IL L U ST R AT ION S

JA PANC O N S I S T I NG OF

P RIVATE MEMOIRS AND ANECDOTES

OF THE R E IGN I NG DYNASTY OF

THE DJOGOUN S, OR SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN ;

A DESCR IPTION OF THE

FEA ST S AND CEREMON IE S

OBSERVED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AT THEIR COURT ;

AND OF THE CER EMON IES CUSTOMAR Y AT

MA RR IAGE S AND‘

FUN E RA L S

TO W H ICH AR E SUBJO I NED,

OBSERVATIONS ON THE LEGAL SUICIDE OF THE JAPANESE, REMARKS ON THEIR POETRY,E"PLANATION OF THEIRMODE OF R ECKON ING TIME, PARTICULARS RESPECTING

THE DOS IA POWDER, THE PREFACE OF A W ORK BY CONFOUTZEE ONFILIAL P IETY, Sfa.

BY M. T IT S INGH,

FORMER LY CHIEF AGENT TO THE DUTCH EAST INDIA COMPANY AT NANGASAKI.

TRANSLATED FROMTHE FRENCH, , BY FREDERIC SHOBERL .

W ITH COLOURED PLATES ,

FA ITHFULLY COP IED FROMJAPANESE ORIG INAL DES IGNS.

LONDON

PRINTED FOR R . ACKERMANN , IO] , STRAND.

MDCCC" " I I .

LONDONP R INTED BY \VILLI.A1\I CLOW ES,

Northumberlmjdc ourt.

ADDRE SS.

THE merits of the author of the very curious volume here submitte d to the

Pub l ic have been so fully developed in the prel im inary observations of the French

publ isher and ed itor, as to rel i eve me from the necess ity of any farthe r remark on

that subject . Under the system of se clusion , so long pursued by the govern

ment of Japan , such an access ion to our stock of information relative to the

h istory, manners , customs, arts , and l iterature , of its inhabitants,as is fur

nished i n these i l lustrations , cannot fai l to be extremely we lcome to every

inquis it ive mind .

We see by the example of the author, how much may be effected in the way

of commun icating to the Japanese a taste for the arts and sciences ofEurope ,by a man Whose facult ies are not wholly under the domin ion of the plodding

spirit of commerce . A beginn ing hav ing been made to open the i r eyes to the

benefits l ikely to accrue to themselves from a relaxation of the i r narrow pol i cy,and the perm iss ion of a more extens ive intercourse with Europeans , i t seems to

me to be a po int worthy of se rious consideration , whether B ritish en te rpris e

might not avail i tself of this favourable disposition , for attempting w ith some

chance of success to establ ish a connexion w ith this populous i nsular emp ire . I

am well aware , that i t would have no trifl ing difficulti es to encounte r, not only

i n the prejud ices of the Japanese,but, probably , also in those of the Dutch ,

who have hitherto enj oyed th is privil ege to the exclusion of all other fore ign

i v ADDRESS .

nations ; though perhaps , after the events of late years , we are authorized to

expect a more l ibe ral l ine of conduct of the present enl ightened government

of Hol land . Be this as i t may , I have too high opinion of B rit ish spirit ,i ndustry

,and perseverance , not to be convinced that they would find means to

surmount even still more powerful impediments .

C O N T E N T S.

PART I .

PAGE

Advertisement of the French Publ ishe r vi iP rel iminaryR emarks to theP rivateMemoirs of theDjogouns, byM.R emusat xiP rivateMemoi rs and Anecdotes of the R e igning Dynasty of the Djogouns

or Sovere igns ofJapanFeasts and Ceremon ies obse rved at different periods of the year at the

Court of the DjogounsOn. the Legal Sui cide of the JapaneseFragments ofJapanese PoetryDivis ion of the Year among the JapaneseR emarks on the Weights and Coins of JapanExplanation of the P lan of the Dutch Factory at Nangasaki‘ :kExplanat ion of the Plan of the Chinese Factory at Nangasaki

PART II .

Introduction to the Description of theMarriage Ceremon ies of the Japanese

Description of the Ceremon ies obse rved in Japan at theMarriages ofFarmers , Artisans , and Tradesmen 1 88

Explanation of the Japanese Words in the Description of theMarriageCe remon ies

CONTENTS .

Introduction to the Description of the Fune rals of the JapaneseDescription of the C eremonies practised in Japan at Fune ralsFuneral Festivals of the Japanese , with a Description of the Sacrifices

the Souls of the Dead according to the Custom of ChinaAccount of the Dosia Powder and of Kobou -Daysi , i ts InventorNotes to the A ccount of the Dosia PowderSupplementary Note on the Works ofConfoutzeeCatalogue of the Books ,Manuscripts , Paintings , Engravings ,Maps, P lans ,

Draw ings , and Co ins , of Japan , collected by the late M. T itsingh

ADVERTISEMENTR E S P ECTING THE MANUS CRIPT S

M. TITSINGH

BY M . NEPVEU , THE FR ENCH PUBLISHER .

HAVING parti cularly devoted my attention to the publ i cation of works i llustrative of the manners and customs of different nations , and neglecting noopportuniti es of forming an acquaintance with enl ightened travel lers fromwhom I am l ikely to obtain authent ic information on those subj ects , I could nothe lp considering it as one of the most fortunate occurrences of my l ife , whenM. T itsinghdid me the honour to apply to me respecting the print ing andpubl ish ing of h is numerous manuscripts . He though t fit to transmit to me , i nthe first instance , h is translation of the Nipon- o- day

- tc/ze- lan, or Abridged Annalsof the Dairis, orEccles iasti cal S overeigns of Japan , and History of theDjogouns,or S ecular P rinces , called Emperors by the Europeans , and the real sovere ignsof that country

,with comments by himself. Notwithstanding the dryness of

chronological abridgments in general , I read that of the Dairis with greati nterest , and then returned it toM. T itsingh, who had some additions to make ,and expressed my readiness to treat with h im for the work . A disease whi chWould not have proved fatal , hadM. T i tsinghfoll owed the advice ofhis

’ friends ,and called in professional aid , put a period to an honourable l ife partly devotedto the duties of the h ighest posts under his government

,partly to l i te rature

,

science , and a regular correspondence with the most enl ightened persons i nEurope . In hopes of acqui ring some ofhis valuable manuscripts

,and of the

original designs which he had colle cted during a res idence offourteen years in

v i i i MANUSCRIPTS OFMTITSINGH.

Japan , I repai red to the sale of h is effects , which took place at Paris a fewmonths afte r h is decease , which happened in March 1 8 1 2. To my greatsurprise and d isappo intment, nothing was put up for sale but some ordinaryfurn itu re , and a few arti cles of Chinese locksmiths’ work . S ix years passedw i thout any prospect that I should ever meet with the manuscripts to which Iattached so much importance . S ome hints that I rece ived fromM. Langles,

furnished me , i n the begi nn ing of 1 8 1 8, with a clue to the inte resting collectionwhich , s ix years before , had so powerfully exci ted my curiosi ty . In Short, Ibecame the purchaser of the whole of the drawings , paintings , and manuscripts ,Japanese , Dutch , French , and Engl ish , and also of some of the curios i ties whichhad belonged toM. T itsingh,

and a descriptive catalogue ofwhich is includedin this volume . A deta i l ed account of them had been previously given i n1 81 4, in the twenty - fourth volume of the Annales des Voy ages, preceded by thefol lowing remarks

The col lect ion formed byM. T itsinghfurn ishes materials for a new history ,

political , civil , geographical , and natural , of Japan. I t i s well worth the attentionofal l governments sol ici tous for the increas e ofuseful knowledge i t ought inparticular to attract the not i ce ofthose whose commercial and pol iti cal interestsm ight rende r the establ ishment of a more regular i ntercourse with Japandes i rable

. Ive have no doubt that England , Holland , or R uss ia, would gladlysecure th is collecti on for i tself; but fortunately it i s i n the hands of a Frenchman j ealous of the glo ry of h is country , and anxious to see these valuablematerials appl ied to the erection of a l iterary monument in h is own language .

To enable the reader to j udge of the importance of these works , I subj oi n anextract from a lette r addressed byM. Titsinghhimself, on the subj ect of hismanuscripts

,to W ill iamMarsden , Esq . , and dated the l 0thof October, 1 809

S IR ,

Accept my sincere thanks for your kind remembrance .

Mr.Goldsmith has communicated to me the contents of the lette r which

you have addressed to h im . I t gives me great pleasure to learn from it, thatthe papers wh ich I sent you have al l reached your hands , and that you willtake charge of them till the so much wished - for peace shal l decide the i rfate .

MANUSCRIPTS OF M . TITSINGH. ix

I now transm it to you th e first thre e volumes of the Nipon- o- day- tche- lan, or

Annals of the Dairis of Japan. I should have forwarded the whole of the sevenvolumes ofwhich the work cons ists : but the necess ity of making the Frenchand Engl ish vers ions agree , as I intend to publ i sh both at the same time , has

“prevented my sending al l the seven volumes : the remai nder shal l the reforefollow i n a few months , when I have completed the French translation .

The beginning ofthe A nnals of the Da’

iris,’ l ike that of the h istory of all

ancient and even of some modern nations , i s extremely dry ; but the matte rbecomes by degrees more inte resting , as you wil l pe rce ive from my nex t parcel .Notwithstanding the thi ck clouds whi ch cover the o rigi n of the Japanese , anun inter rupted account of the remarkable events that have occurred under thedifferent Dairis, s ince the year 660 before the Christ ian aara, throws great l ighton the customs sti l l prevai l ing i n Japan , and incont estably proves that theJapanese were a civi l iz ed and pol ished people before the existence of themodern European nations

,or while they were st il l under thedisgraceful yoke

of the grossest barbarism .

Though I am at present in exce llent heal th , yet the uncertainty of l ife ,and an ardent des ire to fin ish the translat ion of all that I have collected re

specting Japan , cause me to st ick very closely to the task that I have undertaken .

I am sometimes tempted to apply to myselfwhat C ice ro says in h is discourseon old age , i n wh ich he introduces Cato conve rsing wi th Lael ius and Scip io ,and making the same observation

,when speaking of the great Fabius , as I may

with reference to the Japanese : Quorumsermone tamcupidéfruebar, quasi divina .

rem id, quod evenire posset, me ex tincto, fore uude discerent neminem

I do not possess the art of divinat ion , and consequently cannot predictwhat is to happen at some future t ime ; but , i t is a fact—I care not if I bethought too presumptuous fo r proclaiming i t myself—that , at the presentmoment , there is not i n Europe a person besides myselfwho can furnish a faithful history and a ci rcumstant ial description of the manners and customs of anation wh ich is scarcely known he re

,and which

,neverthel ess , dese rves to be

known on so many accounts .”

The numerous mate rials collected byM. T itsinghprove that th is i ndustriousand intell igent ambassador was not too presumptuous . No pre ceding travelle r,

b

MANUSCR IPTS OF M . TITSINGH.

excepting Kampfe r, to whose accuracy he bears test imony , possessed suchmeans ofobtain ing authentic information relative to the Japanese empire . ThelateM. Charpentie r Cossigny , who was at Chinsurah , at the t imeM. Titsinghwas governor of that place , Speaks ofh im in the following te rms in h is Voy ageau B eugale, publ ished at Paris i n 1 799M. T itsingh continues to make additions to h is collections relative to

Japan,through the kindness of a Japanese prince , fathe r- ln- law to the re ign i ng

emperor,a man eager afte r knowledge of eve ry kind , with whom he keeps up

a regular correspondence,and from whom he rece ives all the information

requ is ite for h is purposes . The Engl i sh at Cal cutta have offe red h im two lacksof rupees for his manuscripts , which he has refused : he tells me ,that he destines these works for a present to his b rothe r

,who is in Holland .

What greatly contributed to increase the stock of i nfo rmation col l ected byM. Titsinghrelative to Japan , during a res idence of fourte en years i n thatcountry , was the facil i ty with which several intell igent Japanese spoke andwrote i n Dutch . The fathe r - ih- law of the re igning emperor and seve ral othernobles excel led in this accompl ishment . M. Ti tsingh, who was himselfthoroughly acquainted with the i r language , had thus the means ofascertai n ingby a doubl e test the meaning of al l that was communicated to him e ithe rorally or i n writing . Those who had opportuni ties of knowing him,

and amongothers

, M. de Guignes , who accompanied h im on his embassy to the emperorKi en - long

,bear witness to the accuracy of his obse rvations , and the candour

with which he himselfsubmitted them to the crit i cism ofthe learned of differentacademies . I t is, therefore , with the utmost confidence i n the authenti ci ty of

the original works , and i n the fidel ity of the various translations made fromthem byM. T itsingh, that I here present the publ i c wi th a portion ofhis inte resting productions .

PR ELIMINAR Y R EMAR K S

THE PRIVATE IVIEMOIR S OF THE DJOGOUN S ,

M. AB EL R EMUSAT .

AMONG the works wh ich M. T itsinghl eft beh ind him in manuscript , andthe publ i cation of which cannot but be expected with impati ence by all thelovers of sci ence and l i terature , some are translat ions or extracts ofChinese orJapanese books , the others memoirs on different subj ects , composed by theauthor during h is res idence i n Japan . His valuable

-

collections , embracingparti culars respecting the arts , productions , and commerce ofJapan—numerousdrawings

,many of them carefully coloured , which furn ish a clearer idea than

any description, of the costumes , furniture , and machines , of that cel ebrated

country—remarks on the gove rnment , laws , manners , and character of thei nhabitants

,furnish materials , the loss of which would be i rretrievable .

M. T itsingh was an equally j udicious and attentive observer ; and hiss ituat ion

,during a residence of fourteen years at Nangasak i , the considera

t ion in W hich he was held there , and the honourable connexions which heformed with the most d isti nguished personages , enabled him to obtain authenti ci nformation , to clear up h is doubts , and in short to gain the most accurate andthemost complete notions that a fore igner can poss ibly acqui re on every subj ectof interest to Europeans .This happy combination of circumstances was requisi te for the production

of the work here presented to the publ i c . I t is well known that the Japanese ,b 2

xi i PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

l ike the Ch inese , are accustomed to abstain from the publ i cation of any h istorical work relative to a dynasty , so long as that dynasty fil ls the throne . Thispracti ce i s not only des igned to prese rve h istorians from the temptati on of

swerving from truth , ou t of fear, flatte ry , hatred , or gratitude ; but l ikewiseto prevent premature revelations, and such discuss ions as are conce ived to hei njurious to the sovere ign authority , and dangerous to the tranqui ll i ty of thestate . W hateve r may be thought of these precautions , they tend to concealthe most recent facts from our knowledge so that we are greater strange rs tothe events of our own times , than to those of antiqui ty . Thus we are assuredthat there is not any work printed i n Japan whi ch furn ishes particulars of

the occurrences i n that empi re s ince the year 1 600, the period atwh i ch theNipon

- o- da'

i - tche- lan, orAnnals of the Dairis, terminate .

This reason must doubtl ess be suffi cient to excite strong interest and curios ityin behalf of the Memoirs of the Djogouns. M. Titsingh, who translated or

extracted them from Japanese manuscripts h imself, explains in what mannerhe became acquainted with those works . But for th e high confidence whichhis characte r had won him , and which he contrived to turn to the advantageof sci ence , he could not have had access to memoi rs which the i r possessorscarefully conceal , or at l east show to none but the i r most intimate friends .W hen we conside r the suspi cious spi ri t of the Japanese government, i tsavers ion to fore igners , and the rigid i nquis i tion and barbarous j urisprudenceby which private individuals are oppressed , we have abundant reason - to congratulate ourselves , that a European has accompl ished what a native neve rdurst have attempted . Thanks to the pains he has taken ; we shall outstrip theJapanese themselves , and by an extraordinary singularity , we shall be earl ie rand bette r informed than they concerning the events of the i r own history .

S everal pieces wh ich M. Titsinghi nserted in h isMemoirs, and wh ich couldnot be left where he had placed them , as well as the circumstant ial descriptionof the fest ivals and ceremonies that take place in the course of the year ' atYedo

,seemed to me well adapted to form an inte resting Appendix . To th is

part I have transfe rred al l that the au thor thought fit to add in notes of too

great l ength to be thrown at the foot of the pages , concern ing the divis ion of

the astronomical and civil year among the Japanese . These particulars, whichappear extremely accurate , may serve to extend and rectify what we find on

PRELIM INARY REMARK S. xi i i

the same subj ect i n the works of K'

aimpfer and Thunberg. In general , theJapanese words are more correctly given , and bette r translated byM. Ti tsingh,owing

,no doubt , to h is having made greate r progress i n the study of the

language . Th is reason induced me to introduce also into the Appendix sometables al ready known , such as those of the cycle , the elements , &c . The reade rwill

,therefore , have in th is volume , without be ing obl iged to refer to any other

work,all that i s requis ite for making h imself acquainted wi th the divis i on of

time among the Japanese .

The plates wh ich embell ish th is volume , and which are carefully copied andreduced from drawings or engravings executed in Japan , have al l a reference ,more or l ess d i rect , to the subj e cts ofwhich i t treats . That which representsthe tremendous eruption of the mountain of A sama , i n the province of S inano ,i s well calculated , conj ointly with the an imated descript ion whichM. Titsinghhas given of that phenomenon , to furnish an idea of the dreadful convulsionsto which nature is frequentl y subject i n the Japanese islands . The plan ofthe palace of the Djogouns at Yedo , wil l not be less useful i n following theaccount of the ceremonies observed at the court of those princes

.I t were

indeed to be wished , that th is plan had been accompani ed with explanatoryparticulars of the names and destination of the different parts compos ing thatedifice but I had not before me the original plan , i n which I should probablyhave found the necessary il lustrations . The inscriptions , which the Japanese ,i n imi tation of the Chinese , are accustomed to place on the doors, and whichare faithfully introduced in the i r plans , would have been a sufficient substitutefor any other explanation , had I possessed the original . I had th is ass istancein two other plans i nserted in th is volume , the one representing the Chinesefactory at Nangasak i , the othe r the Dutch factory and the island of B es ima,

s ituated near the same city . As the originals of these two plans were placedin my hands , I have been enabl ed , by such inscript ions as those to which Ihave just al luded , and some Japanese notes annexed to them ,

to draw up ashort explanat ion , which is subj oined to the first Part. The figures of th isex planation correspond with those in the engravings .To the text ofM. TitsinghI have added noth ing but a few ve ry short notes .

The author h imself had , i n general , taken care to furnish the most necessaryexplanations . I have suppl ied his omiss ions of this k ind , whenever it was in

x iv PRELIM INARY REMARKS .

my powe r , and I thought i t l ikely to be useful ; for we have stil l so l i ttleauthentic i nformation concern ing Japan , that we are frequently at a l oss

,par

t icularl y i n regard to the events of modern history,and that for the reasons

which have been stated above .

Ifwe now pause to consider the accession to our knowledge Whi ch we shallderive from M. T itsinghwe shall find that he has overlooked scarcely anyuseful or i nte resting obj ect , and that he has contributed by h is labours asmuch as Kampfer, and much more than Thunberg , to make Europe acquaintedwith that s ingular empire , which a pol i cy , that before the conquest of Hindoostan , might be charged with timid i ty , persists i n clos ing against the inquiri es ofEuropeans . To sav nothing of the h istorical facts contained in thefollowingpages , the anecdotes calculated to elucidate the genius and manners ofthe Japanese nat ion , the account of fest ivals and ceremonies , which are also features i nthe national characte r, and the parti culars relative to the l iterature , sciences ,.and traditions ofJapan ,which th is volume , nevertheless , contains in great number ;we shall merel y observe , that th is and the othe r works completed by the authorform the richest as well as the most useful col lection that was ever made respecting any country of A sia. As yet we know nothing more of the ancient historyofJapan than is given us by K

'

a

’mpfe r i n a dry and brief chronicle , which oughtrather to be denominated a chronological table . M. T itsingh, i ndependentlyof an extensive manuscript work i n Japanese , which he presented to the King’sl ibrary , devoted several years to the translation of the Annals of the Dairis, theorigi nal of which forms seven volumes , and contains the events of the historyofJapan related with the only details befitt ing a nation so remote from us

,and

so completely separated from the rest of the world . This translation,which

will , i t is to be hoped , speedily appear, wil l fil l an important chasm in ourhistorical knowledge , and of course have a place ass igned to i t bes ide the workof FatherMailla, and the History of theHans by Degu ignes.

Geography and topography would be equal gainers by the publ ication of themate rials accumulated by M. Titsingh. The great map of Japan , publ ishedin 1 779 , several copies of which he brought with him , i s certa inly the mostsplendid monument e rected beyond the l im its of Europe to geographicalscience . I t exhibi ts a prodigious number of names and si tuations , and according to al l appearance , i t is not less accurate than c ircumstantial . When it shall

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

PRELIMINARY REMARKS

whale species and othe r fishes , and wh ich we hope to se e publ ished with thenotes that he attached to them .

Finally , the arts of the Japanese , the i r manners , customs , dress , do , hadengaged the particular attent ion ofM. Titsingh, and he had composed numerousmemo i rs on these subj ects , all of them accompani ed with figures extracted fromJapanese books . A specimen of his performances in this way is given in thatpart of this volume wh ich treats of the ceremon i es customary at marr iagesand funerals .

rate synonymy possible wi ll be establ ished between the denominations of the country and ours, so

that the botani st may know withprecision what plant ismeant by the Chinese name, and thus beable to obtain fromChina the seeds ofsuchas i t might be interesting to naturalize in Europe.

JA P

P AR T FIR ST .

PR IVATE MEMOIRS AND ANECDOTES OF THE REIGNING DYNASTY OF THE

SOVERE IGNS OF JAPAN ; DESCRIPT ION OF THE FEASTS AND

CEREMON IES OBSERVED AT THEIR COURT , é'rc.

PRIVATE MEMOIR S AND ANECDOTES

THE REIGNING DYNASTY OF THE DJOGOUNS ,

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

THE Dazris, or spi ri tual heads of Japan , were the first sovere igns of thecountry , ove r whi ch they ruled w ith absolute power, t i l l towards the conclus ionof the 1 2thcentury , ( 1 1 85) when Yori - tomo was elected commander- in- ch ief ofthe empire , and afterwards ( i n 1 1 92) Z i - i - da

'

i -Djagoan. The i r authority whichthen suffered a powerful shock , kept gradual ly decl in ing under the Djogounswho succeeded Yori - tomo , t i l l at length i t rece ived i ts death - b low during there ign ofYeye - yasou , or Gongin- sama, the fi rstDjogoun of the present dynasty .

The Dairi is yet considered as the sovere ign of the emp i re , but th is i s onlyan empty compl iment : hi s influence i n temporals 1 3 next to none , so thatthe supreme power is really vested in the Djogoun. The consent of the Dai ri ,howeve r, i s stil l requis ite i n al l affai rs of importance , and in such cases theordinances are publ ished in h is name he rarely withholds i t so rarely ' indeedthat I could hear of no more than one instance of the kind , wh ich occurredwhen i t was i n agi tat ion to confer the t itle of Kouambahon Fide-fada, son of

Gongin. The Dai ri , conv inced that any attempt to d isturb the presentdynasty in the possess ion of the sovere ign authority would prove vain , seemsto content h imself with the respect and defe rence whi ch the Djogoun payshim from pol icy

,and wh ich that prince , if he be wise , w il l neve r refuse him ;

B 2

4. SOVERE IGNS OF JAPAN .

for the enm ity of the spiri tual head of the empi re might, if not overturn the

throne , at l east excite the greatest d iscord i n th e state .

The dynasties of the Djogouns are comprised under the denomination of

Tenha-no- si - goun, or S oso- no- si - goun" . They are four i n numbe r,namely

1 . That ofYori - tomo .

2 . That ofFaka - ousi .3. That ofFi de - yosi , orTa i ko .

4. That ofYeye - yasou , orGongin.

Faka - ousi was ofthe fam i ly ofYos i - ye,who was descended from Serwa - ten - o,

the 56thDa i ri . He divided the supreme power between h is two sons , Yosinori and Moto - ousi , g iving to each the gove rnment of thi rty - three provinces

.

The latte r, who ruled over the easte rn part , was styled Kamakoura- no - Djogoun

,and kept h is court at Kamakoura, i n the province of Fagami . Yosi - nori ,

to whomwere al lotted the western prov inces, res ided atMiyako , with the t itl eofTchoko - no -Djogoun.

Faka - ousi,i n d ividing the empi re between h is two sons , was influenced by

the expectation that in case ei ther of them should be attacked , h is brothe rwould afford h im ass istance . This parti tion on the contrary only se rved to armthem one against the other ; the country was i nvolved in continual war, andthe princes

,though brothe rs , were engaged i n frequent hostil i ties , which te r

minated only w ith the destruction of the branch ofMi yako .

FIDE YOSI , or TAIKO.

NOBOU - NAGA , of the family of Feike, was killed by Akedje-mitsou - fide, whodesigned to usurp the throne and the authority ofDjogoun. A few days afterthe murder, however, he h imself perished, and his death occasioned the proverb : Alredje- no- tenlra-mi/ra Akedje re igned but thre e days whi ch isemployed in refe rence to any th ing that has lasted a very short time .After the death ofNobou - naga, his grandson S infosi , son of Nobou - fada

,was

Tenka em ire ; no, the con unetive article '

si four; oun lord ; Soso, one ,who raisedhimself.7 P J P i a {J 3

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 5

chosen to succeed h im . The re lat ives and fri ends of the late Djogoun d ividedamong themse lves the government of the provi nces . Nabouko, the uncl e of

the young prince , to whose share fel l the province of Ovari , was i nvested withthe adm inistrat ion of affai rs during h is minority . The other persons who hadobtained provinces went to take possession of them , and Fide - yosi aloneremained atMiyako. Afte r gain ing several victories in the wars which thendevastated the emp ire , he assumed the t itle of Djogoun i n the 1 3th year ofTendjo,The annals of the Dai ris furnish no part iculars respect ing the origi n of thisprince

,and

,as he had not any known surname , that ofToyo - tomi was given to

h im . Some write rs assert that h is family belonged to the lowest class of

society ; others, on the contrary , attribute to h im a more d isti nguished b i rth .

The statement of the latte r is as follows The Y innagonMotche- fagi , an officerof the Dairi ’s, be ing accused of a crime which he had not committed , wasexiled to Ovari . He there became enamoured of a female , by whom he had ason, who rece i ved at his bi rth the name of Fi - yos i - marou. The father’s innocence be ing meanwh il e discovered

,he was recal led to Miyako , where h is

fam i ly res ided , and re instated in h is post . His m istress , whom he had beenobl iged to leave at Ovari , sunk afte r his departure into indigence , and had noothe r means of supporting herse lf and her ch i ld

,than to marry a labourer named

Nakamouro-

yayemon, who took care of the boy , and brought h im up underhis own i nspection . Afte r the death of Yayemon,

his w idow gave her handto Tiekou - ami , a phys ician .

The son ofMotche - fagi , having attained the age of twenty years , enteredi nto the household ofMatsou - s ita- kafesi , an officer of the Djogoun, as sl ipperbeare r. He was next in the se rvice of Nobou - naga

,who was sti l l only prince

of Ovari and it was then that he assumed the name ofFide - yosi . Such was theattachment that he man ifested to his new master

,and so numerous the proofs

that he gave of prudence and valour that Nobou - naga,on becoming Djogoun,

raised him to the most exalted mil itary dignit ies.

His exploits are very concisely related in the Tazlco-hi , a work whichmy occupationshave notleft me leisure to translate. The author,on the otherhand, expatiates on those ofYeye-

yasou, wi thaview to flatterhis descendants. The Japanese, nevertheless, still regard Fide

-

yosi as one of their

greatest princes.

6 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

Afte r the death of that prince , Fide - yos i se iz ed the re ins of government , andas soon as h is adopted son was e lected Kouamba/r, he took the t itl e ofTa

'

iho. I nperson he was extremely short , be ing scarcely fifty inches h igh , and had roundeyes l ike those of monkeys , which caused him to be surnamed Sarou tsou

‘

ra, or

monkey ’s face .I n anothe r manuscript I find an account d iffering from the above ; i t is as

follows : Fide - yos i had married Kita - no - marou - dono , daughter of the nurs e tothe prince ofKaga. He was then so poor that he had not even a sagarahi y alri ,or common earthen pot fordrink ing zahlci w i th his bride . Fide - yos i first ente redi nto the service ofMatsou - s ita- kafesi , who held a post equivalent to that ofgovernor ofNangasak i . On leaving that ofli cer, he enl isted unde r the bannersofNobou - naga, and by his great bravery and bril l iant explo i ts , won the favourof that prince to such a degree , as to be i nvested by him with th e command of

the army .

These two accounts , though differing in substance , yet concur in proving thatFi de - yosi owed h is elevat ion to h is personal merit, and the favour of Nobou - naga.A t the age of forty , Fide - yos i fel l i n love with Yodo - dono , daughte r ofAza- i

b izen - no - kami - naga—masa, who had manifested an inveterate enmity againstNobou - naga

,and who,

be ing at length vanquished in the 8th month of thefi rst year ofTendjo put an end to h is l ife , as d id also h is father S imotskeno - kami - fisa- masa. Noben - naga, having confiscated h is mans ion ofOdani , committed i t to the care ofF ide - yos i and this c i rcumstance afforded h im occas ionto see Yodo - dono , a female , who seems to have possessed far stronge r claimsto admiration for beauty and understanding, than for purity ofmanne rs . Somewriters assert that he married he r, others that he mere ly l ived with he r, butwithout making her h is wife . Be th is as i t may

,he continued stedfastl y

attached to her, and she bore h im in his ol d age a son, who was named Fideyori . Death had previously deprived him of another son , forwhom he had astrong affection .

Tchoan , i n h is work intituled Dou -

gouaz- den

,states that the characte r and con

duct ofYodo - dono were highly equivocal , and thence concludes that i t i s ve ryunce rtai n whethe r Fi de - yori had a right to cal l Taiko his father. This asse rt ion is unfounded

,and had no other motive than to diminish the odium of the

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8 SOVERE IGNS OF JAPAN.

t ions , Ta i ko rel inqu ished the government to Yeye - yasou and five ofh is principalfavourites , and expi red on the 1 8th of the e ighth month

, of the th ird yearKei - djo at the age of s ixty - thre e .Afte r the death of Tai ko , d iscord soon sprung up among the governors , and

l ed to intest ine bro ils and civi l wars . Yeye - yasou , who had long asp i red tothe supreme power, took care to foment these d isturbances , but d isguised hisintentions , t i ll , find ing his authority suffi ciently establ ished, he threw off themask , attacked Fide - yori upon plausible pretexts , and bes ieged b im in his castleofOsaka. P eace was indeed concluded, through the mediation of the Dai ri ,but i t was of short durat ion . Hostil i ti es recommenced W ith greate r v io lencethan ever, and the i ssue of them may be seen i n the above - mentioned work ofFathe r Grasset* . The particulars respecting them contained in the l ette rs ofthe Dutch Company’s agents i n Japan , though curious , with refe rence to thecommerce of that time , are not of suffi c ient interest for further notice here .

Gongin,hav ing become maste r of the empi re , by the defeat of Fi de - yori and

h is parti sans,thought of noth ing but the means of securing to himse lf the

supreme power for eve r . As there were many persons at the court of theDa i ri who espoused the cause of Fi de - yori , and as i t was of th e utmost consequence to the usurper to keep that court in absolute dependence , he persuadedthe Dai ri to appo int two of his sons h igh - priests, one in the temple of Niko ,and the othe r i n that of Ouyeno at Yedo . He thus rel ieved h imse lf from al lapprehens ion of the Dai ri , whom he could have immed iately d isplaced, tomake room for one of his sons , had he ventured to attempt any th ing againsth is usurped authority .

Be ing now easy upon th is head , Gongin adopted such wise regulations , thatthe country, too long torn by civi l bro ils , was restored to the bless ings of profound peace ; and opportunity was afforded for lay ing the foundat ions of thatprosperity wh ich i t stil l enj oys .At this period terminate the Nipon- o- dai - tche- lan, orAnnals of theDazris. S incethe access ion of Gongin, the printing of any work relat ive to the governmenthas been proh ib ited . The curious , however, possess manuscript accounts ofall the remarkab le events that have occurred under the d ifferent princes of the

Tom. 1 1 . 1 .

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 9

present dynasty. These manuscripts are i n great request. The conduct ofpe rsons of elevated rank is somet imes as free ly censured in them , as i t coul dbe i n any country in Europe . The obstructions which the government throwsin the way of the publ ication of h istori cal works , prevent these works frombe ing known

,and thus obviate whatever might make an obnox ious'

impression

on the m i nds of the people , and endanger the i nte rests of the re igning dynasty ,as we ll as the tranquill ity of the empi re . From some of these manuscripts areextracted the particulars he re submitted to the pub l i c. The Japanese

,to

whom they,be long, keep them cautiously concealed, so that i t i s difficul t to

procure a sight of them . If I was fortunate enough to obtai n the commun icationof those from which I have extracted such curiou s notes

,I am indebted for i t

to the ardent zeal w ith whi ch my fri ends ass isted me in all my researches . Icannot adequately express my grati tude to them for this se rvice , and for al lthe other acts of kindness , which they never ceased to lavish upon me duringthe five years that I res ided among them.

I have thought i t superfluous to dwell upon what concerns the government,

which has but l i ttle inte rest for fore igners , s in ce the empi re has enjoyed profound peace . I have , therefore , i ntroduced only so much of these matters aswas calculated to make the reader better acquainted with the way of th inkingand acting of these people , respecting which Europeans have but very imperfect notions . For this reason I have translated as l iterally as poss iblewhat I have extracted from original works .

THE FIR ST DJOGOUN OF THE R EIGNINGDYNASTY .

MINAMOTTO - NO -YEYE -YASOU was the son of Zo- ou -Darnagon- firo- fada : his

mother, Dentsou - in- den,

was the daughte r ofMi sou - no - ouyemon- no - dayou - fadamasa : he traced his descent from S e i va - ten - o, the 56thDai ri . Before hemounted the throne he was prince ofOkasak i .Yeye - Yasou had twel ve ch i ldren , the second ofwhom , Nebou - yasou , was ayoung prince of excel lent qual ities . He incurred the displeasure of his father

,

who, i nstigated by false accusations , ordered him to rip up his belly . His

0

1 0 SOVERE IGNS OF JAPAN .

i nnocence having been made manifest when too late , Gongin deeply regrettedhis death .

From his th i rd son are descended the present pr inces ofYedjezen. He hada son

,named Fada - noa, who was of a perverse and cruel d isposit ion , and caused

several of his servants to be put to death for very sl ight faul ts . His father, byway of punishment , obl iged h im to cut off h is hai r, and ban ished h im to theprovince ofBoungo .

Yeye -

yasou’

s son, Fi de - fada, succeeded h is father. His s ixth child , Nobouyosi d ied i n h is i nfancy , and was succeeded by Yeye -

yasou’

s ninth son. Hisseventh chi ld was a daughte r, marri ed to the prince of Odevara. This pri nce ,having the temerity to take up arms against Ta'

iko , was defeated , and obl igedto rip up h is belly . Taiko spared the l ife of hi s son, for the sake of Yeyeyasou ; but made h im a priest, and confined h im in the temple of Koyasan i nK idjo. Ta i ko , having quelled the insurre ction , took him into favour, createdhim a prince , and granted h im a revenue of one hundred manhohf t . The newprince

,howeve r , died of the small - pox , before a province could be al lotted to

him,and without l eav ing any issue . He was descended from 'Kiyo - mori

,who

was supposed to be the offspring of Koan -mou - ten - o, the 5othDai ri ; but th isi s e rroneous

,for h is father was the 72d Dai ri , Zi ro - kava - no - fowo

,who died

i n the first month of the thi rd year, Nin-fe' His mother was one of

the concubines of Z irokava, who made a present of her , while pregnant , toFada- mori . Some time after the b irth ofKiyo - mori , while he was yet crawl ingabout on his hands and knees , Fada- mori carri ed h im to the Dai ri , to showhim the ch ild , and addressed to h im these verses

I moga kaoFofo douo u i koso

Nari mi kiri .

What i s to be done w ith the crawl ing offspring of a concub ine ? Zirokava immed iately repl ied inthese l ines

Fada- mori tori te

Yasi na - i ni ze yo.

Fada- mori , adept and take care of him .

”

Man, ten thousand ; hokf orhobang, a piece of gold, the val ue of whichhas varied. The sum

herementioned may be est imated at twelvemillions of francs (halfa mil l ion sterl ing.)

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN. 1 1

The husband of Fide -

youki , Yeye -

yasou’s e ighth child , was a man of

great courage , and much dreaded by Taiko , who caused him to be poisoned ,according to some with tea, but as others assert, with smal l cakes calledmandjou . He was at that t ime forty years old . His widow afterwards marri edAsa- i - no - tasima - no - kami Naga - nori , from whom are descended the princes of A ki .Yori unobou , the eleventh child ofYeye - yasou

,was a man ofgreat courage and

sound understand ing . He is said to have been impl icated i n the conspi racyof You ino - djosits and Marabasi - tchouya, against the fourthDjogoun,

i n thefourth year Ke-

y an of wh ich we shall treat when we come to the re ignof that prince .Lastly , his twe lfth child , Yori - fousa, succeeded to the empire on the death of

his fifth brother, Nohou - yosi , and was the progen itor of the princes ofMi to :He did noth ing worthy of noti ce .Yeye - yasou , being wounded , i t is said, i n the lo ins with a pike , at the tak ing

of Osaka , - by Sanada - sayemon- yenki - mora, commande r of the troops of Fi deyori , a man of disti nguished merit , brave , ente rpris ing, and by whom he hadpreviously been several times defeated , expi red at Sourouga, from the effectsof his wound , on the 1 7th day of the fou rth month of the year 1 6 1 6 . He wasborn on the 26thof the 1 2thmonth of the 1 1 th year Ten- boun atOkasaki , in the province ofMikava . Thus , according to the Japanese computation

,he l ived seventy - five years .

Long before this event , i n the tenth year Ki—djo he had resigned thegovernment to h is th i rd son , Fide - fada, reserving to h imself the right of

superintendence , which he exercised t il l h is death . The tab let which bearshis posthumous title , as well as that of al l hi s successors , i s placed in thetemple at Niko .

It i s stated that Yeye - yasou was i nte rred at Sakai, where the re is actuallya tomb which the inhabi tants asse rt to be h is . A circumstance that seems tocountenance th is report is

,that the princes , on the i r way to Osaka, vis i t-cd i t

with very few attendants , for the purposeofoffering up the i r prayers . Nothingposit ive

,however, i s known , because i t is forbidden to speak , and sti ll more

to publ ish any th ing in writing on th is subj ect . S ome are of opinion that thetomb in question is that of Ta ke ,

though others affi rm that thi s prince wasi nte rred at h is mans ion at Fousoumi .

1 2 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

Be th is as i t may , while Gongin and Fide - yori were contending for thesovere ignty , Sanada - awa- no - kami Masa-

youk i , who had two sons , namedSanada - ize- no - kam i and S anada - sayemon-

youk i- mora , contrived to i ntroduce

one of them into the servi ce ofGongin, and to place the other about the personof Fide - yori , in the hope that whatever might be the issue of the contest , hisfamily m ight find a patron in the conqueror. He was not d isappointed i n h isexpectations , s ince the descendants of the e ldest son are st il l princes ofS imano ,and possess an income of ten manhohf*As to Sanada- sayemon-

youk i- mora, some writers asse rt that he was compelled

to rip up his belly at Osaka, as wel l as h is son Sanada -Da '

tski but th is accounti s contradicted by others , who relate as fol lows z—Several princes , who hadcome to the assi stance of F ide - yori

,having treache rously set fire to the palace

of Osaka, Sanada, h is son,

and several other persons of distinction , finding i timposs ibl e to hold out there any longer, escaped in small barks , w i th Fi de - yori ,to Fiego , where they went on board vessels from Satsouma, which they hadpreviously prepared

,i n case the fortune of war should prove unfavourable to

them . These vessels immediately set sail , and conveyed them to Satsouma,

where the descendants of several of these fami l ies are stil l l iving , but i n povertyand obscurity . The successors of Gongin have constantl y endeavoured , ou tofpoli cy , to secure the princes of that country in the i r interest by intermarriageswith them . At th is time v

( 1 782) , the daughte r of the present prince ofSatsoumai s the wife of the he i r - apparent to the throne .

