WALKS AND TALKS IN TOKIO.
While the Doctor and his companions were at table in the restaurant at
Uyeno, they were surprised by the presence of an old acquaintance. Mr.
A., or "The Mystery," who had been their fellow-passenger from San
Francisco, suddenly entered the room, accompanied by two Japanese
officials, with whom he was evidently on very friendly terms. They were
talking in English, and the two natives seemed to be quite fluent in it,
but they evidently preferred to say little in the presence of the
strangers. Mr. A. was equally disinclined to talk, or even to make
himself known, as he simply nodded to Doctor Bronson and the boys, and
then sat down in a distant corner. When the waiter came, he said
something to him in a low tone, and in a few minutes the proprietor
appeared, and led the way to a private room, where the American and his
Japanese friends would be entirely by themselves.
As Frank expressed it, "something was up," but what that something was
they did not see any prospect of ascertaining immediately. After a few
moments devoted to wondering what could be the meaning of the movements
of the mysterious stranger, they dropped the subject and resumed their
conversation about Japan.
Fred had some questions of a religious character to propound to the
Doctor. They had grown out of his observations during their visits to
the temples.
"I noticed in some of the temples," said Fred, "that there were statues
of Buddha and also other statues, but in other temples there were no
statues of Buddha or any one else. What is the meaning of this?"
"It is because the temples belong to different forms of religion," the
Doctor answered. "Those where you saw the statues of Buddha are Buddhist
in their faith and form of worship, while the rest are of another kind
which is called Shinto."
"And what is the difference between Buddhism and Shintoism?" Frank
inquired.
"The difference," Doctor Bronson explained, "is about the same as that
between the Roman Catholic faith and that of the Protestants. As I
understand it--but I confess that I am not quite clear on the
subject--Shintoism is the result of a reformation of the Buddhist
religion, just as our Protestant belief is a reformation of Catholicism.
"Now, if you want to study Buddhism," he continued, "I must refer you to
a work on the religions of the world, or to an encyclopedia, as we have
no time to go into a religious dissertation, and, besides, our lunch
might be spoiled while we were talking. And another reason why we ought
not to enter deeply into the subject is that I should find it impossible
to make a clear exposition of the principles of the Buddhist faith or of
Shintoism; and if you pressed me too closely, I might become confused.
The religions of the East are very difficult to comprehend, and I have
known men who had lived twenty years in China or India, and endeavored
to study the forms and principles of the religions of those countries,
who confessed their inability to understand them. For my own part, I
must admit that when I have listened to explanations by Japanese, or
other people of the East, of their religious faith, I have heard a great
deal that I could not comprehend. I concede their sincerity; and when
they say there is a great deal in our forms of worship that they do not
understand, I believe they are telling the truth. Our ways of thought
are not their ways, and what is clear to one is not at all so to
another.
[Illustration: A HIGH-PRIEST IN FULL COSTUME.]
"I have already told you of the overthrow of the Shogoon, or Tycoon, and
the return of the Mikado to power as the ruler of all the country. The
Shogoon and his family were adherents of Buddhism, while the Mikado's
followers were largely of the Shinto faith. When the Mikado's power was
restored, there was a general demand on the part of the Shintoists that
the Buddhist temples should be destroyed and the religion effaced. A
good number of temples were demolished, and the government took away
much of the revenue of those that remained. The temples are rapidly
going to decay, as there is no money to expend on them for repairs, and
it is quite possible that the beginning of the next century may see them
overthrown. Some of them are magnificent specimens of architecture, and
it is a great pity that they should thus go to ruin. Adherents of the
old religion declare that the government had at one time determined to
issue an order for the demolition of every Buddhist temple in the
country, and only refrained from so doing through fear that it would
lead to a revolution. The Shiba temple in Tokio, one of the finest in
Japan, was burned under circumstances that led many persons to accuse
the government of having had a hand in the conflagration, and I know
there are foreigners in Tokio and Yokohama who openly denounce the
authorities for the occurrence.
[Illustration: A JAPANESE TEMPLE.]
