[Illustration: Cover]
[Frontispiece: Fuji San.]
The Gist of Japan
The Islands Their People And Missions
By the Rev. R. B. Peery, A.M., Ph.D.
With Illustrations
New York -- Chicago -- Toronto
Fleming H. Revell Company
M DCCC XCVII
Copyright, 1897, by Fleming H. Revell Company
To My Wife
To whose Kindly Sympathy and Help is Largely Due Whatever of Value
there may be in these Pages This Book is Affectionately Dedicated
{3}
PREFACE
Although a great deal has already been published in English concerning
Japan and the Japanese people, nothing, to my knowledge, has yet been
published which attempts to give a full treatment of mission work in
Japan. "An American Missionary In Japan," by Dr. Gordon, is the only
book I am aware of that deals exclusively with this subject; but its
scope is quite different from that of the present volume. Therefore I
have been led to believe that there is a place for this book.
I have written for the common people and hence have tried to give the
subject a plain, popular treatment. There has been no attempt at
exhaustive discussion, but great pains have been taken to make the hook
reliable and accurate.
In the preparation of this little book I have consulted freely the
following works in English: "Transactions of the Asiatic Society of
Japan"; files of the "Japan Mail"; "Transactions of the {4} Osaka
Conference, 1882"; Rein's "Japan"; Griffis's "Mikado's Empire";
Griffis's "Religions of Japan"; Chamberlain's "Handbook of Things
Japanese"; Miss Bacon's "Japanese Girls and Women"; Dr. Lawrence's
"Modern Missions in the East"; "Report of the World's Missionary
Conference, London, 1888"; and reports of the various missionary
societies operating in Japan. In Japanese I have consulted some native
historians and moral and religious writers--especially in the
preparation of the chapters on History, Morality, and Religions.
The book is sent forth with the prayer that it may be the means of
begetting in the American churches a deeper interest in the work it
portrays.
R. B. P.
SAGA, JAPAN.
{5}
CONTENTS
I. The Land of Japan
II. A Brief History of the Japanese People
III. Japanese Characteristics
IV. Manners and Customs
V. Japanese Civilization
VI. Japanese Morality
VII. Religions of Japan
VIII. First Introduction Of Christianity
IX. Modern Roman and Greek Missions
X. A Brief History of Protestant Missions in Japan
XI. Qualifications for Mission Work in Japan
XII. Private Life of the Missionary
XIII. Methods of Work
XIV. Hindrances
XV. Special Problems
XVI. The Outlook
{7}
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Fuji San . . . . . . . . . _Frontispiece_
A Bridge Scene
A Kitchen Scene
Hara-kiri
A Shinto Temple
A Buddhist Priest
A Buddhist Cemetery
The Author's Home
Jinrikishas
{9}
I
THE LAND OF JAPAN
The empire of Japan consists of a chain of islands lying off the east
coast of Asia, and extending all the way from Kamchatka in the north to
Formosa in the south. Its length is more than 1500 miles, while the
width of the mainlands varies from 100 to 200 miles. The entire area,
exclusive of Formosa, recently acquired, is 146,000 square miles--just
about equal to that of the two Dakotas or the United Kingdom of
England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. On this territory, at the
beginning of the year 1893, there lived 41,089,940 souls.
The country is divided into four large islands and more than two
thousand smaller ones. The larger ones are named respectively Hondo,
Kyushu, Shikoku, and Yezo. Of these the first named is by far the
largest and most important. This island originally had no separate
name, but {10} in recent years it is very generally called Hondo.
Western geographers have frequently made the mistake of applying the
term "Nihon" to it; but "Nihon" is the native name for the whole
empire, and not for its chief island. The capital, Tokyo, the ancient
capital, Kyoto, and the commercial center, Osaka, are all situated on
this island.
Kyushu is the second largest island in the group, and lies southwest of
the main island. It was on this island, in the town of Nagasaki, that
the Dutch lived for more than two hundred years, forming the only means
of communication Japan had with the outside world.
Shikoku is next in size. It lies south of Hondo and northeast of
Kyushu. Shikoku and Kyushu are separated from the main island by the
Inland Sea, one of the most beautiful bodies of water in the world.
The island of Yezo is in the extreme north, It has very cold winters
and resembles the central part of North America somewhat in climate and
productions. On this island the aborigines of Japan, called Ainu, now
live.
Among the more important of the smaller groups are the Liukiu Islands,
in the extreme south; the Goto Islands, in the west; and the Kuriles,
in the north. Besides these there are numerous other islands of
considerable size lying {11} around the coasts, and the whole Inland
Sea is beautifully dotted with them.