FIDE FADA , THE SECOND DJOGOUN .

CONGIN was succeeded by his th ird son, Minamotto- no - fide - fada. He hadmarried the younger s ister of Yodo - dono , the wife ofT aiko . Aza- i - bizen - nokami Naga - masa had had by his wife , Odani , younger s ister of Nobou - naga ,the two daughters j ust ment ioned, and one son. The latte r was th irteen years

About francs, or sterling.

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN. 1 3

old, when Nobou - naga, h is uncle , sent for him , and killed h im withhis ownhand , ei ther to punish him for the guilt of his father , or fearing lest he shouldsome day attempt to revenge his death .

The e ighth daughte r ofFide - fada was married to the Dai ri . After the deathof her husband , she was called Tchofouk - mon - in

, from the gate of Tchofouk .

The palace has twelve gates and on the death of the Dai ri , the widow has ahouse allotted to her, and takes her name fromthe gate near whi ch i t is s ituated .

Fide - fada’s youngest son had the t itle of Figo - no - kami,and was prince of

Ai sou , in the province of Oz io , which i s dependent on that ofMouts. He wasa man of extensive knowledge , whom the Djogoun and his successor consul tedon al l matte rs of importance . He detested the rel igion of S iaka, and wouldnot al low any ofhis dependents to become priests . H is memory is he ld tothis day in profound veneration .

Fi de - fada res igned the government to h is son, Yeye -mitsou , in the ninthyear Gen-wa and d i ed the 24thof the first month of the n inth yearKouan-

y e

YEYEMITSOU, THIRD DJOGOUN .

MINAMOTTO - NO - YEYE -MITSOU was the second son of Fide - fada. During hisre ign noth ing remarkable happened , excepting the war ofArima and S ima - bara,of wh ich some notice wil l be taken in another place .

YEYE TSOUNA, FOURTH DJOGOUN .

MINAMO'rro - No - YEvE-

'

rs0UNA, e ldest son ofYeye -mitsou , succeeded his fatherin the fourth year Kei - zan We find noth ing during his re ign worthy of

be ing transmitted to poste rity,excepting the consp i racy of the prince of Tosa ,

of wh ich the manuscripts furnish ci rcumstantial details .The prince of Tosa, a faithful adherent of Fide had devoted himse lf

1 4 SOVERE IGNS OF JAPAN .

to his se rvi ce , and fought for h is cause . After the d iscomfiture of h is master,

he fe ll i nto the power of Gongin, who, i n add ition to other ignomin ious treatment , caused his hands to be cut off, wh ich is cons idered as the height of

i nfamy . The unfortunate prince having reproached the conqueror with h iscruel ty

, his perfidy , and the vio lation of his oath , Gongin had the barbarityto order his head to be struck off.Marabosi - Tchouya, son of Tosa, formed the design of revenging h is father’sdeath

, as soon as he Should be of age ; but be ing then dest itute of themeans of attempt ing so bold an ente rprise , he resolved to keep hi s intent ionsas secret as poss ible , and to awai t a favourabl e opportun ity . Be ing appointedto the command of the pikemen of Yori - nobou , Gongin

’

s e ighth son, he beganto th ink himself able to carry h is p lan i nto execution , and united for th ispurpose w ith You ino - djositz , son of an eminent dyer , a man justly este emedfor his extens ive knowledge , and who had been tutor to Yori - nobou . I t issaid that Yori - nobou himself was impl i cated in the conspiracy , but there Wasnever any proof of the charge , as Tchouya took care that he should not becompromised . Howeve r this may be , Tchouya had agreed with Djosi tz toexte rminate the whole fami ly of Gongin, and to make themselves maste rs ofthe empire , and divide i t between them .

Tchouya was of a prodigal d ispos it ion he squandered in s i l ly expenses themoney which he contr ived to obtain for the execut ion ofhis enterprise , so thathe was frequently reduced to want . Djositz foretold that the plan would failth rough his fault , and the event soon justified his prediction .

Tchouya,afte r borrowing from all who would trust him , found himself hard

press ed by h is creditors , who demanded the inte rest that was due to them ,

but he was unable to pay i t . He , therefore , sol icited a resp ite of a fortnight ,promis ing to pay double the amount due . His assurance excited suspicions

,

and he was told , that with the slender means which he was known to possess ,i t would be imposs ibl e for him to raise , i n so short a time , the requis ite sum.

One of his creditors , a gunmaker, named Tosiro, was the most u rgent ; andTchouya had the indiscretion to reveal to him h is des ign , in hopes of i nducingh im to have patience . Tosiro pretended to be sat isfied ; but he lost no t imein communicat ing to the governor of Yedo what h e had j ust heard , and thegovernor immediately gave information of i t to the court .

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1 6 SOVERE IGNS OF JAPAN.

insens ible to pain . I have come a great way ,” said Fatsiyemon ; this warmingwil l be good for my heal th ; my l imbs w il l be but the more active for i t .”

As the hama - boho- zeme could not subdue the forti tude of these two intrep idfriends , recourse was had to the neto- zeme, as follows . The back was lai d openfor the space of e ight inches , and melted copper poured into the i ncis ion . I twas there left to cool

,and then removed by means of a spade with such

violence , that the flesh in contact w ith the metal was torn out along with i t.The spectato rs shuddered with horror ; the suffere rs alone ne ither uttered amurmur, nor betrayed the leas t s ign of pain . Fatsiyemon st il l retain ing all hiscomposure , j ocosely observed that he was not well , that th is operation wouldbe as se rviceable to him as that of the mom, and not fail to cure h im .

Ize- no - kami , finding that pain had not the power to wrest the i r secre t fromthem , agai n pressed Tchouya to d iscover h is accompl ices if he would spareh imself furthe r tortures . S carcely had I attained the age of nine y ears ,

”

repl i ed Tchouya with firmness , before I conce ived the design of avengingmy father , and seat ing myself on the throne . Thou canst no more shake mycourage than a wal l of i ron . I defy thine i ngenui ty ; i nvent new torments .Do what thou wi lt, my forti tude is proofagainst eve ry th ing .

The counsellor of state ti re d of these tortures which excited the indignationof the Spectators , without producing the intended effect, ordered the executionerto suspend them , and remanded the culpri ts to prison .

On the 24th, at the fourth hour of the day , (which corresponds with our teni n the morning ,) two men , aged about s ixty , and named , the one Sawara ,and the other Naga - yama, finding i t imposs ibl e to secrete themselves anylonger

,repai red to the governor and avowed that they were accompl ices of

Tchouya. Some others , i n l ike manner, came and surrendered themselves .They were al l bound and conveyed to prison

.

The 28thwas fixed for the day of execution . I n the morning informationwas rece ived that two of the consp irators had put an end to the i r l i ves atAsabou - o - to riba, a vil lage near Yedo . The process ion began to move at dayb reak . S even subal te rn ofli cers went first to clear the way. They were followedby one hundred executioners ; each carry ing a naked p ike ; next came one

hundred more executioners with long staves ; then one hundred more armedwith sabres ; and afte rwards fifty offi cers ( bany oosen) . Next to them walked

SOVERE IGNS OF JAPAN .

an executione r carry ing a paper setting forth the crime of the conspirators ,wh ich he read aloud

’

in the principal streets and ’crossings . ~ Tchouya fol lowed ,dressed in two robes of l ight blue ,

‘

made of the stuff cal led fabita, w ith hishands t ied

,

beh ind him then came Ikiyemon w ith h is two sons , Ousinosk i andKamen

'

osk i ; and afte r them Yosida - fatsiyemon, Ari - i - fatsiso, Sawara- youbi ,Naga- yama mule - drive r to Djositz , and several others , tothe number of twenty - seven . Tchouya

’s wife and mother, Ikiyemon

’

s w ife ,and four othe r women closed the process ion .

In th is manner they were conducted through the whole c ity . In passing thebridge of Nipon- bas , Tchouyaheard a man

' about forty years of age say toanothe r

,that i t was a highly criminal and extravagant enterprize to conspi re

\

against the emperor . Well i t befits thee , miserable sparrow, cried Tchouyawith a look of i ndignat ion , to compare thyself w ith the eag le or the crane .The man reddened with shame , and buried himself among the crowd .

At the moment of reach ing the place of execut ion at S inagawa, a man ,carry ing two gold - h ilted sabres , and dressed i n a mantl e of gilan stuff, rushedthrough the crowd , and advancing to Tom ida - sioub i - dono the inspector

,thus

addressed h im : My name is S ibata- zabrobe ; I am a friend of Tchouya andDjosits.

L iv ing at a great distance from Yedo , I was ignorant of the d iscoveryof the plot . As soon as I heard of i t , I hastened to Sourouga, to make inquiriesafter my unfortunate friends . I was i nformed of the death of Djosits, andcertain of the fate that awaited Tchouya, I repai red to Yedo . There I keptmyself concealed i n hopes that the emperor would pardon h im but s ince he iscondemned and about to die , I

'

amcome to embrace him, and to suffer withh im .

“ You are a worthy man , repl ied the inspector i t were to be w ishedthat all the world was l ike you . I have no occasion to wai t for the orders of

the governor ofYedo ; I give you permiss ion to speak to Tchouya.

The two friends conversed together a cons iderable time . S ibata expressedthe extreme pain he fe lt on account of the discovery of the conspi racy , hiscondemnation, and the death of Djosits. He added , that on rece iving th ismelancholy intel l igence , he had come to Yedo to share his fate , and that heshould be ashamed to survive h im . He then took from his sleeve a smal l pot.ofsalt/t i , and they bade farewe ll to each other whil e drinking i t . Tears trickleddown Tchouya

’

s cheeks he'

thanked S ibata for h is k ind and courageous resoluD

1 8 SOVERE IGNS or JAPAN .

t ion , and declared that he was most happy in the Opportun ity of once moreembracing h im before he died . S ibata, l ikewise weeping, repl i ed : Ourbody , in th is world , resembles the flowe rAsa- gawa, (a magn ificent flower beforesun- rise , but wh ich immediate ly afte rwards fades and falls), or the hogero, (aninse ct whi ch is produced and dies the same day) but afte r death we shall bein a better world. There we may enjoy

‘

eachothe r’s society without i nte rruption . W i th these words he rose and thanked the inspector forhis indulgence .Al l the crim inals were fastened to crosses , and the executioners armedthemselves with the i r p ikes . Tchouya was first p ierced by two execut ioners ,who Opened h is body in the form of a cross . I t is stated, that those whofollow that profess ion are so expert at this operation , that there is not one of

them who cannot p ierce the criminal s ixtee n t imes w i thout touching thev i tal parts .The sons of Ikiyemon exci ted unive rsal compass ion. The eldest sai d to h is

brother who had scarce ly attai ned h is twelfth year : We are go ing to theabode of the gods and he began to pray

,repeating several times : Naman

daoubts (Nami -Amida Am ida, pray for us There was not onewhom such a spectacle did not me lt into tears.

Tchouya’

s wife requested her husband’s mother to invoke the gods w ith herat the moment of be ing re- united to them . I am ol d, repl ied the mother,but you are yet young ; nevertheless, since you des ire i t I wi ll join you in

pray ing to the gods to turn our thoughts from al l earthly obj ects .When they had al l been put to death , S ibata called upon the i nspecto r, andoffered h im his two sabres , say ing To you I am indebted for the consolationofhaving conve rsed with my friend Tchouya, and bidding adieu to h im beforeh is removal to a bette r world . I entreat you to denounce me to the governorofYedo , that he may order me to suffer l ike my friend . The gods forbid "”

repl i ed the inspector. Were I to do what you des i re , you would die l ikeTchouya. Your courage deserves a bette r fate . While al l h is other fri endsare h id ing themselves i n dens and caverns, you have braved death to embrace

Thi s is a formofinvocation, borrowed from the Sanskrit language, whichpenetrated into Japanwi ththerel igion ofBuddha. Nama. signifies Ical l upon ; Amida is the name of the supreme God, inthe period of time whichpreceded the present world. B ats is the abbrev iation of Buddha.

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 1 9

him : such men as you are rare . We are not informed what became of S ibata ;the manuscript before me makes no farther ment ion ofth is generous friend .

Owing to the presence of mind of Tchouya’

s wife , in burning the paperswh ich might have comprom ised the conspirators

,and to ' the forti tude displayed

by the condemned persons in spite of the i r to rments , the p rincipal accompl icesremained undiscovered . Yori - nobou , however, was suspected , and his housewas searched but his secretary , Kanno - feyemon, took every thing upon himself,protesting that he alone was acquainted w ith the plot

,and had kept i t a

profound secret from his maste r . He then ripped Up h is belly , and by h isfirmness saved Yori - nobou, who remained unmolested at Yedo .When Yosi - moune , a descendant ofYori - nobou ,

became Djogoun,he rewarded

the fidel ity of th is secretary in the persons of h is posterity , on whom he conferred the most honourable posts . One of them ,

Kanno - fotomi - no - kam i is atpresent (1 784) extraordinary counsel lor of state .The Djogoun, Yeye - tsouna, died on the 8thof the 5thmonth of the 8thyear In-

po w ithout issue , and was succeeded the year following by h isyounger brother Tsouna- yos i .

TSOUNA - YOSI , FIFTH DJOGOUN .

MINAMOTTO - NO - TSOUNA- YOS I , fourth son ofYeye - mitsen , was, previously to h isaccess ion to the throne , prince of Kootski . He kept h is court at Tateba- yasi ,had the rank of Zeisio, and the t itle of Tateba- yasi - zeisio- no - tsouna- yosi . Hiselder brother, Kofou - tsouna - siye, had ruined himself by his inordinate passionfor wine and women . Intoxi cation had led him into many excesses , and hehadfrequently gone so far as to strike and wound h is people . Yeye - tsouna,

i ncensed at h is misconduct,sent him an order to rip up h is belly . At his

death he left one son, who is said to have been adopted by Tsouna- yosi , afterthat prince had had the misfortune to lose h is own son bu t the account thati s given of the manner i n wh ich Yeye - nohou was elevated to the throne provesthat Tsouna, i nstead of adopting his nephew ,

had cast h is eyes on the son ofone of his offi cers , whom he intended to nom inate h is successor ; and th is

D 2

20 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

des ign, wh ich would probably have produced commotions in the empire , wasfrustrated , as we shall presently find

,only by the resolution of Tsouna’

s w ife ,who k i l led her husband

,and d ispatched herse lf before i t could be carried into

execut ion .

Tsouna was i n his youth a passionate lover of the sciences . On the2 l st of the 8 th month of the 4th year Gen- rah he founded a unive rsityat Yedo, i n the square ofYousima, where is to be seen the po rtrai t of Confucius .S imio - in-Dainagon-Motosouke, an

' offi cer of the Dairi’

s,caused the inscription

NITOK -MON, s ignify ing Entrance to the most valuable Treasures, to be engravedin magnificent letters over the second gate . I t Was opened in the presence ofthe Djogoun, who repaired th ither accompanied by the princes ofK idjo, Owari ,andMi to , several other members of his famil y , and the most distinguishedpersonages of h is emp ire . The streets were crowded w ith spectators , andthe donations piled up in the form ofpyramids . A salary ofone thousand ho/rf*

was ass igned to the first professor , Fagasi - daigat- no - kami . The news of thisfoundation “ soon spread

,and gave a favourable impulse to the sciences

throughout the whole empi re . The Djogoun himse lf cultivated them withsuch ardour as to impair h is health by i t . His servant , Yanagi - sava - dewa - nok ami , represented to one of the friends of the prince , that this immoderatepassion for study would not fail to make him ill . His friends were sensiblethat love alone could dive rt him from occupations

'

to wh ich he was so stronglyattached : they would fain have given some re laxation to his m ind by engagingh is affect i ons , but how to accompl ish th is obj ect was the diffi culty . They atl ength determined to send to him seven or e ight of the most beaut iful femalesi n Yedo , in hopes that some one of them would triumph over h is pass ion forstudy . It is said , that all of them

' were relatives ofDewa - no - kami . Be th is asi t may, the proj ect failed , for none ofthese beauties could , at least for th is t ime ,make the least impression on the heart of the Djogoun.

A t the expiration of ten months , he fel l i l l ; but though his i ndispos ition wassl ight, Dewa - no - kami , and Mak i - no - bizen - no- kami feared that i t would beaggravated by too intense appl i cation : they summoned therefore the physiciansto prescribe

'

medi0 ines,‘ and Gosiou - in- no - zosio, the priest , to pray to Heaven

About francs if new Izohf or hobans bemeant. Ifold hobans be intended, theamount will be just double.

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN. 21

for the recovery of the prince . After h is health was re- establ ished , the pri estwas regarded as a god . He avai led himselfof this influence , to prevail upon theDjogoun to pub l ish a decre e proh ibiting the putt ing

’ to death of any l ivinganimal throughout the whole empi re ; and , as Tsouna- yos i had been proclaimedDjogoun in the second year Ten-wa or the year of the Dog,

the ki ll ingof dogs was more especially forb idden . A p iece of ground was even enclosedw ith palisades , and here a great number of those an imals were dai l y suppl i edw ithThe priest was rewarded wi th two hundred ounces of s ilve r. The Djogoun

’

s

w ife and mother presented him with obangsf, s ilver, and costly stuffs ; andB izen - no - kami and Dewa- no - kami gave h im each th irty ingots of s i lver i .

Theprivil ege of presenting in person al l petit ions to the Djogoun was also conferredon him. Never was the temple of GoSiou - in so r ich as under the di rectionof th is priest .From among the females who had been i ntroduced to the Djogoun,he sel e cted ,after his recovery , the beautiful Ouneme, who soon became pregnant, and , tothe high gratification of her uncle Dewa- no - kam i , produced a son, who wasnamed TokoumatS - kimi . . The Djogoun was so del ighted, that he made Dewano - kami a present of twenty thousand hohf § , in cons iderati on of his n ie ce .

The first wife of the Djogoun'

also became pregnant about this time ; but shewas del ivered of a daughte r, who rece ived the name ofFama- fi ime- kimi

.

On the 8 th of the 8thmonth of the second year Ten-wa three ambassadors of the k ing of Corea arrived at Yedo , with a letter from the i r master,

In the Opinion of the Buddhists, i t is a meri torious action to save the l ife of an animal . Thereare devotees who buy up the ox

'

en and sheep destined for slaughter, and put them into parks wherethey are careful ly fed til l they die of old age. This is what the Chinese cal l fang- song. Tsouna

yosi here grants a special protectionto dogs, because the first year ofhis reign was marked wi ththecharacter whichsigni fies dog, in the cycle of the twelve animals : i t is the yearJan- won in the cycleof six ty years.

T A broad but thin piece ofgol d, ofoval form, worthabout 40 0 francs, (about l '7 l . sterl ing) . Thereare several in the col l ection of Japanese coins brought to Europe by M . Titsingh.

1 An ingot is equival ent to three taelsand fourmas, or two rix - dollars twenty - onegroschen, .according

to the course of ex change at Nangasaki , in 1 7 8 6 . Thirty ingots amount to more than 800 francs inthemoney of China.

Nearly francs, in the old money .

22 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

to congratulate the Djogoun on h is access ion to the throne . At the ir departure ,Tsouna- yos i del ivered to them in answer a lette r, want ing one of the sealsusually appended to epistles of this k ind . I t is customary , namely , to aecompany every lette r of the Djogoun, with another letter sealed with the seal s ofh is four ch ief officers , who are cal led Taira, and who are of h igher rank thancounse llors of state , and take cogn izance of all publ ic matters . I t happenedthat one of these ch ie f offi cers , Sakai - outa - no - kami , prince of Fimesi , had justbeen d isgraced and depr ived '

of his post for mal - adm inistration ; and for th isreason one

e

of the seals was wanting. The ambassadors , strict observers ofet iquette

,l i ke al l the people of the East , refused to take the letter in that state ,

and no other expedient could be dev i sed than to send for the prince’s son andcreate h im Taira in the room of his father. Immediately after h is nom ination ,he affixed his seal to the letter. The ambassadors no longer hes itated torece ive i t

,and returned to give the i r master an account of the i r

miss ion .

On the 1 4th of the 3d month of the l 4thyear Gen- rah Assan - notakoumi - no - kami -Naganori , prince of Ako, who had been several t imes treatedcontemptuously by Ki ra - kotsouk i - no - ski , having rece ived a fresh affront fromhim in the palace of the Djogoun, drew h is sabre w ith the intention of revengi ng the insult . S ome persons , on hearing the noise , ran up and separatedthem

,and Kotsouki was but sl ightly wounded . I t i s an unpardonable crime to

draw a sabre in the palace ; the prince was therefore ordered to rip himselfup

,and h is descendants were banished for ever . His adversary who,

out ofrespect for the palace , had abstained from drawing his sabre, was pardoned .

This inj ust ice exasperated the se rvants of the prince so much the more , s incei t was Kotsouk i , who , by h is repeated

i

insul ts had caused the destruction ofthe i r master. Forty - seven of them , having agreed to revenge his death , forcedthe ir way , in the night of the l 4thof the 1 2th month of the fol lowing year

,

i nto the palace of Kotsouki ; and , after a combat whi ch lasted til l day - l ight,

they penetrated to h is apartment and d ispatched him . The Djogoun, on thefirst intell igence of this desperate attack , sent troops to the ass istance of theunfortunate Kotsouk i , but they arrived too late to save him . The assailants ,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

24 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

unfortunate ly sl ipped , his adversaries fel l upon h im and cut offh is head , wh ichthey carried in triumph to Pokka- fouri , as a trophy of the i r vengeance * .

I twas conveyed to Nangasak i , and inte rred with the body near the temple of

Fon- ren - s i,together with a wh i te dog, which had rushed among the assai lants

to defend his maste r, and been k i lled afte r wound ing several of them .

Two ofKouanse’

imon’

s people ripped themse lves up on the br idge , near theres idence ofFikoyemon, cal l ing loudly upon the people to witness the couragewith wh i ch the i nhab itants of Fokka - fouri suffe r death in orde r to revengemlur l es .

Yodoya—fatsgro, son ofone of the wealth iest tradesmen ofOsaka , having lost

his father, passed his time in the houses of courtezans , where he launched outinto fool i sh expenses . His mother allowed h im th i rty IrobcmfiL a month , but hespent more than a thousand , and was obl iged to borrow, i n o rder to supply hisprodigal i ties . His servants , Kanbe and Z obe , and the companions of hisdebaucheries , Gentets, the phys i cian , Yagofadsi , K iseimon, and S iosaimon,

ass isted him to procure money , and afte rwards to spend i t. The creditorscame , according to custom , before the Feast of Lante rns , to demand paymentof what was due to them . The mother, to whom they appl ied , refused to paythem , hoping that the want of money would obl ige her son to re l inquish his '

disgraceful way of l ife . This refusal threw the young man into great embarrassment ; he consul ted with h is friends , and stol e from his mother’s shop agold cock , a gold caldron , a large piece of calambac woodI, and an ancientau tograph~ note of Teika, an officer of the Dairi ’s, whose hand- writ ing i s i ngreat request in Japan , on account of i ts extraordinary beauty . Fousia- i tobeyemon , the usure r, agreed to advance money on these valuable effects ; but asthe sum was not sufficient to discharge the debts which he had contracted in

Vl'hile I was in Japan, a woman was still l iving at Nangasaki who recollected seeing themur

derers pass by ,holding by thehair thishead dripping blood.

1“ About £30 sterling.

1 The calambac, or caldmbuc, is a kind of eagle- wood brought from Cambodia and Cochin- China,andheld in suchestimation by the Japanese, that they frequently pay itsweight in gold for i t.

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN.

“

25’

the S tree t of the Courtezans , Gentets. advised him to draw a forged bil l i nthe name of Tagafasi -Yagofasi , upon ,his master. Yanagisawa

- dewa - no - kami ,for the sum of three thousand kobans* .

'

Fatsgro, urged by necessity , .had theimprudence to draw the b i l l , which he als0 . signed with h is name ; He gavei t to one

“

of his se rvants , who, under presentedi t to Ikeda- zirob i , the banker. The latte r, who was no stranger to the - infl uencewhi ch Dewa—no - kam i possessed over the Djogoun, and knew ,

the first - nobles,when i n want of money , frequently give similar b ills , made

no d iffi culty to d iscount that whi ch was now brought to him ; so that Fatsgro,

after paying al l his debts, was enabled to i ndulge infresh debaucheries . .

R eturn ing home one morning , afte r spend ing as usual the whole n ight indrinking in the S treet of the Cou rtezans , he threw off h is upper garments ,retain ing only the white robe , which none but the priests , women , and personsenj oy ing the t itle of Kant -i, have a right to wear. As he was thus walkingin the street

,W i th a long s i lver pipe in h is mouth , he was met byMats - dai ra

i nabo - no - kami,the warden of the castle , and K igane-

yayemon, the i nspectorof the city , who,

not know ing h im , asked his name . Okoubo - osoumi - no - kami ,governor of Osaka, to whom they made the i r report, ordered Fatsgro to attendat the palace of the government . He accordingly repai red th ithe r, dressed inhis wh i te robe . When the gove rnor inqu i red who had given him permiss ionto wear a robe of that colour, he made no reply . Kanbe , h is ‘ servant ;answered for h im . My maste r, said he , has inherited from h is ancestors

the privi lege of rece iving every year the clothes w ith the arms of theDjogounand heth inks i t h i s duty , out of respect, to wear a white robe underneaththem

.

” I cannot admit this excuse , repl i ed the governor ; “ no person ,the Djogoun

’

s officers not excepted , even though possessing an income of tenthousand Ito/ff, hasa right to wear a white robe , unless h e

‘ enj oys the t i tle ofKamz. Of th is thy maste r, one of the principal inhabi tants of Osaka, cannotb e ignorant . I f he were dete rmined to wear a white robe , why had he notat least a small piece of coloured stuff sewed on some part of i t ? Thy maste r ,therefore , has transgressed the commands of the Djogoun, which is a capi talcrime .

” The governor, in consequence , ordered Fatsgro to be conducted toprison , till defin it ive judgment could be passed on the offender .

sterl ing.

26 SOVEREIGNS or JAPAN .

This adventure was soon known throughout al l Osaka. Thebanker, uneasyabout his b ill

, wh ich bore the s ignature ofFatsgro, hastened to De’wa - no - kami ’ssteward

,and asked him when i t would be paid . The steward , in ‘

astonishment ,repl ied

,that he had not author ized any person to obtain money from h im , and

that the b i ll was a forgery. The banker related all that had passed , but be ingunabl e to convince the steward , both went to prefe r the i r complaints to thegovernor. The steward , on exam ining the b i ll , acknowledged that the s ignaturewas h is , but declared that the seal affixed to it * was false . The governorsent forFatsgro, who confessed every thing . His accompl ices were immediatelyapprehended and brought to the governor

’s,where they underwent a rigorous

examination . The man who had personated the steward was, l ike al l theothers

,convicted by his own confess ion .

The crime was too he inous to pass unpunished . The gove rnor communicatedthe circumstance to the court , and orders were sent to behead all Fatsgro

’

s

accompl i ces . As for h imse lf, in cons iderat ion of the services wh ich his anecstors had rendered to Gongin, his l ife was spared at the intercess ion of Dewano - kami . Hopes were moreover entertained , that , be ing still young , he mightmend

,and that the punishment of those who had seduced him into guil t ,

would prove a lesson that he would never forget . Al l h is property , however ,was confiscated

’

r, and he was banished to Yamatta,near Fousoumi . where he

was afte rwards adm itted into the number of the pri ests .

It is customary in Japan for a person to affix his seal tohis signature.

T The inventory of Fatsgro’

s effects, drawn up for the confiscation, seems to contain some curious

particul ars. W e here give them fromM . Titsingh’

smanuscript, adding in parentheses suchexpla

nations as appear necessary .

VALUAB LE EFFECTS .

A cock of pure gold, brought from China,whichhad belonged to the emperor, Genso

Kote (Han- kao- tsou) .

A picture, painted by the emperor Kiso- Kote,representing a cock and hen, and considered of

inestimable val ue.

A mat, to be used as a window- bl ind, made

ofred coral .

Two t iles of the palace of the Chinese em

peror, Kan.

Four ti les of the palace of the Chinese em

peror, Zoo- ko- te (Soung kao- tsou) .

Three letters of the celebrated writer, Taika,officer of the Dairi .A lump of gold, weighing seven hundred and

fifty taels, whichTaiko gave as a present to one

ofhis relations.

A gold censer, in the shape ofa chariot.

S ix teen figures ofstarl ings in gold and silver.

Thirty li ttle gold idol s.

A gol d caldron,

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN.

'

27

As highly fas Tsouna- yosi was esteemed at'

the’

beginn ing of his re ign forhis

'

good qual it ies , and his appl icat ion to .study , so strongly was he afterwardsdetested for h is debauchery and profus ion . Satiated

’

withlawful gratifications,he neglected the sex, and gave a loose to the d isgraceful propens ities at thattime too generally indulged by the Japanese of al l classes .

A gold vessel for boil ingwater.

Three gold tea- caddies.

Two gold tea- cups.

A Chaplet of one hundred and twenty - eight

beads of red coral ; one hundred and eight of

the size ofpigeons’eggs, and twenty of small er

dimensions.

Ten branches ofcoral .Five silver tea- cups.

Seven saucers ofcalambahwood.

A chess- board, wi thchess- men of gold and

sil ver, in an ebony box .

A large Chinese ink - stand, enriched wi tha

precious stone.

A magnificent Chinesewater-

pot.

Forty- eight carpets, eachthirty feet long and

eighteen wide.

Fivehundred smal l er carpets.Three hundred and thirty difl

'

erent Japanesepictures.

Onehundred and seventy sabresofal l lengths.Thirty - seven pikes or sabres.

Three pair ofharness forhorses.

One hundred and twenty thousand kobans

Eighty - five thousand taels in silver (upwards

of

He squandered

HOU SES AND LANDS .

At Osaka.

Twelve largehouses.

Six teen ofmiddling size.

Fifty- six smal ler.

At Sakaz.

Elevenhouses.

AtFousz'

mi .

Seventeenhouses.A field, feet, or 7% mes

", in length.

AtMiyako.

Thirty - fivehouses.In theprovince of Isoumz

’

.

A field, feet, or 8 rues, in length.In theprovince of Tamba.

A field, feet, or 9 rues, in length.

In the province of Awa .

A field, feet, or 48 rues, in length.

In theprov ince of Yama lho.

A field, so ex tensive, as to require 200 kohflofseed to sow i t.

Themoney owing by several princesamounted

to taels.

A bond of Gongin- sama’

s, signed and sealed

withhi sownhand, for kobans,

advanced to that prince by the ancestors of

Fatsgro.

The Djogoun, by way of acknowledgment for the di stingui shed services rendered by his ancestors

picture ofthe Chinese emperor, Kiso- kote.

toGongin, gave to Fatsgro, in ex change for this bond, the above-mentioned field of 200 Ito/ff, and the

Ikeda- zirobi lost the three thousand kobanswhichhehad advanced ; andhewasmoreover consideredculpab le, forhaving discounted the b ill wi thoutmaking the necessary inquiries.

Itcheyemon, the usurer,hadhishouse and furni ture confiscated, forhaving received in pledge articlesof suchval ue, without apprizing the government.Thi s sentencewas pronounced the first day of the fifthmonthof the fourthyear Fo-

ye

A rue is 360 feet, or 60 Japanese z'

kz'

e. T The kokf is about 308 pounds.

E 2

28 SOVEREIGNS '

OF JAPAN

the treasures amassed by his ancestors; in '

expenses so si l ly'

and extravagant,

that .his tutor, Arai -tsikougo - no - kami , deemed i t his duty t0 '

represent' to him

the fatal consequences .of such conduct. For this purpose he composed,i n the

fifth'

year Fo-

y e a treatise ent itled I shal l haveoccas ion - to not ice when I come to the description of the gold

,s i lve r

, and

copper co ins . Th is work he concluded in these te rmsAs to the wealth of fore ign countri es , I find in ancient writers

,that China

produced a great quantity of gold under the dynasty of Kan* ; but th is abundance gradually dim inished . Under the dynasty of Z oo; smal l pie ces ofwoodwere employed instead of si lve r ; under that of Gen, i t was almost the onlycurrent coin unde r that ofMien, copper coin and pieces of wood were used .

The reason of th is is , - that s ince the dynasty of Kan, gold , s i lver, and coppe rhave been daily becoming more rare in China.

The anci ent writers compared the metals to the bones i n the human body,

and taxes to the blood, flesh , hair, and skin , that are incessantly renewing,

which is not ‘ the case w ith metals . Under the dynasty of Kain, the mineswere too much exhausted , and hence the subsequent scarcity ofgold and s ilve r

.

Unde r the dynast ies of Z ia, R io, Kin, and Gen, Ch ina was constantly at warthe greatest part of the gold and silve r found its way to Kettanf and othercountri es , which traded wi th the

'

Chinese . I n more than sixty prov inces ofthe empi re , foreign sepilr/res only were i n ci rculation, whence we may inferwhat a prodigious quantity ofgold and si l ve r had been exported from

'

Ch ina. '

W hen the doctrine of S iaka was propagated in China, gold and silve rbecame stil l more - scarce

,because the priests of that de ity erected numerous

templ es,and used those metals for

“ the purpose of covering the ir idols.

The names of the Chinese dynasties mentioned in this ex tract are al tered by the Japanesepronunciation. Kan is the dynasty of Han, whichreigned

“

from the second century before Christ,to the year 220 of our era. Zoo is the dynasty of Soung, from 96 0 to 1 279 . Gen is that of theYanans, or Mongol s of the 1 3thcentury . Mien is the celebrated d ynasty of theMings,

'

whi chinimediately preceded the reigning dynasty . Those mentroned farther on, by the appellations of Zia,R zo, and K in, are the dynasties of the Tsin, the Liao, or Khi tans, and ofthe Jou - tchi , vul garly calledNzu - tche.

T Kettan is that part of Tartary whi chwas subject to the Khi tans orLiao, that isto’

sey ; Mongoliaand Li ttle Bukharia. Hence was d erived the

‘

wel l - known appellation of Cathay , whichhas beengi ven to China i tself.

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

A thousand years ago, gold , s ilve r, and c opper, were unknown in Japan ;yet there was

'

no want of necessaries . The earth was ferti l e , and th is i sundoubtedly the most des irable species . 0 f wealth . After the d iscovery of

these metals,the use - of them Spread but slowly ; and so late ' as the t ime of

Gonglu they were sti l l very rare . Th is prince was the first who ' caused the

mines to be dil igently wrought, and during his re ign , so great a quanti ty of

gold and silver was extracted from them , as no one could previously have

formed any conception of: and s ince these metals resemble the bones of thehuman body

,inasmuch as what is once extracted from the earth is not repro

duced ,if the mines cont inue to be thus wrought, in less than a thousand years

they wil l be exhausted .

I estimate the quanti ty of gold and s ilver exported from the empire , s ince

Gongin’

s t ime , as more cons iderable than that exported from Ch ina intoTartary ; and I compute the annual exportation of gold at about one hundredand fifty thousand koban fi

, so that i n ten years th is empi re i s drained of

fifte en hundred thousand hobans. I f then ser ious attent ion be not pai d toth is subject , and the most r igid economy be not obse rved in the expend i ture ;the country wi ll soon be enti rely ruined , and in less than one hundred years ,the same poverty of which Ch inese authors complainl wi l l be fel t here .

In anci ent t imes, as I have said , and when the peopl e were unacquainted

with gold,s ilve r

,and copper , they knew no want , 3and were‘ good and

v i rtuous. S i nce those metals we re d iscovered , the heart of man has become

daily more and more depraved . W i th the exception, however , of med icines ,we can d ispense with every th ing that is brought to us fromabroad : Thestuffs and other fore ign commoditi es are of no "real benefit to us ; formerly ,indeed

,they were not even known here . ’

Al l the gold , s i lve r, and copper ,extracted from the , mines during the re ign of Gongin, and “

since his t ime,i s ‘ gone

,and what is stil l more to be regretted , for th ings '

.which we coulddo well w ithout . I f we squande r - our treasures in '

this manner, what shal lwe have to subsist

,

upon ? Let each of Gongin’

s

'

successors reflect seriouslyupon th is matter, and the weal th of Japan wil l last as long as the heavensand the earth .

sterling.

30 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN:

Sofarfwas th is prudent adv ice ”from making the l east impress ion upon theDjogoun,

' that ' he pers isted in h is care e r of prod igal i ty and extravagance .His son, Tokou - mats - kimi , had d ied in his i nfancy. Tsouno -

yosi ,'

enervated

by debauchery , and having long renounced al l i nte rcourse with women , couldnot hope for an he i r ; he the refore resolved , in the s ixth year Fo-

y e

to look round for a successor .He ' Cast h is eyes on Ka

’

i - no - kam i , son of Yanagisava- dewa - no - kam i,whom

he dete rmined to adopt. On the 1 1 thof the ‘

first 'monthof the - year,i t 1s

customary for the Djogoun- to g ive an entertainment to the princes and ch iefoffi cers, afte r they have paid him thei r compl iments of congratulation . Thisopportuni ty was chosen by Yos i to declare publ i cly h is intent ion of adoptingKai - no - kam i .His first office r , Ino - kamon - no - kami , represented to h im , that such a stepwould displease al l th e princes , and i t was much to be feared that i t wouldproduce a revolution‘ in the empi re . Finding h is remonstrances unavai l ing

,

he repai red to the w ife of the Djogoun, i nformed “ he r of h i s master’s des ign,

and afte r he had made her sensible that i f i t were carri ed into execution , ageneral rebe ll ion woul d be inev itable , he entreated her to th ink of somemeans to prevent such a calamity. Having reflected a few moments , she

des i red h im not to be uneasy , as she had “ bethought herself of an expedientwh i ch could not fai l to produce the des i red effect ; and when he u rged herto communi cate he r plan to h im , she repl ied that she could not say more at

the moment,but he should soon know i t al l .

The.day pre ced ing that on which the Djogoun i n tended to nom inate his

successor, she sent to request the prince to take zahhz

’

w i th her. TheDjogoun

accepted the invi tati on,and she caused a sumptuous repast to be provided for

h im.While he was engaged in drinking, she rose , stepped into he r closet,

where she wrote a note to Ino - kamon - no - kami , d irect ing h im how to act ; andthen furn ish ing herself with a dagger, which is usual ly worn by al l womenof d ist inct ion , she returned to the festive apartment . Soon afte rwards , she

ordered all herwomen to ret i re , te ll ing the Djogoun that she w ished to speakto him i n private . When they were alone , she thus addressed him : Duringthe many years that we have been togethe r, you have never refused me anyth ing . I have to - day a fresh favour to sol ici t of you. Wil l you grant i t me

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32 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

of Tsouna- s ige , might be e lected Djogoun, and that a revenue of fifteenmanhohf’t

, and the '

government of the best province m ight be conferred on

the Son of Dewa - no - kam i , in memory . of the'

affection fe lt for h im by he rhusband .

The father was summoned the same day to the palace . Kamon - no - kamii ntimated to him that he was “dism issed from his

’

post of counse llor of state ,and enj oined h im not to qu i t h is house t il l farther orde rs . Al l those whowi tnessed h is disgrace turned the i r backs to h im at ' h is departure .

Ino- kamon - no - kam i was descended from Gongin’

s chi ef secretary , who hadrendered essent ial serv ices to h is master . For th is reason , one of

’ h is posterity is at th is day ch ief office r of the Djogoun, who

'

cannot engage’

in anyaffai r of consequence w ithout his consent . He has even a ' right to deposethe Djogoun, if he governs i ll , and to appoint another . The

“ counsel lors ofstate

,both ordinary and extraord inary , are subordinate to h im ; and i t is not

lawful for h im to re ce ive any presents W hateve rS everal Japanese assert that Kamon - no - kami . was present at the death of

the Djogoun; and that he even held h is hands , wh i l e h is wife plunged thedagger into h is heart . She was the daughte r of the Da1 ri ,

’ and had conce iveda detestat ion for her husband , on account of h is avers ion to he r sex .