"As you have observed, the Buddhist temples contain the statue of
Buddha, while the Shinto temples have nothing of the sort. For all
practical purposes, you may compare a Buddhist temple to a Catholic
church, with its statues and pictures of the saints; and a Shinto temple
to a Protestant church, with its bare walls, and its altar with no
ornament of consequence. The Buddhists, like the Catholics, burn a great
deal of incense in front of their altars and before their statues; but
the Shintoists do not regard the burning of incense as at all necessary
to salvation. Both religions have an excellent code of morals; and if
all the adherents of either should do as they are told by their sacred
teachers, there would not be much wickedness in the country. As for that
matter, there is enough of moral precept in nearly every religion in the
world to live by, but the trouble is that the whole world will not live
as it should. Buddhism is more than five hundred years older than
Christianity. The old forms of Shintoism existed before Buddhism was
brought to Japan; but the modern is so much changed from the old that it
is virtually, as I told you, a reformation of Buddhism. At all events,
that was the form which it assumed at the time the Shogoon's government
was overthrown.
[Illustration: A WAYSIDE SHRINE.]
"You have only to see the many shrines and temples in all parts of the
country to know how thoroughly religious the whole population is,
especially when you observe the crowds of devout worshippers that go to
the temples daily. Every village, however small and poor, has its
temple; and wherever you go, you see little shrines by the roadside with
steps leading up to them. They are invariably in the most picturesque
spots, and always in a situation that has a view as commanding as
possible. You saw them near the railway as we came here from Yokohama,
and you can hardly go a mile on a Japanese road without seeing one of
them. The Japanese have remembered their love for the picturesque in
arranging their temples and shrines, and thus have made them attractive
to the great mass of the people.
"Since the opening of Japan to foreigners, the missionaries have devoted
much attention to the country as a field of labor. Compared with the
result of missionary labors in India, the cause has prospered, and a
great deal of good has been accomplished. The Japanese are not an
unthinking people, and their faculties of analysis are very keen. They
show more interest in the doctrines of Christianity than do the Chinese
and some other Oriental people, and are quite willing to discuss them
whenever they are properly presented."
The discussion came to an end, and the party prepared to move on. They
were uncertain where to go, and, after a little time spent in debate,
the Doctor suggested that they might as well go once more to the Nihon
Bashi, or Central Bridge, and enjoy an afternoon view of the river. Off
they started, and in due time were at the famous bridge, and in the
midst of the active life that goes on in its vicinity.
The view up and down the river was an animated one. Many boats were on
the water, some of them lying at anchor, or tied up to the bank; while
others were slowly threading the stream in one way and another. The
banks of the river were lined with gay restaurants and other places of
public resort, and from some of them came the sounds of native music,
indicating that the patrons were enjoying themselves. The great mountain
of Japan was in full view, and was a more welcome sight than the crowds
of beggars that lined the bridge and showed altogether too much
attention to the strangers. The bridge itself is not the magnificent
structure that one might expect to find when he remembers its national
importance. It is a rickety affair, built of wood, and showing signs of
great antiquity; and its back rises as though somebody had attempted to
lift it up by pressing his shoulders beneath and had nearly succeeded in
his effort.
Near the southern end of the bridge the boys observed something like a
great sign-board with a railing around it, and a roof above to keep the
rain from injuring the placards which were painted beneath. The latter
were in Japanese, and, of course, neither Frank nor Fred could make out
their meaning. So they asked the Doctor what the structure was for and
why it was in such a conspicuous place.
"That," answered the Doctor, "is the great kosatsu."
Frank said he was glad to know it, and he would be more glad when he
knew what the kosatsu was.
[Illustration: THE GREAT KOSATSU, NEAR THE NIHON BASHI.]
"The kosatsu," continued Doctor Bronson, "is the sign-board where the
official notices of the government are posted. You find these boards in
all the cities, towns, and villages of Japan; there may be several in a
city, but there is always one which has a higher character than the
rest, and is known as the _great_ kosatsu. The one you are now looking
at is the most celebrated in the empire, as it stands near the Nihon
Bashi, whence all roads are measured, as I have already explained to
you."
"Please, Doctor," said Frank, "what is the nature of the notices they
put on the sign-board?"
"Any public notice or law, any new order of the government, a regulation
of the police, appointments of officials; in fact, anything that would
be published as an official announcement in other countries. There was
formerly an edict against Christians which was published all over the
empire, and was on all the kosatsus. The edict appeared on the kosatsu
of the Nihon Bashi down to the overthrow of the Shogoon's government, in
1868, when it was removed."
"And what was the edict?"