Japan is a very mountainous country. For this reason hardly twelve per
cent. of her total area is cultivated. In general the land gradually
ascends on both sides as it recedes from the ocean, at first forming
hills and table-lands, and then huge mountains. Thus a chain of
mountains is formed in the center of the islands, extending throughout
the whole length of the empire. The mountains are nearly all of
volcanic origin, which accounts for their jagged appearance. There are
many active volcanoes, continually sending up great clouds of smoke,
and occasionally emitting streams of fire and molten lava, deluging the
whole neighborhood with sulphur and ashes. One of the first sights
that greets the traveler from the West as he approaches Japan is the
smoke of a volcano, ever active, on Vries Island, in the entrance to
Yokohama harbor. The chief volcanoes active at present are Asama,
Shirane-san, Bandai-san, Aso-san, and Koma-ga-take. I shall never
forget the ascent of Asama at night, in 1894. The volcano had been
unusually active recently, and a large part of the crater had fallen
in, completely changing its appearance. The sulphurous vapors and
smoke came up so thick and fast that we dared not approach near the
crater for fear of {12} suffocation. At that time we could not see
down into the crater at all, but occasionally one can see the blue-red
flames curling and writhing far down in the bowels of the earth like a
sea of fire, a veritable gate of hell.
Of extinct volcanoes Japan boasts a large number. The mightiest of
these is the peerless Fuji-san, the pride of every Japanese, the
highest mountain in Japan. It is 12,365 feet high, and snow is found
on its summit at all seasons. This mountain is now a huge pile of
ashes, lava, and boulders--apparently harmless. As late as 1708 it was
in eruption, and when I stood on its snowy summit in August, 1893,
there were certain places where vapors hot enough to cook an egg came
up from the ground. For aught we know, it may at any time burst forth
again and devastate whole provinces.
This is a land of earthquakes. The records show that from earliest
times this country has been subject to great ruin by their visitations.
Whole villages and towns have been suddenly swallowed up, and huge
mountains have disappeared in a day. These earthquakes are of frequent
occurrence. The seismic instruments now in use throughout the empire
record about three hundred and sixty-five per year--one for each day.
Certain localities are much more exposed to them than others, although
none is {13} entirely free from them. These disturbances are very
destructive of life and property, especially injuring railways,
bridges, and high buildings. They have left their mark upon the whole
country. Through the effect of volcanoes and earthquakes together, the
surface of Japan presents an appearance seldom seen in any other land.
The forces of nature are unusually destructive in Japan. Besides the
volcanoes and earthquakes, the country is subject to occasional tidal
waves, which kill thousands of people and destroy millions of dollars'
worth of property. Impelled by some mighty force, the great sea rises
in its bed mountain high, and, angrily breaking out of its accustomed
bounds, sweeps everything before it. While I am writing this chapter
(June, 1896) news has come of one of the most destructive waves known
here for decades, which has just swept over the north coast of Hondo.
More than 30,000 people were killed instantly, and great destruction
wrought to property. So terrible is nature in her fiercer aspects!
Japan being a very narrow country, her rivers are short and small, few
of them being serviceable for navigation. Ordinarily they are quiet,
lazy streams, but when the heavy rains fall in the mountains, the
waters sweep down like a flood, swelling these rivers to huge size and
converting them into fierce, angry torrents. The {14} Tone-gawa is the
longest and widest river, but its length is only 170 miles. Other
important ones are the Shinano-gawa, the Kiso-gawa, and the Kitakami.
A peculiar feature about these rivers is that none of them bears the
same name from source to mouth, but all change their name in nearly
every province.
There are few lakes of importance. The largest is Lake Biwa, near
Kyoto; it is 50 miles long, and 20 wide at its widest point. Lake
Inawashiro is of considerable size. Lake Chuzenji, at the foot of
Nantai-zan, is unrivaled for beauty, and is hardly surpassed in any
land. Hakone is also a beautiful lake, and the reflection of Fuji-san
in its waters by moonlight is a sight well worth seeing. Indeed, the
whole of Japan abounds in picturesque landscapes and scenic beauty.
Mountain scenes rivaling those of Switzerland; clear, placid lakes, in
which the image of sky and mountains blends; and smiling, fertile
valleys, heavily laden with fruits and grain, make the landscape one of
surpassing beauty. Few countries are more pleasing to the eye than is
Japan.
The coasts are indented by many bays and inlets, affording fine
harbors. The seas are very deep and often wild and stormy. The
islands are favorably located for commercial enterprises, and the
Japanese are by nature destined to be a {15} maritime people. As
regards situation and harbors, there is a striking resemblance to
England. The two countries are of nearly equal size, they both are
insular powers, and are situated about equidistant from a great
continent. It is safe to assume that Japan's development will be along
lines somewhat similar to England's.
There is a good system of roads. The mountain roads are carefully
graded; hollows are filled up and ridges cut through in such a manner
as we employ only for railroads. Indeed, some of the roads are so
carefully graded that ties and rails could be laid on them almost
without any further modification. Many of them are as straight as the
engineer's art can make them. A new road was built recently from Saga
to the small seaport town of Wakatsu, and between the two towns it is
as direct as a bee-line. This road crosses a river just at the
junction of two streams. The fork of the river lay exactly in the path
of the road; by slightly swerving to either the right or the left a
bridge half the length of the present one would have sufficed, but the
long, costly bridge was built rather than have the road swerve from its
course even a little.