Bes ides the son who died young, as before stated,Tsouma- yosi had a

daughter , marri ed to Ki - no - tchounagon-T soune- nori , prince ofK ino - koun i .

YEYE -NOBOU, SI" TH DJOGOUN .

MINAMOTTO - NO - YEYE - NOBOU , nephew to Tsouna- yosi , and‘

son'

of h is e lde rbrother, Tsouna- s ige ; was e levated to the throne ag reeab ly to the desi re of

the wife of the late Djogoun. During h is re ign,noth ing remarkableoccurred .

He had th ree sons , two of whom'

died i n the bi rth : the th ird succeeded him .

Yeye - nobou d ied o‘n the 1 4th of the l 0thmonth of the second'

year' Djo- to/l:

afte r a re ign of about four years .

sterl ing.

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 33

YEYE TSOUGOU SEVENTH DJOGOUN .

MINAMOTTO - NO - YEYE - TSOUGOU ,son ofYeye - nobou , was not ofan age to govern

when he succeeded h is father . As he had no ti tle , on account of h is extremeyouth

,he was cal led Nobou -matsou - kim i . The government was placed i n the

hands of the counse llors of state during the m inor ity of the prince . At thebeginn ing of the s ixth year Djo- toh( 1 71 6) the Djogoun fe l l dangerously i ll .Orders were immediatel y i ssued that publ i c praye rs should be said in theprincipal temples for h is recove ry : but they proved u navail ing . The mostski lful physi cians also employed all the resources of the i r art to no purpose .

The young prince d ied on the 30thof the fourth month of the same year.The whol e empi re went i nto mourning . He was buried near the temple of

Za- n ien - s i , and the pri ests gave h im the name ofYou - sio - ln.

The th ree principal counsel lors of state , Ino- kamon - no - kam i, Mats - dai ra

sanouk i - no - kami andMats - dai ra - fiogon- no - kam i , summoned to a meet ing in the

palace of Yosi - moune , pr ince of K idjo, the pri nce of Ovari,the prince of

Mi to , the re lat ives of the Djogoun, and the counsellors of state , and consultedthemon the cho ice of a new Djogoun. They unan imously e lected theprinceof K idjo. He earnestly entreated to be allowed to decl ine the honour

,

alleging that he had not the talents necessary for governing,and proposed

the prince of Ovari , as be ing of super ior rank : but the prince ofMi to rose,

took h im by the hand , and led h im to the throne . He was then proclaimedDjogoun, and the name of the year was changed to that of Kiofo.

YOSI -MOUNE , EIGHTH DJOGOUN .

MINAMOTTO - NO - YOS I -MOUNE , before h is access ion prince of K idjo, contributedgreatly to the prosperity of the emp ire , whi ch , during h is re ign kept progressivel y improving. The safety of the roads, and the suppress ion of robbery ,

r

34 SOVER EIGNS OF JAPAN.

by means of a rigorous pol ice , drew th ithe r great numbers of trave llers . Hisfame soon spread throughout the whole emp i re , and the Japanese at thepresent day still compare himw i th Gongin for human i ty and beneficence, asthey compare h is re ign with that of the Ch inese emperor, Zi n* .

Of the events of th is re ign , which lasted th i rty years , the work intituledKen- day

-

gen-

pi- roh, re cords the follow ing as the most remarkable .

The counsel lor of state , Tsoutcha- sagam i - no - kami , a man d ist ingu ished forh is extensive knowledge , affab il ity , and great experi ence m publ icaffai rs , whichhad caused him to b e constantl y employed during the reigns of the fourpreced ing Djogouns, be ing far advanced in years , rece ived permiss ion to appeari n the apartments of the palace w ith a purple bamboo~ cane. There are veryfew i nstances of such “a favour. I t was granted by Gonglu , i n h is palace atSourouga,

to Fonda- sada - no - kam i , and at an earl ier period , Anme'

i - in- donoenj oyed th is privilege i n the palace of Kamakoura : but at the t ime of wh ichwe are treating

, Sagami - no - kam i was the only person on whom it was conferred,

as a reward for h is se rvices , and as the strongest demonstrat ion of the esteementertained for h im by the Djogoun.

I t i s rare to find j ust men among the great j udges and governors . I t is ,the refore , customary to say concern ing them They al l pretend to hol d the i rheads very h igh , but most of them w i l l bend l ike the pines of Karasak i ;signifying that, however upright they may appear wi thout , there i s noth ingbut injustice with in . I n the time of Gongin,

th ree of the chief judges werecelebrated at Miyako for the i r i ntegrity : these were Itakoura - igo - no - kami ,Itakoura- savo - no - kami , and Itakoura- na

’

i zen- no - kami . S ince Gongin’

s re ign , i twould be difficul t to produce a parallel to them : but i n the s ixth year Djo- to/c

This is the emperor Chun, whose reign is alwaysmentioned as a period ofperfect fel icity , a kindofgolden age.

S OVEREIGNS OF JAPAN. 35

a governor of Ize*, named O - oka -

yetchesen- no - kami , a man as estimablefor h is prob ity

,as for his courage , dese rved to have these ancient verses appl ied

to h imKarasaki no

Matsoura bougi o 11 1

Samo ni tari

Sakouna no tsouredo

Magaranou va nasi

that i s to say A governor does not bend l ike the p ines ofKarasak i .

O - oka had originally been appo inted Tchou - yemon . His income thenamounted to five hundred Ira/ff. He was ke eper of the apartments of thepalace

. Under Bounsio- in,or Yeye -hobon , he was promoted to be ch ief

steward to the prince , and subsequently inspector of the palace . These lnspectors are ten in number, agreeably to this maximof Confucius : In whatten eyes see, ten fingers can eas i ly separate the good from the bad.

”The

same Djogoun afterwards made O - oka governor of Ize. The people of Ize

had long been at variance w ith those of K idjo they had repeatedly preferredthe ir complaints to the i r governors , but the predecessors of O - oka had notventured to pronounce any decis ion , dread ing the power of Yos i - moune , whowas then prince of K idjo. O - oka, regardless of al l cons iderat ions but theperformance of his duty , i nvestigated the i r complaints , and find ing them j ust

,

gave an award against the people of K idjo . Yosi - moune , hav ing becomeDjogoun, appo inted O - oka, from a knowledge of h is i ntegrity , to be governorof Yedo . H is countrymen appl ied to him the fol low ing Japanese proverbThere i s not a horse , l e t h im be ever so good , that can run a hundred mi les

a- day ,” meaning , in th is instance , that O - oka,though he had al l the qual ities

of a good governor, would never have been governor of Yedo , if Yos i -mounehad not been elected Djogoun.

O - oka held th is post twenty years ; he was afterwards ush er of the palace .

His income , wh ich was only five Ito/{f on h is entrance into publ ic l ife , wasfrom th is t ime ten thousand . The duty of ushers of the palace consists insuccess ively announcing, in a loud vo ice , the names of those who are adm itted

A provmce on the southcoast ofNifon, called in Chinese, Ichz’, opposite to that ofOvari .F 2

36 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

to the presence of the Djogoun. Thus , when the ch ief of the Dutch factoryappears, the usher cries : Olanda capitaz

'

n. The same ce remony i s observed inregard to the princes of the country . The ushers fo rmerly had no fixed placeallotted to them in the palace , and therefore u sually remained in the apartment of the one of the i r comrades who was on duty . O - oka be ing one dayin the apartment of Ino - ouye - kavatche- no- kami

,the usher

,whose turn i t was

to announce vis itors , the latter said to him : Usher,you are not on duty ;

you cannot remain here . O - oka knew not wh ither to go : th is c ircumstanceshowed the necessity of

,provid ing a hal l fo r the ushers , and orders were given

accord inglyOn the s ixth day of the first month , an envoy from the temple of Djo- sio- zan

presented h imself to be announced to the Djogoun h is t itl e , Bansiou -Djosiozanno - djozo- zo- da

’

i ’fl was rather d iffi cult to be remembered and repeated . A ccordingl y Ino - ou ye - kavatche- no - kami , the usher on duty , b lundered in announcingi t . His comrades retired quite abashed , but he looked at the Djogoun andburst into a laugh . The prince , d ispleased at h is impudence and want of

respect,removed h im from h is offices .

During the re ign ofTa1 tokou - in, orFi de - fada , and that ofDayou - in, orYeyemitsou , the lands ofKato - o - figo

- no - kami , and those ofKiyo - masa, ofFoukousimasayemon- no - tayou - masa - nori

,and ofFiraiva - kas i - no - kami - tcheka- yos i had been

confiscated for some reason unknown . Yosi - moune , with a view to repai r th isinj usti ce

,granted a rev enue of five hundred kahf to the he i r of Kato - o - kiyo ~

masa, and three hundred to each of the two others .

Ever s ince the time of Tsouma- yosi , a fondness for dress and luxuries hadcrept into the nation , and even infected those profess ions wh ich might naturallybe expected to be most exempt from it . The very soldie rs were seen to paint

Banszou is the province formerly cal l ed Parima. Djosiozan is the name of the temple ; no theconjunctive particle : Djozosignifies ambassador, and Zo- daz, is the title given to al l priests.

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 37

their faces , stain'

their lips red , and dress l ike women . Yosi - moune, on his

acc’ ession to the throne , expressed his indignationat such effeminacy he l ssuedthe most rigid orders that the sold ie rs should be trained , as they had formerlybeen

,

‘ to bodily exercises , which render them active and robust. At thecommand of the prince , the men ass iduously practised al l the exercisesw h ichthey had heretofore neglected ; and what had not been known before h isre ign , a '

great number of them soon acquired the greatest dexterity both i nshooting at a mark with a bow and arrow whil e rid ing at ful l gal lop

,i n defending

themselves with the pike against five, or - six . antagonists, and fencmg withthe sabre against twenty persons . Among the archers the re were some whowould shoot a hundred times at a mark without once m iss ing. The Djogounalso ob l iged

‘

the persons of h is retinue to practise swimm i ng and d iving, whichhad i n l ike manner fal len into d isuse s ince the reign ofTsouna- yosi ; because ,i n his t ime

,the men were wholl y engaged in dress , and had become so effe

mlnate as' to complai n that exposure to the su n on coming out of the water

rendered the i r sk in b rown and coarse . Yosi -moune brought th is whol esomeexercise again i nto vogue , at the beginn ing of the year Kz'o-fo Hewent “occas ionally and encouraged the swimmers by his presence . Before histime

,i f a swimmer crossed the rive r Asakousa- gawa, which i s Upwards of one

hundred and twenty the, or e ight hundred and forty feet broad , he was extolledas a prod igy . During h is re ign Yamamoto - tesayemon swam over i t th i rty - six

t imes success ively , and a certain Awasou - k intarou was seen to cross it,keeping

the whole of h is body above the navel out of the water . In the sequel theDjogoun made a point of going every year on the fifteenth ofthe fourth monthto j udge in person of the progress of the swimmers, and to confer rewards onsuch as distingu ished themselves . I n short , dexterity in gymnasti c exerciseswas found to be the surest way to mil itary promotion .

Yosi - moune was l ikewise l ibe ral of rewards to such of his subj ects assuccessfully cultivated the arts and sciences . Oya- djosits, the younger brother ofOyou - soyemon excel led in his acquaintance with Ch inese l iterature ; Foyosis i ro - tayou - in writing ; Igai - i - bounsero and Nisigava—tchousero i n astronomy ;and Magai -magoz itsero i n arithmetic . The prince assigned to them fixedsalaries by way of reward.Matsoura-

yosiro enj oyed an i ncome of four hundred It’Olff, when he was

38 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

appointed inspector to the Taisi , or hered itary prince . This offi ce he‘

fil led

but a short time, h is extens ive knowledge having caused him to be speedilypromoted to the post ofgovernor of Osaka, by the name ofMatsoura- kavatcheno ~ kami . In this place he distinguished himself by hi s W i se adm in istration ofj usti ce . Anecdotes are recorded of him , wh ich do honour to h is prudenc‘ eand integrity

,and among others the fo l low ing :

A usure r named Tomoya- k iougero, res iding at Osaka, near the bridge of

Korea - Basi , one day missed five hundred hobans. As he had not seen anyperson enter the house , he suspected that the robbery had been comm itted byone of h is se rvants. He inte rrogated them al l one after another, but coulddraw noth ing from them . Susp icion , however, fe ll upon Tchoudjets, one ofthe i r number ; h is fel low - servants , as wel l as h i s master, hadno doubt that hewas the rogue . He was quest ioned st il l more closely , but pers isted i n h isdenial , and noth ing was found by which he could be convicted . His maste rrepresented to h im , that if he w ou ld not confess

,the matte r should be sub

mitted to the governor, and i f he were fou nd gu i l ty , he might ex pect to bemost severely pun ished . This threat having produced no effect

,Tomoya

repaired to the governor, accus ing Tchoudjets of having robbed him,and

demand ing that strict inqui ry m ight be made into the affai r,and the culpri t

punished,as he deserved . The governor prom ised to comply . He sent for

Tchoudjets and exam ined h im . He again protested h is i nnocence,add ing

,

that were he even exposed to the most excruciat ing tortures,they shoul d not

make h im confess a crime wh ich he had not comm itted . Kavatche sent h im toprison

,and having summoned Tomoya and his peopl e , communicated to them

the resul t of the exam ination , and the answer ofTchoudjets. He then inquiredif they had any ev idence of the crime . Tomoya repl ied in the negat ive , addingthat ne i ther he nor h is fam ily had any doubt on the subj ect ; and , that moreover the fellow was an arrant scoundrel , from whom the most crue l punishments would not extort confess ion . Kavatche again asked if they pers isted inaccusing the man

,and if they were w il l ing to confirm the charge by a wri ting

s igned by them al l , assuring them that , in th is case , he would order the culpritto be beheaded . They s ignified the i r read iness to subscribe such a paper, onwhich i t was drawn up i n these te rms :

Tchoudjets, servant to Tomoya, has robbed h is maste r of five hundred

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4-0 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

fel low for what he has suffered on thy account . Give h im then five hundredhobans, and treat h im henceforward as a fai thful servant .When the Djogoun was i nfo rmed of this decis ion , b e publ icly expressed hissatisfaction with i t, praised the equi ty of Kavatche, and said , i t were to bewished that he had every where such governors . S oon afterwards he appointedhim inspector of the chamber of accounts and gove rnor of Nangasak i , whereh is memory is sti ll venerated . This man , so dist ingu ished for i ntegrity andextraordinary talents

, was, neve rthel ess , disgraced duri ng the reign ofYee - s ige ,son of Yosi - moune , who stripped h im of h is offices , and ordered him underarrest ; but the vi rtue of Kavatche was too exalted for h im to be cast down byso unmerited a d isgrace .

Cons ide rabl e sums had been sto len from the castl e ofOsaka . Nose - sinsero,

the i nspector,repai re d th ither to make inquiry i nto the matter ; he found that

a smal l box ofa thousand Irobans was m iss ing from thechest i n which the goldwas kept . The chest , lo ck , and seal , were uninjured ; the seal was that ofKavarazeb i , the treasure r, and , as he alone could have opened the chestwithout breaking i t , suspi cion fell upon h im and h is two associates . Theywere al l thre e apprehended and ex amined ; but they denied any knowledgeof the affai r, and no traces of the th ief could be d iscovered . Avoyama- tsioub i

and Noma- kakoube, i nspectors of the household , were sent i n consequence,from Yedo to Osaka, to make fresh researches , wh ich at

- first were attendedwith no better success than theformer .Avoyama at l ength devise d an exped ient whi ch had the desi red effect . Hesent agents to al l suSpicious houses , to the places of debauchery , and to thetaverns

,with directions to make inquiry concern ing al l persons who should

there incur expenses beyond the i r means : Tomonya- grobe,who kept the

house Da‘

ikokiya, i n the square of Ten - ma , called upon the governor,and

i nformed him that a person of mean appearance , and who, as he bel ieved, hadno other source of i ncome than some petty place , came every day to hishouse tov i s i t a woman , named O toue , onwhomhe spent a great deal of money ; add ing,that he had a bad Op in ion of th is man , and had thought ithisduty

- to report tohim

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 4d

accordingly . Kavatche and Avoyama commended h is prudence , and dismissedhim

,enj oi ning secrecy , and promising t o asce rtain , without loss of t ime , whether

there was any ground for his suSpicions. .Noma- kakoube repai re d in conse

quence to Ten- ma,accompan ied by several soldiers . Here they found the

person in question,who appeared to them to be a very suspi cious character .

They secured and bound him , and l ed h im away to the governor’s palace .

Here he was i nte rrogated by Kavatche- no - kami he pretended to knownoth ing of the matte r ; but as he contradicted himself in his answers, he wasput to the torture , and pain compelled h im to confess h is guilt. He declaredthat he was a servant to the keeper of the castl e of Osaka, that he had longsought an opportuni ty of appropriat ing to h imself the money in the chest ,which he had at l ength found and se ized . He did not , however, d isclose themeans whi ch he had employed to open the chest , without breaking the seal .Kavatche sent for Otone, and examined her respecting her connexion withthe culpri t. She was incapable of throwing any l ight on the ci rcumstances ofthe robbery , but merely deposed , that the thief frequently came to drinkzahhi w ith her that he gave her robes and j ewels ; that he had presented heramong other things with two small figures made by Fakeda, for which he saidthat he had paid one hundred kobans . These two figures , one ofwhich repre

sented a young lady,and the other a servant holding a parasol , were so

contrived,that when made to float in a bowl of zahhz

’

, the servant would openthe parasol and follow his mistress, who went first . When the affai r had beenthoroughly investigated

,the criminal was beheaded , and Kavarazeb i removed

from h is situation . Nose - sinsero and the two other inspectors returned toYedo

.To the former were given two robes with the arms of the Djogoun, and

three obangs. This reward was announced to him by Fonda- nakasouka- san- notayou

,i n presence of all the counse llors of state , ordinary and extraordinary .

Avoyama- tsioub i and Noma - kaboube had each ten ingots of s ilve r, which remunerationwas announced to them by Fonda- iyo

—no - kami , wi thout any ceremony * .

In a country where every thing is subject to etiquette, and where the most trifling circumstancesin their ceremonies are of importance, i t is not uninteresting to remark, throughwhat hands rewards

pass. The chief inspector receives his three obangs (about from one of the grandees of'

the

court, and at a solemn meeting of the counsellors of state. The two others receive eachten ingots ofsil ver, whicharepresented to themby an inferior officer, and thisgradation clearly shows the differencethat ismade between their services.

442 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

The author of the manuscript has thought fit to proceed w ith the h istory of

O tone,and thus relates her tragic end . She had l ived a long time with Sakak i

kama - s iro - taro,the comedian , to whom she was strongly attached . After

spending a great deal of money upon her, he secretly married the widow of

Kame - sousero,the comedian . Be ing determined to part from Otone, he was at

a loss i n what manner to acquaint her withhis resolution . A t length hepretended that he had lost al l h is money at play , and had been obl iged topawn his th ings

.A t the same time he requested her to l end him twenty kobans,

hoping that she would not have i t i n her power, and that he might makethis a pretext for breaking with her : but she suspected h is design , borrowedthe money and gave i t to h im ,

together with ten more kobans, for which he hadalso asked her

,so that ho durst not i nform her ofhis marriage . I t was not

long,howeve r

,before she heard of i t ; when , without reproaching h im for his

i n constancy,she sold her clothes and al l that she possessed to raise the sum

she had borrowed , and to pay her debt . This done , she hanged herself i nTomonya - grobe ’s great room . This event happened in the years Gen- bowl .

Among the effects that she sold were the two small figures above - mentioned, for

which she obtained but s ix kobans. They now belong to the wife of Toyotaki , the physician .

A certain Nioura-

grosayemon, l iv ing in the square of Asakousa, was reputedto be the brother of N ioura- serosayemon, who kept a brothel at Yosnara ,

Hewas extremely devout, and went every day to pray in the temple of Asakousadera . At the end of about three thousand days in the years Gen- 60 1 m

the god blessed h im with a daughte r of exquis ite beauty , who was in the sequela se rvant in the palace of the hereditary prince . Here she l ived at firstunknown ; but the prince saw and became enamoured of her ; he had a sonby

‘her who was named Mansiero - sama . Apartments were then ass igned toher in the palace , and she was treated with great respect by all the officers ofthe prince . Grosayemon was taken into the service of the Djogoun.

Herece ived a salary of five hundred It o/cf, and a large house situated in theBantchou stree t was allotted for his res idence .

Dayou - in, orYeye -mitsou , had set a similar example . I n his time a femal e

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 43

of extraord inary beauty,named Kasouga - no - tsoubone had presented a petition

,

pray ing that the brothers of those women who enjoyed the honour of ly ingwith the Djogoun,

should be admi tted among his officers , and her request wascompl ied w ith . The other offi cers who owed the i r rank to the ir personalb ravery and good conduct , refused to serve with these new - comers : nay , someof them had the boldness to declare , that the brothers of concubines were notworthy to cross sabres w ith the i rs . The Djogoun,

to obviate the effects of th isdiscontent , formed the new offi cers into a d istinct corps

,by the appellation o f

S ingo - ban , or the new guard .

Grosayemon was a brave man he was admitted without sol i ci tation into thenew guard , and this promotion he attributed to the favour of the god Asakousa.

On the left of the temple of that de ity is a ciste rn dedicated to h im by Grosayemon

, on which are engraved these words R in- sin- lro- si n.

Kogoro,e ldest son of Fokfkawa- kioboutcho, younger brother of Yee - s ige

,

the hereditary prince , was , through the mediation of Yosi - moune,adopted by

the prince ofYetchezen* , who had no chi ldren , on which he changed his nameto Ogi - maro . Yetchezen was related to the Djogoun, and he consented toadopt the young pri nce , w ith a view to attach him more strongly to h imself,and for fear the family should become too numerous if he adopted th e son of

any other house .

Yosi - moune made a present of five man/wig” toMatsdaira-

yetchezen- no - kami.

He was the descendant of a powerful prince , but had been stripped of hispossessions and exiled to Boungo’r, as a punishment for mal eadministrationand for crue lty to h is se rvants , several of whom had been put to death by hiscommand

,together with the i r wives and ch ildren .

Yee - s ige had another brother named Moune - kore - ouyemon- no - kami,a man

of sound understanding , who cul tivated the sci ences , and eagerly sought afte revery th ing cal culated to excite curiosity . He had marri ed the daughte r ofone of the officers of the Dai ri , named Konoye - dono . I t is said , that when

A prov ince on the northcoast ofNifon,to the north- east ofMiyako.

T A province in the south- east part of the island ofKiou- siou .

44 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

Yee - sige ascended the throne , Ouyemon, regard ing h im as incapable , fromignorance

,to govern the empi re , drew up a paper in which he laid before h im

a sketch of his duties , and gave him advice respecting his future conduct .Yee - s ige was so i ncensed at th is l iberty , that he kept Ouyemon i n confinementfor three years . Konoye - Dono , having meanwh ile come to Yedo , was notpermitted to speak e ither to h is son - in- law or to h is daughter . I t was neve rknown what was the nature of the advice which so highly displeased theIUogoun.

Kano - totomi - no - kami , Ogasavara- i nami - no - kami , and S ibouya—tsoumi - no - kami,

were the three offi cers of'Yosi - moune , i n whom he placed the greatest con

fidence . They al l possessed a good understanding , a noble and benevolentdispos it ion

,and tried integrity . The people of Japan therefore declare

,that

they were never so happy as in thei r t ime . Mats - sousita- s imsk i was also i nh igh favour with this prince , and he dese rved i t for hismodesty , z eal , andb eneficence

The same praise cannot be given to Okoubo- ize- no - kami , one ofthe confidentialse rvants of Yee - s ige . He was arrogant, a spendthrift , and debauchee . Hethrew every th ing into d isorder, and no one durst reproach him for his conduct ,because he was uncle to Yee - s ige . Yosi - moune be ing i nformed of the manneri n which be abused his favour, dismissed h im from his post . ' Yeeésige had areal friend in O - oka- isoumo - no- kami ; i ndulgent and ever ready to excuse thefaults of others , he fol lowed in all points the example of the three favouri tesabove - mentioned . Hence the fol low ing verses were made on h im after hisdeath

There is no god l ike Isoumo, &c. The poet adds , that it is superfluousto speak of all the good qual i ties of Isoumo. We have all witnessed them ,

says he and we pay with our tears a tribute ofgrat itude to h is memory .

”

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 45

Djoyen- in, mother of Yos i - moune, res ided at W aka - yama,i n the province of

K idjo . When that prince had ascended the throne , he removed her to Yedo,

where she d ied i n the years Kz’ofo ( 171 6 She was buried near thetemple of R ak - zei - sanfl As she expi red on the 9 thday of the month

,i t was

dete rmined that a counsellor of state in ord inary should repai r on the 9thof

every month to the temple , to perform devotions there i n _ the name of theDjogoun.

Yosei - in, mother of the prince ofMito , was accustomed when she wentabroad to wear a sabre , which the people denominated Ame - koun i (from ame

rain , and [mum country ,) because , according to tradition , i t never failed to rainwhen she wore i t . She was grand - daughter of S ioken- in, or Tsouna- yos i

,and

was thus re lated to one of the prime m in iste rs of. the Dai ri , the_KouambakTenka- konoye - dono . Her grandfathe r Tsouna- yosi , Konoye - dono , and the princeofMi to , having died at ve ry short intervals one afte r another, i n the s ixth yearFo-

y e ( 1 709) she was deeply affli cted , and in her distre ss composed these verses

W oudje kotowa

Tsousouki ga fara no

Tsougou namida

Kousa na tomoto waNawa sigoure tsousou .

Our misfortunes follow one another l ike the l inks of a chain . Thoughmy garments are moistened w ith my tears , my eyes are incessantly fil led afreshwith them .

Wako - in, mother ofYousou - in, or Yee - tsougou , res ided at Tooki - aye , withi nthe gate of Fanso -

go-mon. One day , walk ing i n one of the galle ri es,whence

she could see all who passed by , she observed seve ral poor wretches almostnaked

,though the cold was then very intense . Fil l ed with compassion , she

immediately sent them garments wherewith to clothe themse lves . The newsof her bounty having qu ickly spread , great numbers of indigent personscol lected from al l quarters before her house , and she ordered cloth ing to bedistributed among them also . Soon afterwards those whom she had firstclothed returned naked as before ; she recognised them , and having causedinquir ies to be made , she learned , that they had lost thei r garments at play .

46 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

The indignat ion excited by the ir conduct closed her hands,which compass ion

had previously kept open for th e rel iefof the unfortunate .

The premature death of the wife ofYee - s ige , who was cal led in her l ife - t imeNamino- miya—sama, and afterwards S iome

‘

i - in, was profoundly regretted . She

was interred near the temple ofToyesan. One day , toward the conclusion of

the years Kiofo* , she was going with a . grand escort to the banks of the rive rSoumida- gava (at Yedo), when the ordinary and extraordinary counsellors byway of paying court to her, ordered the intendant to plant flowers all alongthe rive r

.Yosi - moune was not pleased w i th th i s attention . W omen , said

he, on th is occasi on , are l ik e chi ldren . If they see flowers on the banks ofa rive r i n winte r

,they imagin e that there must be flowers there in every

season,though they are really to be seen in spring alone ; and , when they

afte rwards find themselves mistaken , th is d isappoi ntment makes them angryand fretful .Namino- miya- sama was the daug hte r of the Dai ri ; she was brought fromMiyako to Yedo to marry Yee - s ige , wi th whom she l ive d very unhappily . On

this subj ect she composed the following verses

Omorna ki ,Mini si nare domoFaro sato no

Namo no tsouka siki

M iyako tori kana.

Neve r did I conce ive the idea ofmarry ing the Djogoun. S ince this unionI am cut off from the privilege of go ing abroad . Miyako is ev er present 'to mythoughts

,and if I perce ive any object that reminds me of i t, my sorrows are

aggravated .

Here follows a l i st of the valuables kept in the Gingoua, or guard - roomwith in the palace . They consist ch iefly of weapons , which are carefully preserved in memory of the princes to whom they once bel onged .

The twentiethand last year Km-fo correspondswiththe year 1 735 , the last of the reign of theChinese emperorYoung- tching.

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48 SOVEREIGNS or JAPAN .

the fifth month of the second year Gen- boun Oko gave birth to a son,

which event‘ was celebrated with great rej o i cings .Matsda’

irazsakon- no - kami,chief counsel lor of state in ordinary , discharged

the arrow fikime* ; i t was brought back by his son, Matsda'

ira- isoumi - no - kami .The ch ild? was suckled afte r his b i rth by the w ife ofMatsda

'

ira- fitzen- no - kami i .

Sakai - outa - no - kami,prince of Fimesi , made him a present of a sabre . The

whole court was intoxicated wi th j oy . Yosi - moune , enchanted W i th the bi rthof a grandson , immediately repai red to the palace of N is i - no- marou , where al lthe princes , and even al l h is servants , were admitted to pay him thei r congratulat ions. The seventh day

'

after the bi rth of the infant , i t was publ iclyannounced in the city , that al l persons possess ing an income of th ree thousandIra/ff might offer garments , zalc/rz

’

, and'

fish, and that thei r donations would beaccepted .

I no - kamon - no - kami , prince ofOmi , and Sakai - outa - no - kami , prince ofFimesi ,sol icited Yosi - moune to perm it the name of Take - tcheyo, whichoGongin hadborne in his youth , to be given to the infant. He at first refused , allegingthat i t was imposs ible to forese e how the child would turn out , and that if heproved himselfunworthy of the name , disgrace woul d be reflected on Gongin.

Matsdaira- sokon - no - siOgin, Matsda’

ira- i son - no - kami , Fonda - nakatskasa- no - tayou ,

FzAznze signifies l iteral l y frog’

s eye. This name isgiven to a wooden arrow, perforated at topwith

three smal l holes, which, as i t fli es throughthe ai r, produce a whizzing noise. The Japanese are

accustomed to discharge arrows of this kind in al l circumstances, whether fortunate or adverse, andattribute to them the property of repell ing evil Spirits. It was wi thone of these sounding arrows,

cal led by the ChineseMign- ti , thatMothun, the celebrated emperor of the Hioung- nou, kill ed hisfather, Theon- man.

The Japanese in general adore the sun,the moon, and the five planets. The professors of this

religion, whichis the genuine religion of the country , have a right to eat any thing, and to ki ll al l

sorts of animal s. W hen they enter the temples, they clap their hands twice, to appri ze the dei ty of

their arrival , and they pray wi ththeirhands clasped. Some invoke the god of the sun, others the

god of the moon. In their temples there are no images, but merely a glass, cal led kokoro, or heart,and a smal l casket, termed sousa, containing a paper crest, which, according to the priests, representsthe deity , but whichis in fact only an emblem of the robe formerly offered in sacrifice to the goduhen prayers were addressed tohim.

1 The present Djogoun ( 1 7 84) who ascended the throne in the 1 0 111 year Pareki1 It is not till the eighthday after i ts b irththat a chi ld begins to be suckl ed by the mother. For

the first seven days it is always suckled by some other woman, because during that time the mother’

s

mi lk is considered unwholesome.

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 49

and Tok ifango- no - kam i,having , however, j o ined the others i n the ir sol icitations

- to the Djogoun,he at length consented . On th i s occas ion Sag i - niyemon sung

as fol lows

Take- no- kotoba no

Podomo yokon

Tjiyo no fourou mitji

Fiki tarasou

Modita karikerouToki to kaya.

The knots of bamboo ( take) are al l at equal distances from one anotheryears and ages rol l away withou t producing any alteration i n this arrangement .Thus our happiness wil l be e ternal .Orders were issued throughout the whole empire

,forb idd ing all pe rsons

whateve r to give to the i r ch ildren the name of take, or bamboo.

The re ign ing prince ofMi to was only e leven years old when he made h isfi rst appearance at court, accompan ied by Matsdai’ra- sokon - no - siogin,

chiefcounsellor of state in ordinary, who led him by the hand , and pointing to theplace where he was to sit when the Djogoun ente red , recommended to himto lay his fan upon the mat , instead of holding i t in his hand . He then toldhim circumstant ially how he ought to conduct h imself. On his repeating theseinstructions

,the young prince repl ied : I t wil l be time enough to lay down

my fan when the Djogoun comes ; respect cannot requi re me to do i t before.Give me then

,I pray , more reasonabl e di rections . Sokon - no - siogin was

struck with th is remark,which indicated whatMi to promised to become . When

Yos i - moune was informed of i t, he congratulated h imself on having in hisfam ily a ch ild , who,

at so early an age , afforded such proofs‘

ofdiscernment.

Matsdarra- no - kori - yo, prince of Isoumo, and father - in- law of Koutsouki - okino- kam iMinamotto - no - masa - tsouna, was l ikew ise but e leven years old when

50 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

he was admitted for the fi rst t ime at the palace to pay h is respects to Yosimoune . The Djogoun offered him w ith i n a bowl

,which the cup - beare r

fi ll ed to the brim . The young prince was exceed ingly embarrassed,be ing

apprehens ive of making himself i l l if. he drank the whole , and not daring ,ou t of respect, to throw down the w ithwhich the Djogoun had offered him .

Yos i - moune perce iving his perpl exity , told h im he had better throw away thesale/t i than i ncommode h imsel f with dri nk ing i t . The cup - bearer having ac

cordingl y b rought a vessel to rece ive the l iquor, Koti - ye raised the bowl toh is l ips

,drank a l ittl e

,and poured the rest into his sl eeve , saying that he

should deem himse lf deficient in the respect due to the Djogoun, if he wereto throw away what he derived from his bounty . This act was highlyapplauded . Koti - ye possessed magnan imity ; he subsequently distinguishedh imself i n the mi l itary profess ion . His contempt of riches equall ed his loveof the arts and sciences , and especially of painting , which be successfullycultivated . When he m ixed h is colours , he had a custom of trying them onthe sl eeve of his sh irt, which he was in consequence obl iged to change veryoften .

Inaba—yetchou - no - kami , at present one of the l ife - guards of the Djogoun,

was placed , at the age of eleven years , about the person of the hereditaryprince , who was rather younge r than h imself. One day , when the two boyswere play ing together

, Tokfkawa-

gioboutcho, uncle to the re igning Djogoun,

Yee - farou , and grandfather of the present he i r - apparent, went to the palace ofN is i - no - marou , and address ing h imself to Yetchou - no - kami , i nqui red verysharply how ol d he was. The boy disl ik ing the tone of this i nterrogation ,would not repl y , though the question was several times repeated . Tokfkawa

urged h im to speak , on which , contemptuously turn ing away hishead,he said :I am not i n h is service—what righthas he to talk to me l ike a master ? I amhere to keep the young prince company . The Djogoun some years sinceissued written ord ers , directing that h is uncles and brothers should be con

sidered merely as princes . When th is man tal ks to me in so harsh a tone ,

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 5 1

w ithout my having given him any occasion , I need not , and wil l not answe rh im .

The hereditary prince, Fake - djeyo,

when young , was not deficient i n understanding

,and wrote a very good hand . Yosi - moune hav ing one day des i red

h im to write i n large lette rs in his presence, he dipped h is pencil , and madethe lette r rz’o (the Ch inese lung) from one end of the paper to the othe r, so

that no room was left for the dot . When Yosi - moune remarked th is ci rcumstance to h im , he placed the dot on the mat, which drew a laugh from theDjogoun and al l the spectators .Another day , he went to the temple of Asakousa, on one of the gates ofwhich is represented Kam i - nari , the god of thunde r, and on the other Kaseno - kami , the god of the winds . Fake - djeyo asked the priest why the god of

thunde r had no nipples . The priest knew not what to say . I n th is mannerhe took del ight in puzzl ing w i th h is questions those with whom he conversedbut his understanding decl ined w i th years , and at present he is l i ttle bette rthan a ch ild .

Kano -

gorosabro, afte r hav ing been Chamberlai n to the Djogoun, and keeperof h is wardrobe , as wel l as of h is private chest , had become treasure r of thechamber of accounts , by the name of Kano - wakassa - no - kami . One day , whenhe had gone

_to the temple of N iko , to take a general inventory there , he wasshown a gold bell

,made in the shape of a shark , which was much damaged

on one side : he , therefo re , ordered it to be turned , that the other s ide , whi chwas in good condition

,might be used . The priests , who had al ready appl ied

to the Djogoun,sol ici ting him to give orders for the repai r of the bell , repl ied

that such a proceeding would be an insul t '

to the memory of Gongin. Theyalso exh ibi ted to Wakassa some gold cups , employed i n the funeral ceremoniesi n honour of that prince

,and whi ch had l ikewise sustained injury from the

lapse of t ime , requesting h im to order new ones to be bought . Wakassarepl ied , that they would be too expensive , and that i t would be more economical to have th e ol d ones repaired and new varn ished . Fatori - yamato - no

H 2

52 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

kam i , governor of N iko , was decidedly adverse to th is proposal , observing,that the expense of new cups would not be considerable ; and declaring, thati f the old ones were merely repai red , he should th ink i t his duty , as long ashe held the post of governor, to abstain , out of respect for Gongin, fromusingthem in the ceremon ies i n honour of that prince . W akassa was embarrassed ,but out the matter short by declaring, that such was the pleasure of theDjogoun. The governor repl ied that he was certainl y bound to obey ; butthat for his own part he was determined not to use the old cups again .

Mis i - no - sioub i , one of the Oyori - yai , that i s , one of the persons appointed toattend the ambassadors of the Dai ri , had the reputation of being very sk i lfuli n wrestl ing. Yosi - moune be ing i nformed of i t , made him captain of theFialr- nin- ban

, or guard of one hundred men,and afterwards of the O/rosz'o-

goumz,

or guard of the apartments . The l atte r are of superior rank to the former, andare distinguished by the colour of the i r dress . W hen he was promoted tothe rank of captain , he took the name ofYamassiro- no - kami , and thenceforwardexercised his men every day . His atten tion to this point obtained generalapprobation .

One day , when the Djogoun was amusing h imself with dancing , one of thecounse llors of state ordered the captains of the guard to inqui re i f any of

the men under thei r command understood music . Yamassiro repl ied Mymen are all sk il ful i n mil itary exercises

,as thei r profession requ ires , but none

of them excels i n musi c . This answer was un iversally applauded .

When the Djogoun goes out a - shooting , he is always accompan ied by someofthe guards of his apartments. These men may indeed claim exemption fromth is duty

,if they have k illed a b ird with an arrow . Fane - k ingero had not

yet been so lucky , though he had often attended the prince on these occas ions ; he was overcome with shame , and h is friends were much d istressed onhis account . Yosi - moune took h im once more w ith him on a shooting - party

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 53

toMegouro ; but he was as unsuccessful as ever, and was the more mortified ,as he was afraid that his awkwardness might cost him h is l ife , or at l east hisplace . The Djogoun, on the i r re turn to the palace , perce ived under the newbridge , near the gate of the Tiger , a great q uantity of carp . He orderedK ingero to shoot one . K ingero discharged an arrow , and having kil led acarp , presented i t to the Djogoun. He was compl imented upon th is feat bythe whole reti nue of the prince . I t was conjectured that the Djogoun wasdes i rous

,by way of conferri ng a parti cular favour, to afford him an Opportun ity

of retri ev ing h is characte r ; for the number of the carp was so great, that i twould have been d ifficult not to h it one of them .

One of the sold ie rs who form the usual escort of the Djogoun, and who hadthat day, according to custom , to carry h is sabre i n a wooden box on hisshoulde r, had the misfortune to fal l . The inspecto r reported the accident tothe Djogoun, and asked what punishment should be infl i cte d on the sold ie r .How can he have deserved punishment

,repl i ed the monarch

,s ince

,

notwi thstanding his fal l , and though he has hurt h imself, he neve r suffe redthe box to d rop from his shoulder

Matsdai ra- iga- no - kami , grand judge ofMiyako , was intimate ly connectedwith several of the Dairi ’s officers , for which reason he was disl iked by thoseof the Djogoun. One day , when the Da

'

i ri and h is court were amusing themse lves with reading the Ize-monogatari , a work written by A riba - no - nari , anddistinguished for . the purity and elegance of i ts styl e, ,

a courtier, notoriousfor debauchery and his inordinate passion for women , expressed a wish thathe possessed the gen ius of the author. You possess gen ius "” cri ed Iga - nokami , .who was present ; do you suppose that genius can be associated withsuchmanners as yours ? I t were to he wished that al l courtie rs l ike you ,

were , as a'

punishment for thei r l i centiousness , to be sent bound to Yedo , andobl iged to put an end to the i r l ives .” Yosi - moune being informed of thisanswer, was del ighted with it , and conce ived such a high esteem for Iga—nokami , that he afte rwards appointed h im counsel lor of state in ordinary .