"It forbade Christianity in these words: 'The evil sect called
Christians is strictly prohibited. Suspicious persons should be reported
to the proper officers, and rewards will be given.' Directly under this
edict was another, which said, 'Human beings must carefully practise the
principles of the five social relations: Charity must be shown to
widowers, widows, orphans, the childless, and sick. There must be no
such crimes as murder, arson, or robbery.' Both these orders were dated
in the month of April, 1868, and consequently are not matters of
antiquity. The original edict against Christians was issued two hundred
years ago, and was never revoked. St. Francis Xavier and his zealous
comrades had introduced the religion of Europe into Japan, and their
success was so great that the government became alarmed for its safety.
They found proofs that the new religionists intended to subjugate the
country and place it under the dominion of Spain; and in the latter part
of the sixteenth and beginning of the seventeenth century there was an
active persecution of the Christians. Many were expelled from the
country, many more were executed, and the cause of Christianity received
a blow from which it did not recover until our day. Now the
missionaries are at liberty to preach the Gospel, and may make as many
converts as they please."
[Illustration: BLOWING BUBBLES.]
As they walked away from the kosatsu they saw a group engaged in the
childish amusement of blowing soap-bubbles. There were three persons in
the group, a man and two boys, and the youngsters were as happy as
American or English boys would have been under similar circumstances.
While the man blew the bubbles, the boys danced around him and
endeavored to catch the shining globes. Fred and Frank were much
interested in the spectacle, and had it not been for their sense of
dignity, and the manifest impropriety of interfering, they would have
joined in the sport. The players were poorly clad, and evidently did not
belong to the wealthier class; but they were as happy as though they had
been princes; in fact, it is very doubtful if princes could have had a
quarter as much enjoyment from the chase of soap-bubbles.
Evening was approaching, and the party concluded to defer their
sight-seeing until the morrow. They returned to the railway station, and
were just in time to catch the last train of the day for Yokohama. There
was a hotel at Tokio on the European system, and if they had missed the
train, they would have patronized this establishment. The Doctor had
spent a week there, and spoke favorably of the Sei-yo-ken, as the hotel
is called. It is kept by a Japanese, and all the servants are natives,
but they manage to meet very fairly the wants of the strangers that go
there. It was some time after the opening of Tokio to foreigners before
there was any hotel there, and a visitor was put to great inconvenience.
He was compelled to accept the hospitality of his country's
representative. As he generally had no personal claims to such
hospitality, he was virtually an intruder; and if at all sensitive about
forcing himself where he had no business to go, his position could not
be otherwise than embarrassing. The American ministers in the early days
were often obliged to keep free boarding-houses, and even at the present
time they are not entirely exempt from intrusions. Our diplomatic and
consular representatives abroad are the victims of a vast amount of
polite fraud, and some very impolite frauds in addition. It is a sad
thing to say, but nevertheless true, that a disagreeably large
proportion of travelling Americans in distant lands make pecuniary raids
on the purses of our representatives in the shape of loans, which they
never repay, and probably never intend to. Another class manages to
sponge its living by quartering at the consular or diplomatic residence,
and making itself as much at home as though it owned everything. There
are many consuls in Europe and Asia who dread the entrance of a strange
countryman into their offices, through the expectation, born of bitter
experience, that the introduction is to be followed by an appeal for a
loan, which is in reality a gift, and can be ill afforded by the poorly
paid representative.
The next day the party returned to Tokio, but, unfortunately for their
plans, a heavy rain set in and kept them indoors. Japanese life and
manners are so much connected with the open air that a rainy day does
not leave much opportunity for a sight-seer among the people. Finding
the rain was likely to last an indefinite period, they returned to the
hotel at Yokohama. The boys turned their attention to letter-writing,
while the Doctor busied himself with preparations for an excursion to
Hakone--a summer resort of foreigners in Japan--and possibly an ascent
of Fusiyama. The boys greatly wished to climb the famous mountain; and
as the Doctor had never made the journey, he was quite desirous of
undertaking it, though, perhaps, he was less keen than his young
companions, as he knew it could only be accomplished with a great deal
of fatigue.