In the plains most of the roads are elevated three or four feet above
the surrounding fields. They are not macadamized, but are covered with
large, coarse gravel known as _jari_. When this {16} jari is first
spread on, the roads are almost impassable, but it soon becomes beaten
down and makes a good road. Unfortunately, it must be applied nearly
every year.
Some of the chief highways are very old. The most famous is the
Tokaido, extending from the old capital, Kyoto, the seat of the
imperial court, to the city of Yedo (now called Tokyo), the seat of the
shogun's government. It was over this road that the ancient daimios of
the western provinces used to journey, with gorgeous pageantry and
splendid retinues, to the shogun's court.
Some highways are lined on either side with tall cryptomeria and other
trees, giving a delightful shade and making of them beautiful avenues.
The most beautiful of these is the road approaching Nikko. This is
said to be lined on both sides with rows of magnificent cedars and
pines for a distance of 40 miles.
The bridges add a great deal to the peculiar beauty of the landscape.
They are substantial, beautiful structures, generally built in the
shape of an arch, and are of stone, bricks, or wood. The Japanese are
very careful about bridges, and little streams across foot-paths, where
in America one sees at best only a plank or log, are here carefully
bridged. The bridge called Nihon-bashi, in Tokyo, is said to be the
center of the empire, the point at which all roads converge.
[Illustration: A Bridge Scene.]
{17}
Japan is a land in which the rural population largely predominates.
Most of the people live in the villages and small towns. But in recent
years a process similar to that going on in America has set in, and
large numbers of the rural classes are drifting into the cities.
The chief city is Tokyo, with a population of 1,323,295. Being now the
home of the emperor and the seat of government, it is held in much
reverence by the people. In popular parlance this city is exalted on a
pedestal of honor, and the people speak of "ascending to" or
"descending from" it. It is really a fine city, with broad, clean
streets and many splendid buildings, and has been called the "city of
magnificent distances." One can travel almost a whole day and not get
outside the city limits. It was formerly called Yedo, but when the
emperor removed his court hither after the Restoration its name was
changed to Tokyo. The term means "east capital." The city has enjoyed
a marvelous growth and is to-day a vigorous, active place. It has many
of the conveniences of modern Western cities, such as electric lights,
water-works, tram-cars, telephones, etc.
Kyoto is the ancient capital, the place where the mikados lived in
secluded splendor for so many centuries. It was the most magnificent
city of old Japan, and many highly cherished {18} national memories and
traditions cluster around it. The old classical Japanese, to whom the
ancient régime is far superior to the present, still lingers fondly in
thought round its sacred temples, shrines, and groves. When the
imperial court was removed to Tokyo the name of Kyoto was changed to
Saikyo, a term meaning "west capital." Western geographers frequently
have been guilty of the error of calling this city "Miyako"; but that
has never been the city's name, and is simply the Japanese word for
"capital." Kyoto is a beautiful, prosperous city, with a population of
328,354.
Osaka is the commercial center. It is a city of manufactories, and
nearly all native articles of merchandise bear the mark, "Made in
Osaka." As a business center this city surpasses all others in the
empire. It is centrally located, at the head of Osaka Bay, about 20
miles from the open port of Kobé. Here we find the imperial mint, with
long rows of splendid buildings. The population is 494,314.
The next largest city is Nagoya, with a population of 206,742. Other
prominent cities are: Hiroshima, 91,985; Okayama, 52,360; Kanagawa,
89,975; Kagoshima, 55,495, etc.
There are seven open ports in which foreigners reside at present and
engage in commerce. In the order of importance they are: Tokyo, {19}
population 1,323,295; Osaka, 494,314; Yokohama, 160,439; Kobé, 150,993;
Nagasaki, 67,481; Hakodate, 66,333; Niigata, 50,300. Formerly Nagasaki
was in the lead, but now has fallen to the fifth place. It is probable
that other ports will be opened to foreign trade in the near future.
_Climate_
As Japan is so long a country, she has every variety of climate. In
the northern provinces, and especially on the northwest coast, it is
extremely cold in winter, and snow falls in such quantities as
practically to stop all kinds of business. In Formosa and Liukiu there
is perpetual summer. That part of Japan in which the West is most
interested, and about which it knows most,--which is far the most
important portion of the empire,--has a mild, damp climate, free from
great extremes of either heat or cold. Each winter snow falls
frequently, but it is seldom known to lie on the ground for more than a
few hours at a time. Cold frosts are rare. Judged by the thermometer,
the summers are no warmer than those of the Carolinas or Tennessee, but
their effect upon people of the West resident here is much more trying
than the summers of those places. Various reasons are assigned for
this. Physicians are well aware that humidity affects {20} health for
good or bad as much as temperature. In considering the healthfulness
of a climate, not only is the temperature to be taken into account, but
the amount of moisture in the air must also be considered. Now, in
Japan there is so excessive an amount of moisture in the atmosphere
that it makes the heat exceedingly depressing.