54 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN.

There was a cons ide rable fire atMiyako while Tok i - tango - no - kam i he ldthe office of grand judge there . On th is occas ion a courtier , named Kaze - faya ,made the follow ing verses

Tolri no toki

Tango*

'

no gogouats bani

Kouasi dasiteYedo ye sire tara

Ogosiyo si siuban.

Such is the time at present : a fi re broke out in the fifth night-

of the fifthmonth

. W hen the news shal l have reached Yedo , there wil l be numberlessappl icants who wil l harass you without ceasing .

”

A few years afterwards there was another fi re at the court of the Dai ri ,who was obl iged to reti re to Ivakoura, accompanied by Kaze - fayo

- deno andS im ison - dan i - se'

icho . The l atter made these verses

Kaze faya to

K ikoumo ouramesi

Teyono fi 0 .

Wheneve r I hear a viol ent wind , I dread the breaking out of a fire whilei t blows .”

His compan ion immediately repl i ed in these verses

S imisoudani tote

Yakemo no karesou.

Were i t even in a val ley , wate red by a runni ng stream , every thing wouldbe consumed .

I n th is manner they mutually alluded to the i r namesi' . The Dai ri , whosecourtie rs cul tivate poetry , and study to display the ir wit , applauded th isprompt reply .

Tok i - tango - no - kami became in the sequel counsel lor of state in ordinary .

One day , while s itting at the palace , i n the hall of Pendu lums , w i th h iscolleagues , he askedMatsda'

ira- iga - no - kami , why the counse llors of state madethe i r porters carry themalong in the i r chai rs with such speed ? If,” repl i ed

9“ Tango is one of the five complementary days ; by toki tango the author al luded to the name of

the grand judge, and by Ogosiyo tohis office.

1“ Kazefaga, ahighwind : Simisou, freshwater.

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56 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN.

S iousabro,then twenty - one years ofage , conv inced of h is father’s innocence ,

exasperated at h is unjust death , and desi rous“

of paying the last'

duties to h isremains

,secretly repai red at night

'

to the place of execution , picked up thehead of h is father, and , mel ting into tears , wrapped i t i n a cloth , which : hehad brought for the purpose . B efore he had time to reti re , he was surprisedby two pe rsons who kept watch there ; he - drew h i s sabre , fought brave ly ;and obl iged h is assai lants to betake themselves to fl ight . ' Having escapedth is danger

,he immediately proceeded to the templ e of Bou - s io - s i , i n the square

of Ousigome- sitsikinski -matche,asked for the priest, made him a present , anddel ivered to h im the head of hi s father, requesting him to i nte r i t. Thepriest, having inqui red into the ci rcumstances of the case , would at first havedecl ined rendering him this servi ce , for fear of the unpleasant consequencesthat might resul t i f the matte r we re discove red ; but at l ength , moved by thefil i al p i ety of S iousabro, he compl i ed with h is sol i ci tati ons, and caused the headof S ioube to be interred . The young man , having thus paid the last duties toh is father

,turned all h is thoughts to the revenging of his death upon h im by

whom i t was occasioned .

The hereditary prince , Yee - s ige, went sometimes to take the d ive rs ion ofhunt

i ng to the distance of several mil es from the palace of Osonga . I n these part iesof pleasure , whi ch usually lasted some days , the counsel lors of state followedthe pri nce , and stopping at the distance of two miles , formed a k ind of ci rcleround him , and provided for h is safety . Banrokou - sa'

imon having been directedto attend one of these parties , S iousabro conce ived that he had found theopportunity which he sought. He hid in a bamboo one of those sabres whichare twenty - three inches long, and are call ed , afte r the maker, B izen - kounimiets. Disgu ised l ike one of the lowest class of the people , to avoid be ingnoti ced

,he awaited the favourable moment .

On the 25thof the 1 2thmonth of the second year Gen- 602m Banrokou

saimon having left his house at day - break to attend his duty, S iousabro, who

was concealed in a th icket of bamboos , near the'

br idge of Yagoro - basi, saw

h im pass , preceded by a l i ttle boy carrying a lante rn . He ran up , threwhimself unexpectedly i n the way of h is enemy

,and thus addressed him :

Thou undoubtedly rememberest Tani - S ioube, who fel l a victim to thineartifices : i n me thou beholdest his son and thy b itterest enemy . Thou knowest

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 57

the proverb ; A man ought not to live in the world withthe enemy of his father.

Every day appeared to me an age“ in the impatience which I felt to meet wi th

thee ; th is day is the happi est of my l ife : now defend thyself.” W i th these

words he took his sabre from the bamboo and attacked Banrokou . The victoryremained for some t ime undecided .

”

S iousabro at length laid his adversary athis feet, -

' cut offhishead , and l ifting i t with both hands , raised i t in s ilencetoward heaven

,thus'

offering it to the manes of h is fathe r,‘

as a test imony ofhis revenge .No sooner had Banrokou - salmon fallen, than a man , issu ing from the thicket ,ran up, and perce iv ing that S iousabro was alarmed, bade h im be ofgood cheer .My name ,” added he , i s Takake - kinnemon ; I was wel l acquainted with

theman whom you have kil led ; I know what instigated you to this action ;I witnessed your combat ; - and cannot blame you for having revenged you rfather : but now that you have performed th is duty , permit me to give you a'p iece of advice , wh ich w il l

' be not l ess serviceable to you than to the fam i lyof my unfortunate fri end . If you do not take the precaut ion to conceal thebody from publ ic view , you wil l not be able to escape the search that w i l lbe vmade after the murdere r, and your l ife will pay for the violation of thelaws . Take my advi ce put the body into a straw - sack ; carry it to the wifeand ch ildren of Banrokou - sa'

imon ; explain to them the necess ity of keepingsecret what has passed ; tel l them to give out that the wretched man died of

d isease, for i f i t be known that he was slain in s ingl e combat , h is son wil l

not be al l owed to succeed h im in his post . In th is manner you wil l prese rveyour own place and your

'

l ife.

S iousabro followed th is friendly advice h e carried the body to the houseof the de ceased , and de l ibe rated with h is wife and son on the best courseto be pursued . I t was agreed , that the son should report that his father,when in attendance on the he red i tary prince , had contracted an il lness wh ichhad obl iged h im to return home

,where he had died .

On the decease of any of the Djogoun’

s se rvants , the counse llor of statewho rece i ves information of i t , sends one of his agents to ascertain whethe rhe died of disease or fel l in a duel . Luckily Takake- k innemonwas the personto whom the extraordinary counsel lor of state , Fonda - nakato - kasa- no - tayou

,

gave th is comm iss ion . Th is deputy d id not fail to confirma report which had

58 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

been made agreeably to h is own advice the body was consequently interred,

and Banrokou - saimon ’s son was i nvested with h is father’s offi ce .

Th is affai r seemed to have been long forgotten , when variou s rumours , ci renl ated i n the palace , cal led the attention of the counsellor of state afresh to thesubject . He summoned Tahake - k innemon, whom he questioned , and re ce ivedthe same answer as before : but doubting the truth of his account, he sent forthe high pries t of the temple of Zofokousi , named Nitsisio - no - djonin, who hadattended at the house of the deceased previously to the inte rment

,and

requested h im to declare what he knew . The priest repl ied that i t was hisduty when fetched to a corpse , to asce rtain whether the deceased had d ied ofdisease or in a due l , and to make a report to one of the inspectors of the temple ,for the purpose of obtain ing an orde r for the inte rment i f i t were to takeplace ' the re ; and , that the body of Banrokou - saimon , be ing fre e from anywound

,had be en buried immediatel y . The same rumours be ing again rev ived

the counsel lor of state once more summoned the priest before h im , and ins istedon knowing the truth

,threaten ing at the same t ime to order the grave to be

opened . The priest repl ied , that he might do so ifhe pleased , but if he d id hewould he never the wiser, as the body had been burned . The counse llor of

state then required a written declaration ,'

wh ich he madehim sign and seal, for

the purpose of submitting i t to the Djogoun and thus the matte r ended . I tappears that the counse llor of state was acquainted wi th al l the particulars ;but

,as i t was his duty to make inquiry on the subj ect , he demanded this paper

to cover h is respons ib i l i ty . The two sons of Tani - S ioube were sti ll l ivingwhen the author ofth is narrative committed i t to wri ting.

Among the offi cers of the Djogoun the re was one named Itakoura- djouri ,who had an income of seven thousand lro/rf’

fl and was obl iged to commitsuicide . The parti culars of this tragic adventure are curious ; they servemoreove r to convey some idea of the manners of the Japanese , of the superstitious spi rit of the h igher classes , and of the despotism ofa government wh ichpronounces sentence of death w ithout the formal ity of trial .

sterling according to the ancient val ue of the kahf or kobang.

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 59

Itakoura- djouriwas a' descendant of Souva - no - kami , ch ief judge ofMiyako

whose brother, Itakoura - na

’

izen,was an ordinary counsel lor of state . His

father was, l ike his ancestors , an officer of the Djogoun, and he succeeded him i nthe twelfth month of the first year Gen- boun About th is t ime he wasattacked by a dangerous i ll ness , which alarmed hi s relations , who assembledto consul t respecting the state of his health . A skilful physi cian u ndertookh is cure

,and the pati ent grew better from day to day . Afte r h is recovery he

married the daughter ofTatebayasi -min- bou - no - dj o , a womanof super ior unde rstanding

,and who pai d parti cular attention to her domestic concerns .

But whether the med icines administe red to Djouri during h is i ll ness impai redhis reason

, or the ginseng root wh i ch he was in the habi t of taking affected hisbrain

,he became subj ect to paroxysms of i nsanity i n whi ch he knew not whathe did

. Mayesima- l innemon,h is ch ief secretary , who was sincerely attached

to his i nterest and that ofhis family , and fearful lest in h is fits he might commitsome act of vio lence in the palace , fo r wh ich he would be infal l ibly doomed tolose h is employment

,and to have his revenues confiscated , represented to h im

that the most prudent course he could pursue would be to res ign h is post, andto l ive i n reti rement ; more especially s ince , possessing as he d id , an incomeof more than three thousand Ito/cf, he was ent itled to the rank of prince . Headded

,that as he had no ch ild of his own, he ought to adopt one,

and thath is kinsman Itakoura- sado - no - kami , who had several , would not refuse to giveh im one ofh is sons , worthy of supporting the spl endour of h is house . Djouri ,instead of adopting these wise suggestions , flew into a vehement passion , andcould scarcely be restrained from lay ing viol ent hands on L innemon. Hedismissed h im , however, from h is se rvice , threaten ing to kill h im wheneverhe should meet h im .

Linnemon,finding that h is counsel was rej ected , went and complained of

i t to Djouri’

s wife , and having assemb led al l h is maste r’s relations , i nformed

them of what had j ust happened , and of the i l l success of his z eal for preserving to the i r house the income of seven thousand adding that Djouri ,so far from thanking him for i t , threatened his l ife . Al l of them censuredDjouri s conduct, and gave h im advice , which only served to increase his rageto such a degree , that his wife was obl iged to qui t h is house . His family andfriends were apprehensive l est , when he went upon duty

_to the palace , he1 2

60 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

should commit some act of vio lence , the consequence ofwhichwould be theloss of h is post , and the confiscat ion of h is property . To prevent such a misfortune

, S ado - no - kami sent for Kato - o- ouyemon, the confidential . servant of

Djouri , di rected him to info rm h is maste r that he must not quit h is house t il lfurther orders , and laid a special inj unction on Ouyemon to prevent h im fromgoing out . Djouri , to whom Ouyemon communicated these Orders , repressedhis pass ion in order to lul l d istrust , and seemed res igned to what was requiredof him , while h is heart was burning

'

w ithrage ; and persuaded that al l thepe rsecut ions h e experienced were ow ing to Sado - no - kami

,who was des i rous of

compell ing h im to res ign h is office and to obtain i t for h is s on,he swore to

sacrifice h im to h is vengeance . As it would have been difficult to execute hisdesign in the house of the counsello r of state , be resolved to attack and killh im in the palace itself. W i th thi s v iew , he eluded the vigilance ofOuyemon,

and repai red thither on the 1 5thofthe e ighth month earl ie r than usual , that hemight surprise Sado - no - kami .On that day the great officers and al l the servants of the Djogoun go to the,

palace to present the i r oflerings to the i r master , and the princes offer in person ,a sacrifice of two small porcelain flasks ful l of salt/t i to the god Fatsman- da

’

ibru

sats . Fossokava-

yetchou - no - kami , prince ofF igo , repaire d according to customto the palace , though his se rvants had forewarned him that extraord inaryci rcumstances seemed to portend some great m isfortune to him. The _.two

flasks of za/rl n' which he designed to offer were thrown down , though no person

had touched them,and the l iquor was spil t on the mats and a ball of fire had

been seen in the first days of the month , flying from the prince’s palace alongDj eba street . Notwithstanding these s iniste r o mens , the prince t hought hecould not avo id going to pay his respects to the DjOgoun, In pass ing throughthe apartments of the palace , followed only by a houragi -han- sa

'

i , or keepe r ofthe palace , he was met by Djouri , who, taking h im in the dark , and owing tothe resemblance of h is arms , for Sado - no - kami , rushed furiously upon him andgave hima sabre wound , which left himwelte ring in h is blood . The attendantran away and hid h imself, so that some time e lapsed before the event becameknown . A t length Toma- sadogoro, one of the inferio r officers of the Djogoun,

whose duty brought h im accidental ly to the spot where . the outrage had beencommitted , finding a wounded man on the ground w ith a naked sabre

‘

by. his

SOVEREIGNS “

OF JAPAN: 61

s ide,hastened - to report the fact ' to the inspector of the palace,

who immediately

'went th ither, and ordered search to be made for the culpr i t .Th is inspectdr,

‘ whose name was Tsousida- fan - nemon , and Komoda—niyemon,

on examin ing the w ounded pe rson w ith attention , discove red that i t'

was th eprince of Figo , They asked him the name of the assass in , but as the princewas too faint to reply , they could not obtain any information from him. Theyinqui red which of the attendants had accompanied him through the apartments ,but no one could tell . Fannemon, conce iving that the assass in must be ' stil l inthe palace , ordered al l the doors to be secured ,

‘

and taking - with h im a greatnumber '

of attendants , he went t hrough all th e apartments w i thout finding anyperson . Meanwhile assi stance was p rocured for the prince , but i t proved ofno avai l .At l ength, one of the

,keepers of the apartments , namedMoro - i - zo ga,having “

gone' into a private place i n which fire is constantly kept, found there a person

who seemed to be much agitated , and who was cutt ing off h is hai r w ith a pai rof scissors . He asked who he was . Djouri , for i t was he , repl ied , that hehad just k i lled a man , and that he was cutti ng offhi s hai r in order to ~ become apriest . Zoga immediately made h is report . Two i nspectors went to securethe murdere r, who made no res istance . He was conducted into the greathal l , and there shut up.

The report be ing spread , that one of the pri nces who had come to pay the i rcourt to the Djogoun had been assass inated , a great agitation ensued amongthe persons of the i r retinue who were in waiting outs ide the palace , each be ingapprehensive for the l ife of h is master .The assass in , be ing brought before the ch ief inspe ctor, answered thequestions put to him i n so confused and incoherent a manne r, that he wasthought tohave lost his senses. He was nevertheless recognised to be Itakouradjouri , an offi cer of th e counci l - chambe r. Al l the lords, and among othersSado - no- kami , came . to ascertain whether the culprit really was Djouri , andhaving thoroughly satisfied

’

themsel ves that he was , the counsellors of statedrew up a report, i n wh ich they i nformed the Djogoun that Fosso - kava -

yetchou

no -kami had been assass inated by Itakoura - djouri .

The - old Djogoun, on reading this report, appeared to be deeply afll icted

then , e ither doubting the death of the prince, or deeming ' it prudent to conceal

62 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

the event for some t ime , he ordered his wound to be dressed by h is surgeons ,and boi led ri ce and wate r to be given to h im . The counsel lors ofstate repl ied ,that this could be of no servi ce , s ince the prince had been long dead ; but theDjogoun pretend ing not to hear them , repeated the order to give h im boil edri ce and water . He caused i t at the same time to be publ icly reported thatthe prince of Figo had been wounded by Djouri , but was stil l al i ve ; and one

of the sub - inspectors , i n a loud voi ce , o rdered a person to tell the guard at thegates to desi re the prince of F igo ’s servants to carry his chair to the backentrance , to take up the ir master . This order produced the best effect , andthe confus ion instantly subs ided . The attendants of the other princes wererel i eved from the i r anx i ety ; even those of the prince of Figo took courage ,th inking the i r maste r to be stil l l iving ; and thus tranquill ity was restored .

The body of the prince was carri ed away in his chai r, and Naga- oka - kiousiro,

one ofhis attendants , seated himself i n i t bes ide h im , though th is is contraryto etiquette i n the inte rior of the palace : but the Djogoun had given h im perm iss ion . Naga - oka, before he entered the chai r, expressed hi s acknowl edgments for this favour to the counse llors of state , who assured h im that theassassi n was apprehended

,and should undergo the pun ishment due to his

crime ; and therefore the prince’s p eopl e ought to remain quiet t il l they should

hear farther from the Djogoun.

The servants of the prince of Figo were profoundly afflicted by h is death ;the women burst i nto tears . His relations assembled , and resolved to informthe Djogoun that the prince had d ied of his wound . S carcely had they cometo th is dete rmination when Sota - fagami - no - kam i , ch ief counsel lor of state ,arrived to inquire i n the name of the Djogoun concern ing the state of theprince , and brought a d ish of dried sme lts i n token of his affection . Therelations were deeply sens ible of this extraord inary favour ; they requested thecounsellor of state to convey the i r thanks to the Djogoun, and to assure himthat they should hear his condescens ion i n everlasting remembrance . Afterh is departure , they again del ibe rated , and finally agreed to defer the reportt ill th e fol lowing day .

Next day , Fori - sik ibou - no - tayou,ordinary counse l lor of state , came on behalf

of the he i r- apparent,to inquire afte r the health of the prince ofFigo , declaring

that h is maste r was extremely uneasy.

about h im , and bringing a present of

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

64 SOVEREIGNS or JAPAN .

Wh ilst attending the pr ince of Figo , thou wast witness of h is misfortune ,and d idst run away instead of ass isting him . Conduct so cowardly and soinhuman dese rves death ; but, as thou art but a servant of infer ior class, thy l ifeis spared

,and thy property is confiscated .

The prince Todo - isoumo- no - kam i , had bought for one hundred hobonsste rl ing), a sabre of great value . Del ighted with the cheapness of h is bargain ,he ran to show i t to h is father, and told him the pri ce . I cannot conce ive

,

said the father,where you have picked up th is sabre , or out ofwhat we l l you

have drawn it, (an express ion used in Japanin reference

’ to any th ing that i ssold for l ess than its value) . '

Isoumo acknowledged that i t was dirt cheap,and

seemed overj oyed with his bargain . The fathe r soon made him ashamed ofh is exultation. Such a bargain ,” said he , proves that the seller i s indistress

,and that necess ity compels h im to dispose of h is sabre . Does i t

be come the prince ofIze, w ith an income of—thi rty - s ix thousand kahfsterl ing), thus to take advantage of the misfortunes of anothe r ?

” These wordswere uttered in so austere a tone , that the son, ashamed and confounded ,went to seek the vender, and gave him one hundred hobans over and abovethe stipulated pr ice .

Mots i - tsouki - sanyei was a man of superior understand ing , a very sk ilful physician,

and extremely charitable . Passing one . day over the bridge of Yedobasi

,he saw the ch ild .of a beggar covered w ith . the small - pox , and having

noth ing but a wretched straw mat for garment and bed . He suppl ied i t w iththe necessary medicines , and sent i t food ; and these attent ions he continuedt il l i ts convalescence . His col league , Tatsibana- rou ivan, be ing informed of h isbeneficence, reproached him for i t . You ' do very wrong , said he , totrouble yourself about beggars . You “ have been prescrib ing too for the old

comedian,Itchekava-

yeb iso, whilehewas i ll . You degrade us by such conduct .We are the physicians of the Djogoun, and ought not to have any th ing to dowith low people . On that point I cannot agree w ith you ,” repl ied Sanye

’

i .

The Djogoun is the father of h is people , and it i s our duty to re l ieve the

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 65

ailments of his ch ildren . Accordingly when I see a person who is il l i n thestreet

,even. though it we re a beggar, I am anxious to afford him all the succour

I can,and in so do ing I only perfo rmmy duty .

”R ou ivan was s il enced by this

answer, and reti red qui te abashed .

Tsourou - voka—donnai , an officer ofthe prince ofK idjo,enj oyed a yearl y s alary

ofone hundred h‘ohf. He was unmarried , had no family , and but one se rvant ,named Genso, a bold , hale man . He was extremely frugal

, so that notwithstanding the smallness of his i ncome , he acqui red in a few years considerablewealth .

About the m iddle of the fifth month of the first year Kio Dennai

havingsold one hundred bales of rice , rece ived payment for i t i n specie , whichhe locked up i n Genso’

s presence . The latte r, tempted hy . .the sight of themoney , resolved to possess himse lf of i t i n the night, and fearful lest h is maste rmight awake and preven t the execution of th is des ign , he dete rm ined to makehimintox icated ,

and then murder h im . To th is end he provided a good supper, andplenty of very strong zahlri . Denna

’

i, afte r eati ng and drinking copiously,

went to bed, and soon fel l into a sound sleep . About midnight Censo softlyopened the dodr, approached the bed , and finding his master fast asleep , drewhis sabre and killed h im ; afte r whi ch he packed up the money , clothe s , sabres ,and every thing else of value that he could find , and fled with h is booty .

Denna'

i had no relation at Yedo ; his death therefore ex cited at - first butl ittle sensat ion , and no one thought i t worth while to make “ search for . theassassin . S imisou - sinsero,

however, an intimate friend of the deceased , whores ided at K idjo, was soon apprized of the fatal ~ event . He had

[ no doubt thatGenso, who had absconded , was the murderer : he swore to puni sh h im for thecrime

, from a conv iction that i t i s a duty incumbent on friendship to avengethe death of those to whom

‘we a re attached. S insero,i n consequence , sol i ci ted

l eave of absence of the prince ofK idjo, who granted his request. His petit ion

was to thi s effectI am one of the se rvants ofyour h ighness ; your kindness to me is eminent

as a mountain,and profound as the sea : I shal l never cease to be grateful for

x

66 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

i t. A dreadful m isfortune has befall en me : Tsouro- voka—denmar has beenassass inated by h is servant Genso. The murdere r has carri ed off al l the effectsof h is vi ctim and fled . S earch is making for h im , but i n vain . I sol i cit leaveof absence for some time to seek the vi llain , and beseech you r h ighness to begraciousl y pleased to grant i t .Furnished with th is permiss ion , he prepared every th ing necessary for his

journey ; then recoll ect ing that Genso, who was a native of the easte rnpart of the empire , spoke the d ial ect of Yedo , and th inking that he mightposs ibly be sti l l i n that city

,he proceeded thi the r without loss oftime , hi red a

house,and began to give l essons on the flut e , i n orde r to procure the means of

subs istence during h is stay . Meanwhile , he made dil igent search for h isenemy

,and knowing that Genso was acquainted with his name , he changed i t

to that of Yamana- satsou . A t night he frequented the streets , the publ icplaces

,and the brothels . In one of the latter he met w ith a young female

named Ak isino,who was very handsome

,and l ived upon the produce of he r

charms . He conce ived an attachment for her, and even promised he rmarriage . When he was satisfied that she was worthy of h is confidence

,he informed her of the motive that had brought h im to Yedo , and

requested he r to assist h im i n his inquiries . He described as wel l as he couldthe age , face , and person of Genso ; charged her to take particular noti ce ofall vis i tors to the house ; and made her promise to send h imword if she metwi th any resembl ing the description wh ich he had given , and to conceal h im

(Satsou) , i n some place whe re he might have an opportuni ty of ex amininga ndrecognis ing the culpri t.One day a messenge r brought to Satsou a letter from Ak isino,

acquaintingh im that there was at that moment i n the house a man closely resembl ing theperson he had described , and urging him to come immediately to see whetheri t was the man whom he was in quest of. Satsou immediately obeyed thesummons , ran up stai rs to Ak isino’

s apartment, and des ired her to show himthe man in question . Ak isino, after begging him not to make so much noise

,

l ed h im to a place near the room where the strange r was,and where he might

be seen through the wainscot drinking zah/ci with several ofhis friends . Satsou

recognised Genso, and transported with rage , would have rushed upon andk illed him , but was withhe ld by Ak isino, who represented the danger to which

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 67

he would expose h imself. She told h im that Genso would pass the night at thehouse ; that the next morning he would go to the bath , and thence return toh is own home . If you will take the troubl e to fol low h im then , said she toSatsou ,

you w ill d iscover where he l ives , and be sure of findinghim‘

whenever

you please .

”Satsou y ielded to her persuasions . He wai ted ti ll the next day ,

followed Genso on h is return from the bath , and when he was about to enterh is house

,called out to h im in a terribl e vo i ce : A rt not thou Genso,

the

se rvant of Tsourou - voka - dennai'

Genso, i n great alarm , repl ied that Denna’

i

had no relations,and asked by what right he put th is question . Thou hast

murdered Dennai ,” repl ied Satsou , thou has t stolen h is effects , and absconded

with them . I am not related to Denna’

i , i t is true , but he was my best friend ,and I wil l fulfil the duty of friendsh ip to h im , by pursuing thee unto death .

Wel l,

” rej o ined Genso, I am ready to give the e sat isfact ion ; but wait ti l leven ing

,and let us choose a more suitable place ; here we should have too

many wi tnesses of our combat. I w i l l meet thee at dusk near the templ e ofZo- zen- si .” Hav ing thus agreed upon the place and hour, Satsou returnedhome

,burned h is lette rs and his pocket - book , and called upon Akisino to take

leave of her. He begged her to causehis body to be inte rred , i f he should havethe misfortune to be ki lled by Genso, and to info rm his relat ives ofh is death .

What do you take me for ?” repl ied Ak isino. Am I you r w ife ? You knowthat by profession I cannot belong to any one exclus ive ly . Why then shouldI care whether you are k il led or not ? Satsou , enraged at her i nd ifference ,loaded her with reproaches , and on l eaving her hastened to the temple of

Zo- zen- s i , to meet h is enemy . Genso soon arrived , and both , after freshmutual provocations , drew the i r sabres , and commenced the fight. Satsou ,

be ingextremely weak , was not able to make head long against his powerful adversary ,and must very soon have fallen , had not a handsome young man flown fromthe templ e to his ass istance , and going behind h is adversary , given him a cutwith his sabre . W hen Genso turned about. to face h is new assailant , Satsoustruck h im a blow which brought h im to the ground , and cut offhis head .

He then threw himself i nto the arms of h is del iverer, and inqui red who hewas, and what guard ian ange l had sent h im to his ass istance . Look at merepl ied a vo ice that was famil iar to him. I am not : what you take me to be ;I am your beloved Ak isino. Forgive me for having treated you with such

x 2

68 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

apparent harshness . I was frightened at the advantage which Genso’

s strengthgave h im over you . Had you seen me dissolved i n tears , and had we givenway to our feel ings in taking leave of one another, you would have gone sstil l

'

weaker and more d ispirited to thefight : I , therefore , thought i t b es t to i rri tate

you , that you might be the better'

able to w ithstand your antagonist . But, asthi s precaut ion '

was not sufficient to pacify my uneasiness, I changedmy dress ,and se iz ing the sabre of one of the men who are now amusing themse lves i n th ehouse , I arrived just . i n time to save you . Thank the gods for the success ofyour . comb at , and to prevent any unpleasant consequences , lose no - t ime '

in

reporting what has happened to government. S insero,whom we now cal l by

h is real name , warmly expressed his grat itude to her,' and foll owed her advi ce .

The matte r was minutel y i nvest igated , and Genso’

s crime being proved, S ins

’

ero

was acqui tted , and al lowed to return to'

K idjo. The prince released Ak isinofrom the: house in which she l i ved , by pay ing her ransom , and gave he r herl iberty . S insero married her, as much out of affect ion as grati tude , and ’had b yher two sons , one of Whom was h is ' he ir, and the other the hei r of Dennai :The latte r took the name ofTsourou - vouka - dengo

’

ro,and had the income ofone

hundred kahf,

enjoyed by Dennai . Thus , S insero revenged the death of hisfriend , and rece ived the reward of attachment . May ' those who peruse th ish istory , imitate what is prai seworthy i n his conduct,

‘ and perform the sacred'dut ies of frie ndsh ip with equal courage and perseverance

When Yoda - isoumi - no - kami , governor of Yedo , was only keeper of theapartments

'

and steward to the Djogoun,with a salary of three hundred leo/rf,

it happened that the prince ofNanbou sent a'

craneto the Djogoun. The latterwas very

'

fond of th is bi rd , but the season in ‘

which the phys icians permit i tto

- be‘

eaten be ing past, the Djogoun i nquired whether it would do him any

harm to eat of i t when’

sal ted. The phys ician repl ied in the negative , and thecrane was immediately dressed . I t i s customary for the dishes to be ' firsttasted by ione of the officers of the palace . , Isoumi - no - kami was'

on'

du ty theday the crane was dressed , and when the dishes were brought

'

for him to taste,

he '

forb'

ade the mama to be carried to the Djogoun, say ing , that i t was out of

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 69

season,and ci ting the authority of the canon ical books , which prohibit the

eating o f an imals and frui t except at ce rtain t imes of the year. He evenrefused to taste the crane , notwithstanding the opin ion of the physician ,alleging that '

the l ife of the Djogoun was too precious , and that h is‘own was

deare r to him than gold and weal th .' The Djogoun be ing informed of the

ci rcumstance,commended his conduct, and could not fo rbear express ing a wish

that he had many such servants : he appo inted him inspecto r of the palace ,and afterwards governor ofYedo , a post wh ich Yoda filled with honour.

I t i s forb idden upon pain of death , fo r any female,be her age'

what itmay ,

to pass the guard ofFakone at Y'edo . I n case ofa vio lation ofthis prohibiti on ,those who accompany the culpri t , and the sentinels who have suffered her topass

,share her fate .

Fouwa- fiyosayemon, who l i ved at Yamabe , i n Yedo , was obl iged by somefamily busi ness to go to Parima . He was very poor

,and had two chi ld ren , a

girl and a boy the former eleven , and the latte r n ine years ’

ol d, His wife hadbeen dead a long time . Not knowing any one with whom he could leave hisch i ldren during his absence , he resolved to take them with him and

,to dece ive

the guard; he cut the girl ’s hai r, and dressed he r in boy ‘s clothes. The sen

t inels , imposed upon by th is d isguise , actual ly suffered them to pass . Fiyosa

yemon , pl eased with th e success of th is stratagem,conce ived himself out of

danger, when a groom runn ing up , congratulated him on having sofortunatelypassed with a gi rl d ressed l ike a boy , and asked for someth ing to drink ,

Fiyosayémon, alarmed at this challenge ; assured the man ‘ that he was mistaken ,as both his ch ildren were boys ; at the same time

‘ offering him“ a few sepihkes

to-

get some salc/cl . The groom‘

refused them with‘

contempt, demand ing kobans',and threaten ing to i nform of him unless he compl ied . Fi yosayemongincensed

at h is importuni ty , ‘

returned no other answe r than a few blows w ith the flat ofhis

"

sabreon the back . The '

groom, to revenge himself, immediately ran and

informed the guard, that a man had just passed w ith two ch ildren , one of'whomwas ' a gi rl .The

'sentinels were thunderstruck since , as i t has been observed, the i r l ives

70 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

wou ld be forfe ited i f the fact were proved . They del iberated for some time,and were at length obl iged to dispatch men to apprehend the culpri t. Thecommanding officer, however, had had the presence of mind to send on beforeone of h is people with a l i ttl e boy , with orders to exchange him for the girl .Fiyosayemon had stopped at a tavern to drink w ith h is ch ildren , when a manente red , l ead ing a l ittle boy by the hand , and said to h im As I came bythe guard - house , I heard a person inform of you forhaving passed w i th yourdaughte r disguised as a boy . Feel ing for your s ituation , I am desi rous to save

you and your fami ly from the fate with which you are threatened . You wil lbe presently arrested , but be not alarmed : substitute “ th is boy for your girl ,and if the accuse r pers ists i n h is charge , make no scruple of cutt ing off h ishead . The house was soon invested : Fiyosayemon was cal led for, andorde red to bring his two chi ldren he produced them , and both were found tobe boys . The groom in aston ishment declared that the girl must have beenchanged ; but F iyosayemon affecting the h ighest degree of rage , drew hissabre and cut off h is head . The guards applauded th is action , say ing , that toi nvent such l ies to ruin innocent people was a crime deserving of the severestpun ishment. Fiyosayemon,

afte r the i r departure , took back h is daughte r,thanked h is benefactor, and proceeded on h is way .

One of the i nferior se rvants of the Djogoun, named Ivas - gozo , had adaughte r

, who was constantly ill ; he took her to the hot baths , i n hopes ofre- establ ish ing her heal th . He had been there three weeks , when three menbelonging to the retinue of the prince of Satsouma came to see h im , andrequested h im to lend them ten kobans, promis ing to repay h im at Yedo .

Go zo decl ined , al leging that he was poor, and h is daughter’s il lness veryexpensive

,and expressing h is regre t that i t was not i n his power to aecom

modate them . They appeared to be satisfied with h is excuses and as hewas to set off the next day , they invited him to suppe r, purpos i ng to deta inand make h im drunk with za/cl n' . Gozo , having no suspicion of the i r des ign ,accepted the invitation , and afte r supper, finding that i t was l ate , he returnedthanks , and begged permi ssion to ret i re , that he m ight take a l i ttle rest before

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72 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

h imself. At th is moment his friend'

ran up, ,w

\rested h is arms from h im , and

cheered,him, by ,

representing that j usti ce was on h is“ s ide , ashe had beenprovoked

.

i n,

an u nwarrantabl e manner, and obl iged to defend h imself. I

witnessed the combat,

” added he ; I w i l l make my report of i t, and be bailfor you

. Meanwhi l e , the A

best th ing you can do is to lose no time i n acquainting the governor ofYedo withwhat has happened .

The governor wrote , i n consequence,to the prince of Satsouma, whos oon

afte rwards returned for answer, that on inquiry he learned that the malefactorswere not his subjects , but must have come from some other province . Gozowas in consequence set at l ibe rty , and thus the affai r term i nated.

I

Sakak ibara- sik ibou - no - tayou was adopted by the prince of- Fimesi . He w as

a man of excess ive p rodigal i ty , who distingu ished himse lf i n the years Gen-houn

by fool ish expenses , and neglected the duties of his post. Ne ither the ordersof his maste r, nor the remonstrances of his relatives , had weight enough toproduce a change in his conduct . Every n ight he frequented the street ofthe courtesans

,and vis ited in particular the house ofMouraya, where 'he

found a gi rl whom he knew, . named Takawo, whose mother had been hisnurse . I n al l his debau cheries he took with him two of the most celebratedtai lcomouts, or men who make a profess ion of d iverting, for hire, ,

richl ibertinesby the ir buffooneri es . The fol lowing anecdote wi ll furnish some idea of h isprofusion . One day having gone with h is two attendants into the house of

pleasure cal led Owaria, behind whichthere was , as usual in such places,a

smal l art ificial mount, he covered this mount from top to bottom with hobans,as he might have done with flowers . Yama- bouki , one of his old servants

,

remonstrated withhim, and represented the consequences of such conductif i t should reach the ears of the Djogoun,

but he paid no attent ion to him.

Soon afte rwards he paid the ransom of Takawo, and set the gi rl at l iberty .

The foll ies of S ikibou - no - tayou could not fai l to come to the knowledge ofthe Djogoun and the

' counsel lors of state , who severely reprimanded himi n(writing . I t was at first i ntended to strip him of every thing ; but as

‘hisancestors had rendered important services to Gongin i n his wars , and i t was

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 73

moreover considered , that he was not the son, but only the adopted son of

the prince,and that before h is adoption ne ither h imself nor h is family was of

any note,i t was thought right not to treat h im with such severity . He was

removed,i ndeed , from Fimesi , but a district, producing a revenue of fifteen

manhohf sterl ing) , was ass igned to h im in the province of Yetchego .

Yosi - moune had four sons , the eldest ofwhom ,Yee - sige

,his successor

,was .

born in the province ofK idjo.

I n the second year of Yen- Icio Yos i - moune res igned the governmentto h is son, Yee - s ige , and was then named O - gosio , which s ignifies the greatpalace. In the fourth year of Quan-

y en he was attacked by the d isorder of which he died . Three years before he had a paralyti c se izure , whichat first prevented h im from walking . He had , however, so far recovered fromits effects , as to be ableto take several times the pleasure of the chase .

He was again attacked by the same disorder, i n the fifth month of the lastmentioned year, and so rapid was i ts progress , that, i n the following month ,publ i c prayers were ordered to be put up for his recovery , i n the templ e ofTo - ye i - san , and i n the other principal temples . The physi cians were speciallycharged to negl ect no means for restoring him to health ; but al l the i r effortswere fruitl ess, and he expi red on the 20thof the same month , to the greatregret of the whol e empi re . The mourning was general . W omen andchildren , the h igh and the low,

wept for him as for a father. He was inte rrednear the templ e of To -

ye'

i - san. . Fota - sagami - no - kami , the ord inary counsello r,Ovoka-

yetchezen- no - kami , the lord of the temples , and Kanno - wakassa - no - kami,

the i nspector of the chamber of accounts , were charged with the superinten

dence of the funeral .Narisima, his favouri te physi cian , who was very ol d, and himself at thepoint ofdeath , made some verses on his master to th is effect :A s my master i s now exposed to the dew and the rain , so I i ncessantly

,

steep my sleeves with my tears . Thus heavy showers descend and moistenthe trees .

74 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN

YEE SIGE , NINTH DJOGOUN .

MINAMOTTO - NO - YEE- S IGE , eldest son of Yos i - moune , succeeded to the government by the resignation of h is father, as al ready stated, i n the second yearYen-hie

Baboun- ko, a servant of Yos i - moune , and author of the work intituledGiofiro/r, or, se cret h istory of remarkable occurrences i n the palace , during thereign ofYee - s ige , gives the following account of this princeOn the death ofO - gosio , in the fourth year Kouan- ct

'

n Yee - s ige becamesole maste r of the empi re , and governed without control . An inordinatepass ion for women and strong l iquors had already impaired his health . In h isyouth , and when stil l but he i r - apparent , he had indulged those propensi tiesto such excess , that h is father had severely reprimanded h im on the subj ectand wi th a view to dive rt h im from h is bad incl inations , he had frequently , i n theyears Gen- bonn, made him pass six or seven days together at the country - houseof Souga - no - gotin

,where he had no other amusement than hawking . After

the death of his father, be ing released from the only curb that restrained h im ,

he again plunged into the same excesses,and spent whole nights , e i ther with

women , or i n drink ing salc/t i , so that his heal th decl ined from day to day .

His speech became affected he could no longer make himself unde rstood butby signs , and he was obl iged to issue his orders through Isoumo- no - kami .He was soon obl iged to keep his apartments on account of a weakness ofthe urinary organs . A ccording to an ancient custom , the Djogoun i s obl igedto go every month to the temples of Ouyeno, Zo - sio - si , andMomisi - yama, tooffer up his prayers before the tabl ets consecrated to h is predecessors on theday of the i r decease . I t was not without d ifii cul ty that Yee - sige was able toperform this duty .

One day , on the first of the month , i n the fifth year Forehl n' returningfrom the temple of Ouyeno, in h is palanquin , he had scarcely reached theginseng warehouse , which i s close to i t, when he fel t a natural call , which he

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 75

could not defer t il l h i’s arrival at the palace , and which compelled him to orderh is people to take him back to the temple , a ci rcumstance heretofore une'xampled .