The letters were devoted to descriptions of what the party had seen in
their visit to Tokio, and they had a goodly number of comments to make
on the manners and customs of the Japanese. Frank declared that he had
never seen a more polite people than the Japanese, and then he added
that he had never seen any other people outside of his own country, and
therefore his judgment might not be worth much. Fred had been greatly
impressed with his discovery that the babies of Japan do not cry, and he
suggested that the American babies would do well to follow the example
of the barbarian children. Then, too, he was much pleased with the
respect the children showed for their parents, and he thought the
parents were very fond of their children, if he were to judge by the
great number of games that were provided for the amusement of the little
folks. He described what he had seen in the temple at Asakusa, and in
other parts of Tokio, and enclosed a picture of a Japanese father seated
with his children, the one in his arms, and the other clinging to his
knee, and forming an interesting scene.
[Illustration: FATHER AND CHILDREN.]
Frank had made a discovery about the cats of Japan, and carefully
recorded it in his letter as follows:
"There are the funniest cats in this country that you ever saw. They
have the shortest kind of tails, and a good many of them haven't any
tails at all any more than a rabbit. You know we expect every kitten in
America to play with her tail, and what can she do when she has no tail
to play with? I think that must be the reason why the Japanese cats are
so solemn, and why they won't play as our cats do. I have tried to find
out how it all happens, but nobody can tell. Doctor Bronson says the
kittens are born without tails, and that is all he knows about it. I
think they must be a different kind of cat from ours; but, apart from
the absence of tails, they don't look any way dissimilar. Somebody says
that an American once took one of these tailless cats to San Francisco
as a curiosity, and that it would never make friends with any
long-tailed cat. It would spit and scratch, and try to bite off the
other cat's tail; but one day, when they put it with a cat whose tail
had been cut off by a bad boy, it was friendly at once."
Fred wanted ever so much to send home a goldfish with a very wide and
beautiful tail. The fish didn't seem to be much unlike a common
goldfish, except in the tail, which was triple, and looked like a piece
of lace. As it swam around in the water, especially when the sun was
shining on the globe, its tail seemed to have nearly as many colors as
the rainbow, and both the boys were of opinion that no more beautiful
fish was ever seen. But the proposal to send it to America was rather
dampened by the statement of the Doctor that the experiment had been
tried several times, and only succeeded in a very few instances. Almost
all the fish died on the voyage over the Pacific; and even when they
lived through that part of the trip, the overland journey from San
Francisco to the Atlantic coast generally proved too much for them. The
Japanese name for this fish is _kin-giyo_, and a pair of them may be
bought for ten cents. It is said that a thousand dollars were offered
for the first one that ever reached New York alive, which is a large
advance on the price in Yokohama.
The Japanese dogs were also objects of interest to our young friends,
though less so than the cats and the goldfish. They have several
varieties of dogs in Japan, some of them being quite without hair, while
others have very thick coats. The latter are the most highly prized, and
the shorter their noses, the more valuable they are considered. Fred
found a dog, about the size of a King Charles spaniel, that had a nose
only half an inch long. He was boasting of his discovery, when Frank
pointed out one that had less than a third of an inch. Then the two kept
on the hunt for the latest improvement in dogs, as Frank expressed it,
and they finally found one that had no nose at all. The nostrils were
set directly in the end of the little fellow's head, and his under-jaw
was so short that the operations of barking and eating were not very
easy to perform. In spite of the difficulty of barking, he made a great
deal of noise when the boys attempted to examine him, and he gave Frank
to understand in the most practical way that a noseless dog can bite.
As they walked away from the shop where they found him, he kept up a
continual snarling, which led to the remark by Fred that a noseless dog
was very far from noiseless.
As they had been kept in by the rain, Frank thought he could not do
better than send to his sister a Japanese picture of a party caught in a
rain-storm. He explained that the rain in Japan was quite as wet as in
any other country, and that umbrellas were just as necessary as at home.
He added that the Japanese umbrellas were made of paper, and kept the
rain off very well, but they did not last a long time. You could buy one
for half a dollar, and a very pretty one it was, and it spread out
farther than the foreign umbrella did. The sticks were of bamboo, and
they were covered with several thicknesses of oiled paper carefully
dried in the sun. They were very much used, since nearly everybody
carried an umbrella, in fair weather as well as in foul; if the umbrella
was not needed against the rain, it was useful to keep off the heat of
the sun, which was very severe in the middle of the day.
The letters were ready in season for the mail for America, and in due
time they reached their destination and carried pleasure to several
hearts. It was evident that the boys were enjoying themselves, and at
the same time learning much about the strange country they had gone to
see.
[Illustration: CAUGHT IN THE RAIN.]