The presence of this dampness makes it very hard to keep things clean
and free from rust and mold. Sewing-machines, bicycles, scissors,
knives, and such things have to be watched carefully and oiled.
Carpets, clothing, shoes, etc., have to be sunned well and then shut up
in air-tight boxes during the summer season. Often a single night is
sufficient to make a pair of shoes white with mold. Were it only on
the machines and clothing that the dampness and mold settle, it would
not be so bad; but we feel that this same clammy mold is going down
into our very bones and marrow, gradually sapping their vigor and
strength.
Besides this great excess of moisture in the atmosphere, there are
other reasons why the climate is so debilitating. One of these is the
lack of ozone. This element is known to be one of the greatest
atmospheric purifiers, and also to have a very invigorating and
stimulating effect upon mind and body. The proportion of ozone in the
atmosphere of Japan is only about one {21} third as great as that in
the atmosphere of most Western countries.
The proportion of electricity in the atmosphere is also thought to be
much below the average. While not much is known in regard to the
effect of atmospheric electricity upon the healthfulness of a country,
it is generally believed by scientific and medical men that the
proportion of electricity in the air has much to do with our physical
well-being.
These three factors, viz., too much moisture, not enough ozone, and not
enough electricity, are named as the chief causes which conduce to make
the climate depressing and enervating to people from the West. We
missionaries have neither the energy nor the strength to do here what
we could do at home, and after a five or six years' residence, to do
effective work must be permitted to recuperate in the home lands.
The rainfall is far above the average of most countries. Two thirds of
the annual downpour falls during the six months from April to October.
The rainy season proper begins early in June and lasts about six weeks.
At this season it sometimes rains for weeks consecutively. This year
(1896) during the rainy season we did not once get a sight of the sun
for at least three weeks. The amount of rain varies greatly from year
to year, as also in different localities.
{22}
Notwithstanding the heavy rainfall, bright, sunny days are far in
excess of dark, rainy ones. Clear, balmy skies are the rule rather
than the exception. There is a softness and delicacy about Japanese
skies rare in America, but common in European countries bordering on
the Mediterranean Sea.
Japanese winds are irregular and violent, and subject to sudden
changes. During three months of the year the dreaded typhoons are
expected, and once or twice each year great damage is done by them.
These typhoons generally blow from the southwest. They often sweep
houses, forests, and everything else before them, their wake being a
mass of ruins. In fair weather, on the sea-shore, there is a gentle
land- and sea-breeze in summer.
_Productions_
Japan is blessed with a fertile soil, capable of bearing a variety of
products. By centuries of the most careful fertilization and
irrigation (arts in which the Japanese are adepts) the land has been
brought to a very high state of cultivation. One of the peculiar
things to the people of the West is the manner in which the fields are
irrigated. Nearly all the land under cultivation can be freely watered
at the will of the cultivator. {23} Streams and canals everywhere wind
in and out through the plains and round the hills, making easy the
irrigation of all arable lands.
A striking feature of the farming is the manner of terracing the sides
of the hills and mountains. These are not cultivated in their natural
state, as in America, but stone walls are built at regular gradations
on the mountain-sides, and the soil dug down until level with the tops
of the walls. Arranged in this way a mountain-side looks not unlike a
huge stairway, and lends beauty to the landscape.
The land here is not divided into large farms, as is usual in the West.
Most of the farms are very small. One never sees a field of ten or
fifteen acres, but little plots hardly as large as our vegetable
gardens. The cultivation is mostly done by hand, the women laboring in
the fields with their husbands and brothers. The implements in general
use are very rude. Plows are used, but they are roughly made of wood,
with an iron point attached, and do poor work. Nearly all the
cultivating is done with a hoe, the blade of which is almost as long as
the handle, and is attached to it at an angle of less than forty-five
degrees, making it an awkward thing to use. All grains are harvested
and threshed by hand. The land being so fertile, the yield is large.
In enumerating the products of their country, {24} the native writers
usually begin with the _go-koku_, or five cereals--wheat, rice, millet,
beans, and sorghum. Fine crops of wheat are grown, especially in the
southern provinces. Perhaps no country in the world produces better
rice or a greater quantity per acre. One half of all the land under
cultivation is used in the production of rice.
Green grasses are remarkably rare in Japan, and the soil does not seem
to be adapted to their growth. Long plains of green meadow- and
pasture-lands, so pleasing to the eye in home landscapes, are never
seen. Almost the only grass in the empire is the long, coarse grass
that grows on the hills and mountains.
Corn and oats are met with rarely. The cultivation of corn is now
being introduced in the northern provinces, however, and will probably
soon become more general. Hemp and cotton both flourish. The cotton
does not grow as large or yield as bountifully as it does in our own
Southern States, but a very good crop is raised each year. There is a
large variety of vegetables, such as turnips, pumpkins, radishes,
beets, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, etc.
Japan produces a great variety of fruits and berries. We can have
fresh fruit all the year round. Some of the more prominent are
oranges, persimmons, figs, apricots, pears, peaches, {25} plums,
loquats, grapes, etc. As a rule the fruit is inferior to that of the
West, but the oranges, persimmons, and figs are excellent.
