little or no
personal contact with their masters. They perform their round of duties
with little responsibility, and are regarded as much lower in the social
scale of servants, of which we have seen there are many degrees.
The little _gozen-taki_, or rice-cook, who works all day in the kitchen,
may be a fat, red-cheeked, frowsy-haired country girl,--patient,
hard-working, and humble-minded,--willing to pother about all day with
her kettles and pans, and sit up half the night over her own sewing, or
the study of the often unfamiliar art of reading and writing; but
entirely unacquainted with the details of etiquette, a knowledge of
which is a necessity to the higher servants,--sometimes even thrown
into an agony of diffidence should it become necessary to appear before
master or mistress.
Some of the customs of the household, in regard to servants, are quite
striking to a foreigner. When the master of the house starts out each
morning, besides the wife and children who see him off, all the servants
who are not especially occupied--a goodly number, sometimes--come to the
front door and bow down to bid him good-by. On his return, also, when
the noise of the _kuruma_ is heard, and the shout of the men, who call
out "_O kaeri!_" when near the house, the servants go out to greet him,
and bowing low speak the customary words of salutation. To a greater or
less degree, the same is done to every member of the family, the younger
members, however, receiving a smaller share of the attention than their
elders.
When, as very often happens, a guest staying for any length of time in a
family, or a frequent visitor, gives a servant a present of money or any
trifle, the servant, after thanking the donor, takes the white paper
bundle to the mistress of the house, and shows it to her, expressing his
gratitude to her for the gift, and also asking her to thank the giver.
This, of course, is always done, for a gift to a servant is as much of a
favor to the mistress as a present to a child is to its mother.
When a servant wishes to leave a family, she rarely goes to her mistress
and states that she is dissatisfied with her position, and that some
better chance has been offered her. Such a natural excuse never occurs
to the Japanese servant, unless he be a _jinrikisha_ man or _bett[=o]_,
who may not know how to do better; for it is a very rude way of leaving
service. The high-minded maid will proceed very differently.
A few days' leave of absence to visit home will be asked and usually
granted, for Japanese servants never have any settled time to take
holiday. At the end of the given time the mistress will begin to wonder
what has become of the girl, who has failed to return; and the lady will
make up her mind she will not let her go again so readily. Just when she
has a sharp reproof ready, a messenger or letter will arrive, with some
good excuse, couched in most polite and humble terms. Sometimes it will
be that she has found herself too weak for service, or that work at
home, or the illness of some member of the family, detains her, so that
she is not able to come back at present. The excuse is understood and
accepted as final, and another servant is sought for and obtained. After
several weeks have passed, very likely after entering a new place, the
old servant will turn up some day, express her thanks for all past
kindnesses and regrets at not returning in time, will take her pay and
her bundles, and disappear forever.
Even when servants come on trial for a few days, they often go away
nominally to fetch their belongings, or make arrangements to return, but
the lady of the house does not know whether the woman is satisfied or
not. If she is not, her refusal is always brought by a third person. If
the mistress, on her side, does not wish to hire the girl, she will not
tell her so to her face, but will send word at this time to prevent her
coming. Such is the etiquette in these matters of mistress and
maid.[*317]
Only by a multiplicity of details is it possible to give much idea of
the position of servants in a Japanese house, and even then the result
arrived at is that the positions of what we would call domestic
servants vary so greatly in honor and responsibility that it is almost
impossible to draw any general conclusions upon this subject. We have
seen that there is no distinct servile class in Japan, and that a
person's social status is not altered by the fact that he serves in a
menial capacity, provided that service be of one above him in rank and
not below him. This is largely the result of the grading of society upon
other lines than those on which our social distinctions are founded, and
partly the result of the fact that women, of whatever class, are
servants so far as persons of the opposite sex in their own class are
concerned. The women of Japan to-day form the great servile class, and,
as they are also the wives and mothers of those whom they serve, they
are treated, of course, with a certain consideration and respect never
given to a mere servant; and through them, all domestic service is
elevated.[*318]
There are two employments which I have mentioned among those of domestic
servants because they would be so classed by us, but which in Japan rank
among the trades. The _jinrikisha_ man and the groom belong, as a rule,
to a certain class at the bottom of the social ladder, and no samurai
would think of entering either of these occupations, except under stress
of severest poverty. The _bett[=o]s_, or grooms, are a hereditary class
and a regular guild, and have a reputation, among both Japanese and
foreigners, as a betting, gambling, cheating, good-for-nothing lot. An
honest _bett[=o]_ is a rare phenomenon. The _jinrikisha_ men are, many
of them, sons of peasants, who come to the cities for the sake of
earning more money, or leading a livelier life than can be found in the
little thatched cottage among the rice-fields. Few of them are married,
or have homes of their own. Many of them drink and gamble, and sow their
wild oats in all possible ways; but they are a well-meaning, fairly
honest, happy-go-lucky set, who lead hard lives of exhausting labor, and
endure long hours of exposure to heat and cold, rain, snow, and blinding
sunshine, not only with little complaint or grumbling, but with absolute
cheerfulness and hilarity. A strong, fast _jinrikisha_ man takes great
pride in his strength and speed. It is a point of honor with him to pull
his passenger up the steepest and most slippery of hills, and never to
heed him if he expresses a desire to walk in order to save his man. I
have had my _kurumaya_ stoutly refuse, again and again, my offers to
walk up a steep hill, even when the snow was so soft and slippery under
his bare feet that he fell three times in making the ascent. "_Dai
jobu_" (safe) would be his smiling response to all my protestations;
and, once in a _jinrikisha_, the passenger is entirely at the mercy of