The architects were immediately “commanded to e rect three resting - places forthe prince , on each of the two roads to the templ es of Gayeneand Zo- sio - s ibut this precaut ion was useless , as the i ncreasing infirmi ties of the Djogounconfined him ever afterwards ent irely to the palace.

We have al ready seen that Yee - s ige marri ed , duringthe reign of his father,Namino- miya- sama, daughter of the Dai ri . We have , at the same time , mademention ofOko , the daughte r of Fatz isio- dono , one of the officers of the Dai ri ,whom that princess had taken into her service , and whom she carried withher to Yedo , after her marriage . Yee - sige having had the misfortune to loseh is wife , cast h is eyes on Oko,

and in the 2d year Gen- boun had byher a son , Yee - farou , who i s the re igning DjogounOko was not sparing of remonstrances to the prince on his pass ion for

W omen , protesting that she did not speak thus from j ealousy , but for hi s good ,and out of concern for his health , which his debauchery th reatened to rui nenti rely. The prince , i rri tated by these frequent repres entations , at l engthconfined Oko in the part of the palace call ed N i - no - marou

,and ordered that

no person , not even her son, should be admitted to her. No soonerwas theOld Djogoun informed of th is , than he di rected two counsel lors of state to goto h is son , and tel l h im in h is name to set Oko at l iberty , to conduct her toh im themselves , and to reconci le themwith one another. He commended theconduct of th is female , and of his son, who had not scrupled todisgust the empire by confin ing the mother of the heredi tary pri nce

, for acause which rather deserved his warmest gratitude .The i ndulgence shown on another occasion by Oko, i n favour Of one of her

rivals , did her great hOnour, and proved at the same time , that it was notj ealousy to which the advice “

and remonstrances that had drawn“ uponherthe displeasure ofYee- sigeWere to be attributed . The daughter ofMiyoura- fiosayemon

having become pregnant by the prince at the second pal ace, the counsellorsof state informed Yosi -m‘

Oune of i t, and sol’i cite d’him to send a gi rdle toher

by her nearest relat ive , accordi ng to the custom of Japan . Yos i -moune re

fused , saying, that he had indeed conferred th is favour on the attendant ofthe Dairi’s daughter, but that he could not grant i t to the daughte r of a person

L 2

76 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

of suchlow extraction . Oukon- no - siogin, one of the counsel lors of state ,having nothing to urge against th is reason , proposed , by way bfaccommodation ,that the girdle should be transmitted without ce remony

,and presented by Oko.

The latte r cheerfully compl ied , and approved th is arrangement , as consistentwi th her way of th ink ing . W hen th is fact became publ icly known

,the Whole

empi re applauded the l iberal i ty of Oko , and the name of Oukon- no - siogin,

who was then but young , acquired dese rved celebrity . Oko d id not longsurvive th is event.

The prince of Tsikousen orTsoukousi (a province on the north coast of the‘

i sland of Kiou - s iou , to the east of Nangasak i) , one of the most ill ustriousprinces by his bi rth and personal merit , but not high in rank , privately appl iedto the two chief counsel lors of state to obtain for h im the titl e of Djosio ;

which . was contrary to custom , as none of h is ancestors had been investedwith i t . Through the i r mediation , however, he obtained the

‘

honour that h edes i red . His son had married a daughte r of the prince of Satsouma,

whosemother was the eldest s iste r of the Djogoun

’

s father . She complained thather father - in- law , though one of the most i llustrious of the princes , was somuch inferior in rank , and insi sted on his being made Djosio, a wish whichthe counsell ors of state found means to grat ify . Not content with th is honour,he was desi rous , as be ing all ied to the prince ofSatsouma, to be al lowed to erectas large a door as that prince had in front of his palace , and sol icited from thecourt permission to that effect,which was refused . He then wrote as follows to h isson S ince my daughter - ih- law i s also al l ied to the Djogoun, I am desi rousof erecting a door s imilar to that ofMats and S atsouma. Those princes

,i t i s

true,married daughters of the Djogoun,

and your wife is only a daughter ofSatsouma : but have in readiness wood and other requisi te mate rials , and whenthe wife of Satsouma i s coming to pay you a vis i t, l e t a door s imilar to thatofMonts and Satsouma be erected , and no notice wi ll be taken of th ematter . His son followed this advice , and thus the prince obtained al l thathe had desi red .

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 77

Fonko - in, mothe r of the prince of Tsikou zen,was d istinguished from her

youth by great rel igious devot ion . She was profoundly ve rsed i n every thingconnected wi th rel igion ; the priests themselves consulted her with benefit

,

and found it to be to the i r advantage to follow her advice. The high priests

of the temples ofMy iokosi , S iyososi and Yenmei - in,at Yedo

,were her

kinsmen . The two latter temples were aggrandized through he r patronage.

That of Tansiyosi havmg been consumed by fi re, and there be ing no funds

for rebuild ing it , the h igh priest ofYenmei - in'

was , on his.

appl ication,removed

to it for the purpose of acce lerating i ts re- establ ishment. On hisrecommendation

,Fonko - in caused a new temple to be forthwith begun . W hen i t was

fin ished , the high - priest sol icited his coll eague of the temple ofMinobou , of

the sect of Fokesio, to present Fonko - ihwith a lresa* . The iresa i s a purplescarf, which is put on over the ordinary garments , and which none but the priestsof the sect of Fokesio, or the persons most learned in rel igious matte rs

,have

a'

right'

to wear . This honour is not enjoyed by priestesses . The Icesa wasgranted to Fonko - in. S ince her time , i t has been poss ible to obtain i t withmoney

,which has of course greatly diminished i ts value . I t was by the same

meansthat the prince ofTsi - konzen attained the rank ofDjosio.

I n the fourth year Fore/t i the rebuilding of the central part of thetemple of Onycho , at Yedo , Was commenced. Ouye - tsougi

- ooi - no - kami,prince

ofDewa , was ordered to defray the expense . A ccordingly , he caused’

a greatquantity of wood to be bought , and a work - shop erected . On every pi ece oftimber was written To rebuil d the temple of Ouyeno. W henthe workwas finished , the inspector and persons sent by the Djogoun came to examineit ,

'

and approved the manner in which i t was executed . The expense amountedto a considerable sum.

This is what the Chinese cal l Ina - aha, a denomination, whichseems to be derived from theSanscrit or Tibetian language. This decoration is pecul iar to the lamas of the superior order.

Mention is frequently made of i t among thepresents sent by the emperors of China to themonasteriesofTibet and Tartary .

78 SOVEREIGNS orJAPAN .

Ouye - tsougithen “rece ived orders to rebu ild also , at h is cost, the grand

entrance to the same temple . As th is new expense would have enti rel y ruinedhim

,he begged to be dispensed from it, but at fi rst without effect . Fortunately

he wasrelate d to the prince of Owari , who i nterested h imself i n his behalf,and who,

having sent for Fota - sagami - no - kami , ordinary counsel lor of state ,represented to him that i t was unj ust to require such heavy sacrifices from aprince possess ing so l i ttle power and property , and above all to impose on hima fresh burden , after he had j ust borne one that was so oppress ive . He therefore insisted that Ouye - tsougi should be rel ieved from the charge of rebuildingthe entrance

. Fresh arrangements were in consequence made, and the taskwas transferred to the prince ofKokera.

The grooms of the prince of Owari* had rendered themse lves formidable bythe outrages whi ch they committed publ i cly , and in open day , upon those whohappened to offend them . I n the 1 1 thmonth of the fourth year Fore/t ia man

,going alone , and w ithout attendant , met eight of these grooms in the

street at S inagawa . He happened unfortunately to j ostle one of them . Thelatte r loaded h im with abuse , which he bore with patience , at the same timebegging pardon for what had happened but they all fell upon him and beathim unmercifully . The wretched man could scarcely crawl to the guard - house

,

where he stated that he was i n the serv ice ofMisou - no -

yamassiro- no - kami ,and thathaving gone out upon u rgent business , he had fallen in w ith a troopof vil lains , who had reduced him to the state i n which he appeared ; adding ,that he coul d not walk , and desi ring to have a palanquin to carry himto h ismaster’s house , where he died soon after h is arrival .Yamassiro loved h is se rvants and his soldie rs as his ch ildren . Incensed atth is atrocity, he caused strict search to be made for the discovery of thepe rpetrators , and having ascertained that they were Owari ’s grooms , he re

paired to the palace of the prince , i nformed him of what had happened, and

On the southcoast of Nifon, to the south- east of the great lake, whichis cal led in Chinese,Phi - pha-hou.

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80 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

W hen the dependents of one prince insult those of another, the latte r wouldbe

'dishonoured i f he were not to revenge the affront . The princeofSatsou'

matt y

whose subj ects traffic i n the Luqueo (Loo Choo) i slands , and in al l the'prin

cipal commercial cit i es of the empi re , with a view to prevent quarrelswi tho ther ‘

princes, has decreed , that if one of hispeople is i nsulted by.

one of‘the

subj ects of another prince , he may“ revenge h imself by kill ing h is adversary

,

provided he takes h is own l ife immediately afte rwards . The l ives of twopersons , who , by the i r turbulent d isposi ti ons

‘are'

the cause of the i r own

destruction , se emed to h im of too l ittle importance to involve thei r maste rs i ndisputes whi ch migh t be attended with fatal consequences . Ifone of hispeople i s insulted by another, and dares not from coward ice revenge theaffront , and i f the ci rcumstance comes to th e knowledge of the captain or anyof the sai lors , the coward i s conducted to the fore - part of the ship , and withouta shadow of trial , his head is struck off, and with the body thrown overboard .

Owi ng to th is summary mode of proceeding , the peopl e of the lowe r classtreat“ one anothe r with the greatest pol iteness , and are careful to avo id as muchas possible whateve r i s l ikely to generate quarrel s .

Matsdaira- oukon- no - siogin, who is at present ord inary counsellor of state,

i s i ndebted for that post to the ol d Djogoun, who discovered his meri t notwithstanding h is youth . On h is fi rst appointment , every one exclaimed against thedanger of conferri ng such important functions on a pe rson of his years . Hedid not fail , however, to j ust ify the confidence ofthe Djogoun, and soon showedthat he was capable of conduct ing the affairs ofthe government . He possessedactivity equal to his abil it i es . His extreme indulgence to h is i nferiors wonthe i r affection , and gained h im unive rsally the character ofan excellent master .The ol d Djogoun,

before he died , whispered in h is ear so as not to be ove rheard by any other person , that he was to direct alone all the affairs of thestate .

O - okai soumo- no - kami , one ofthe body - guard of the young Djogoun, Yee - sige ,

The westernprov ince of the island ofKiou- siou, to the southofNangasaki .

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN. 8 1

'rose from day to day h igher in his favour. The counsellors ofstate both ordinaryand extraordinary , appl i ed to h im to submit the i r peti tions to the Djogoun,

andthe placemen from highest to lowest paid court to h im . Whoever was 'desirousofobtain ing an employment, or be ing removed to a bette r, had recourse to h im ,

and offered h im presents . Oukon- no - siogin was the only one who was abovecal l ing upon him ; nay , he did not - even send him the tai l of a fish* . He isbut one of the body - guard , said he , while we are officers of distinction : l e tothers do as they thi nk prope r ; I , for my

'

own part, am resol ved not 'to degrademyself.

'

Thus there was always some“

coldness between them ; Oukon- no

S logln gave himself no concern on that account , but conti nued to perform theduties ofhis post w ith zeal and intell igence .The inferior offi cers of the Djogoun are fed at the palace . They assemblemorn i ng and evening to take the i r meals in a hall appropriated to the purpose .

Thei r food consists ofa soup made of beans , called miso, a paste prepared withsoy a, r i ce , ari d cucumbers prese rved i n salt/t i . The s uperintendent of thekitchen

,a greedy and selfish man

,took advantage of h is offi ce to enrich himself;

sell i ng the ' articles w ith whi ch the palace was suppl ied by the Djogoun’

s

people, and buy ing others of the worst qual ity at a low price i n thei r stead .

The fare thus grew worse and worse , and the unfortunate servants, be ing onlyof the lower class , durst not complain . A t l ength , these tri cks came to theears of Oukon- no - srogm : he fel t indignant that an office r of the palace shouldhave the meanness to speculate i n the food of poor peopl e , who had but smallsalaries

,and were obl iged to work night and day . He reflected at the same

time,that if the affai r were to be publ i cly investigated , there would probably

be found many peculators who would lose the i r places, and therefore devised amilder expedient . At the hour of dinner, he went unexpectedly into thek itchen , and desi red to taste the different d ishes : the attendants brought h imsome of good qual i ty ; he said noth ing , and went away . Next day he againtook them unawares , and went without stopping into the d inner - hall , to tastethe dishes , which he found extremely bad : the cooks turned pale , and gavethemselves up for lost ; but he said not a word , and reti red. From that day

This expression al ludesto the practice of the Japanese of sending fishamong the presents which

they are accustomed to make on different occasions. See the Ceremonies attending Marriages inthe second part.

82 SOVEREIGNS OF JA PAN .

the cooks, apprehens ive of fresh v is its , were afraid to cont inue the ir manoeuvresthe fare ag ain became as good as i t had formerly been , and the poor domesti csfelt the warmest gratitude and affect ion for Oukon- no - siogin.

W hen Ogosio, orYosi - moune , the old Djogoun, had ceded the governmentto h is son,

he went to res ide i n the second palace . His household , d ividedinto three classes , amounted to ninety persons , each of whom was allowed two

gantings and a half of rice per day , or seventy bales a year. After h is death,

these people were discharged by Fota - sagami - no - kami , and all of them expressedthe i r d iscontent at such harsh treatment . To prevent a tumul t, he gave tothose who had been in the se rvi ce twenty years fifty kobans and th irtyto such as had served ten years , that , as he said, they might be enabled tosupport the i r wives and famil ies . The Djogoun had given them a place to l ivein ; Fota - sagam i turned them out , and each was obl iged to h ire a small apartment . Deeply grieved at such a procedure , they consulted togethe r what wasto be done

,and drew up a petition which they presented to the high - pri est of

the templ e of Ouyeno,sol i cit ing to be employed by the reigning Djogoun, as

they had been by his father . On del ivering i t, these unfortunate people wered issolved i n tears . The high - priest promised to lay i t before the counsellorsof state , and to speak to them in the ir behalf which he did , but without effect ;Among these poor creatures was a man named Nakasrma- s imbi , who went everyday for th re e years to entreat the pri est to procure hi s re- appointment ; but h isefforts proved unsuccessful , owing to the mal ice of the above - mentioned counsel lor of state . Such conduct i s without a parall el to treat innocent people inth is manner is the height of i njustice .

Fota - sagami - no - kami, whilst yet only keeper of the palace of Osaka, was

much esteemed and i n great reputation for his extensive knowledge , i n‘ which

parti cular he surpassed even that celebrated scholar, O - ka-

yetchezen~no - kami ,who was surnamed the old lord of the temples ; but h is cruelty to so many ol d

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84. SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN.

l ong time to no purpose . A t length a deale r i n wood a very aged man,

recollected that it must be under ground i n a ce rtai n place in the garden whi chhe po inted out . On that spot was actual ly found ,

l

at a considerabl e depth,a

stone which proved to be the Tora - no - iz i . The woodman was ordered to puti t i nto h is cart and carry i t to the templ e ; but he refused , all eging that he wasapprehensi ve of some bad consequences , and besides , i t was not h is bus iness ,but that of a stone - cutte r : Minesima - tok iyemon, the mason , was accordinglysent for.

The preceding night th is man had dreamt that a very beautiful woman hadstepped upto him and whispered in his ear : To - morrow some thing belongingto my body wil l be committed to thy charge ; handle i t , I pray thee , withgreat care .

Next day , when he was sent for to the house of Yetchou - no - kami , and hadrece ived orders to remove the stone , he recollected h is dream , and executedthe comm i ss i on W i th great caution . He had no doubt that the female who hadappeared to h im was Tora herself.After the removal of the stone to the temple , there was an end of the pro

d igies at Yetchou - no - kami ’s . W hen el even years old he was placed about theperson of the he ir - apparent, afte rwards Djogoun, to hear him company . I twas he who gave Giobou - tcho , uncl e to the Djogoun, and grandfather of thepresent he i r - apparent , the bold answer which i s re corded i n the Ken- da

'

i - gen-

pi

mic, and has been introduced in a preced ing page .

A t the entrance of the palace is to be seen a sabre with a long h ilt enrichedwith mother - of- pearl : i t belonged to Dayou - in- sama , the th i rd Djogoun. Oneday when th i s pr i nce was hunting, _a wild boar of enormous s ize , which hadjust been wounded , rushed furiously

fi

upon several of the hunte rs . The

Djogoun armed with this sabre boldly went to meet the animal , and cleft himin two with a smgl e b low. Ever afte rwards he caused this sabre tobe home

before h is norz’

mon, whenever he went ab road . This practi ce was discontinuedat the death of the Djogoun.

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 85

When O - ka-

yetchezen- no - kami was appointed governor of Yedo,he sought

out all such persons as excelled in '

any art or science , but principally in arithmetic. He designed one of the latte r for the Djogoun, to .be employed in thechamber of accounts. His choice fel l upon Noda - bounso. Yetchezen sent forhim , and told him that having been info rmed that h e was one of the ablestarithmeticians of Yedo , he wished to propose a question to h im . Bounso

expected some intricate calculation , when the governor asked the quotient ofonehundred divided by two . The former, sensib l e that to return an immediateanswer to so simple a question would be to throw a sort of refle ction on i tsabsurdity , asked i n consequence for his tablets , made the cal culation , andrepl i ed Yetchezen- no - kami commended him and said Had youanswered at

'once I should have formed a bad idea of your pol i teness . At

present I see that you act i n every point w ith discretion : the Djogoun wantssuch a man as you . He appointed h im first arithmet ician ; i n the sequelBounso became inspector of the chamber of accounts , and he continues annuallyto obtain promotion .

Fota- sagami - no - kami , at present fi rst counsel lor of state , has i n h is d istri ct themountain ofMasakado - yama or S iomon- san, which was invested in the firstyear Ten- kc by Fai ra - no - madja - kado , a descendant ofK ivan- mou - ten - o .

During the re ign of the thi rd Djogoun, Dayou - in- sama , the fi rst counsellor ofstate

, Fota- kosouk i - no - ski , obtained a revenue of one hundred and e ightythousand katj sterl ing) , and the rank of Tchou - sr- no - djosio : he wasthe favourite of the Djogoun.

The ch iefbail iffof the village of Sagoura- ma - tche , named Odomo - sogo

,had

about this t ime a quarrel with a se rvant of Kosouk i - no - ski . The latte r was soi ncensed at i t that he caused Sogo to be se ized , and himself and al l h is familyto be fastened to crosses on the summit of the mounta in ofMasa - kado - yama,and pierced with pikes . Bontobosi , h is uncle , a priest of the templ e , wasbeheaded . On reaching the place of execution , he was at fi rst quite outrageous ,but afte rwards becoming more calm and resigned to his fate , he said : Th isprince is a barbarian , to treat me thus , who am a priest and have had no handwhatever i n the actions ofmy nephew . Neve r was there an instance of such

86 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

injustice . But l e t him beware in three years , or i f the te rmbe shorter, i n onehundred days

,he and his will be punished .

Kosouk i - no - sk i set out soon afterwards from Yedo for h is d istrict , without

giving notice of h is departure agreeably to the order wh ich he had rece ived .

The Djogoun was incensed , confiscated h is country and his mansion , and gavethe d irection of i t to the prince of Awa. Afte r the decease of the Djogoun,

Kosouk i died in the province of Awa. I t is related that when he left Yedowithout notice , the soul of Sogo , beaming with joy , l e d hi s horse by thebridle .

Fota - sagami - no - kami , a descendant of Kosouk i , afte r many years obta ined ,through the favour of the Djogoun, a grant of the same country , but with ad imin ished revenue of e ighty thousand ko/ff He made the ol d

mansion his res idence , and built the t emple of Sogo - no - miya , to appease thesoul ofSogo , and afterwards the templ e ofFodjou - in.

Though the Djogoun, Yeye - s ige , had been honoured at his b i rth wi th thename ofTake - teheyo, a name which Gongin had borne in h is youth , the sequelshewed that the fears of Yosi - moune were wel l founded . Afte r he hadenti rely exhausted himselfby the excess ive i ndulgence ofh is pass ion forwomenand strong l iquors , he became almost an id iot . As i t was a crime to cal l himso

,the people appl i ed to h im the term ampontan, whi ch is the name ofan herb

that is sai d to take away the senses for some time . Yeye - s ige had two sons ,Yee - farou , who succeeded h im , and Kounai - kio - sige

~

yosi , who is still l ivingand who i s said to have for his wife the most beautiful and amiable

woman in the whol e empire .

In thei r infancy , Yeye - sige ordered Sono - tsousima,prince ofTsousima to send

to China for some of the carp that are caught below the cascade of R oumon

no - tak i . I t is asse rted that if these carp are burned , the ashes mixed withwater, and children washed with i t, the small - pox , when they have i t, i sextremely favourable , not attended with any dange r, and leaves no marks .

W hen the carp had arrived from Ch ina , Yeye - s ige ordered them to be preparedin the manner just mentioned

,and the bod ies of his two sons to be washed

eve ry season in the water i n wh ich the ashes were m ixed .

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88 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

priest of the temple ofMiwa, and his son Fakami ~ sinanou , accompani ed h im ,

and fixed the i r res idence in the stree t ofR egansima.

Many other persons entered i nto a written engagemen t , s igned with the i rblood

,to j o in in th is ente rp ri se . Among the principal ofthese were , Oda- mino

no - kami,prince of Koots- k i , possessing a revenue of two man/rolrf,

h is son Fairoz itche h is cousin , Oda - tchousima- no - kami , one of the lowest classofprinces , whose revenue was only two thousand seven hundred li Olt’f (£S ik ihou , son ofTchousima- no - kami , and seve ral others ofinferior rank .

Mak ita -

gisai'

mon, secre tary to Mino - no - kami , endeavoured to d issuade hismaste r, representing to him that Oda- no - nobou - naga

, one of his ancestors,had

been a great fri end of Gongin’

s, who had conferred lands and wealth on h isrelati ves , afte r they had been stripped of the i r possess ions by Tai ko that forth is reason i t would be an unworthy action in h im to draw the bow against thedescendants ofthat great Djogoun that Youino- djosits , a man ofgreat ab il it ies ,was nevertheless unable to make himself maste r of the castl e of Yedo ; thatMirabasi - tchouya, notwithstanding his courage had been taken without fighting ;that Bountehou , Tchouan, Oyonou , and Toan , though men of talent , were notto be compared with Djosits and Tchouya ; that the project was too dangerous ,and if i t proved unsuccessful , would cost h im h is possess ions and his l ife .

Mino - no - kami , i ncensed at these representations , called him a cowardly ignorant fellow,

compared h im to the frogs i n a we ll which have no i dea of theimmensity of the ocean , and forbade h im ever to appear again in his presence .

The secretary wept bitterly , complain ing that h is master would not fol low goodadvice

,abstained from eating and d rink ing , and died in twenty - one days.

The conspi rators resolved to commence operations by setting fire to Yedo bymeans of fire- works , which they orderedMiyasawa - sunso andMomonoi - kiouma

to prepare : but S im ison- rison assured them , that those men were not sk ilfulenough to make such fire- works as they would require for the execution of the i rdesign . He added , that for th is purpose it would be necessary to bring to YedoAsakousa- rouwan, a servant of the prince ofAmagasaki and several of his compan ions . Dai ni agreed to this proposal ; and Oumon i nsisted that they oughtfirst to procure a large stock of rice .I n this s tage of the bus iness , Imamoura- gensi

, Nai to -

gensiro, S igeyama

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 89

rogouea and Tatek i - krobe, ente red i nto the conspi racy . The first three werese rvants to Abe- i yo

- no- kami,counsellor of state they offered gold , s ilve r , and

whatever elsewas wanting, and thereby gained the confidence of the ringleaders , who acquainted them W i th the i r whole plan . These men also signedthe engagement with the i r blood

,declaring, that if they were trusted , they

would do thei r utmost to seduce al l the i r compan ions . They were bel i eved ,and all the parti culars of the plot were

,

commun icated to them .

Oumou ,having sent forYawataya

- densai’

mon, the rice - merchant , requestedhim to lend him a large sum of money for an affair of importance . The other,wish ing to know the purpose to whi ch he al luded , Oumon repl ied , that hewanted i t to buy ri ce ; that , as the season was unfavourabl e , the crop thatyear would be small , and the pri ce would be very h igh . Buy up all youcan , ” added he , and store i t away in your warehouses ; the pri ce will

'

riseevery day , and this will bea profitable speculation for you and me .

”

Agreeably to this advice

, Yawataya’ bought up al l the ri ce he could meet with i n

Yedo , and brought it in vessels to S inigawa, to the amount of four hundredthousand bales .Okamoto - toan , who l ived at Miyako was i n mourning for - his w ife , andconfined himself to his house without gomg abroad , when he rece ived Tchouan’

s

letter . He opened i t : i t contained , as usual , nothing but an i nvitation tocome to Yedo , to confer on matters respecting which i t did not enter i nto anyparti culars , with an offer of three lrobans for the expenses of the j ourney. Thisi nvi tat ion puzz led him he resolved

,however

,to set out the next day with the

messenger, and to l eave his house in the care ofhis'

faithful servant, Zatcho .

Before his departure , he went to take leave of his friend , Tokda’

isi -no - dai'

nagon,

and to inform him of his journey to Yedo . The latter took pen and paper ,and composed some verses, which he gave to Toan , requesting him to del iverthem to Tebonan on his arrival at Yedo .

Toan travelled day and n ight,and was soon at Yedo . He proceeded di rectly

to the house ofDaini , who l ived in the street, Nagasawa - tcho , and with whomTchouan lodged . W hile the se rvant was announcing his name , there camethi ther one Takatsouk i—no - zezo, who had been appointed to form connexionsat Osaka , and who brought i ntell igence that every th ing was going on as wel las could be wished . Toan

'

was warmly welcomed by Dai n i and Tchouan, and

N

90 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

conducted into an inner apartment : he began by acquainti ng them with thedeath of h is wife , and afte r rece iving the ir compliments of condolence , he tookfromhis pocke t - book the paper given to h im by Tokdaisr- no - da

’

inagon. anddel ivered i t to Tchouan,

who , on opening i t , found these ve rses :

W a sa rou gou sa

W a sourou rou ta ne no

A ri mo tsou re

V Va re wa wa sou re nou

Mon ka si nari keri .

These l ines have a doubl e s ign ification , which const itutes the beauty of

poetry in Japan . A ccord ing to one they meanThe plant gousa, which is at present forgotten , bears abundance of fru i t

I well remember how highly i t was este emed in fo rmer times .Taken the othe r way , which conveys the real meaning of the write r. theysignify :Though at the present day peopl e yet wear arms , they have forgotten how

to fight : I stil l recoll e ct how we formerl y used them .

Tchouan, on reading these l ines , wept for j oy , and declared that i f theenterprise should succeed , Tokda

'

isi should be placed upon the throne . Tebonanand Dai n i informed Toan , that they had sent for him to Yedo , to request h imto beg Tokdaisi to obtain for them from the Dai ri a written order to exciterevol t at Yedo

,w i th a view to give a degree of l egitimacy to the i r undertaking

,

and to secure themfrom be ing treated as outlaws and rebels . Toan promisedto speak to him in pr ivate on the subj ect , afte r h is return to Miyako , and toinform them immediately of the resul t of th is i ntervi ew, after which they mightcome themselves and concert farther proceed ings with him .

The garden ofMino - no - kami at Yedo,i n the place A kasaka - tame - i ke

,near

a large pond , was that evening the place of rende zvous . More than onehundred of the conspirators met there to del ibe rate on the i r proj ect . I twas on th is occasion that Toan first became acquainted with Mino - no - kami .Tchouan re lated to the prince , that Toan was charged with the direction of

the conspiracy atMiyako , and that Tokdaisi , would , i n al l probabil i ty , jointhe i r ranks . In support of this opin ion , he took the verses from his pocket

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92 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

the i r confidence and that of the i r ove rsee r , he told them ,that he had j ust

rece ived i nformation , i n a l ette r‘ from his maste r , that a gold mine had been

d iscovered in the mountain of Nikosan, near the tomb of Gongin ; that theDjogoun had granted him permiss ion to work i t, but he was in want of ski lfulminers , and was therefo re di re cted to take ten _ or twelve of them along withh im to Yedo . The ove rseer obse rved , that th is could not be done wi thoutdiffi culty , but if he would gi ve the men double pay , they would run away i nthe n ight. To th is he agreed , and engaged ten miners and two carpente rs ,who secretl y carried the necessary impl ements to the houses of the i r fri ends ,whence they fetched them at n ight , and fled wi th Yask i to Yedo . I t was avery dark

,tempestuous , and rainy n ight , when they reached the house of

Dai ni , who received them in a fri endly manner, gave them something to 'eatand drink , and conducted them to Oda- mino - no - kami . Genba and Tanomo,

his se cretaries,assigned to them , for the i r habitation , an empty house , sur

rounded with a bamboo fence , to prevent them from leaving i t . You arebrought h ither , said Genba , at the instance of Oda - mino - no - kami

, who hasgood intentions : what he requires of you i s to make a secre t way underground by which he may escape i n case of need . They undertook the j ob

,

and declared the i r will ingness to set about i t immediately.He shewed them

the place , on which they fel l to work , and had soon advanced to the d istanceof three stre ets , whence they continued thei r operations to the inte rio r of

the place , close to the apartments of the hereditary prince,supporting the

passage on e ither s ide with shores and rafters .A t the commencement of the conspiracy , Dam i had consul ted two able

mil i tary offi cers, Sato -

gende'

iyou andMomono- i - kiouma, respecting the meansof gaining possession of Yedo . The former was always in want of money

,

and incessantly apply ing for more . Dai n i was at l ength curious to know howhe spent i t ; and finding that he appl ied i t to h is personal expenses

,he

refused any farther supply , and thought no more about h im . Gendeiyou ,

exasperated at this treatment , complained of i t to K iouma andMiyasawasumso , representing that the enterprise could not possibly succeed , and that i twould be better to disclose the plot to the first ministe r of state : they agreedto do so,

i n hopes of be ing rewarded by the Djogoun, and violated the ir oath .

Krouma and S unso, accordingly , went to the house ofMatsdaira- oukon- no

SOVEREIGNS or JAPAN . 93’

siogin'

; the first Counsellor of state . He was at the palace : they , thereforewrote a l ette r

,wh ich they sealed

,and waited at the gate of entrance , where ‘

they were j oined by Gendeiyo. When the counsel lor of state arrived , theygave the l etter to one Of his attendants , who ’del ivered i t to h is maste r i n h isnorimon. Oukou -no - siogin, afte r reading i t, desi red them to walk in , and toldthem

,that as i t related to a matte r of such importance , and which' demanded

a minute i nvestigation,i t was h is duty to secure the i r persons . He immed iately

ordered them to be put in i rons , and closely watched in an apartment , as thoughi t were a prison .

A fte r mature cons iderat ion , he sent the next day forAbe- iyo - no - kami , showedhim “ the lette r

, and told him that he had detained the three i nformers . Herepresented to h im ,

that '

if the examination were to take place i n publ i c , theconspirators

,apprized of the discove ry of the i r des ign , might accelerate its

execution , and that it would be bette r to keep the matter as private as'

poss i blet il l al l the accompl i ces should be apprehended . Iyo - no - kamr repl ied , that hehad long been acquainted with the whole affair ; that three of his people hadgained admittance among the conspi rators , and informed him of all the i rproceed ings , and that he co incided wi th him in regard to the proprie ty of

secrecy , t il l they should have secured Dain i and Oumou . To accompl ish th isobj e ct , he ordered h is three servants to ent i ce Oumon i nto the street of

' thecourtezans , at Yosiwara, and there to secure h is pe rson in the manner wh ichhe minutely described , recommending to them to be ‘ careful not to hurt him .

Dai'ni and Oumou knew not that the i r plot was discovered . The formerrepaired with Tebonan , Tchekawa—zezo, and Tatek i - krobe,

to S inigawa,to

divide ' the i r accompl ices between the houses of Foncho and Fakon i , whil eOumou and Itsouki remained at home to superintend matte rs in Daini

’

s

absence . Gensi and - R ogouea found Oumon, who had caught a cold , i n bed .

They advised him to rise and take a walk with them to amuse himself. Itsouki

urged h im to the same effect , assuring him that he should not mind be ing leftalon e to take care of the house . Oumou at length consented

,and dressed

himself, on which all three went to the house of pleasure at K ik ioya. Thelandlord provided a good dinner, and meanwhil e sent for Kasousa, Yosino ,

and S egawa, three female favourites of R ogouea, Oumon,and Gensi

, wi thwhom they drank copiously, and then proceeded to the house 'where those

94 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

gi rls l ive‘d . K ifadje, the ch ief domesti c , offered Oumou a large plate full ofal l sorts of d el icaci es , and several young females came to hear them company ,playing on the samsz

’

, and dancing . W hile they were amusing themselves ,R ogouea, having gone into another apartment , wrapped himself enti rely , withthe exception of his head , i n a counte rpane of red gi lam,

and returned i n thisstate to the company , say ing, that i t was the devi l ’s dress , that he would runafte r them , and whoever he should first touch , should be obl iged to take hisplace . The game began , and each strove to avoid him , but at l ength hetouched Oumon’

s mistress . Accord ing to the condit ions of. the game she

should have taken R ogouea’

s place , but she begged to be excused : R ogoueaaffected to ins ist on her complian ce , t i l l Oumou offered himself in her stead.

A s th is was just what R ogouea wanted , he made no obj ection . Oumou wastherefore wrapped in the counterpane , whi ch was strongly bound on withcords : then , on a s ignal whi ch R ogouea gave by whistl ing on a flageolet,several pe rsons ente red and se i zed Oumon. The latter was exasperated tothe highest degree against R ogouea and Genso, and protested , that if he

'

could have forese en the ir treachery , he would certai nly have kil led them .

They then put h im into a nagemout, or box , which was t ied with a thick rope ,and in thi s manne r he was conveyed to the house of Iyo - no - kami , whoimmediately dispatched emissaries to secure Daini also . The ch ief offi cer,Tsoutsoumi - sadeimon, marched before , followed by Soumoto-

goroski , and afte rh im A raki - tchosits, each accompan ied by sixty persons : they entered the house ,but found there Itsouk i only , who told them that Dam i and Tchouan were atSouraga, and that Oumou had gone out for a walk , and was not yet returned .

They secured Itsouki , searched the whole house , locked i t up , put seals uponthe door

,and left i t under the care of the officer of the ward .

S imison - rison , the phys ician , see ing so many people go into the house , conceived that the plot was discovered , and hastily open ing Daini

’

s writing - desk,

took out of i t a paper, supposing i t to be the engagement s igned by the conspirators, and escaped by the back door.W i thout stopping to examine the pape r, R ison ran to the house of Iyo

- nokami , and des i red to speak with the counsellor of state . Be ing admitted to hispresence , he declared that Daini and Oumon had formed a plot for the destruct ion ofYedo that he had unfortunately been prevai led upon to j oin them , but

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96 SOVEREIGNS - OF JAPAN.

ports for h is accompl ices,but without effect. At l ength in the following year,

the counsellors of state resolved to bring the affai r to an i ssue .On the 21 st of the 8thmonth of the 4th year Tenwa Abe- i yo -

‘no - kamiread the sentence in presence of Tsoutsou - iyamatto - no - kami and Nai to - s ikara.Oumou and Dai n i were beheaded ; the othe r accused persons were ban ished ,removed“

from the i r posts , or reduced to inferior stations , according to the partwh ich they appeared to have taken in the conspi racy . A l ist of these con

demnations i s given belowSome write rs al low , that so .mi l d a sentence reflects great honour on thehuman i ty of Abe - i yo - no - kami ; others ascribe i t to the fear excited by the rela

Fousi - oumon was decapi tated, andhishead set up at S inagawa.

Yamagata- daini , beheaded.

Takeno- tebonan, banished to an island.

Miyasawa - sunso,Momono- i - kiouma, Sato-

gendeiyou and S imison- risou , exhib ited in public threesuccessive days withtheirhands tied behind them, and then banished to an island.

Yamagata- itsouki , banished.

Oda- mino- kami , was forbidden to go beyond his own garden, and al l his property was confiscated.

Oda -

yawo- zitchehad a revenue of two mankokf assigned him elsewhere. He was looked upon as

innocent, and ashav ing been l ed_astray by his father. Hehad one mankokf in the prov ince ofOzon,and the other in the province ofDewa, where the land is ofbad qual ity .

Oda- tel‘

susima- no- kami was deprived ofhis place.

Oda- sikibou was removed to another post.Baiso, high-

priest of Sofokousi , was banished.

Yosida-

genba, after a long confinement in prison, was ordered to riphimselfup. Hishouse andeffectswere confiscated .

Tsouda- tanomo, Seki - no- sadayemon,Matsbara- todayou, Tsouda- djozo, and Matson-

gensiro, were

bani shed grievously , that is to say , fromthe dominions of theDjogoun.

Itchekawa- zezo, Tatehi - krobe, Sawata-houhsi , and Asakoura- rouwan, banished .

Yosimi - tchoyemon and Foukousima - denso, servants, the one to Misino - iki - no- kami , the other tothe prince ofYosida, punished by theirmasters.

The three servants ofAbe- iyo- no- kami , having entered into the conspiracy from no other motive

than to discover i t , could not be considered as guilty .

Yosida- fatziso and Teramisaka-

yoyemon were not found guilty .

Makita-

gisaimon, secretary to Oda- mino- no- kami , was muchregretted. Hadhe l ived he woul d

have been rewarded forhis good advice, and taken into the service of the Djogoun.

Takami - kasousa and Takami - sinanou were pronounced innocent, and had permission to return

home.

Takafasi - bountchou and Yawataya- densaimon were formd innocent and set at liberty .

Yasoube, servant toYamagata- daini ;Magotsi - che, servant to Itsouki ; Tominaga - dozi , disciple to

Dami , andYaski , servant to Dozi , were judged innocent, andhad permission to return to theirhomes.

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 97

tives of the conspirators, and assert, that Okamata- toan was acqui tted from deference to the Dai ri and apprehension of h is resentment .Yawataya

- densaimon,the r ice merchant, a just and pious man , was the son

of a poor labourer. Afte r h is fathe r’s death , his mothe r kept h im with herfor two years , but poverty at length obl iged he r to put h im to service , andto reti re s ecretly from Yedo to ente r herself into the se rvi ce of a pri es t nearKokera. Densai

'

mon, deeply affl icted at the fl ight ofhis mothe r, often wenti nto the temples to pray to the gods that he might find her again Oumouhad ass isted him in his search , and at length d iscovered her. Densaimon was

so grateful for th is k i ndness , that afte r the punishment of the conspi rators , herequested permi ssmn to inte r Oumon

’

s body in the temple ofhis sect, and toe rect a stone over h is grave , which was granted . He was suffered to keep ther i ce whi ch he had purchased , but received orders to sell i t as speedi ly as poss ible

,and derived great profit from the speculation .

In the beginning of the month of S eptember, 1 783, I re ceived from Yedothe fol lowing part iculars of the dreadful ravages occas ioned by the eruption ofthe vol cano

, Asama-

ga- daki , i n the distri cts ofDjozou and Z inzou .

On the 28thof the 6thmonth of the third year Ten-mio (July 27, ate ight o ’clock in the morning , there arose in the province of S inano a verystrong east wind

,accompanied with a dull no ise l ike that of an earthquake

,

wh ich increased dail y , and foreboded the most d isastrous consequences .On the 4thof the seventh month (August there was a tremendous noiseand a shock of an earthquake ; the wal ls of the houses cracked and seemedready to tumble ; each success i ve shock was more violent , t il l th e flames burstforth , with a terrific uproar from the summit of the mountain , followed bya tremendous e ruption of sand and stones : though i t was broad day, everyth ing was enveloped in profound darkness

,through which the flames alone

threw at times a lurid l ight . Till the 4thof August the mountain never ceasedto cast up sand and stones .