Until comparatively recent years apples were unknown here, but now they
are being rapidly introduced and successfully cultivated. They are
grown only in the northern provinces, the southern soil not being well
adapted to them.
For bright, gay flowers Japan can hardly be excelled. At certain
seasons the whole country resembles an immense garden. The
crysanthemum is the national flower, and magnificent specimens of it
are grown. The cherry blossoms are universal favorites, and when they
are at their best the whole population turns out to see them. Lotus
flowers are highly prized, and in our city of Saga there is an old
castle moat, 200 or 300 yards wide and more than 1 mile long, filled
with them, which in July and August is a sea of large red-and-white
blossoms, beautiful to behold. The hills and valleys abound in wild
flowers, but the natives seem to prize them less than the cultivated
ones. In recent years Western flowers are being extensively
cultivated, and most of them do well. Flowers that must be carefully
housed and nursed in America, such as geraniums, fuchsias, etc., will
grow all the year in the open in Japan. Some one only partially
acquainted with Japan has said that the flowers have no {26} odor, but
this is not true; they are, however, less fragrant than those of the
West.
There is no country in the East so well supplied with useful timber.
On the island of Yezo alone there are thirty-six varieties of useful
timber-trees, including the most useful of all trees, the oak. These
vast forests as yet are untouched practically, and the whole of the
Hokkaido is one huge lumber-yard. The main island, Kyushu, and Shikoku
are also well timbered. But the demand for building material,
fire-wood, and charcoal is so great that rapid inroads are being made
upon the supply of timber. Unless a more thorough system of forestry
is adopted the supply will some day be exhausted. The mulberry-tree
flourishes, and immense tracts of land are given to its cultivation.
The fruit is not used, but the leaves are highly valuable in silk
culture. Lacquer-trees also abound, from which a considerable revenue
is derived.
The camphor-supply of the world is almost entirely in the hands of
Japan. Magnificent camphor-trees are growing over all southern Japan,
and in the newly acquired territory of Formosa there are large groves
of them. The camphor industry is a lucrative one, and happy is the man
who possesses a few trees. Within a few yards of my former home in
Saga, on a little strip of waste land, there were four camphor-trees
which sold, standing, for $2000, silver.
{27}
This account would be very incomplete without a notice of the bamboo,
which grows in large quantities over all the empire. In the northern
provinces it is only a small shrub; in the southern it grows to a large
tree. The uses to which it is put are innumerable, and the people
hardly could do without it.
The chief articles of foreign export produced in Japan are silk, tea,
and rice. Silk is produced throughout the country, with the exception
of the island of Yezo, but the best yielding districts are in the
center and north of the main island. The Japanese cocoon seems to be
equally as good as the European, but the methods of manufacturing are
not yet up to the highest standard; for this reason Japanese silks are
hardly as good as those of France or Italy. The annual export of silk
is worth to Japan about $30,000,000.
Second only to silk in importance among exports is tea. Most of it is
shipped by foreign merchants to America, Chinese and Indian teas being
more popular in Europe. About 40,000,000 pounds are annually exported.
The quantity consumed at home must be very great, at least equal to
that sent abroad.
The foreign trade in rice is large, and is increasing continually.
Japanese rice is far better than that grown in India or Burmah, and is
esteemed highly in European markets. Formerly {28} the government
exported the rice, as it levied taxes in rice and hence had great
stores of it; but this practice has been discontinued. Native
merchants are now taking up this branch of the export trade and are
pushing it with vigor. The value of the export varies very much each
year, in accordance with the crop produced.
Japan is not only rich and fertile, yielding the greatest variety of
products, but she is also endowed with great mineral wealth. Kaempfer,
in the first history of Japan given to the West, enumerates the
minerals thus: sulphur, gold, silver, copper, tin, iron, coal, salt,
agates, jasper, pearls, naphtha, ambergris, etc. Coal of fairly good
quality is present in great quantities in many parts of the empire.
Much of it is sold to the foreign steamers that call here on their way
to China. The export of copper amounts to more than $5,000,000 per
year. Iron, chiefly in the form of magnetic oxide, is present along
the sea-coast and in the diluvium of rivers. As yet the iron resources
have not been developed. Gold and silver are present in many places,
but the mines have never been worked to very great advantage. Large
quantities of salt are made from sea-water. Traces of petroleum are
found in several localities, but not much has yet been made of it. The
great mineral wealth of Japan as yet is developed only partially.
{29}
_Animals_
The fauna is represented generally as very meager, but this is an
injustice. A large portion of the animals now found here may have been
imported, but, taking Japan as we find her to-day, animals are abundant.
Horses and oxen are the beasts of burden, and are found everywhere.