his man in all matters of getting into and out of the vehicle. But
though the _jinrikisha_ man is, for the time being, the autocrat and
controlling power over his passenger, and though he will not obey the
behests of his employer, except so far as they seem reasonable and in
accordance with the best interests of all concerned, he constitutes
himself the protector and assistant, the adviser and counselor, of him
whom he serves, and gives his best thought and intelligence, as well as
his speed and strength, to the service in which he is engaged. If he
thinks it safe, he will tear like an unbroken colt through the business
portions of the city, knocking bundles out of the hands of foot
passengers, or even hitting the wayfarers themselves in a fierce dash
through their midst, laughing gayly at their protests, and at threats of
wrath to come from his helpless passenger; but should hint of insult or
injury against _kuruma_, passenger, or passenger's dog fall upon his
ears, he will drop the _jinrikisha_ shafts, and administer condign
punishment to the offender, unchecked by thoughts of the ever-present
police, or by any terrors that his employer may hold over his head. In
no other country in the world, perhaps, can a lady place more entire
confidence in the honor and loyalty of her servant than she can in Japan
in her _kurumaya_, whether he be her private servant, or one from a
respectable stand. He may not do what she bids him, but that is quite a
secondary matter. He will study her interests; will remember her likes
and dislikes; will take a mental inventory of the various accessories or
bundles that she carries with her, and will never permit her to lose or
forget one of them; will run his legs off in her service, and defend her
and her property valiantly in case of need. Of course, as in all classes
there are different grades, so there are _jinrikisha_ men who seem to
have sunk so low in their calling that they have lost all feeling of
loyalty to their employer, and only care selfishly for the pittance they
gain. Such men are often found in the treaty ports, eagerly seeking for
the rich foreigner, from whom they can get an extra fee, and whom they
regard as outside of their code of morals, and hence as their natural
prey. Travelers, and even residents of Japan, have often complained of
such treatment; and it is only after long stay in Japan, among the
Japanese themselves, that one can tell what a _jinrikisha_ man is
capable of.[*322]
If you employ one _kurumaya_ for any length of time, you come to have a
real affection for him on account of his loyal, faithful, cheerful
service, such as we seldom find in this country except when inspired by
personal feeling. When you have ridden miles and miles, by night and by
day, through rain and sleet and hottest sunshine, behind a man who has
used every power of body and mind in your service, you cannot but have a
strong feeling of affection toward him, and of pride in him as well. It
is something the feeling that one has for a good saddle-horse, but more
developed. You rejoice, not only in his strength and speed, put forth so
willingly in your service; in his picturesque, dark blue costume with
your monogram embroidered on the back; in his handsomely turned ankles;
in his black, wavy hair; in his delicate hands and trim waist,--though
these are often a source of pride to you,--but his skill in divining
your wants; his use of his tongue in your service; his helping out of
your faltering Japanese with explanations which, if not elegant, have
the merit of being easily understood; his combats with extortionate
shopkeepers in your behalf; his interest in all your doings and
concerns,--remain as a pleasant memory, upon your return to a land where
no man would so far forget his manhood as to give himself so completely
and without reserve to the service of any master save Mammon.
As old Japan, with its quaintness, its mediæval flavor, its feudalism,
its loyalty, its sense of honor, and its transcendental contempt for
money and luxury, recedes into the past, and as the memories of my life
there grow dim, two figures stand out more and more boldly from the
fading background,--both, the figures of faithful servants. One, Yasaku,
the _kurumaya_, a very Hercules, who could keep close to a pair of coach
horses through miles of city streets, and who never suffered mortal
_jinrikisha_ man to pass him. My champion in all times of danger and
alarm, but a very autocrat in all minor matters,--his cheery face, his
broad shoulders with their blue draperies, his jolly, boyish voice, and
his dainty, delicate hands come before me as I write, and I wonder to
what fortunate person he is now giving the intelligent service that he
once gave so whole-heartedly to me. The other, O Kaio, my maid, her
plain little face, with its upturned eyes, growing, as the days went by,
absolutely beautiful in the light of pure goodness that beamed from it.
A Japanese Christian, with all the Christian virtues well developed, she
became to me not only a good servant, doing her work with conscientious
fidelity, but a sympathetic friend, to whom I turned for help in time of
need; and whom I left, when I returned to America, with a sincere sorrow
in my heart at parting with one who had grown to fill so large a place
in my thoughts. Her little, half-shy, half-motherly ways toward her big
foreign mistress had a charm all their own. Her pride and delight over
my progress in the language; her patient efforts to make me understand
new words, or to understand my uncouth foreign idioms; her joy, when at
last I reached the point where a story told by her lips could be
comprehended and enjoyed,--gave a continual encouragement in a task too
often completely disheartening.
During the last summer of my stay in Japan, cutting loose from all
foreigners and foreign associations, I traveled alone with her through
the heart of the country, stopping only at Japanese hotels, and carrying
with me no supplies to eke out the simple Japanese fare. Through floods
and typhoons we journeyed. Long days of scorching heat or driving rain
in no way abated her cheerfulness, or lessened her desire to do all that
she could for my aid and comfort. Not one sad look nor impatient word
showed a flaw in her perfect temper; and if she privately made up her
mind that I was crazy, she never by word or look gave a hint of her
thought. _Jinrikisha_ men grumbled and gave out; hotel-keepers resented
the presence of my dog, or presented extortionate bills; but O Kaio's
good temper and tact never failed her. Difficulties were smoothed away;
bills were compromised and reduced; the dog slept securely by my side on
a red blanket in the best rooms of the best hotels; and O Kaio smiled,
told her quaint stories, amused me and ministered to me, as if I were
her one object in life, though husband and children were far away in
distant T[=o]ky[=o], and her mother's heart yearned for her little ones.