An ex tensive central province of the island ofNifon, to the north- west ofKai and ofMousasi , inwhichYedo is situated.

98 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

The large village ofSakamoto and several others s ituated at the foot of thevolcano were soon reduced to ashes by the ign i ted matter wh ich i t proj ected

,

and by the flames whi ch burst from the earth . The inhabi tants fled ; but thechasms every where formed by the open ing of the ground prevented the i rescape

,and in a moment a great number of persons were swal lowed up or con

sumed by the flames ; viol ent shocks cont inued to be fel t t il l the 8th of theseventh month , and were perceptible to the d istance of twenty or thi rtyl eagues : enormous stones and clouds of sand were carried by the w ind towardthe east and north .

The water of the r ivers Yoko - gawa and Karousawa bo il ed the course of theYone - gawa

, one of the largest rivers of Japan , was obstructed , and the boi l ingwater inundated the adjacent country , doing i ncred ibl e m isch ief. The bears ,hyaenas , and othe r beasts of prey , fled from the mountains , and flocked to thene ighbouring villages

,where they devoured the inhab i tants , or mangled them

in a horribl e manner . The number ofdead bod ies float ing upon the rive rs wasincal culable .About the middle of the same month a more ci rcumstantial account of

th is phenomenon was transmitted to me from Yedo . I t is in substance as

fol lowsFrom the 4th ofthe seventh month (August there was heard , n ight andday

,a rumbl ing l ike that of ve ry loud thunder, which gradual ly increased in

viol ence. On the 5th, a shower of sand and ashes fel l on all s ides ; and on

the 6th, the volcano proj e cted at Ouye - wake an immense quantity of stones ,some of which were so l arge that two persons were not able to carry them .

Twenty - seven v il lages were swallowed up , and four only escaped, namely ,Matsyeda,

Yasouye, Takasakie, and Fons ie - oka. A t the last of these placesthere fell a shower of red - hot stones, each we ighing four or five ounces . At

two o’clock the same day , the mountain of Asama cast forth a torrent offlamesand balls of fire ; the earth shook in a frightful manner ; the whole country wasenveloped i n darkness , and , though mid - day , i t was not to be d istinguishedfrom the darkest n ight . The thunde r was so tremendous , that the inhabitantswere paralyzed with terror to such a degree as to appear inanimate . Aboutten o’clock there fel l small stones mixed w ith sand and ashes at Fons ie - oka ,the ground was covered w ith them to the depth of e ight or n ine inches ; at

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1 00 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

The v i llages ofTsoutchewara- moura, Yokokabe- moura, Koto - moura, Kawatomoura, Fa - moura , Kawafarayou - moura, and Farada - moura, were l ikewiseswept away .

Fifty - seven houses of the vil lage ofMis ima - moura were swallowed up, andsixteen persons carried away by the torrent , which every where left a sediment of sand of the depth of ten feet.A t Gounba- kori

, Kawasima and Fara- moura, out of one hundred and fiftythree houses , six only were left ; the others were carried away.

The whol e vil lage ofObas i - moura disappeared .

The vil lage ofOno - moura and the guard - house ofMokou , were swept awayby a torrent of boil ing mud .

The village ofYemaye- moura was completely buried by sand .

Many other villages , besides those here named , e ither partly d isappeared wi ththe i r inhab itants , or were swept away . I t was impossibl e to dete rmine thenumber of the dead , and the devastation was incalculable .

The annexed engraving wil l convey some idea of th is tremendous catastrophe.

1 . Themountain ofAsama-

yama.

2 . Kousats-

yama, the origin of the fire.

3 . A post, whichmarks the boundaries of the provinces of Sinano and Kotsouk i .

4 . A vi ll age, at the foot of themountain, but ten miles distant from its summit .

5 . The vill age ofOrprake, where there arehot springs.

6 . A mounta in twenty miles fromKousats-

yama.

On the 24thof the th ird month of the fourth year Ten-mio (May 1 3thTonoma-

yamassiro- no - kami , counsellor of state,returning home from the coun

cil with h is father, Tonoma- tonomo- no - kami , counse l lor i n ordi nary , and his

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1 02 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

to escape . Meanwh i leMatsdaira- fida- no - kami , chief inspector of the palace , aman upwards of s ixty years old, se ized him from beh ind , and clasp ing h im inhis arms, asked him his motive for committing su ch a crime . S insayemon

quietly offered h im h is sabre , express ing the satisfaction he fel t at havingexecuted h is des ign : he was then secured, and committed to the custody ofthe prince of Farima who possesses a revenue of fifty - one thousand ande ighty - nine Ira/ff. O - ota- bi cugo - no - kami turn ing back

,ordered Yamassiro to be

l ifted into his norimon, and accompanied him to h is house . S ome asse rt thathe had expired before he reached i t, and others maintain the contraryAs i t is forb idden , upon pain of death , to draw a sabre i n the palace , and

th is crime is not only pun ished by the death of the transgressor, but frequentlyi nvolves h is whole family i n h is fate

,a report was c irculated that Sanno - sin

sayemon was insane . On the second of the fourth month (May 20th), i t wass ignified to h im , that Yamassiro had died of his wounds , and that he h imselfwas sentenced to rip himsel f up . His eyes sparkled w ith j oy on hearing of thedeath of his enemy , and , afte r taking leave ofhis friends , he courageouslyexecuted his sentence . His w ife , a lady of exquis i te beauty , and only twentytwo years of age , when informed of his death , commended his conduct, andplunged a dagger i nto her bosom with a courage equal to that of her husband .

The body of Yamassiro was privately interred in the night. The hatred andind ignation of the peopl e we re so violent, that they threw stones from all s idesat the coflin, and those who accompan ied i t . Sanno , on the contrary , hecame an obj ect ofpubl i c veneration . He was cons ide red as a victim , who haddevoted h imself for his country .

His grave , on wh ich a stone has beenerected as a mark ofhonour, is vis ited by all personsof distinction , and by themil itary , who repai r th ithe r to offer up prayers and thanksgiv ing for the servicewhich he rendered to the state .Sanno not only participated in the general hatred of Yamassiro, but wasalso i nstigated to the act by motives ofprivate revenge . The Djogoun hadordered Tonomo- no - kami to build a mans ion at Sagara, i n the province of

Sagami f. Near th is place is the village of Sanno , which be longed to S insaye

A small province, situated on the southcoast of N ifon, Opposi te to the island of S ikokf.

T A small province, situated on the southcoast of N ifon, to the northofCape Ison.

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN. 1 03

mon,and the proximity of which obstructed the execution of the order which

Tonomo had rece ived . He proposed to Sanno to exchange i t for another ; buthe

,to whose ancestors th is vil lage had been granted by Gongin,

as a rewardfor the i r se rv ices , who not only derived from i t a considerable revenue , buteven bore i ts name , thought that i t would be a d isgrace to h im to dispose of i t,and rej e cted the proposal for an exchange . Tonomo dissembl ed h is resentment

,but so contrived matters , that, about a year afterwards , the Djogoun,

athis instigat ion

,expressed to Sanno a wish to possess h is v il lage . I t was

impossibl e to refuse the sovere ign . Sanno , to h is great regret, was obl iged tocomply , and another v illage was granted to h im in exchange . As the Djogounafte rwards gave the village to Tonomo, Sanno inferred from what quarter theblow proceeded , and conce ived , in consequence , the most violent an imosi tyThis was not al l ; some days afterwards , the Djogoun having gone out totake the d ive rs ion of hawking , attended by Yamassiro and S insayemon,

thelatter committed some sl ight fault ; Yamassiro, who had not forgotten therefusal given by Sanno to h is father, reprimanded h im in the harshest terms ,and forbade him to appear for some time at the palace , and in the presenceof the Djogoun. This affront raised Sanno’

s rage to the highest pitch . Heresolved to take revenge , to which he was moreover exc ited by his motherand h is wife , who represented to him , that i t was better to die with honourthan to l ive covered wi th shame . He accordingly sought a favourabl e opportunity , which occurred as I have related , the very day on whi ch he was sufferedto return to the palace .

After the affair had been minutely invest igated , Sanno’

s i nsan ity was publ icly acknowledged ; this procedure pacified his family . The following orderswere then proclaimed i n the name of the Djogoun

ToMatsdazra- tchousima- no- lrami , Chief Inspector.

Tonomo -

yamassiro- no - kami has been assass inated by Sanno - sinsayemon, of

the new guard : you apprehended the murderer. The Djogoun acknowledgesthat you have rendered an important servi ce i n thus preventing 'the disturbanceswhich such an event might have occasioned : as a reward for i t your revenuesare increased two hundred Ito/cf.

”

1 04 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

This order was read at the palace , i n the hall of Fiyonoma, i n presenceof the counsellors of state . His salary amounted previously to one thousand

To the S econd Inspectors, Ino- ouy e~ soudjo- no- kami

, whose revenue isfifteenhundred

hohf Ando-

gosaj/emon, whohas threehundred bales of rice and Tchouy a-

y ogi

sinsay emon, whohas twohundred.

W hen the counsellors of state were l eaving the palace on the 24thof lastmonth

, Tonomo -

yamassiro- no - kami was grievously wounded ” near the hall of

Kikio - no - mar,by Sanno - sinsayemon, one of the new guard , who i s become

insane : you were present , and did not hasten so qui ckly as you ought to havedone to se i ze the assassin . Yamassiro, who defended himselfwith the sheathof his sabre , i s dead in consequence of his wounds . A s inspectors i t wasyour duty to prevent this misfortune ; you are , therefore , forb idden to appear atthe palace til l further orders .Ando -

goyasemon and Yos i - sinsayemon had but a small salary , because the i rfathers were yet l iving , and both in the service of the Djogoun.

To the S ub- Inspectors. Atobe Dazsin, whohas two thousand five hundred kahf,

andMatsdaira - tamiy a, whohasfivehundred.

On the 24thof last month , when the counsellors of state were qui tt ingthe palace

, S anno - sinsayem’

on, one of the new guard , who is become insane ,grievousl y wounded Ton

‘

om‘

o-

yamassiro- no - kami . You were in the hall of

Nakanoma. You say , that when you saw the assass in runn ing with his drawnsabre towards the hall of Kik io - no - mar, you ran after h im ; but Matsdai ratchousima- no - kami , who apprehended him , was farther from him than you .

You might have Saved Yamassiro, who was obl iged to defend himself with thesheath of his sabre , and died of his wounds . A s inspectors i t was your dutyto prevent th is m isfortune : as a pun ishment for your negl igence , you are dismissed from your places . ”

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1 06 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

The Djogoun Yee - farou died on the 8 th of the 9thmonth of the 6thyearTen-mio and was inte rred in the temple of Ouyeno at Yedo . Afterh is death the pr i ests gave to h im the name ofS un- mio - in.

Yee - farou had six chi ldren —1 . A daughter, who died young . 2 . Adaughter, married to the prince of Owari , and s ince dead . 3 . A son, Yeemoto , el ected he i r - apparent , but died on the 94 thof the second month of thee ighth year An-

y e (April 1 0 , as i t i s said, of a spitting ofblood , occasioned by fall ing with his horse down a precipi ce wh il e hunting . 4 . A son ,who died at the age of three years . 5 . An adopted daughte r, married in thefourth month of the th ird year Ten-mic (May to the son of the prince ofK idjo. 6 . An adopted son,

the re ign ing Djogoun.

YEYE -NARI , ELEVENTH DJOGOUN .

Minamotto - no - yeye - nari , grandson ofMoune - kore , fourth son of Yosi - moune,

and adopted by Yee - farou , was then betrothed to the daughter ofMatsdai rasatsouma- noikami - s ige - fide, who possesses a revenue of seven hundred andseventy - eight thousand hohf. TheDjogouns always strive to se cure the attachment of these princes by marriages ; and this was the principal cause of hi sadoption .

On the 29thofthe firste monthof the eighth year Ten-met, (March 6 th,

at three o ’clock in the morning , a terribl e conflagration broke out atMiyako,

and continued til l the 1 st of the second month (March 8th) , and reduced thatsplendid city to ashes . Th is disaster is ascribed to the imprudence of amaid - se rvant

,who fel l asleep near a l ighted furnace , and whose sl eeve caught

fire. R oused all at once , she hastily stripped off her robe , and threw i t from

her against the paper partit ion , to which the flames communicated . The whol ehouse was soon in a blaze . Unluckily the wind was j ust then very h igh ; andas the houses atMiyako are mostly built of planks , and covered with sh ingles ,the wind blew the burn ing materials i n every direction , so that , in l ess tha n

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN. 1 07

an hour, the city was on fire in more than sixty places , and i t was impossible toextinguish the conflagration. The whole ci ty was soon in flames

,and the

terrified inhabi tants rel inquished all thoughts of saving any th ing but the i rl ives .The Da’i ri was obl iged to quit his palace , and reti red to the temple ofS in iogamo . The stree ts through wh ich he had to pass were crowded with people ,and in order to clear the way , his guards were necessi tated to kill more than athousand persons .The fi re commenced in the south - east part of the city , to the east of therive r Gosio . The wind , which blew with great viol ence from the east, sooncarri ed the flames from the other s ide of the rive r

,and of the bridge of Gosio

basi,westward to the great temples of Figasi , Fengnan - si , and Tosi . I t

then veered to the west , which drove the fire into the heart of the ci ty ; andafte rwards changed to the south - east , when the whole north - west part , withthe castle , and the res idences of the ch ief judge and governors , were consumed . The wind once more changed , and . blew from the north - west withincreased fury ; the flames , in consequence , spread all around , and destroyedwhat was yet left, with the castle of the Da i ri and all h is palaces . After th isi t again turned , and blew towards the rive r Gosio . Every th ing was nearlyconsumed

,and the fire had raged for three whole days , when i t was at

length subdued . Nothing was left standing but part of the exterior walls ofthe castl e ; all the other build ings , the rice warehouses , and magaz i nes , thatwere said to be fire- proof, fell a prey to the flames .The Dai ri , who , when he perce ived that h is palace was in danger, hadret ired with his whole court towards the temple of S imo - gamo , si tuated at thedistance of a mile to the north - east of the ci ty , was forced by the thick smokeand the burning brands blown about by the wind , to turn off more to the east,to the temple of Sogo - in, a mile and a half distant ; but th inking himself sti l lunsafe , he left that place , and proceeded to the temple on the h igh mountainof Yei - san , three miles to the north - east ofMiyako , which he stil l makes h isres idence , having the two governors ofMiyako for door - keepers . His peopleSaved as much as they possibly could of his most valuable effects but sevenspacious store - houses , full ofmoney , curiosi ties , works of art , and ri ch stuffs ,were consumed by the flames .

1 08 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN.

The want and d istress occasioned by th is d isaste r surpass description . Therice and provisions brought from the ne ighbouring country for the rel ief of thei nhabitants were carried off by force , on the arrival of the vessels , by thefamish ing multi tude . Not the smallest piece of wood or bamboo was left forthe e rection ofhovels or tents , so that the inhab itants were forced to pass thenight i n the open ai r . The temples were fil led with the se rvants of the Dai riand other persons ofdistinction . Of th is extensive and magnificent city , so

populous and so flourishing,the capital of the empi re , and the centre of com

merce,the streets ofwhich amounted to four thousand, and where the weal thiest

merchants had thei r establ ishments,noth ing was left but the walls on the

south - west ; on the north - west , only a few houses ; a temple of the nationalrel igion of Japan on the east, and another of the Buddhists on the northnorth - east .Messengers we re dispatched in haste to Yedo with intell igence ofth is d isaste r.

They were di rected to give information that the palace of the Dai ri had beenreduced to ashes

,and that th is prince sol ici ted succour i n orde r to rebuild i t .

A t Miyako a prohibit ion was publ ished , forb idding any person whatever tobuild

, or do any k ind of work for himself, t i l l the Dai ri was provided witha suitable res idence . A t Osaka i t was l ikewise forbidden to work i n wood orbamboo

, or to execute any kind of gild ing, t i l l the palace of the Da'

i ri shouldbe rebuil t

,and furnished wi th every th ing necessary .

The fire cont inued to lurk under the ruins , and i t was not completely ex tin

gu ished i n the evening of the 1 2thofMarch , notwithstanding the heavy rainwhich began to fall on the 1 l th, and lasted upwards of twenty - four hours .A ccord ing to another account , i t was not to the mountain of Ye

'

isan,but to

the temple of S ore - eng - ingoso, to the east - south - east,that the Dai ri repai red ,

when forced to sh ift h is quarte rs for the th ird time . W hen he first qui tted h ispalace and the city at the beginning of the conflagration, he was in h is o rd inary carriage which was drawn by oxen , surrounded by his people with drawnsabres i n the i r hands , and by h is wives and concubines , armed w i th sheathedsabres : but be ing pursued by the fire , and find ing the pace of the oxen tooslow to secure him from the rapid progress of the flames

,he resolved to al ight

and make h is escape on foot. I t is customary to pick the rice dressed for theDairi

’

s use grain by grain w ith a small stick the plates , dishes , bowls, and

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l l O SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

water gushed from all parts , and the vapour which rose from i t resembled ath ick smoke . The latte r phwnomenon ceased in a few days .On the 6 thof the second month the re was '

an eruption of the volcano ofB ivo- no - koubi

,about halfa league from its summit . The flame’

ascended to a greathe ight ; the lava whi ch ran down , spread with rapid ity at the foot of themountain , and i n a few days the whole country for several miles round was inflames . The fire consumed all the trees on the neighbouring heights , and thevalley , i n which i t made the greatest havoc, was soon covered with rel ics ofburnt matte r, and fil led w ith stones and ashes . The fire was not l ike ordinaryfire ; i t was sparkl ing and of a redd ish colour

,i nte rrupted from time to time

by brown blazes . On the 1 st of the third month , at ten o’clock at n ight,

a tremendous earthquake was felt throughout the whol e island of Kiou - s iou * ,

but parti cularly i n the province of S imabara . The first shock was so viol entthat peopl e could scarcely keep on the i r l egs : they were se iz ed at the sametime with a complete stupefaction

, so that they had scarcely presence of mindto provid e for the i r personal safety . Immense rocks were precipi tated fromthe mountain ; the earth opened ; the houses were shaken w ith such force ,that the inhabitants durst not s tay i n them for fear of be ing crushed in theruins . Ne ither could they venture to stop any where

,from apprehension of

the inundation which usually fol lows a viol ent earthquake ; and the recol

l e ction of what had happened some years before i n S inano , as al ready re latedin the prope r place , he ightened the te rro r of the i nhabitants . Carrying thesi ck and the children in the i r arms , they set out in troops in quest of someplace of refuge from a similar calamity . Noth ing was to be heard butcries

,lamentat ions

,and fervent prayers

,imploring the protection of hea

ven . The shocks having ceased , in a few hours they returned to thei rhomes . S ome houses we re demol ished, and the i r inmates buried in theruins : but fortunately , the misch ief was not so great as had beenfeared .

The mountain , meanwhile , continued burning , and the lava Spread obl iquelytoward the castl e but be ing stopped in its course by a great number of rocks ,

Kiou - siou, or K idjo (the nine provinces) , is thus named on account of its divi sion into nine

prov inces. It is the second in ex tent, and the westernmost of the islands composing the empire of

Japan.

SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 1 1 1

i t turned slowly to the north . The i nhabitants were i n te rribl e alarm , becausethe shocks were incessantl y recurring though withless violence than at fi rst .On the l st of the fourth month , about noon , when eve ry body was at dinner ,a fresh shock was fel t with a motion whi ch lasted upwards of an hour and a half,and became more and more violent, threatening all around with instant destruct ion . I t was not long before seve ral houses beyond the castle were ingulphedwith the i r inhab itants , which seemed to be the s ignal for the most dreadfuldisasters . The cri es of men and animals aggravated the horrors of thecatastrophe . P rodigious rocks roll ing from the mountain

,overthrew and crushed

every thing that happened to be i n the i r way . A tremendous noise,resembl in

g

loud and repeated d ischarges of artille ry , was heard under - ground and i n theair : at l ength , when the danger was supposed to be over, a horribl e e ruptionofMountMiy iyama took place : the greatest part of i t was exploded into theair

,fel l i nto the sea, and by i ts fal l raised the water to such a height as to

inundate both the town and country . A t the same time,an enormous quanti ty

of water, i ssuing from the clefts of the mountain,met the sea - water in the

streets and produced W h i rlpools , which , in some places , washed away the ve ryfoundations of the houses , so as to leave not a vestige of habitat ions . The

castle alone remained uninj ured , because the water could not penetrate itsstrong mass ive walls : several houses near itwere so completely destroyed

,that not

one stone was l eft upon another . Men and beasts were drowned by th e flood.

Some were found suspended from trees , others standing upright , others kneel ing,and others again on the ir heads in the mud ; and the streets were strewed withdead bod ies . Out of all those who fled for the purpose of seeking refuge i nthe castle , a ve ry small numbe r effected the i r escape , and all these had receivedmore or less injury . The cries of those who were stil l al ive beneath the ruinspie rced the heart , and yet no ass istance could be rendered t hem . A t l ength

,

recourse was had to the expedient of sending fifty criminals from the castle toremove the rubbish , for the purpose of extricating such of the mise rablewretches as were still l iving

,and of i nterring the dead . Of those who were

taken out ofthe ruins , some had their legs, others the i r arms , or other members ,fractured . The tubs which are used in Japan instead of coffins for burying thedead

,were uncove red in the cemeteri es , or broken , the large stones laid

ove r them having been carried away by the torrent . Thus the whole

1 12 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN .

country was al l at once transformed into a desert : but the province of Figo ,oppos ite to S imabara, i s reduced to a sti ll more deplorable state . Its formseems to have been enti rely changed not the least trace of what i t was formerly is now to be discovered . A great number ofvessels , which lay at anchori n the ne ighbourhood , went to the bottom : and an incredible mult itude of carcases ofmen and beasts , and other wrecks , were brought down by the current ,so that the ships could scarcely force a passage through them . The wretchedness that every where prevai ls is inexpress ible , and fills the spectator withhorror . The number of those who are known to have perished exceeds fiftythree thousand : and i t is imposs ible to describe the consternation produced byth is catastrophe .

annexed plate represents the theatre of devastation .

Fig. 1 . Castle ofMai - basi (hither bridge)2 . Chiefpassage of the river.

3 . Road toNon- den.

4 . South. 5 . East. 6 . W est. 7 . North.

8 . Road to Tikouany -hai .

9 . Focus of the fire.

1 0 . A lofty peak .

1 1 . S inagawa.

1 2 . Mountain ofJ i - kouang.

1 3. Mountain ofNon- den.

1 4. Mountain of the Three Kingdoms.

1 5. Mountain ofBlue Clouds.

1 6 . Sacred Central Mountain.

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SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN . 1 13

The ordinary t itl e of the Djogoun i s Kio thus he is called YosiMoune Kio ,Yeye Farou Kio . He is also styled as fo llows z—S iunwa S iogak - rio - in- no - beto

gensi - no - tchosia Z i - i - dai Djogoum‘

The Djogoun is also honoured by the Dai ri with a'

rank and office at hiscourt . A formal embassy is sent fromMiyako to carry the intel l igence , anddel ive r the characte risti c i nsign ia, and is always accompanied w ith greatpomp and festivi ty . Bes ides the above titles , common to al l the Djogouns,the Dai ri has confe rred on some of these princes particular distinctions.Thus Yeye - yasou obtained the rank of Tchou - itche- z

'

, and the office of

Ouda'

isin.

F ide - fada had the rank of Tchou - z'

tche- z'

,and was Fa'

idio Dazsz'

n.

Yeye -mitsou had the same rank , and was S ada'

isin.

Yeye - tsouna had the rank ofDjo- ui - z'

, and wasTsouna- yos i had the same rank and office .

Yeye - nobou was Nada'

z’

sin.

Yeye - tsougou was also Nadazsz'

n.

Yosi - moune wasYeye - s ige and Yeye - farou he ld the same offi ce , and , as wel l as the preced ing

Djogoun,had the rank ofDjo- ui—z

’

.

The present Djogoun, Yeye - nar i , wh i le he i r - apparent , or Tazsz’

,was

Da'

inagon.

Though the Da i r i is cons idered at the court of the Djogoun,to use the i r own

express ion,as a hand with two fingers , or as a p iece ofancient japanned ware

that is h ighly esteemed for its beauty , the Djogouns affect to set a high valueon favours of th is k ind ; a ci rcumstance which flatte rs the pride of the Dairis,and seems to cheer them in the i r state of dependence . The Djogouns havethe more reason to act thus , because , as the Dai ri i s a descendant of Tens iodaisin, and regarded as the supreme head of the emp ire , man ifest proofs of his

Stun and Siogak are the names of two universities, in the first of whichthe mil itary art was

formerly taught, and in the secondmoral ity and other sciences but they are not now in ex istence

rio rigni fies two in, a greathouse no, the conjunctive particle beto, belonging ; Gensi , the fami lyname of the Djogoun ; tchosz

'

a, the first or chief ; set or zi , step ; i , foreign nations ; daz, great ;

Djogoun, chiefduringwar, or general ofthe army

1 1 44 SOVEREIGNS OF JAPAN

d ispleasure might fu rnish a pretext for ente rprises , that would occasion thegreatest commotions : for many of the most powerful pri nces , ashamed of theservi tude to which they are reduced , would eagerly fly to his assistance

,in

hopes of putting an end to the i r own hum i l iat ion , and shaking off an ignominious yoke .

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1 1 6 FEASTS AND CEREMONIES .

the R io- dj ou or Foudar" ; the body guards f, and the inferior offi ce rs . Eachof them is i n siosoh, or, a state - dress with long sleeves , according to ancientcustom : they bow the i r heads to the mats wh ich cover the floor, and paythe i r compliments to the Djogoun on occasion of the new year, each from theplace ass igned to h im by h is rank .

The princes of the first class , who are in the i r provinces on that day , send anambassador to present a wooden sabre and an oban in the i r name . The sabreimpl i es that they engage to repai r to the assi stance of the Djogoun i n caseof need ; and the oban serves instead of a present of horses : i t is , therefore ,denom inated hin- ba- dai , wh ich s ign ifies , something substituted for horses. The

ambassador, on his arrival at the pal ace , i s i ntroduced into the hall S itsinoma,

by the S osz’o- ban, to whom the present i s there del ivered .

Afte r the customary compl iments , the Djogoun offers to the h ighest of theprinces a l ittl e jug ful l of aah/rt ; the pr ince , having made h is obe isance , drinksthe l iquor and returns the j ug to the Djogoun. The same ceremony i s obse rvedin regard to the second , and so on w i th al l the rest , who are entitl ed by thei rrank to th is honour. Those of less e levated rank do not return the jug to theDjogoun, and one of the deput ies of theMondo - no - kami pours out the zahhz’

for them .

On the second day of the month , the princes who were prevented fromattending on the preceding day , pay the i r respects . To obviate trouble andconfus ion , one of the inspectors previously writes down the ir names . Theprinces of Owari , K idjo, andMito , who are honoured w ith the titl e of Gosanhe(the three distingu ished famil ies), are obl iged to attend on the first

,as are

l ikewise the relatives and brothers of the Djogoun.

The R iodjou, or Foudaz, are vassal s or feudatories. The power of the Djogoun ex tends to thetwo latter classes only . W hen princes of the first class are guilty of crimes ormisdemeanors, hehas no right to put them to death; al l that he can do is to compel them,

withthe assistance of theDairi , to resign their power to their sons.

T Their number is about eighty thousand. Al l the governors, ministers of the finances, and othergreat oflicers, are selected fromamong them. They are divided into two classes the first comprisingthose whohave an income of from three thousand to ninehundred and ninety

- nine thousand hokf or

kobans (from to about sterling) . These are cal led Sansin-

gokoudjo. The second classi s composed of those whose income is fromonehundred to three thousand kokj ‘

, and who are termed

Sansin- kahf- zge.

FEASTS AND CEREMONIES . 1 17

On this day , the ord inary and extraordinary counsellors of state , the lordsof the temples , and the other principal officers of the court , are in l ike manneradmitted to an audi ence . Each of them presents to the Djogoun, accordingto ancient custom , a string of sepihhes, a sort of small copper co in , with asquare hole i n the centre . This ceremony i s not performed by the grandeesadmitted to the presence of the Djogoun on the pre ceding day .

The sons of pr inces, who have yet ne ither place nor rank , are also adm i ttedon the second day of the month .

On the th ird , those are rece ived who have been h indered from attending onthe two former days . On these three days the guards of the halls of thepalace are on duty by six in the morning, and the whole day til l evening areatt i red in the robe of black s i lk and the hab it cal led A ll theoffi cers of the palace retain th is costume till the seventh of the month , andalso wear i t when the Djogoun goes into the fouhi—age, or inner garden of thepalace .

I n the evening , the Djogoun goes with the hered i tary prince into the firstgreat hall , Ofiromaj , where they seat themselves on an elevated place . Thefou r ch ief musicians meet in the hall , cal led Sotits- noma, which sign ifies, thehall painted with i ron - trees , and thence repai r to the Djogoun, to play tunessuitabl e to the occas ion . Formerly the princes who waited upon the Djogounwere alone admitted ; but at present the princes of the blood , such as those ofKaga, Satsouma,Monts , Yetchezen, and Nagotto, are allowed to be present, asare l ikewise several other princes , and such of the l ife - guards as are ofthe fifthrank i . No other person , even though of h igher rank , or possess ing a large rin come , i s adm i tted . Those of the rank ofGo- z

’ wear also long - sleeved robes,

which the others are not allowed to do .

Each prince presents the Djogoun w ith a varnished cup , on which are

The hamisz'

mo is a state dress, composed of two garments, a short cloak without sleeves, and

breeches. Kami signifieswhat is above ; simo, what is below. The cloak is cal led hatagenou ,and the breeches, vakama . Bothare of a particular form, and of coloured stufi

‘

s. They are used

only on days ofceremony and at funeral s, and neverworn when a person putshimself to death.

1 This word signifiesfir- trees represented in painting.

1 Go- z’

, or the fifthrank ; the ti tle of Kami is conferred on them, together withthe privilege of

assuming the name of their country . Thus the ex cel lent governor whom I knew at Na ngasaki , in

1 7 83, was named Kouze- tango- no- kamz

’

,becausehe was a native of the

"

province ofTango.

1 1 8 FEASTS AND CEREMONIES .

painted, in gold , representat ions of cranes , to rto ises, fir- trees , and bamboos , as

determined by a special regulation . The princes of Kaga and Om i alone havea right to g ive saucers

, on which is painted the figure of the nasouma, or

cabbage .

The Djogoun then begins to drink zah/ci . Meanwhi le the S ozin, or master ofthe ceremoni es the only person who has the privi l ege of speak ing to theDjogoun on th i s occasion, makes his report to him of the gifts presented byeach of the princes . The zahhz' i s poured out by a member of the family ofIsikawa orItakoura. Kouanze- day ou , or the first s inger, then s ings the piece i nt ituled The ; custom of s inging th is pie ce at pub l i c rejo icings , hasbeen practi sed ever since the t ime of Yeye - mitsen , the th i rd Djogoun, withwhom it originated on the follow ing occas ionThi s prince dreamt , i n the course of the first month

,that al l h is teeth had

dropped out . This dream madehim extremely melancholy , and gave great uheasiness to h is fri ends

,who were apprehensive that i t was an unlucky omen ,

and perhaps prognosti cated the death of some one ofh is re lations . They couldfind no other means of tranquill iz i ng his mind , than by causing the song , Stlca

’

i

nami , to be sung , i n which there is th is passageThe god

, Tsoumi - yosi , l ived several years under a fir- tree ; he colle ctedevery day the leaves that fe ll from i t , and attained a ve ry advanced age .

A s fa sign ifies both a leaf and a tooth, the dream was favourably explained .

The Djogoun,inhis j oy , stripped offhis cloak ofstate and gave i t to the chief

s inger , and al l the princes and offi cers who were present fol lowed his example .

The custom is kept up to th is day .

When the mus ic is fin ished , the Djogoun takes off his kami or mantle , andgives i t to the Kouanze- day ou ; and all the princes , and even the l ife - guards

,do

the same . The next day , an inspector of the troops who accompany the Djogoun

,cal ls in h is name on the Kouanze- day ou , and del ive rs to him , i n exchange

for the kami , ten bars of silver, each of the value offour ta'

e'

l three mas, or altogether forty - three tael (about 81. sterl ing) .The princes return home at n ight, and a fire i s k indled at the front andanother at the back gate of the palace to l ight them .

The 4thand 5thare vacant days, on wh ich the Djogoun amuses h imself w i thhawking.

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1 20 FEASTS AND CEREMONIES .

reaching the res idence of the h igh - priest, the son of the Da i ri , he puts on asimilar dress to that worn on new year’s day , wh ich is the real Japanese dressof state , and is worn by the Dai ri . His carriage , wh ich goes before him ,

isprovided by the inspector w i th every th ing necessary ; i t is then perfumed w ithhalambahwood , and carefully exam ined by the guard , by whom i t is del ive redto the chief coachman .

The bearers of the norimon, on the i r arrival at the h igh - priest’s,put on white

dresses , and in th ismanner walk on each s ide of the carriage .

At five places on the way from the gate of the palace to the temple there isa strong guard , cal ledMitsi—ban, or guard of the road. The three governors ofYedo repai r to the Tsousiha'

ibasi , or obl i que bridge , where the Djogoun gets intohis carriage , to pay the i r respects to h im .

A ll the environs of the temple are occupied by troops armed with muskets ,pistols

,bows and arrows . The place of sepulture is also surrounded on the out

s ide by soldie rs ; the oflicers, who are very numerous, and called singo- ban, are

w i thi n . The Djogoun, i n go ing to the temple from the h igh - priest’s , i s i nl ike manner encompassed by h is guards.At the moment when he sets out from the palace , an express is d ispatched inal l haste to give notice at the temple of h is departure . When he arrives at thebridge

,anothe r express is sent off, and a th ird when he reaches the oute r gate

of the temple : each express consists of two horsemen . The same ceremonialis obse rved when the Djogoun re turns to the palace .When the Djogoun vis i ts the temple ofOuyeno, his train is composed of1 .A norimon, or palanquin , the bottom of wh ich is made of a mat , with a

vel vet covering,on wh ich is another th in mat, that the plaits ofhis garments

may not be ruflied .

2 . Another nori'

mon, resembl ing the former, to be used in case of need : thecovering i s made ofcloth .3. An awn ing, borne on each s ide by servants over the norz

'

mon, in caseof rain .

4 . Twofassamhahs, or portmanteaus , in one ofwhich there is a superb hunting - horn , round wh ich i s twisted a strong s ilk cord w ith a pendant loop z i t iswrapped in some costly stufl’.5 . Two fassambahs, contain ing two long s ilk ropes and two shorter .

FEASTS AND CEREMONIES . 1 21

6 . Two mino- bahs,or val i ses , w ith a cloth awning agains t rain , a cloak ,

andthe cove ring of the nori'mon.

7. Amito- bou/rouro, or basket with a l id , conta i n i ng the hat in case of rain .

8 . The da'

i - gasa, orhat wrapped in cloth , and borne on a p ike .

9 . A smal l parasol .1 0. A n umbrella with a long handl e .

All these arti cl es are covered with black cloth.

1 1 . A pike ; the i ron po int i s i n a‘case of t ige r - skin

,the end ofwhich hangs

down from the point : for th is reason i t i s cal led nagz’

say a, or long sh eath .

1 2 . Another pike , cal led sou -

y ari , with a guard l ike a halbert .1 3. Two cases , one for a long sabre , the othe r for a shorte r.The Djogoun, when he vis its the templ e ofOuyeno, or that of Z o- sio - si

, or

when he goes ou t a - hawking , i s ne ver accompan ied by any other train , with theexception of bows , arrows , and horses and for hunting and other sports he hasa narrower and shorte r norimon, for the purpose ofpenetrating the more easi lyi nto the forests .On the 1 1 th, the O -

goussok-

go- siougi is celebrated in the fol lowing manner

the Djogoun’

s cuirass is taken out of i ts case,and before i t is placed an offering

oflarge cakes of rice . Th is ce remony is practised by al l persons belonging tothe army . Those who are i n the serv i ce of government , or l ead a private l ife ,in l ike manner present ofl’erings before whatever bears the strongest analogy tothe i r profess ion . Thus our i nterpreters place a Dutch book on a table , and setthe i r offeri ng before the book .

On th is day,all the Djogoun

’

s kinsmen , the grandees , civil ofli cers, and physicians , repai r to the palace to pay thei r respects .The cakes are then sent to the k itchen . A s they have been left before thecase of the cui rass from new - year’s day till the 1 1 th, they are very dry and fullof cracks . In order to cut them a bow - string is introduced into these cracksa knife must not be used for th is purpose , because the knife is an instrument ofa s imilar nature to the sabre , and as the cake represents the cuirass, if the sabrewere to touch the cuirass, this would be a bad omen .

The same day the Djogoun employs h imselfwith the poets i n making ve rses .This practice was i ntroduced during the re ign ofGongin, who once composedsome poetry on that day with Nobou - naga, and who afte rwards , i n a war with

R

1 22 FEASTS AND CEREMONIES .

Takeda - katsou - yori , vanquished him also on th is day . The 1 1 thof the firstmoon has been eve r s i nce devoted to poetical compos i tion at the palace

. Fromthe most ancient t imes , poetry has been held an honourabl e occupation at thecourt of the Da

'

iris, many of whom are reco rded in h istory to have excel led init. I t stil l continues to be pursued wi th th e same ardour. A taste for poetryhas thus been gradually d iffused among the Japanese of al l classes . Theygenerally endeavour to express ingen ious thoughts with as few words as poss ible , and to employ words ofambiguousmean ing for the purpose of al lusions .There are two Species of poems —the Outa, or Waha ,

i s composed of fivel ines of5 ,

7, 5 , 7, and 7 characters . The Nag- aouta , or long poem ,

has asmany as the writer pleases ; the l i nes are of five and seven words , and the lasttwo l i nes must each contain seven . These two kinds ofpoems are composed in

firohanna, or women’s writing .

The two poetical works held i n the h ighest este em are , the Ko-hin- djou , or

col lection of poems, ancient and modern , by K inotsoura—inki ; and theMangozou , a coll ection of ancient poems , from the t ime of Su isin- ten - o, the tenthB al i' i , to Daigo - ten - o, the s ixti e th , by Fats i - banna - no - moroye .

On the 1 5th , all the princes , as well as the superior and inferio r ofli cers, callto pay the i r respects to the Djogoun, attired in a nosime and hamz

‘

simo. Th is isdone on the l st and 1 5th of every month , or at the new and full moon .

On the 1 7th, the Djogoun repai rs to the temple ofMomisi - yama * to pray ,accompanied by all the princes who are then in Yedo , and all the superior andinferior offi ce rs . On this occas ion the Djogoun i s carried in an open norimon.

P e rsons in mourning are not admitted into the palace e ither on th is or the preced ing day .

On his return an express is sent th i the r from the templ e ; a second i s d ispatched

,when he arrives at the gate ofFasou - i k i ; and a th i rd when he is on

the bridge of the castl e .

On the 20th, the annive rsary of the death of Youtok - ih, or Yos i - moune , a

TheMomz’si - yama is a hill wi thin the purl ieu of the castle. Here is a temple of the S intos,founded by Yosi - moune, inhonour ofGongin, and containinghis portrai t ; al so a temple ofChakay inwhichare several small temples. Eachtemple contains the I- fai, or tablet ofone of the deceased

Djogouns, before whichthe reigningDjogoun performshis devotions. These two temples are general ly denominated themountain.

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1 24 FEASTS AND CEREMONIES.

1 5 . An inspecto r of the palace .

1 6 . A certain number of soldiers, in several files .1 7 . The inspector- general of the castle .1 8 . The Djogoun

’

s l i fe - guards .1 9 . The B oos, or pages of the palace .

20 . The nagz'

nata, or long - h il ted scim itar .2 1 . The Djogoun

’

s norimon.

22 . The commanding offi cers ofthe guard , and the extraord inary counsel lors ,with the i r attendants .23. Two ordinary p ikes, and one in the fo rm of a halbert .24. The nagi - say a, or p ike with the long t iger - ski n sheath .