The horses are smaller than those of the West, and are not so gentle,
though very sure-footed and hardy. An effort is now being made to
improve the breed by importing American and Australian horses. Native
oxen do most of the carrying and plowing. Strange to say, the oxen are
gentler and more manageable than the horses. There are very few sheep,
and it seems that the country is not adapted to them. Almost the only
sheep I have seen here were in menageries, caged, along with lions,
bears, etc. Pigs are found, but the people are not fond of their
flesh, and consequently not many are raised.
Domestic animals are plentiful, such as cats, dogs, ducks, geese,
chickens, etc. Many of the cats have no tails, and the people are
prejudiced against cats that have tails. If one happens to be born
with a tail they will probably cut it off. Turkeys are scarce.
{30}
There are many wild animals, such as bears, wild boars, deer, monkeys,
_tanuki_, wild dogs, foxes, and hares. The people are fond of the
chase, but, as large game is rare, the opportunity to indulge this
taste is very limited.
Among the wild birds are found herons, cranes, ducks, geese, pheasants,
pigeons, storks, falcons, hawks, ravens, woodcocks, crows, and a small
bird, called _uquisu_, resembling the nightingale. The stork and the
heron are perhaps most popular, and have been pictured in all kinds of
native art. Wild geese and ducks spend the summer in Yezo and the
winter in Hondo. Singing birds are rare, but not, as some have
affirmed, unknown.
The seas surrounding Japan, and her numerous bays and rivers, are
teeming with animal life, and for multitude and variety of edible fish
are perhaps unsurpassed by any in the world. Salmon, cod, mackerel,
herring, bait, tai, and other small fish are very abundant, so much so
that in many places they are used as a fertilizer. From time
immemorial fish have formed a prominent part of the daily diet of the
people. Whales are numerous on the shores of Kyushu and the southern
shores of Hondo, where they are taken by means of harping-irons or
darts. Quantities of oil are extracted from them, and their flesh is
much relished for food.
The foregoing account will perhaps give the {31} reader some idea of
the nature, extent, climate, and products of the land of Japan. With a
fertile soil, rich deposits of minerals, a genial climate, and a
landscape unsurpassed, surely this is a country highly favored by
Heaven. How sad to think that those to whom God has given so much know
so little of Him! How one's heart bleeds to see God's beautiful
handiwork all marred and stained by images and idols, and that praise
which the people so justly owe Him given to gods of wood and stone!
But such is the case in Japan to-day. The people know that they are
indebted to some higher power for innumerable blessings, but they do
not know that this power is the God whom we preach to them.
{32}
II
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE JAPANESE
Nothing definite is known concerning the origin of the Japanese people.
Some authorities think that the southern portion of Japan was first
peopled by sailors and fishermen from Malay, who were drifted thither
by the strong current of the Black Stream. That this has happened to
shipwrecked sailors in the present time is cited in confirmation of
this view.
Some of the northern islands are within sight of the mainland, and it
is possible that tribes from northern Asia made their way across the
narrow seas and settled there. Ethnological and philological evidence
indicates that some immigrants came over from Korea, which they could
easily have done, as the southern part of Korea is very near.
If these suppositions are true, two races mingled in Japan--the Malay
from the south and the {33} Mongol from the west--and the Japanese
people are the joint product of the two. But there is no certain
information regarding these immigrations, and we cannot affirm them as
historic facts.
Two of the greatest authorities on this subject, Baelz and Rein, affirm
that the Japanese are of Mongol origin. Dr. Baelz supposes that there
were two chief streams of immigration from northern and central Asia by
way of Korea. The immigrants gradually spread eastward and northward
and settled in the land, becoming the progenitors of the present
inhabitants.
It is historically certain that some Chinamen and Koreans have settled
in Japan and contributed toward the production of the Japanese race;
both Chinese and Japanese histories contain accounts of such
immigration; but it is likely that settlers were already here long
before these, of whom we have historic accounts, arrived.
This problem is made more difficult by the fact that there are two
separate and distinct races here--the Japanese and the Ainu. The
latter do not appear to be Mongols. The Japanese call them the
aborigines. When they entered Japan, and where they came from, is not
known. There is very little intermixing of these two races. The
Japanese have gradually forced the Ainu back to the northern island,
just as the settlers in the United States have driven back the Indians.
{34} Efforts are being made lately to better the condition of this
race, but they do not meet with much success. The Ainu appear to have
little capacity for civilization, and the race is rapidly becoming
extinct.
So much for the origin of the people. We will endeavor to treat their
history, very briefly, under three heads: mythology, mythological
history, and reliable history.
_Japanese Mythology_
Although we of the West are perplexed as to the origin of the Japanese,
the national records give what has been a very clear and satisfactory
account of this. Hence I have included a very brief statement of this
native account of the origin of the Japanese people under the head of
history, although it is pure mythology.
Japanese history teaches that in the beginning all things were chaos.
There was no Creator, and no First Cause of the universe. There was
merely a cosmic mass. By and by the ethereal matter sublimed and
formed the heavens; what remained formed the earth. From the warm mold
of the earth sprang up a germ which became a self-animate being--the
first of the gods. Then four other gods were generated, all sexless
and self-begotten. These gods separated the {35} primordial substance
into the five elements of wood, fire, metal, earth, and water, and gave
to each its properties. The last of these spontaneous divine
generations were a brother and a sister, named Izanagi and Izanami.
Uniting in marriage, they became the parents of the various islands of
Japan and of gods and goddesses innumerable. Izanami died when giving
birth to the god of fire. Her divine consort afterward visits her in
the lower regions to induce her to return to him. She would fain do
so, but must first consult the gods of the place. Going to ask counsel
of them, she does not return, and Izanagi, impatient at her tarrying,
goes in search of her. He finds her a mass of putrefaction, in the
midst of which the eight thunder-gods are sitting.
Disappointed in his hope, he returns to Japan and purifies himself by
bathing in a stream. As he bathes new gods are born from his clothing
and from each part of his body. The sun-goddess was born from his left
eye, the moon-god from his right eye, and Susanoo, the last of all, was
born from his nose. What a prolific breeder of gods was he!
The mythology goes on relating, tale after tale, the absurd actions of
these gods residing together for several generations in Japan, the
center of the universe, frequently visiting both heaven and hell, and
performing all kinds of miraculous feats. {36} In native history this
period is called the "period of the gods." About six generations after
Izanagi and Izanami, in the direct line of descent from them, the first
human emperor of Japan was born. His name was Kamu-Yamato-Ihare-Biko,
posthumously called Jimmu Tenno.
Those Japanese to whose minds the problem of the origin of the outside
nations ever occurred solved it in this fashion: the barbarian nations
must likewise have descended from the mikado, the son of heaven, in
very remote times, but have wandered off and are now far from the
divine source. The Japanese, being still under the protection of their
divine father, are very much nearer in the line of descent, and hence
are the first race in the world.
Thus they trace their descent direct to the gods, and their emperor is
to this day considered the divine father of his people. It is a pity
we cannot join with them in accepting this easy solution of the
difficult problem of their origin.
_Mythological History_
By this term I would designate that period in Japanese history in which
mythology and history are so blended as to be inseparable. For almost
one thousand years records purporting to be historical are so
intermingled with that which is {37} purely mythological as to make it
next to impossible to discriminate between them.
Japanese historians claim that the authentic history of their country
dates from the time of Jimmu Tenno (600 B.C.), and the national records
are unbroken from that time to the present. Most European and American
historians have accepted these records as true, and yet critical
scholars here feel bound to reject them. The oldest Japanese histories
were not written until the eighth century A.D., and it does not seem
probable that traditions handed down by word of mouth for more than a
thousand years would be reliable. The records themselves are
contradictory and self-refuting. Contemporary Chinese and Korean
history, in which are frequent references to the "land of Wa," i.e.,
Japan, does not agree with the Japanese records, which bear evidence of
having been written for a purpose other than a true statement of
historical facts. These and other reasons have led Messrs. Aston and
Chamberlain, the scholars who have studied this subject perhaps more
than any others, to conclude that Japanese records prior to the date
461 A.D. are unreliable.
This period in dispute (from 600 B.C. to 461 A.D.) I have designated
the period of mythological history. Even in the Japanese so-called
histories the mythology for centuries is narrated along with that which
claims to be genuine {38} history; the gods still mingle with men and
take part in their affairs. The legends of the gods and those of the
emperors are given side by side in the same book, and as much credence
attaches to the one as to the other.
Orthodox Shinto scholars, while recognizing the fact of the parallelism
of the mythology and the history, inconsistently reject the
mythological legends of the gods while strenuously holding to those
relating to the emperors. My own opinion is that most of the important
events related in the records during this period had some basis in
fact, but that the accounts of them are exaggerated and perverted.
Commencing with the period which native historians assign as the
beginning of authentic history, the first important event we find is
the accession of Jimmu Tenno to the throne (600 B.C.). But the very
existence of Jimmu Tenno as an historical personage is not at all
certain. The evidence adduced has never been sufficient to satisfy
Western scholars, although the Japanese would consider it almost
treason to disbelieve in him.
Japanese histories for this period are very meager. They consist, for
the most part, of a recital of the names and ages of the mikados, with
perhaps a sentence or two concerning the state of the country during
their reigns.
One of the most important events noted in {39} this early period is the
subjugation of Korea by the Empress Jingo. She is said to have
collected a large army, and, by the help of the fishes great and small,
and of favorable winds and currents, to have crossed over into Korea in
small junks, and completely subjugated the country, reducing it to the
position of a tributary state. The Japanese firmly believe this story,
and are proud of the early success of their arms in this foreign war.
Korean records justify us in assuming that Japanese influence was
predominant in Korea at this time, but the story of the Empress Jingo,
especially in its details, must be received with caution. She is
perhaps an historical personage, but whether she invaded Korea or not
is doubtful.
The next event of importance in the records is the introduction of
Chinese art, science, and learning, which took place in the early
centuries of the Christian era, and exerted an incalculable influence
upon the people of Japan. Learning, religion, philosophy, literature,
laws, ethics, medicine, art--all were brought over bodily. From this
time forward the Japanese were largely students and imitators of China.