25 . The sou -

y ori , or pike with a guard .

26 . An inspector of the palace .

27 . A n inspector of the tr0 0 ps .28 . The tcha- bz

’

nto, a k ind ofchests , conta in i ng al l the requis i tes for making tea .

29 . Two cases fo r sabres , guarded by four sold i ers .30 . Twomino- baho, or covered baskets , in case of rain .

3 1 . Two mito- bohouro, or pan ie rs , l ikewise with coverings .32 . A second norimon, to be used i n case any accident should happen to theother

,accompan ied by several attendants .The ohatche- ozay e, or soldie r, who closes the process ion .

34. A detachment of soldiers .35 . An inspector of the castl e , who is the last of the train .

The 28thi s an ordinary levee - day , in the first , fourth , seventh , and twelfthmonths ; and i n the other months , those who have admit tance go to the palacei n state dresses .On the 29thand 30th, according as the month has thi rty or only twenty - n ine

days,an ordinary counsellor goes , on behalf of the Djogoun,

to performdevotions at the temple of Zo- sio- s i , because i t is the ann iversary of the deathofYee - tsougou .

If spring commences i n the course of th is month , al l the princes and officerspay the ir respects to the Djogoun on the first day of that season .

FEASTS AND CEREMONIES .

SECONDMONTH .

On the 1 st, the relatives of the Djogoun,all the princes and the officers ,

assembl e at the palace ; each of them i s presented with a p iece of certai ncakes, made during the twe lfth month , with s ixteen bales of rice grown inthe province ofMikawa, in wh ich Gongin was born . They are made at Yedo ,and thence sent to N iko to be offered at the tomb of Gongin. There theyare left some days , and then carried back to Yedo .

The h igh - priest ofYedo , who is i n some measure the primate of Japan , andalways one of the sons of theDai ri , repai rs to the palace . The Djogoun and theheredi tary prince go to meet h im

,and first rece ive from h im a piece of the cakes

prepared for distribution . The Djogoun himself then gives a piece to each of

the princes and officers ; and when the distribut ion is finished , an inspecto r ofthe palace and one of the officers carry what is l eft to the temple ofMomisiyama. where they throw it into a wel l .

. The 1 5th is a levee day at court .Every month a counsellor of state in ord inary goes, on certain days , to thetemples of Ouyeno and Zo- sio - si , to offer up prayers i n the name of theDjogoun, when the prince cannot v isi t them in person .

The days fixed for th is duty areThe l oth at the temple of Ouyeno ; this i s the ann iversary of the death of

Tsouna- yos i .The 1 4th , at the temple of Zo- s io - s i ; the ann iversary of the death of Yeye

nobou .

The 2oth, at the temple of Ouyeno ; the anniversary of the death of Yosimoune .

The temple ofNiko is the place in whichGongin was interred, His I-faz, or tablet, and al l

those ofhis successors, are preserved there. The temple is thrice twenty - fourhours’ journey fromYedo. It is reported, that on the decease of a Djogoun, this temple, and the bridge leading to i t ,

are coated, at the expense ofhis successor, withvery thin plates ofgold. Themarvel lous descrip

t ion given tome of this edifice, induced me, while atYedo, in 1 7 82, to sol ici t the governor ofNangasak i to procureme permission to make an ex cursion to i t at my own cost. Thi s permi ssion was

refused, on the ground that therewasno precedent for sucha favour.

1 26 FEASTS AND CEREMONIES .

The 94th, at the temple Of OuyenO ; the ann iversary of the death of S in

tokou - in.

The 29thor3oth, at the temple ofZo- S io- s i the ann iversary of the death of

Yeye—tsougou .

On the 1 7th of every month a counsellor of state goes , on behalf of the

Djogoun,to the templ e ofMomi si - yama.

On the 28th,there is no levee at court.

THIRDMONTH.

On the l st, the envoy of the Dutch Company is adm i tted to an audi ence of

the Djogoun. He first waits some t ime in the hal l , Tens io - no - ma, or thedrawing - room for the ambassadors of the Dai ri and those of the Corea . Heis then conducted to the presence of the Djogoun, who rece ives h im in theO- ziro- djo-

y z'

n, or great white hall , where he offers h is presents , wh ich are thereSpread out. I f, owing to the inundation ofthe r ivers , to contrary w inds in thepassage by water, or to deep snows on the mountains , the envoy is preventedfrom reach ing Yedo in t ime , the audience is deferred t il l the thi rd day .

The 3d i s a grand levee day ; al l the persons belonging to the court arehabi ted in the i r nosime and hamisz’mo.

On the 6th, the envoy of the Dutch Company has h is aud ience for tak ingleav e , in thepresence ofa number of counsel lors of state .

The 1 5th is an ordinary levee day .

On the 28th, there is no levee at court .I n the course of th is month , the ambassadors of the Dai ri are conducted toaudience . At the ir aud ience for taking leave al l the ofii cers are in nosime andhamisz

'

mo.

FOUR THMONTH.

The l st is an ord inary levee day . They now begin at the palace to wearrobes that are l ined , but w ithout wadd ing . These are worn t ill the 4thof thefifth month .

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1 28 FEASTS AND CEREMONIES .

I n the middle of the Kay uba- tcho, or the principal street of Yedo , is e recteda tent , i n wh ich the image of the god is exhib ited for ten days . A s th is tenti s i n the centre of Yedo

,i t i s extremely convenient for the peopl e to repai r

thither to pe rform the i r devotions . When the image i s carri ed back to thetemple , thre e expresses are dispatched to the Gin/couan, or great guard - house ,at the entrance of the palace the first when the god is removed from the tentthe second from Fibiya

- gomon ; and the th ird from the gate of Sanno - dj a .

These expresses are sold iers of the Djogoun’s, dressed in a l ight blue hatabre,

and a s imple hamisimo, The process ion, on the return , is closed by two

soldiers , fol lowed by an offi cer on horseback .

On the l 6th, the re i s a levee for all the princes and the offi cers . On th isoccas ion , the Djogoun gives to each of them a smal l cake

, or a morsel of sweetmeat . This practi ce originated “ i n the time of the Djogoun As ikaga, about theyear 1 1 06 .

On the 20th, the Djogoun goes to pray before the funereal tablet of Yosimoune , i n the templ e of Ouyeno ; and the hei r - apparent does the same inthe templ e ofMomisi - yama. The tablets of the Djogouns are placed in al lthe templ es

,authori zed by patent . Thus they are to be seen also in that of

Nangasak i .

On the 29thor 30th, is the feast of Nagasi - farai . In the most ancienttimes

, al l the se rvants of the Dai ri assembled before the gate Djo- yak - mon ,and there sung the hymn

, Naka - tom i - farai . They imagined , that, by performing th is duty , they obtained absolution from al l the ir S ins . The ceremonythen took place twice a year . During the re ign ofTen- mou - ten - o, the fortiethDairi , i t was fixed for the 29thor 3othof the s ixth month exclus ively .

A ccording to the work int ituled Sinda'

i - no-mahi , th is festival owed i ts originto Isanagi and Isanami - no -mikotto, who bathed and purified themselves on thatday in the rive r Tatsibana - no - odo, i n the province ofFiouga.

The Djogoun and the he i r - apparent give each of them two hatabre to twoinspectors of the troops , who , with four i nspectors of the household , repai r toS inagawa, one of the suburbs of Yedo , and throw these hatabre i nto the sea.

Immediately afte rwards , the fishermen hasten th ithe r from al l quarters , and asthey are all eager to possess themse lves of a piece , the cloaks are soon torn inpi eces i n the scramble .

FEASTS AND CEREMONIES . 1 29

SEVENTHMONTH .

The l st i s an ordinary levee day .

The 7this the fourth grand levee day . Al l the pr inces who are at Yedo,

and all the officers h igh and low, repai r to the palace in wh ite hatabre andkamisz

’

mo, to pay the i r respects to the Djogoun.

On the 1 4th , the Djogoun and the he i r - apparent go to the temple ofMomisiyama to prayers .Ten offi cers , each accompanied by a sold ie r and a superior ofli cer, repai r thisday to the temples of Ouyeno and Zo- sio - s i , where they remain on duty tillthe following day , which is the feast ofLanterns . This feast wil l be describedpresently .

The 28thi s an ordinary levee day .

EIGHTHMONTH .

The 1 st is an ordinary levee day . On this day too , all the grandees of theempire

,and al l the servants of the Djogounmake him presents , which are call ed

tannomo and fassah, tribute . They are all dressed in white hatabre andhamisimo.

The 1 5th is an ordinary levee day .

The Djogoun and h is w ife amuse themselves by moon - l ight .

NINTHMONTH .

The l st i s an ordinary levee day . On th is day the awase, or l ined robewithout wadding, begins to be worn .

On the 9this held the fifth grand leve e . On this day furred or waddedrobes are put on for the first time .On the l oth, persons are al lowed to appear at the palace in tapie, orwhite buskins . These buskins,whichcome up to the ancle , and are fastened beh ind with two

s

130 FEASTS AND CEREMONIES .

ribbons, are sui ted to the extreme cleanl i ness of the Japanese,all whose

apartments are covered wi th handsome mats or rugs , each three feet broad ,six long , two inches thi ck , and fitting accurately togethe r . R egard is had tothe dimensions of these rugs in the distribution of apartments

,and the S ize of

an apartment is expressed by the number of rugs required to cover the floor .The men leave off the tapie on the 1 st of the third month , but the women wearthem all the year round .

On the 1 4th , a counsellor in ord inary goes to pray , in th e name of th eDjogoun,

i n the templ e ofZo- sio- si .On the 8th , 17th , and 2othof this month , the Djogoun and he i r- apparentrepai r to the temple ofMomisi - yama .

TENTHMONTH.

The l st i s an ordinary levee day . The Djogoun presents each of theprinces w ith a small cake called Gentcho- no-motsi : they reti re from the palaceat seven in the even ing, and two fires are k indled at the gates to l ight them .

On the 1 4th , the Djogoun goes to the temple of Zo- s io - si , to pray before theI or tablet ofYosi - moune .

ELEVENTHMONTH .

The 1 st and the 1 5th are ordinary levee days .

TWELFTHMONTH .

The l st i s an ordinary levee day .

On the 1 3th , a general cleaning takes place in the palace . The inspector ofthe troops is the only person in nosime and hann

'

sz'

mo.

The 1 5th is an ordinary levee day .

On the 17th, the Djogoun goes to the temple ofMomisi - yama to pray .

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132 FEASTS AND CEREMONIES .

The first,on th e seventh of the first month , i s call ed Nana/rouse .

The second , on the third of the th ird month , is called Tchoh- djo- no- in.

The third , on the fifth of the fifth month , i s called Tango- no- se/cou, orTchoy o"

no- sehou .

The fourth , on th e seventh of the sevent h month is cal led Kihod- i n- sitsseh, orS eiseh.

The fifth,on the n inth of the ninth month , is called Tchocho- no- sehou .

The first festival i s cal led , in the learned language , Z in- si ts, or day ofMan,

and in the vulgar tongue , Nanouha Djogouats, which sign ifies , the se venth ofthe fi rst month .

I n the second year Kouan-

pe, A D. 890, a pottage , composed of boiled riceand seven k inds of vegetables , and called nanahousa , was served up to thefifty

- ninth Dai ri . This pottage i s stil l cal led sitsisou - no- saisihou and nanahousa

i to-hay ou* .

A Japanese author relates , that on the seventh of the fi rst month of the1 1 thyear In-

gi (A.D. seven sorts of vegetables were offered to the Dai ri ,Da'

igo - ten - o .

We find i t stated in the work , i nt i tul ed Life- o- no-hi, thatMourakami - ten - o

rece ived from Yasko , h is wife , an offe ring of the first fruits of garden herbs,

on the 29 thof the se cond month of the fourth year Ten- ria/c

A n anci ent author asserts , that th is festival was first held on t he seventh of

the first month,under Zin - mou - ten - o, the first Da'iri .

According to the work inti tul ed Fou - boh- zan, Sutok - in, the 75thDai ri , com

posed the fol low ing piece of poetry , wh ich has th irty - one characters, on this

preparat ion of r ice , with seven sorts of vegetables

Ki mi ga ta mo

Na na tsou na 0 se no

Na na kou sa u i

Na 0 tsou mi so ye nou

Yo ro tsou no no fa rou.

May they , for ten thousand years to come , continue to gather seven sorts

It ismade ofsousouna, turnips sousousiro, rad ishes ; serie, parsley , nasouna, cabbage ; a vege

table, call edfakobera ; another, named fotokonesa ; a nd, gogio, spinach.

FEASTS AND CEREMONIES . 133

of herbs on the morn ing of the seventh day of the first month, for the use of

the prince "”

Such is the origin of the fest ival wh ich is celebrated on that day,not on ly

in the'

palace of the Dai ri , but throughout the whole empi re . P eople thenregale thei r friends with the pottage described above , and wish them a longand happy l ife .

The second festival is cal led Tclzo/e djo- no- in and Djo- si . Djo s ign ifies uppermost, first, beginning , and si , serpent : i t i s , therefore , the festival of the first dayof the se rpent of the third month . That month was properly the month of

the dragon , but the denomination has been changed , and the sign of thezodiac , which immediately followed , has been taken to mark the month on

which friends wish one another a continuation of health and happiness.In

ancient times, this festival , fixed for the first day of the serpent of the thi rdmonth , took place on different days, on account of the continual variation i nthe calculations of the Japanese . I t has S ince been dete rmined

,that i t shal l

be - celebrated on the th i rd day , which is cal led Tcho- san, two threes, as be ingthe th i rd of the th i rd month . The Europeans are accustomed to call i t theFeast of Dolls.

Th is festival is principally for girls , whence i t has the name of Onago- no- sehou,

or the W omen’

s Festival . I n al l houses , whether belonging to peopl e of qual ity ,or persons of the lowe r class , a small stage , of the he ight of a table

,covered

with a red cloth , or some costly coloured stuff, according to the ci rcumstancesof the owner, i s constructed in a suitable apartment, e i ther within or w ithoutthe alcove . On th is stage are placed figures and decorations

,representing

the court of the Dai ri , temples, buildings , the Dai ri h imself, his wives , call edDairi B ina , or other d istinguished personages of both sexes . These imagesare te rmed Vina - ningio, or Children

’

s Dolls, and are good imitations i n min iature .Before them are set , i n small d ishes , on l ittle tabl es , several k inds of messes ,i n the manner customary with the Dai ri and persons of distinction : all thefurniture of a house and the requis ites for a kitchen are l ikewise to be seenin miniature .

1 34. FEASTS AND CEREMONIES .

This festival makes the daughters of peopl e of qual ity acquainted with al lthat appertains to the de coration of a house , and gi rls of the lower classes withwhatever is ne cessary for housekeeping . Thus they are taught , by the i r veryamusements

,from the i r earl iest infancy , to become in time good and sk ilful

housewives .An ancient author says , that i n h is time these Vina - ningio were made ofpaper,and represented children walk ing on thei r hands . They were called Voagha,and served as playthings for girls .We learn from the work

,i nti tul ed Gense-wahana - no-mahi , that these puppets ,

cal led in the learned language, or the language of the Dai ri , Ama- gatsou, were

given to girls till thei r th i rteenth year, and that upon them was laid the blameof all the l ittle faults committed by the ch ildren , in order to give an indirectl esson to the latter .Another writer relates that Gens i - no - kimi , wh i le res ident on the sea- coast ,

at S ima—no - moura, in the province of Ferima, made , by the advice of aconj uro r

, on the day of the se rpent , i n the th ird month , an imagewhich heturned adrift on the sea i n a l i ttl e boat , w ith a view to prese rve h imself fromall i nfection and pern icious exhalations

,and that thence originated the Vina,

the name ofwh ich signifies child orchicken. They were l ikewise dalled Fafa- lco,

from fafa,mother, and ho, chi ld , because the mother and chi ld rubbed thei r

bodies with them to purify themselves from all i nfection after wh ich they threwthese puppets into the sea, that al l the impurit i es , with whi ch they suppos edthem to be impregnated , might be wafted far away .

From the most remote ages i t has been customary to make on th i s day housanomotsi , or small cakes of rice and l eaves ofgreenmugwort, which are presentedto a mother and her daughte r for the prese rvation of the i r health , instead of

the herb fafa -ho-housa, which was fo rmerly employed . I t i s also customary todrink zahhi , distilled from peach - blossoms

,with a view to obtain good health

and to prolong l ife . The peach is supposed to possess the property of repell ingal l kinds of infection , wh ich notion is founded on the following Ch inese storyAn immortal female , named Sen- n in - sei -

yo- bo, presented the emperor Kanno

boute with a peach , wh ich had not been grown upon earth , but came from atree that bore fruit but once in three thousand years . She assured him thatif he ate th is peach , he would attain that age . From this ci rcumstance

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1 36 FEASTS AND CEREMONIES .

S ioban-hatana . S iabon has two significations : i t means sword - grass , becausethe sabre is shaped l ike the l eaf of that plant ; and by decompos ing the word ,we find sio, which sign ifies to conquer, and ban, to be defeated. Katana i s theusual te rm for sabre .

The Nobori , Kabonto, and S ioban-hatana, are taken from the doctrine of the

S i ntos . I n ancient t imes there was at the village of Fouka - kousa , i n theprovince of Yamassiro,

a temple of Fousi - no -Mori , belonging to the S intos ,the god of which , i n the work intituled Nifon- lco-hi , is named Kamo - no - wake

ikatsou ti - no - kami , or god of war.

In the first year Ten-wo (A.D.duri ng the re ign ofKwon- nin - ten - o, the

49thDai ri , a fleet of ships of war, from fore ign countri es , landed an army i nthe

provmce ofMonts , for the purpose of reducing Japan . The Dai ri gavethe command of the army , which he sent against the invaders , to h is son,

S ara - s in - o,and his two brothers , Iyo - s in - o and Momori - no - S in- o. P reviously

to h is departure, Sara - S in- o went to the templ e of Fousi - no - mori , to inform the

de i ty of h is march , and to implore h is aid . He defeated the enemy , anddestroyed the i r army . The three princes were in the sequel classed among thegods

. Ever S in ce that t ime i t has been customary to set up flags and armedfigures before the houses

,and to give boys sabres as toys , both to compl iment

the Dairi on the victory gained by h is sons , and to exci te in boys , from the i rch i ldhood

,a love of noble daring and a horror of coward ice .

The fourth festival i s cal led by the Japanese S itsseh, the seventh evening , orS etsch, the evening of stars , and is held on the even ing of the seventh day of

the seventh month . I t was i nsti tuted in honour of two constellations,namely

,

the Tana - bata, S iok - djo , or O ri - fime, the weaver- woman , and the Inkai , thedog - feeder, or Ken - giou , the herdsman . I t is founded on a Chinese fiction,

given in the work intitul ed R oy a- da

’

i - soez, from which the author of the Djoutsi -hie has extracted the fol lowing parti cularsTo the east of themilky way , called by the Chinese Ten-

ga, or Thian-ho, andby the Japanese Ama- no- gawa, celestial river, l ived S iok - djo, or Tana - bata, afemale of extraord inary beauty , and daughter of the emperor of the heavens .

FEASTS AND CEREMONIES . 1 37

'She employed herself in her sol itude in weaving a very fine stuff, wh ich“ the

Japanese call W ounmou - siaken- no-horomo, stuffofvapours or clouds . She wastednoneofher time in amusements or at her to il e t . The empero r, displeased atthis sol itary way of l ife , gave he r i n marriage to the genius of the constel lationInha

'

i , or Ken - giou , a very handsome personage , who l ived to the north of themilky way , and with whom she was permitted

,as a s ignal favour to reside.

She was so much pleased with th is new mode of l ife , that she neglected herwork . The emperor, enraged at this , separated her from her husband , andmade he r return to the east of the milky way ; but he al lowed themto cometogether once a year only , i n the Seventh n ight of the seventh month , for the

performance'

of the conj ugal rite . In consequence of this arrangement,these

two constel lations stil l continue to labour for the benefit of the world, whi chcauses them to be he ld in great venerat ion by the Chinese and Japanese , whoinvoke them

’

to obtain the bless ing of heaven , long l ife , wealth, and improvements in the arts and sciences . P regnant women implore the i r aid in childbirth : gi rls pray to them to ass ist them in the i r needle - work and embroidery ;boys , in the i r mechan ical occupat ions, studies , and poetry . A l l make offeringsto them ofwater, fire , incense , flowers , zakhi, sweetmeats , vegetables , melons ,water- melons

,needles , s ilken and hempen threads , epithalamiums , wedding

hymns,sonnets , and pieces of fine writ ing, according to the custom of the

country .The Ch inese call th is “ offe ring Kih-ho- ten. This festi val was first

kept by them under the emperor S i - no - boutei , and by the Japanese in the yearsTenpe

- djofo, or about 749 . The manner of ce lebrating i t is ‘ described in thework Yengi - sihi .We find in the Kouzi - Iron-

gcn-hi ,

' that on the seventh n ight of the seventh

month , at the court of the Dai ri , four tables are laid i n a sui table place inthe open ai r

. Several articles areplaced upon themby way of offe ring ; a vasew ith clean water, for the purpose of looking at the

”stars in it, and nine chandel iers in which candles are burned the whole n ight . Incense also is burnedin a small vesse l . Some of the best i nformed Japanese regard th is Chinesefiction as derogatory to the respect due to the god of the heavens ; but, i n

general

,these two constel lations are considered as having a great influence

over our globe , and they are called O - mono and Ta - natsou -mono . O -mono is aword ancientl y used at the court of the Dai ri , and synonymou s w ith Ori émono,

1 38 FEASTS AND CEREMONIES .

in the vulgar tongue,that is

,the art of making cloth . As very l ight robes are

worn in summer,these constel lations are thence denominated S iok - djo, or O ri

fime. Tanatsou smono s ign ifies seed- time : i t is composed of ta, arable land ;natsou ,

summer ; and mono, seed ; orwhatever is sown i n summer .I t was anciently the custom at the court of the Dai ri , to write annually onth is day

,pie ces ofpoetry of th irty - one characte rs on oblong or square b its of

paper ofdifferent colours , which were then fastened to the branches ofa greenbamboo

. This is sti l l done at the court of the Dai ri , and i n the five imperialc it ies

,Miyako , Yedo , Osaka, Sakai , and Nangasaki , i n the capitals of thes ixty - four provinces

,and in the palaces of the princes , among persons of infe rior

rank,and even by the lower classes ; or if they do not make Japanese or

Ch inese ve rses , they at leas t offer to these constel lat ions , fire , water, scentedtapers

,sweetmeats , melons , water - melons , and several k inds ofvegetab les , by

way of imploring health and happ iness, and return ing thanks for the prosperityof the emp ire .

The fifth festival i s the n inth of the n inth month , and is named Tchokio - nosekou

, or the double n ine . At the court of the Dai r i they amuse themselveswith drinking zahhi , d istil led from the flowers of mothe rwort This li quor 1 8thought to possess the property ofprolonging l ife.I t was formerly customary i n China to gather these flowers as soon as theyhad opened , and to mix the leaves and petals with bo i led ri ce , from which wasprepared a beverage that was used in celebrating th is festival .Accord ing to the account of the Chinese there formerly existed , ten mile s tothe north of th e province ofNanyo - no- rekken , a villag e ofthi rty houses , s ituatednear a hil l covered with motherwort , bearing beautiful yellow flowers . A t the

Motherwort is a Splendid odoriferous flower, ofwhichthere are three varieties ofdi fferent colours,

It is the Kiou -hoa. of the Chinese, who give this appell ation to various kinds 'of Chrysanthemum, and

particularly to the chrysanthemumindicum, a flowerhighl y esteemed in China, and celebrated by al l

the poetsofthat country .

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1 40 FEASTS AND CEREMONIES .

by turns , every year, solemn dances i n the great square ch il dren magn ificentlydressed perform these dances with great el egance and the utmost precis ion .

The dances are i n honour ofO - souva- sama , god of the S intos . The priests , followed by an immense concourse , escort the statue of the de ity to the

'

square,

where a spacious building has been e rected for i ts reception . The 8th is a dayof rest . On the 9th the dances are renewed ; after whi ch the god is carriedback to the temple with the following ceremon ies . Three i ron frying - pans arefill ed with bo il ing water, and into each is put a bunch of green bamboo - leaves

,

with which thewate r, cal led Ondate, i s sprinkl ed about the statue to drive awayevil daemons . For the same purpose

'

a priest on horseback keeps gal lopping toand fro , Shooting wi th a bow and arrows . Th is festival is part icularly appro

priated to this god , that , by his intercession , the trade with the Dutch andthe Chinese may be continued without inte rruption , and prove beneficial andlucrative to the inhabitants .

THE FEAST OF LAMPS OR LANTERNS .

BESIDES the five great festivals above - mentioned , there i s on the 1 5th of theseventhmon th a festival , cal l ed in the learned language , IVouran- bon, and inthe vulgar tongue merely bon, which s ignifies a dish or plate . On this occasioni t is customary to make offeri ngs for the souls ofdeceased relatives . The fes

t ival commences on the 1 3th , and lasts ti ll two in the morn ing ofthe 1 6th . I twas

'

ancientl y held S ix t imes a year, namely , on the 1 5th of the se cond month,

from four i n the afternoon til l noon the following day ; on the 1 5 thof the fifthmonth

, from'

sun- rise t il l ten in the morning of the 1 6th ; on the 1 4th of the7thmon th , from sun - rise till noon ofthe 1 6th on the 1 5th of the e ighth month

,

from e ight in the morn ing t i l l four i n the afternoon of the succeeding day ; onthe l 6thofthe n inth month , from ten in the morning til l four in the afternoonof the next day ; and lastly , on the 29thor 3othof the twelfth month

, fromnoon til l sunl rise on new - year‘s day .

I t i s several centuries '

since i ts cel ebration was l imited to the seventh month .

This festival belongs to the doctrine ofChakia, which was brought from Chinato Japan .

FEASTS AND CEREMONIES . 141

In the first volume of the book of hymns, called Bouts- setrou-wouran- bon-hio,which was translated in China from the Hindoo language into Chinese , bySanzo - t ik - fo, i s the follow ing trad itionThe mother of the priest

,Mok - ren - bikou , a d isciple of Chakia , descendedafte r her death to hel l to expiate her S ins : there She suffered extreme tormentfrom thi rst. Her son , who, by means of h is great knowledge , was acquai ntedwith things past

'

and to come , as well as with al l that occurred in heaven andhell

,endeavoured to procure her some food , and gave her a plate of ri ce , at

the s ight of which she was quite overj oyed ; but no sooner d id She raise al ittl e ofthe ri ce to her l ips , than i t was t ransformed into burning coals . Herson, see ing from th is world her new affli ction , went to consult Chakia , hismaster, on the means ofdel ivering his mother from the pun ishment 'which Shehad incurred by her imp iety , and rece ived the following answer Yourmother died in a state of rebel l i on against the Fotoke,

or gods ; you are notable s ingly to afford her any effectual rel ief; but on the 1 5th of the seventhmonth , assemble al l the priests , S ing hymns with them ,

and provide anoffering of a hundred d iffe rent k inds offood for the gods . Mok - ren followedChak ia’

s directions , and by th is means del ivered his mother.This festival was fi rst celebrated i n China, under the empe ror Go- kan - nomiti

, who re igned from the year fifty - e ight to seventy - five of the Christian era ;and in Japan under S iomou - ten - o, the fifty - fifthDai ri , i n the fifth year Tern-

pe,

or A D. 733 . I t soon spread over the whol e empi re . Lante rns are lightedover the graves

,i n the even ings of the 1 4th and 1 5 th, and kept burn ing ti ll ten

thenex t morning .

The priests ofChakia cal l th is festival W ouran- bon, and those of the S intos ,Tchou - gen , from tchou , middle , and gen,

beginn ing , to signify that a personon paying his debts in themiddle of th is month may begin to run up a freshscore . These days are very d isagreeable to many ofour interpreters , who , toavoid the i r creditors

, frequently remain day and night at B esima, because ,according to ancient custom , i t is not lawful to demand payment of the i r debtsexcepting on those days .Every Japanese , whose parents are sti l l l iving, considers this as a happyday

. People regale themselves and the i r ch ildren with fish , and wish oneanother a continuance ofgood health . Married sons and daughters , or adopted

1 42 FEASTS AND CEREMONIES .

children , send varnished boxes , containing fresh , sal ted , or dried fish,and

certai n d ishes ready cooked , to the i r parents , at the same time wish ing themhealth . I t was anc i ently the custom to follow the doctrine of the S intos inregard to all these ce remoni es , but the rites of Chakia have s ince begun to bem ixed with those of the S intos on th is occas ion .

A t Nangasak i , the fest ival i s opened at six i n the even ing of the 1 3thwithprayers to the soul s of the deceased . To th is end the tablets of parents andrelatives are taken out of the i r cases , and placed in a lateral apartment, wherethey are kept, called B outs- dun ; or they are put within the alcove in thehall

,where a repast i s set before them , in token of gratitude for al l that the

survivors are i ndebted to them . Green mats , made of the grass hay a,are

previously Spread out , on the two S ides of which are put ears of rice and mil let,

cul inary vegetables , and raw frui t , as beans , figs,pears

,chestnuts, hazel - nuts ,

horse - radish , and the earl ies t autumnal frui ts . In the middle i s set a smallvase , i n wh ich are burned pastils and other perfumes . Before th is vase areplaced

,on the one hand , a j ug full of pure water ; and on the other, a jug

wi th a green leaf of the rose - coloured water- l il y , on whi ch are put a l i ttl e rawrice and smal l square pieces of a Species of turn ip . Over the jug of water isl aid a bunch of hemp , which those who come to pray use for sprinkl ing theri ce and turnips . They address the i r prayers to the god Amida, muttering ahundred

, or even a thousand , t imes , the words Naman- doubt (Nami - amida - bouts"

or Amida "pray for us and implore h im to remove the deceased to a worldwhere he may enjoy perfect fel icityI n another vase are put branches of the tree cal led Fanna - siba, and other

beautiful flowers , and care is taken to keep lanterns l ighted up for two daysand three nights .On the morning of the 1 4th , the jug of water is taken away , and smal l cups

ful l of tea are placed in i ts stead ; these are fil led twice or thri ce a day foreach tablet ; before whi ch also are set two plates , covered with bo iled rice andother kinds of food , the one for breakfast and the other for dinner . In thei nterval between these two meals , various sorts of dainties , as la/rsa/r, cakes ,stewed mansi , sugar - loaves , do are , placed before the tabl et .

Towards evening they begin to l ight lanterns before each s i n k, or stoneere cted over the graves i n the burial grounds ; they are suspended from long

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1 44 FEASTS AND ' CEREMONIES

ofthem pass the place where our ships l i e at anchor . In spite of the guards;thousands of paupers rush into the water to secure the sepi/rhes, (or smallpie ces of copper money) , and othe r th ings placed in them . Next day theystrip the barks of all that is left, and the t ide carries them out to sea. Thusterminates this ce remony .

APPENDI"

T HE F I R S T PAR T .

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14-8 LEGAL SUICIDE OF THE JAPANESE.

towards the mat , draws h is sabre and cuts himself with i t across the belly,penetrating to the bowels . One of his confidential servants

, who takes hisplace beh ind h im , then strikes off his head . Such aswish to display superiorcourage , afte r the cross cut, i nfl i ct a second longitudinal ly , and then a th ird inthe throat . No disgrace is attached to such a death and the son succeeds toh is father’s place , as we see by several examples i n the Memoirs cf the

Djogouns.

When a person is conscious ofhaving comm itted some crime , and apprehens ive of be ing thereby d isgraced, he puts an end to h is own l ife , to spare h isfamily the rui nous consequences of j udicial proceedings . This practice i s socommon

,that s carcely any noti ce is taken of such an event. The sons of al l

peopl e of qual ity exerci se themselves i n the i r youth , for five or S ix years , witha view that they may perform the operat ion , in case of need , w ith gracefulnessand dexterity ; and , they take as much

.

pains to acqui re th is accompl ishmentas youth among us do’ to become elegant dancers , or sk ilful horsemen : hencethe profound contempt of death wh ich they imbibe even in the i r earl iest years ,This disregard ofdeath , which they prefe r to the sl ightest d isgrace , extends tothe very lowest classes among the Japanese .

W hile I was at Yedo i n 1 782, I was told of a circumstance which hadrecently happened in the palace of the pri nce of Satsouma. To the Sheath ofthe sabre is attached a small kn ife , the handle of wh ich proj ects a l i ttle in frontof the h il t , and is commonly embell ished with flowers and other ornaments i ngold

, of superior workmanship . The prince , one n ight on ret iring to bed , laidaside h is sabre ; next morn ing the knife had disappeared. There was noreason to suspect one person of the theft more than another. Inquiry wassecretly made of all the pawnbroke rs , to ascerta i n whether the knife hadbeen pl edged . Three days afterwards one of these tradesmen brought a knifeon which he had advanced money , and which was immediately known to bethat stol en from the prince . Al l hi s se rvants were summoned to appear beforethe pawnbroker, who instantly po inted out the man from whom he hadrece ived the knife . The culprit frankly confessed h is gui l t , and was com

manded to prepare for death . He repl ied , that he was quite ready ; onwhich he was led ou t into the court, and h is head cut off without fartherce remony .

FRAGMENTS OF JAPANESE POETRY 1 49

FRAGMENTS OF JAPANESE POETRY

THE Japanese suffer no event at all worthy of remark to pass without makingi t a subj ect for exercis ing the i r pass ion for poetry . To afford some idea of thenature of the i r poetical compos i tions and the energy of the i r language

,I

shal l here give some of the p ieces written on occasion of the death of

Yamassiro

Ki - ra re ta wa Przecidisse

Ba ka to si yo ri to Consil iarumminorem

Ki kou ta fa ya Nuper audivi ,

Yama mo 0 si ro mo Inmontis castel lo

Sa wa gou sin ban. Turbas ex citantem, novum custodem.

I have j ust learned that one of the new guards has excited a tumul t at thecastle

,by assass inat ing a counsel lor in h is madness.

Yamassiro

Candidam togam

Cruore tinctamR ubentemque consil iarium

Omnes viderunt .

The white robe of Yamassiro is dyed w i th b lood , and eve ry one cal ls himthe red counsel lo r. ”

The author attempted to furni sha l i teral translation of these Japanese verses, but finding it tood ifficul t a nundertaking,he gave a free

‘

translation in i ts stead. To ful filhi s intention, and to convey

a more correct idea of Japanese poetry , ofwhichthese stanzas are the first specimen publ ished inEurope, theeditor has annexed in Latin, verseby verse, the exact meaning whichthe reader maythus compare withthe paraphrase of the author.

1 50 FRAGMENTS OF JAPANESE POETRY.

A sou ma si no In v ia oriental i

San- no no wa tari ni Per Sanno v icam irruentes

Mi sou ma si te Aquze profluentes,

Ta no ma mo ki re te Terram lacunaeperfosserunt,O tsou rou ya ma si ro. R ui tquemontis castellum.

The torrent,which i n the eastern way runs through the v illage of Sanno ,

swelled , burst the dyke around the slough , and the castle on the mounta in wasoverthrown .

”

Fa tsi ou ye te Pretiosas in vasis arbores

Ou me ga sa kou ra- to Prunos et cerasos

Sa kou fan na wo Floribus amoenas

Ta re ta ki tsou ke te Quis in ignemprojeci t ?

San no ni ki ra se ta. Sanno quidem eas praecidit.

Who threw into the fire the plum and the cherry - trees,those valuable

trees,which are planted in boxes for the sake of the beauty of the i r flowers ?

It was Sanno , who cut them down .

K i ra re ta wa Prmcidi t (consil iarum)Ba ka do si yo ri to Vesanus concil iarius.

You oube ke u i Dicere possumus,

San no sin sa ye mi mou S i prius tal ia unquamaudiverimus,Ko re ga ten met . Hoc fuisse coel i mandatum.

A counsellor i n madness has been overthrown . If such a th ing was everheard of, i t woul d be said to be a judgment of heaven .

R emarks on theprecedzitg S tanzas.

Bait-a tori y ori . A n extraordinary counsellor i s cal led Walra tosi y ori, or youngcounsel lor ; the change in the first l e tter of h is name gives th is new significa

t ion and th is play upon words shows how much he was d isl iked .

Yama siro no. Yama means a mountain , siro a castle no i s a particl e whichhas no s ign ificat ion , but serves to give fulness and elegance to the language :i t is used both in prose and verse .

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FRAGMENTS or JAPANESE POETRY.

Under Go- foukakousa- no - in, the e ighty - e ighth Dai ri , Fos io - toki - yor i was primem inister to Yori - tsougou and Moune - taka - sin- o, Djogouns of Kamakoura.

During his admin istration the empi re flourished , and the people , maintained inthe possess ion of the i r j ust rights , were contented and happy. I n the 1 1 thmonth of the eighth year Ken- t

'

clzo (A. Tok i - yori , hav ing formed theplan of travers ing the empi re , to asce rtain by ocular

'

demonstration, whethe rthe accounts transm i tted to himfrom all parts were

'

correct, res igned h is post infavour ofhis son,

Tok i - moune , then six years old , appo inting Naga - tok i andMasamoura to perform i ts functions t i ll h e was of sufficient age . He then reti red tothe templ e of Sal - mio - si , and shut h imself up in an apartment into which heforbade any pe rson

'

whateve r to be admitted. In the second year Djo- ko

(A. D. he caused a reportofhis death and that ofN ika’

ido - s inano - noudo,

h is counse llo r of state who accompan ied him in h is seclusion , to be circulated .

The news plunged the whole empi re into consternation and mourn ing. Hethen put h is des ign in execut ion , and spent three years in vis it ing every partof the empi re w ith Nika’ido , both hab ited as pri ests , to avo id incurring anysuspicion .

Just afte r he had reached the village of Sanno , a deep snow fell , and prevented h im from continuing h is route . He knocked at the door of a thatchedcottage , and sol i c ited hospital i ty for one night. A good woman , who openedthe door, said , that he shou ld be welcome to i t for he r part,but i t did notdepend on her ; that her maste r was gone out, and she would run and fetchhim . The mas te r, when he returned , represented to the priest that his housewas very small , and in so bad

'

a state of repair that he would pass the 'n ightve ry uncomfortably i n i t : he , therefo re , advised him to go e ighteen streets *farthe r, to the vi llage of Yamamatto, where he Would

'

find’

several goodhouses , i n which he would be much bette r accommodated . The priest, however,urged the impossibi l ity ofproceed ing farther i n so dark a n ight,

' and the maste rat length agreed to rece ive him , on his assurance , that he

‘should be satisfiedwith ever so i ndifferen t a lodging. The woman set before h im some boiledmillet , with an excuse for not giving him rice. as she

'should have done formerlyin her bette r days . The priest repl ied , that mille t was his favouri te d ish .

The Japanese use the word street (matche) , as the measure ofdistances.

FRAGMENTS OF JAPANESE POETRY. 1 53

W hi le they conversed together, the night advanced , and the cold became moresevere . They had neither bedd ing to offer to protect him from the cold

,nor

wood to make a fire . I n this dilemma, they dete rmined to cut down the treeswhich wereplanted in boxes before the house . The priest , perce iving the ir intent ion, i nsisted that they should not carry i t into execution , say ing , that one ofh isprofession 'ought not to care about hunger and cold , or even about ly ing in theopen ai r ifocca‘s ion requi red . He desired to see the trees ; his host brought them .

This is al l that i s left me ,” said he , ofmy former prosperity . I had a greatnumber of them but when I was reduced to poverty I gave them tomy friends ,with the exception of these three , which I most were an arms or

plum - tree,a sa/coura, or cherry , and a mats, or fir- tree) ; but I shall now cut

them down to warm you . The priest thanked h im for his k indness , but againbegged him not to think of cutting down the trees . The owner, neverthelescarri ed them out of the house , cut them down , made a fi re

,and invited his

guests to draw near and warm themselves . Toki - yori expressed his regret atwhat he had done for h im , and in the course of conversation asked his name .