Korea was the medium through which these continental influences were
transmitted. With the introduction of learning and literature
historical records began to be kept over all Japan, and oral tradition
was no longer relied upon. From this time the authentic history of
Japan begins.
{40}
_Reliable History_
Chamberlain, Aston, and others agree that the first trustworthy date in
Japanese history is 461 A.D., and that for the succeeding century too
much confidence must not be placed in details. This disproves the
pretty stories told by the Japanese, and by many Western writers as
well, as to the great age of this nation, and its unbroken line of
emperors extending at least as far back as 600 B.C.; but it is not the
first time that pretty theories have been rudely broken up by an
investigation of facts. The imperial line is probably as old as that
of the popes, but hardly older. Japan, in fact and in authentic
history, is younger than Christianity. Her existence as a state began
about the time of the fall of the Roman empire.
With the year 461 historical events and personages appear, and, in the
main, we may accept the history from this time forward as accurate.
About the middle of the sixth century began one of the most important
processes in Japanese history--the conversion of the nation to
Buddhism. For some centuries previous Chinese learning and arts had
been gradually filtering into Japan; but they had not as yet gained
general acceptance. The Buddhist priests brought Chinese civilization,
and in the course of two {41} centuries it spread over the country,
influencing morality, politics, and everything. Sweeping changes were
made in the government, which was then organized on the Chinese
centralized plan. Arts, sciences, and literature flourished. This was
the golden age of classical Japan.
In the year 670 A.D. the great Fujiwara family came upon the stage.
The mikados were in theory absolute rulers, but eventually they became
mere figureheads. Their mode of life was not such as to make of them
able rulers. Surrounded by an effeminate court, living in indolence
and debauchery amid priests and court women, they were hardly competent
to direct affairs. The emperor was often a mere child, who, when he
grew up, either abdicated freely or was forced to abdicate the throne
in favor of another child as weak as himself. The government was
administered by the most powerful vassals. The great Fujiwara family
held the affairs of state in its own hands from 670 to 1050 A.D.: all
the important posts were filled by its sons, while its daughters were
married to the imbecile emperors.
The next important event in Japanese history is the rise of feudalism.
The warlike samurai classes, disgusted with this weak petticoat
government, arose in arms and overthrew it. The great clans of Taira
and Minamoto appeared and alternately held the reins of government for
nearly {42} two centuries. Lawlessness and disorder prevailed. The
leader who could command the most men and win the victory with his
sword was master of the empire. All Japan became a military camp, the
chieftains waging war against one another. Thus feudalism took its
rise and prevailed for many centuries, powerfully affecting every form
of thought and life, just as it did in Europe at a similar period.
The Taira family was finally overthrown by the Minamotos, and the chief
of the latter clan, Yoritomo, was raised to the supreme power. This
man was the first to obtain from the imperial court in Kyoto the title
of "shogun"--generally spoken of in the West as "tycoon." From this
time forward (1190-1867) the shogun was the real ruler of Japan. The
mikado was still the theoretical head of the state, descendant of the
sun-goddess, and fountain of all honor, but he lived in the retirement
and seclusion of his court, never seen by his subjects, and all matters
of government were attended to by the shogun. Yoritomo's descendants
gradually degenerated, and were finally overthrown by the Ashikaga
family.
This powerful clan took charge of the government in 1338 and held it
until 1565. It encouraged literature and the arts, and the court
became a center of elegance and refinement. Especially {43} did the
intricate tea ceremonies flourish at this time. This family became
weak and effeminate finally, like its predecessors, and was overthrown.
Japan was first discovered by Europeans probably in 1542, when the
Portuguese adventurer Mendez Pinto landed on her coasts. He brought
the first definite information concerning her received in Europe, and
his reports were so highly exaggerated that he was spoken of everywhere
as "mendacious Pinto." Soon after his visit numbers of Portuguese
adventurers came, who were received warmly by the impressible people.
With them came the Jesuits and the introduction of Christianity. The
growth of Christianity, and the bloody persecutions it encountered,
begin from this time. These interesting subjects will be treated in
another chapter and hence are passed over here.
During this period lived successively three of the greatest men in
Japanese history--Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Iyeyasu. On these men
devolved the tasks of breaking the power of the feudal lords and
bringing them into more complete subjection to the shogun; of unifying
the empire and of strengthening the central government. The plan was
conceived by Nobunaga, begun by Hideyoshi, and completed by Iyeyasu.
The former was the friend and patron of the Christians, the two latter
their bitter persecutors.
{44}
After the rulers had succeeded in stamping out Christianity the country
was closed to foreign influence, and for two hundred years remained
hermetically sealed. Even shipwrecked foreign sailors found on her
coasts were executed, and no Japanese was permitted to leave the
country on pain of death. The only communication with the outside
world reserved was through the Hollanders, a small band of whom were
permitted to reside at Nagasaki. Through them various arts and
sciences, including medicine, were introduced.