His host refused for some time to informhim; but , at l ength , unabl e to res is tthe importun ities of the priest , he told him that he was Sanno - gen - sayemon

tsoune-

yo, son of Sanno - sabro -masa~ tsoune . The priest manifested aston ishment . Sanno - sabro , said he , was a weal thy nobleman ; how happens i tthat you are so poor ? ” My uncl e , Sanno - toda

,

” repl i ed h is host,secre tly

assass inated my father , and made the Djogoun bel i e ve that i n a paroxysm of

i nsan ity he had put an end to his own l ife ; he then turned me out of doors ,and i t is th is that has made me so poor. I have been more than once tempted tok ill himto revenge my father ; but he is a man of consequence , and always su rrounded by so many servants , that i t i s impossible to get at h im . W hil erelating these parti culars he shed a flood of tears, as did also the female . Thetwo strangers wept with them . Toki - yori asked why he had not preferred hiscomplaint at Kamakoura. He repl ied , he had learned with great sorrow thatToki - yori was dead , and that the other counsellors of state no longer governedwith such equi ty as he had done . Though I am poor

,

” added he , I havestil l a cui rass , a nage- nata ( curved sabre with a long hilt) , and a bay horsewherewith to hasten to the aid of the Djogoun i n case war should befal Kamakoura.” The priest , surprised at al l he heard, exhorted h im to patience , and

1 54 FR AGMENTS OF JAPANESE POETRY.

held out tohimhopes of bette r t imes . While they were thus convers ing,day

light appeared , the travel le rs look leave of the i r k ind ente rta iners,and pur

sued the i r way .

Tok i - yori , having finished his tour, re- appeared al l at once at the courtof Kamakonta . Th is unexpe cted return overjoyed the people

, who hadbel i eved h im to be dead . The fi rst thing he did was to send for Sanno - todatsoune- yos i and h is relatives , and also for Sanno -

gensayemon- tsoune-

yo .

After a minute examination , he found that the story of the latte r was stri ctlytrue , and caused Sanno - toda and one of his k insmen , who was accessary to hiscrime , to be beheaded on the sea - shore. He restored to Gensayemon al l theestates wh ich had belonged to h is father, and gave h im in addition the vil lagesof Oumeda, i n the province of Kaga, Sakoura—i , in th e province of Yetchou ,

andMatsou - yeda, i n the province Kotsouk i * , i n allusion to the three trees ,oume, sa/roura,

and mats, wh ich he had cut down to warm h is guests .P lum and cherry trees are h ighly esteemed in Japan on account of the i r

flowers . B eh ind almost al l houses are to be seen some of these dwarf t rees , i nboxes

,and in th e apartments of persons i n easy ci rcumstances , a porcelain

vase with a branch i n flower. The poet h ere al ludes to Yamassiro, as thoughhe would say : Who cut down the b eloved tree of Tanomo?—Sanno .

S insay emimon. The n i n the first syllabl e , taken from sin, makes 35, before ;say e, one has not ; mi , eve r ; mo, heard by leaving out the lette r mi, i t makesthe name of Simay emon, which is pronounced S insaimon.

Tenmoi . W hen any misfortune befals a person , i t is customary to say

tenmei—it i s a pun ishment of heaven . When any one has committed a crimewhich cannot be clearly proved , and some m ishap afte rwards overtakes h im ,

the same express ion i s employed , Here i t al ludes to the m isch ief done byYamassiro i n abusing h is power, and the time when he was punished for i t ,which was the fourth year ten-mei or ten-mio.

Kaga and Yetchou are t wo provi nces on the northcoast of N ifon, to the southof Cape Noto ;Kotsouki li esmore to the south- east, in the centre of the same island.

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1 56 FRAGMENTS OF JAPANESE POETRY.

I n these l ines,those months which have th irty days are i n R oman letters ,

namely,mou,

the 6th; sio, the l st ; m'

, the 2d ; nanats, the 7th; si , the 4th;hou ,

the 9th; and simo, the l l th. Al l the othe rs , i n I tal i c l etters , have buttwenty - n ine

S tanzas to the tune of anold Bal lad, called Outai , composed on Gansayemon, whose

memory is still respected on account of his humanity .

I de so no to ki niFa si no gi va

To no ma ya sanno ni

Ki ra reta yo na

Sono fin pa 0

Kan no ni o- ota

Yetchou u i sakou ra da

0 ote ni songi yama

Ava si te sanga

S io no san ki sou

Chi chi san sa u i

Ita rou ma de

So o mo a ri so na

Z i zits nosio

Tango ni tori tsouki

Kag o ni no ri te zo ro.

A t th is time an event ofgreat importance occurred . Tonoma was slai n bySanno

’

near the pal ace : hewas going with Kanno , O - ota, Yetchou , and Sougiyama

, from the back door towards the front door. His father was deeplyaffl icted at th is circumstance . I t was so decreed ; his time was come . Tangosupported and conducted h im to h is carr i age .

Jeux d’

espri t of this kind, whichmay be compared to our rebuses and charades, are very

common in the poetry of the Chinese. It isobvious that i tmust be very easy to compose them in a

language, in whicheachsyl lable, taken separately , may have many different signi fications. TheJapanese find the same facili ty in forming double entendres, by employ ing the pronunciationsattached among them to the Chinese characters. The words of their native language al so furnishoccasion for numerous allusions, asmay be seen in the preceding specimen.

In illo temporeR esmagni momenti (evenit)Tonoma a Sanno.

Prostratus cecidit .

Prope regiam.

Kanno et Qota.

Et Yetchou ab ostio postico (pal atu)Ad portamanteriorem Songi - yamaS imul pergebant.Vulneratus est triplici loco.

Pater ejusmiser

Factus est hoc (casu) .S ic profecto

Bjushora advenerat .

Tango superbiens

Ad currum cumdux it.

FRAGMENTS OF JAPANESE - POETRY. 1 57

R emarks on the preceding S tanzas.

The name of the extraordinary counsellor of state was Kanno - totomi - nokami .The name of the extraordinary counse llor of state O - ota B lengo - no- kami .The name of the pri nce of Figo , Fosokava Yetchou - no - kami .Songi yama tonoske, keeper of the . inner chamber ( Ohonando) , i n which thewardrobe of the Djogoun is depos i ted .

The extraordinary counsel lo r of state , Yone - koura - tango - no - kami - masa~

farou .

1 58 DIVISION OF THE YEAR

DIVISION OF THE YEAR AMONG THE

JAPANESE.

The Japanese divide the year into twelve months , each of wh ich has twosub - divis ions of fifteen days d istinguished by d ifferent names . The twentyfour hours are d ivided into one hundred parts , and the day and n ight contain a

g reate r or less number of them , accord ing as the sun is approaching or w ithd rawing from the equator, wherever there is a hundredth deficient, that hundredthi s again d ivided into one hundred parts .

This method of cal culat io n w i l l be bette r i l lustrated by an example . Weshall take the year 1783.

The sun i s 30 days i nAries, and th is pe riod is denom inatedViz . 1 5 days , (50 to the day , and 50 to the n ight) cal led1 5 days , (52 to the day , and 47 to the night) , cal led

30 days in Taurus1 5 days , (55 to the day , and 44 to the n ight)1 5 days , (57 to the day , and 42 to the night)

30 days in Gemini1 5 days , (58 to the day , and 41 to the night)1 5 days , (59 to the day , and 40 to the night)

30 days in Cancer1 5 days , (60 to the day , and 40 to the n ight)1 5 days , (59 to the day , and 40 to the night)

30 days in Leo,1 5 days , (58 to the day , and 4 to the n ight)1 5 days , (57 to the day , and 42 to the n ight)

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1 60 DIVISION OF THE YEAR

The year called i n Japanese tosi or nen,‘ is thus d iv ided into twent y - four

periods,which form the four seasons . Spring , wh ich is the first , al ways

begins with I/its- siun.In 1 783 these periods were fixed at the following

days

FAROU—Spring .

month , Feb .

March

NA'

rs—S ummer.

June

Ant—Autumn.

AMONG THE JAPANESE . 1 6 1

FOU - vU—W inter.

from the 1 2th the l othmonth27th

1 3th

28th

1 4th29th

the'

Japanese have lunar years , the proportion is continually vary ing .

Afte r a period of thi rty - three months , there comes a year of th i rteen months .

Thus , i n 1 778 , the re was a hou -

gouats, or n inth month and an ouro-hougouats, orn inth inte rcalary month ; i n 1 781 , a go-

gouats, orfifth month and an ouro-

go-

gouats ,

and in 1784 a djo-

gouats and an ouro- djo-

gouats, or first intercalary month .

1 st of djo-

gouats was on Feb . 8 .

It has been observed that, i n general , on the 2l 0thor 22othday after thefi rst of the djo-

gouats, there is a severe tempest ; and when i t does not happenpeop le are accustomed to congratulate one anothe r .

The twelve signs of the zod iac are named in Japanese as follows

1 . Ne The R at’ A ries .

2 . Ous The Cow . Taurus .3 . Terra The T ige r Gemin i .4 On, the abbreviation of Ousagi The Hare Cancer .

1 62 DIVISION OF THE YEAR

The four card inal po ints are : Figassi , east ; Nisi , west ; Kita,north ;

south .

The names of the seven planets are

Genats , theMoonKoua

,Mars, or the planet of fire

Sou ’

i , V enus , or the planet ofmetalMok , Jupite r , or the planet ofwoodKin , Mercury , or the planet of wate rDo Saturn , or the planet of the earthNitj i , the Sun.

W i th the exception of the sun and moon , they are al l according to thework i nt ituled S in- daz- no-mahi , chi ldren of the gods , Isanagi - no - sanami - nomikotto .

L ike the ancient Lat ins , and the modern French , they dist inguish

of the week by the names of the seven planets , and say

MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday

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1 64 DIVISION OF THE YEAR

The eleventh month , i n which the sun enters the winte r solstice , wasanciently held to be the fi rst month , because the sun i s then to the north , andbelow the earth . The same custom formerly obtained in China . The i r cycle

,

or space of s ixty years , begins , however, with Torra - no - tsenki . This methodof computation has been adopted in China by the princes and the re igningdynasty .

Here fol low the names of the cycle of s ixty , whichare composed of those ofthe cycle of ten , comb ined withthe cycle of twelve

1 . 1 . K i - no -

ye

2 . 2 . K i - no- to - no3 . 3 . P i - no -

ye

4. Fi - no - to - no5 . 5 . Tsoutsi - no -

ye

6 . 6 . Tsoutsi - no - to - no7 7 . Kan - no -

ye

8 . Kan - no - to - no9 . 9 . Misou - no -

ye

1 0 . 1 0 . Misou - nor to- no

1 1 . l l . K i - no -

ye

1 2 . 1 2 . K i - no - to - noP i - no-

ye

1 4. Fi - no - to - no1 5 . Tsoutsi - no -

ye

1

2

3

4. Tsoutsi - no - to - no

1 7. 5 . Kan - no -

ye

6

7

8

9

1 8 . Kan - no - to - no1 9. Misou - no -

ye

20 . Misou - no - to- no21 . K i - no -

ye

22. 1 0. K i - no - to - no1 1 . Pi - no -

ye

24 . 1 2 . P i - no - to - no25 . 1 . Tsoutsi - no-

ye

Tsoutsi - no- to- no

AMONG THE JAPANESE.

Kan - no -

ye

Kan - no - to - noMisou - no-

ye

Misou - no- to - noK i - no -

ye

K i - no - to - noFi - no -

ye

Fi - no - to - noTsoutsi - no -

ye

Tsoutsi - no - to -no

Kan - no -

ye

Kan - no - to - noMi sou - no -

ye

Misou - no - to - noK i - no-

ye

K i - no - to - noP i - no -

ye

Fi - no - to - noTsou tsi - no -

ye

Tsou tsi - no - to - noKan - no -

ye

Kan - no - to - no

Misou - noryeMi sou - no - to - noK i - no -

ye

K i - no - to - no

Fi - no -

ye

P i - no - to - noTsou tsi - no -

ye

Tsou tsi - no - to - noKan - no -

ye

Kan - no - to - noMisou - no -

ye

Mi sou - no- to - no

1 65

1 66 DIVISION OF THE YEAR

The twenty - four hours are tw ice d ivided into six periods,each of which i s

subdivided into e ight , wh ich , l ike the e ight po ints of the compass , have d i fferent names

Kohonots is ourKohonots-fan

Kohonotsfan- souhi

Kohonotsfan- souhi -may e

Yaats

Nanats

Mouts- douhi

Itsous

Yoots

then come again toKohonots ormousdoehi midnight .

The i r almanacs contain , l ike ours , a l ist of remarkable events , and the t imewhich has elapsed s ince those events . Thus we find i n that for the th ird yearNengo, or the year ten-mi , 1 783, that there had then elapsed

From the first Dai ri , Tsin - mou - ten - o

From the conquest of the CoreaFrom the death ofTaiko - samaFrom the conquest of the Lioukoueo I slands by the prince of

Satsouma 1 73

From the arrival of the first Dutch ship (June 2 , 1 609) 1 74

From the death ofGongin- sama 1 62

From the foundation of the establ ishment on the isl e ofB es ima 1 44

From the departure of the Dutch from Firando 1 43

From the re ign of the Djogoun, Yeye - farou 24

The almanac is always composed at the court of the Dai ri by the R ekFakassi .

The Japanese have compasses with twe lve po ints, corresponding with thetwelve s igns of the Zodiac, beginning w ith the north , or the R at : in wh ich

noon and midnighthalf-past twelveone

5 pas t 1

$

63

e

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AMONG THE JAPANESE . 1 67

parti cular they agree w ith the Chinese . In the almanac for the year of theHare, al ready ment ioned , we find the follow ing precautions enj oined to beobservedWhatever is oppos ite to the north must be shut this year. When a person

,

for i nstance , has occas ion to go to some place ly ing to the north , he must, onl eaving home , first bear a l i ttle to the east or south , afte r which he may pursuehis route .

P regnant women must th is year take care not to l ie - in oppos ite to theous- no-fo, or point of the cow .

Th is year, all between the points of the serpent and the horse is open,

that is , fortunate ; therefore , i n pray ing , people must turn towards the south ,wh ich l ies between the po ints consecrated to those two animals .In sowing th is year, the husbandman must not face the north .

In removing from one house to another, beware of approaching the torriuofo, or po int of th e cock .

On the second or third of the fi rst moon , seamen set up i n thei r vessels abranch of fir, su rrounded with a band of straw

,to whi ch they fasten several

things,as grass , crabs , ri ce , salt, corn , do. I t is an offering made to the god

of the vessel,that they may prosper i n the course of the year . This offering

is cal led Tamafouma- dama - sama, or offering to the god of the ship ; for eachvessel i s supposed to be under the influence of a tutelary spiri t .When the almanac forb ids persons to remove or to sai l towards any of thetwe lve po ints

,they direct thei r course on fi rst setting out towards a different

po int,which is sufficient to prevent m isfortune : afte r this they pursue the

di rect ion wh ich they have occasion to take .Beware thi s year ofmarry ing a woman from a country s i tuated towards the

in- uofo, or poi nt of the dog .

'

During th is year, persons must not sheet or throw directly towards thepo int of the sheep with the bow , musket, or lance .

This year avoid performing the natural evacuations facing the point ofthe cow. I t is forb idden in l ike manne r to rece ive cattl e from that point .These almanacs are also fill ed with predictio ns of the weathe r and winds

,

and marks for lucky and unlucky days , to wh ich regard must be paid in everykind of bus iness .

1 68 W EIGHTS AND COINS .

REMAR K SON THE

WEIGHTS AND CO INS OF JAPAN, do.

IN Japan , income and revenue are always computed by bales,manholrf.

Each bal e contains 334gantings, and weighs 82 or 83 cattis. The catti i sone pound and a quarte r . There is no other measure than the ganting for al lart i cles , whether dry or l iqu id .

Three bales of ri ce , each estimated at two taels in the calculat ion of i ncome ,make one hohf or koban, The succeed ing sums are the result of decimalmultipl i cat ion . Thus

S i - kokf kokf or kobans .Fiak - kokf

S in- kokf

AMan- kokf

A S iou - manA Fiak - manA S in- man

The val ue of the hoban has cons ide rably varied . There are old kobans of

24 florins , and others of 1 9 . The bounrolr hoban i s equi valent to 1 4 florins8 " st ivers

,but the i r value is sometimes h igher by from 1 5 to 23 stivers . The

new koban , at present in ci rculation , is worth 1 2 or 1 3 florims , according to thepri ce of gold . The taé

'

l of s i lver is an imaginary money , of the value of aboutfour sh i ll ings* .

As the author has neglected to express i n this work the val ue of Japanese sums in Europeanmoney , and to distinguishthe kobans of different periods, there is some uncertainty in regard to thevaluationswhichthe editorhas subjoined to the tex t.

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DUTCH FACTORY AT NANGASAKI. 1 69

E" PLANATION

OF THE

PLAN OF THE DUTCH FACTORY AT NANGASAKI.

1 . FACTORY of the Olando (Dutch) , on the island of Desima, ( AdvancedIs land2 . In the th irteenth year ofKouan - young the island ofDesima was

set apart for the abode of the Barbarians of the south , who rece ived permissionto settl e there for the purposes of commerce .

3. The first arrival ofthe Dutch in Japan, was in the seventh year ofKhing

tchang Thei r pr ivileges were confirmed to them by Gongin i n 1 609 .

Thei r establ ishment was afte rwards removed to Nangasak i . This took placei n the e ighteenth year ofKouan - young

4 . From the easte rn to the southern angle the distance is th i rty - five measures (ofabout e ight Japanese feet) ; from the southern to the western angleone hundred and e ight from the northern to the western angle th irty - five, andfrom the northern to the easte rn angle n inety - six .

[The measure here mentioned must be equal to about eight Japanese feet ,s ince Kampfer states the island ofDesima to be six hundred feet long and twohundred and . forty broad That author assures us that he measured i t himself,and found its greatest breadth to be eighty - two ordinary paces

, and i ts extreme length two hundred and th irty - six ]

5 . S treet of the Wate r Gate .

6 . Offi ce of the sub - governor .

This island is thus named, because i t projects beyond Nangasaki . See the plan of that city in

Kampfer’sHistory ofJapan, book iv .

1 70 DUTCH FACTORY AT NANGASAKI.

7 . Barri e r.8 . Gate ofHonour.9 . Aqueducts .1 0 . Parte rres .l l . Bas ins .1 2 . Galle ries for taking the ai r .1 3 . S tables for oxen .

1 4. W alk planted w ith bamboos .1 5: House of the quarter - maste r.1 6 . Inte rprete r’s house .

1 7 . B es ima mats , orB es ima- street .1 8 . Washing - place .

1 9 . Guard - houses .20 . Water - gates .I t may not be am iss to follow up thi s short explanation with the description

of the island of B esima by Kampfer . Th is description accords exactly withthe plan here given afte r that ofM. Ti tsingh, as may easily be asce rtained uponcomparing the one with the other . Scheuchzer, who translated Kampfer’s workinto Engl ish , says moreover , that, in the original manuscript of the Germanauthor

,there were references which he omitted

,because they related to a plan

which was not to be found among K'

a'mpfer’s pape rs and drawings . I t may ,therefore

,be useful to supply th is involuntary emission,

and to annex to theplan given by M. Titsingh, a description wh ich forms a necessary aecom

paniment .

The place where the Dutch res ide is called B esima, that is , the AdvancedIsland

, or the island s ituated befo re the town . The Japanese somet imes cal li t B esima mats, or B esima - street, because it i s re ckoned among the streets of

Nangasak i , and is subj ect to the same regulations . It i s not far from the city ,and has been artificially formed in the sea, which hereabout is full of rocks andsand - banks , and very shallow . The foundations

,to the he ight of a fathom and

a halfor two fathoms , are of hewn stone , and at flood tide are about half afathom above the surface of the water. In figure i t nearly resembles a fanwithout a handle : i t i s an oblong square

,the two longest s ides ofwhich are

segments ofcircles , commun icat ing w ith the ci ty by a smal l stone bridge , a few

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DUTCH FACTORY AT NANGASAKI. 1 7 1

paces ' i n l ength,at the extremity of which there is a handsome guard - house

,

where sent inels are constantly on duty . On the south s ide of the island ' aretwo great gates

,called the water - gates , whichare never opened but to load

and unload the Dutch ships , i n the presence of a certain number of commissioners appointed by the governor . The whole island is surrounded with dealboards carried up to a tolerable he ight ,” and covered with a small roof, at thetop of which is fixed a double row of spikes , very much l ike what we cal lchevaux - de-frise : the whole is i n gene ral weak , and incapabl e of resi stance incase of necessi ty . In the water , a few paces from the island , are placed thi rteen very high poles , at a reasonable distance from each other, with smallboards fastened to the top , upon which is written in large Japanese charactersthe order of the governors , forbidd ing , under the severest penal ties , al l vessels and craft to pass these po les and approach the island . A t the end of thebridge next to the ci ty is a place buil t with hewn stone

,where the ord inances

and decrees of the emperor, and the orders of the governors , written on al ike number ofboards , are posted . One of these orders relates to the guard ,and another is addressed to the officers of the street of Decima, and to al lpersons who have business there , and who are obl iged to go and return th isway I t is usually reckoned that the area ofour island i s equal to that ofa stadium , be ing six hundred feet i n length and two hundred and forty i nbreadth . One wide stre et runs the whole length of the island : there is also apath all round i t , along the deal fence by which i t is enci rcled . This path maybe closed if necessary . The water from the gutte rs runs off into the sea bymeans ofnarrow curved pipes , made so on purpose , l es t any thing should besmuggled away from the i sland , whi ch , i t is supposed , might easily be done ifthe pipes were straight. The stree t which runs the length

'

of the island is theonly one that has houses on e i ther s ide . Thesehouses were buil t at the expenseofsome of the i nhabi tants of Nangasak i , to whom we are obl iged to pay ,according to s the original contract, a yearly rent of siumone, a sum exceeding the value of the fee s imple . Al l the houses , which are of wood , chieflydeal

,are moreover extremely crazy . They are one sto ry high : the ground

floors serve for warehouses . W e l ive in the upper floor, which we are obl igedto furnish at our own cost , with coloured paper instead of tapestry , accord ingto the custom of the country ; to find mats to cover the floor, and doors and

Z 2

1 72 DUTCH FACTORY AT NANGASAKI.

locks , i f we would w ish to secure our effects , and to shut up o ur chambers atn ight. The other bu ildings upon our i sland are , three guard - houses

,one at

each end , and the other i n the m iddle a place close to th e entrance where arekept al l the i nstruments ne cessary for extingu ish ing fire , and small we llswhich have been dug to procure wate r : these are cove red with planksnai l e d onso that they may be easi ly removed in case of need . A ll the waterused by us for cul inary and otherordi nary purposes comes from the rive r whichruns through the city i t i s conveyed by pipes made of bamboos

,and discharges

itself i nto a rese rvo ir bu i lt on the island . For this supply of water we payseparately . The India company have ere cted at the i r expense

,at the back of

the great street , an ed ifice desti ned for the sale of our merchandise , and twofire- proof warehouses : for those which I have already ment ioned as occupyingthe ground - floors of the houses , are exposed to ra in and fire , and are scarce lysafe from robbers . The island contains also a spacious kitchen , a hab itat ionfor the deputies appo inted by the governors to superintend our commerce ; ahouse for the inte rprete rs , who are wanted only during the time of our salesa k itchen and pleasure - grounds a place for wash ing l inen and other things ; afew private gardens , and a bath . The ottona, or principal office r of the streethas l ikewise a house and garden to h imself. There has been left a vacantspace where shops are erected and kept standing the whol e time that our sh ipsare i n the port . There i s also a corne r set apart , i n which the cords andvarious implements necessary for pack ing goods are kept.A plan of the res idence of the ch ief of the Dutch factory from a drawi ng

found amongM. Ti tsingh’

s papers, i s anne xed .

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1 74 CHINESE FACTORY AT NANGASAKI.

1 7 . Chapel of the guard ian spi ri t of the country .

1 8 . Chapel ofKouan- in (Awalohi tes- chouara) .

1 9 Fi rst warehouse . The othe rs , to the number of twelve , are ranged to theleft of i t, the th irteenth standing in the rear of the chapel of the GuardianSpi ri t . The numbers are seen on the doors ofthe warehouses .

JA P A N .

PAR T S ECOND.

DESCRIPTION OF THE CEREMONIES CUSTOMARY IN JAPAN AT MARRIAGES

AND FUNERALS ; PARTICULARS CONCERNING THE DOSIA

POWDER , dire.

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1 78 INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND PART.

tai nty ofbe ing enabled to gratify the i r curiosity w ith the s ight of numberlessobj ects that we re wholly unknown to them .

This state of things formed bold and experienced sai lors, and at the same

time so ldiers , not surpassed in bravery by those of the most warl ike nations ofIndia .

The Japanese , accustomed from the ir i nfancy to hear the accounts of theheroi c achievements of the i r ancestors , t o rece ive at that early age the i r firstinstruction i n those books whi ch re cord the i r explo its , and to imb ibe , as i twere

, W i th the i r mother’s m i lk the i ntoxi cating love of glo ry , made the art ofwar the i r favouri te study . Such an education has , i n all ages , trained upheroes ; i t excited in th e Japanese that pride which is noticed by al l thewri ters who have treated of them , as the distinguish ing characteristi c of thewhol e nation .

Having a keen sense of the sl ightest insul t , which cannot be washed awaybut with blood

,they are the more d isposed to treat one another i n the i r

mutual inte rcourse w ith the highest respe ct . Among them suicide,when

they have incurred d isgrace or humil iat ion , i s a general practi ce , which sparesthem the ignominy ofbe ing pun ished by others

,and confers on the son a right

to succeed to h is fathe r’s post . A s with us , the graceful performance of certai n bod ily exe rcises , i s considered an accompl ishment essential to a l ibe raleducat ion

,so among them , i t is i nd ispensably necessary for al l those who , by

the i r b i rth or rank , aspi re to digni ti es , to understand the art of r ipping themselves up l ike gentlemen . To attain a due proficiency in th is operation

,

which requ i res a practi ce ofmany years , i s a principal po int i n the education of

youth . I n a country where sometimes a whol e family is involved in the m isconduct. of one of i ts members , and where the l ife of every i ndividual frequentlydepends on the e rro r of a moment, i t i s absolutely requis ite to have theapparatus for suicide constantly at hand, for the purpose of escaping d isgracewhi ch they dread much more than death itself. The detai ls of the permanenttroubl es reco rded in the i r annals , and the accounts of the firs t conquests oftheDutch in India, furnish the most compl ete proofs of the courage of the Japanese .

The law ,which has s ince forbidden al l emigrat ion , and closes the i r country

against strangers , may have taken away the food which nourished the ir int repidity , b ut has not exti nguished it : any crit ical event would be sufficient to

INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND PART 1 79

k indle the i r martial sent iments,which danger would but serve to inflame , and

the citizen would soon be transformed i nto a hero .

The exti rpation of the Cathol i c rel igion , and the expulsion of the Spaniardsand Portuguese , caused dreadful commotions in Japan for a number of years .The sanguinary war which we (the Dutch) carried on with those two nations,who were too zealous for the propagation of Christian i ty , and the difference ofour rel igion , procured us the l iberty of trading there , to the exclus ion of

all the other nations ofEurope . The Japanese,perce iving that i ncessant sed i

t ions were to be apprehended from the secret intrigues of the R oman Cathol ics ,and the numerous converts made by them , found at length that i n o rder tostrike at the root of the evi l , they ought to apply to the Dutch , whose flag wasthen the te rror of the Indian seas .The bold arrest of governor Nuy ts, at Fayoan, in 1 630, showed them thatthe point of honour might every moment i nvolve them in quarrels for the purpose of revenging the insul ts wh ich the i r subj ects might sufl'

er i n fore ign countries or at sea. The decree of the Djogoun, which confi scated the arms of thepeopl e of Sankan , wounded the vanity of the Japanese . Numbers of malefactors , to avo id the pun ishment due to the i r crimes , turned pirates , and chieflyi nfested the coast of China, the government of which made frequent complaints on the subj ect to that of Japan . The n ine Japanese vessels , thentrading wi th l i censes from the Djogoun, were to be furn ished with Dutchpassports and flags

,i n cas e of the i r fall ing in e ither wi th Chinese cor

sairs, or with our sh ips cruis ing against those of the Spaniards ofManilla and

the Portuguese atMacao . The res idence of Japanese in fore ign countriesrende red the i r government apprehens ive that i t would never be abl e enti relyto exti rpate popery . These various considerat ions induced the Djogoun, i n thetwelfth year of the nengo aaouj e to decree the penalty of death againstevery Japanese who should qu i t the country : at the same time the mostefficacious measures were taken i n regard to the construction ofvessels . The

dimensions were so regulated,that i t became imposs ibl e to quit the coast with

out i nevitable danger.Cu t off from all other nations

,encompassed by a sea l iabl e to hurricanes , not

l ess tremendous for the i r suddenness than their viol ence , and thereby securedfrom the continuance ofhosti le fleets in these parts

,the Japanese gradually

2 A 2

1 80 INTRODUCTION To THE SECOND PART.

turned the ir whole attention to the i r domestic affairs . The ir respect for theDutch by degrees d iminished . A mortal blow was given to our importancei n this country by the removal of our establ ishment from Firando to Nangasak i in 1 640, the ch ief Obj ects of wh ich were , 1 . To afford some rel i ef to theinhabi tants of that imperial ci ty , who , s i nce the expuls ion of the Spaniards andPortuguese , were daily becoming more and more impoverished ; 2 . To keep usmore dependent, by placing us under the superintendence Of the i r governoFor the sake of our commerce , we pati ently submitted to the destruction ofour recently erected store - houses , th e heavy expense incurred by the removaland ou r Impr i sonment i n the island of B es ima, where the Portuguese had the i rbu ild ings

,and which we had heretofore i n deris ion denominated the ir dungeon .

The humil iating treatment to which they then fi rst subjected us , according toour records of those times , caused the Japanese to remark that they might acttowards us i n a stil l more arbitrary manner .Having no ‘i dea of the gove rnments Of Europe , ignorant that the m ightiest

empires there owe the i r greatness and the stab il ity of the i r power to the benigni nfluence Of commerce alone , the Japanese hold the mercantil e p rofess ion incontempt , and consider the farmer and the artisan as more useful members Ofsoci e ty than the merchant . The l i ttl e respect that still continued to be paidus was at length wholly withdrawn , on the reduct ion Of the island ofFormosaby Cox inga. A native of Firando, and carrying on an extensive commerce atNangasak i , Cox inga sol ici ted ass istance from the court of Yedo against theChinese . Miko - no - komon - sama, great - grandfather of the

fl prince of Firando

i n my t ime , supported h im with al l h is influence . The Djogoun rejected h isappl ication, because he would not embro il himselfwith that empi re . Cox inga,

attack ing the Ch inese in the island of Formosa, at the same time turned h isarms against us . Though he was not openly favoured , yet our archives attes tthat the Japanese pol icy encouraged h is hostil i ti es , s ince the government tookno notice of our complaints , regarding us no doubt , as too dangerous ne ighbours

,and not conce iving itself secure so long as the empire should be exposed

to the attacks of an enterpris ing people . The vexations to which we havesince been exposed have frequently induced the Company to think of dissol ving the establ ishment . Some of the Japanese , well - disposed towards theDutch , even advised us to threaten them wi th it , and to recover our credit by

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1 82 INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND PART.

the zeal of the m iss ionaries , by making them acquainted w ith the process ofprinting

,has opened a new career to the i r fondness for study .

S everal of our inte rpreters were wel l ve rsed i n the . history of China andJapan

.Among those who most excel led in this respect were Josio - Kosak ,

Namoura -Motoisera , Naribajasi Z iub i , Narihas i Z enb i , N is i - K itsrofe, Fol iMonsuro,

and l ikewise Matsmoura -Jasnosio, who , at my departure , was ap.

pointed tutor to the prince of Satsuma . I mention the i r names ou t ofgrati tudefor the ki nd ass istance wh ich they afforded me in my researches . During myres idence in Japan , several persons of qual ity at Yedo

, Mijako,and Osaka

,

appl ied themselves ass iduously to the acqu i s it ion of our language,and the

reading of our books . The prince of Satsuma, father - ln- law of the presentDjogoun,

used our alphabet to express i n his le tters what he wished a thirdperson not to understand . The surpris ing progress made by the prince of

Tamba ; Katsragawa Hozun , phys ician to the Djogoun ; Nakawa- S iunnan,

physi cian to the prince of Wakassa, and several others , enabled them toexpress themselves more clearly than many Portuguese , born and bred amongus at Batavia . Considering the Short t ime of our res idence at Yedo

,such a

proficiency cannot but excite aston ishment and admiration . The privilege ofcorrespond ing with the Japanese above - mentioned , and of sending them backthe i r answers corrected , without the lette rs be ing opened by the government ,allowed through the Special favour of the worthy governor, Tango - no - KamiSama, facil itated to them the means of l earn ing Dutch .

In the fifth chapte r of the first volume of the work of Father Charlevoix, amixture of good and bad , and swarming with erro rs , the character of theJapanese

,as compared with that of the Ch inese , i s very j ustly del ineated .

The ir vanity incessantly impels them to surpassone another in bodily exercises,

as wel l as in the accompl ishments of the mind . The more proficiency theymake

,the stronge r is the i r des i re to see with the i r own eyes al l the curious

th ings,the description of wh ich stri kes thei r imaginat ion . When they turn

the ir eyes to neighbouring nations , they observe that the admiss ion of

fore igners is not injurious to the government ; and that a S imilar admiss ion of

strangers into the i r own country would furnish them w ith the means of studyinga variety of arts and sciences of wh ich they have but vague notions . I t wasth is that induced Matsdaira- Tsou - no - Kami , the extraord inary counse llor of

INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND PART. 1 83

state , to propose in 1 769 the bui ld ing of sh ips and j unks calculated to affordthe Japanese facil i ti es of vis i ting other countries , and at the same time toattract fore igners to Japan . This plan was not carri ed into execution inconsequence of the death of that counsello r.Though many Japanese of the highest d istinction and i ntimately acquaintedwi th matters ofgove rnment, stil l consider Japan as the first empire in the world

,

and care but l i ttle for what passes out of i t, yet such persons are denominatedby : the most enl ightened Inooetzi - no-Kajerou , orfrogs in a well , a metaphoricalexpress ion , which s ignifies that when they look up, they can see no more ofthe sky than what the small circumference of the wel l allows them to perce ive .

The eyes of the bette r informed had been long fixed on Tomoma-

yamassiro - no

kami , son of the ordinary counse llo r of state Tonomo - no - kami,uncle to

the Djogoun, a y oung man of uncommon merit,and of an ente rpris ing

mind . They flatte red themselves that when he Should succeed his father,he

W ould as they expressed i t, widen the road . After h is appointment to beextraordinary counsellor Of state , he and his father i ncurred the hatred of thegrandees of the court by introducing various innovations

,censured b y the

latte r as detrimental to the welfare of the empire . He was assass inated on the1 3th ofMay 1 784, by Sanno - S insayemon, as related in my Annals of Japan.

This crime put an end to all hopes of se e ing Japan opened to fore igners,and

i ts inhab itants vis iting other countri es . Nothing more,however

,would be

required for the success of sucha proj ect, than one man of truly enl ightenedmind and of imposing character . A t present , afte r mature reflection on al lthat is past

,they are convinced that the se cret artifiees and intrigues of the

priests of S iaka were the real cause of the troubles which for many yearsd isturbed the peace of the empire .

I n 1 782 no ships arrived from Batavia, on account of the war with England .

This ci rcumstance excited general consternat ion not only at Nangasak i , butalso at Osaka and Miyako , and afforded me occasion to stipulate with thegovernment for a considerabl e augmentation in the price of our commoditi esfor a term of fifteen years. Tango - no - kami , the governor, with whom I kept upa secret intercourse , proposed to me in 1 783

.

to bring over carpenters from Batavia to instruct the Japanese i n the building ofships and smalle r vessels , a -greatnumber of barks employed in the carriage of copper from Osaka to Nangasaki

1 84 INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND PART.

having been wrecked on thei r passage , which proved an immense loss to thegovernment

.Knowing that i t would be impossible to comply w i th h is request,

because none of the common workmen employed in our dock - yards in the islandofJava possessed suffi cient sk ill , and the maste rs were too few to allow any Of

them to be spared for ever so short a t ime ; I proposed to Tango - no - kami tosend with me

,on my departure from Japan , one hundred of the most i ntel l igent

of h is countrymen to be d istributed in our yards , assu ri ng him that painsshould be taken to teach them all that was necessary to qual ify them for

carryi ng h is views into execution at the i r return . The proh ib ition which forb idsany native to quit the country , proved an insurmoun tabl e obstacl e . On thearrival Of a sh ip i n the month of August, I caused the boats to manceuvre fromtime to time in the bay with Japanese sailors on board , which much pleasedthe governor, but d id not fulfil h is i ntent ions . I then promised that when Ireached Batavia, I would have the model of a vessel buil t

,and present

h im with i t on my return , togethe r with the requis i te dimensions, and all poss ibl e explanations : th is I accordingly d id in A ngust the following year. Thedeath of Yamassiro- no - kami , of which I rece ived information immediatelyafter my arrival at Batavia, annihi lated al l our fine schemes . Having finallyquitted the country forEurope i n the month of November i n the same year

,I

know not whether my instructions on th is po int have been fol lowed or not.A plan so important as that here mentioned, other schemes which I pass over

i n s ilence , and the ord inary duti es of my post,occupied my whole time

.

When,therefore , I sat down to describe the manne rs and customs of the

Japanese so imperfectly known In Europe , I had not l eisure to draw up anaccurate account of al l the ceremon i es attending the marriages of personsof qual ity ; but was obl iged to confine myself to the description of thesecommon among farmers , artisans , and tradesmen . By comparing them withwhat is the practi ce i n Europe and elsewhere among persons of those differentclasses

,the reader will be enabled to j udge to what a l ength the Japanese

carry the observance of the forms ofpol iteness and etiquette.

The Edito r has extracted from Charlevo ix the fol lowing description of themode of constructing and arranging private houses i n Japan

,as i t wi ll enable

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1 86 INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND PART.

skreens,which may be moved forward or backward at pleasure ; so that

an apartment may be made larger or smalle r as there may beThe doors of the rooms and the parti tions are cove red with paper, _ even i n themost splend id houses but th is paper is adorned with gold or s ilver flowers , andsometimes with paintings , with which the ciel ing is always embell ished .

'

In

short,there is not a corner of the house but has a cheerful and pleas ing

appearance . This mode of arrangement renders houses more healthy : in thefirst place , be cause they are enti rely bu ilt of fir and cedar; i n the second,because the windows ‘are so contrived , that by changing the place of the partitions, the air is allowed a fre e passage through them . The roof, whi ch i scovered with boards or shingles , i s supported by th ick rafte rs ; and , when ahouse has two floors , the upper is usually buil t more sol idly than the lower . I thas been found by experience , that a house so constructed , res ists the shocks ofearthquakes bette r. I n the arch itecture of the exterio r there is noth ing veryel egant . The wal ls , which , as I have observed , are ofboards

,and which are

ve ry th in, are covered in many places with a greasy earth found near Osaka o rinstead of th is earth , they give the outs ide a coat of varnish , which they lay onthe roofs also .

’

This varnish i s rel ieved with gilding and paintings . Thewindows are fill ed with pots of flowers , which , according to Caron , they havefor all seasons ; but when they have no natural flowers they make shift withartificial ones . Al l th is produces ' an effect that pleases the eye , if i t does notgrat ify i t so h ighly as beautiful arch i tecture would do .Varnish is not spared i n the inte rior. The doors, the door - posts , and agal le ry which u sually runs along the back of the house , and from which the reis ‘a descent i nto the garden , are cove red with it, unl ess the wood be so beautiful as to make them

,w i sh not to conceal the ve ins and shades ; in th is case

they merely lay on a th in coat of transparent varn ish . I n the apartments areto be seen neither

'

chairs nor benches ; for i t i s customary , i n Japan , as i n al lthe rest of A s ia, to sit on the ground . To avoid soi l ing the mats or rugs whichcove r the floor and serve for seats , they never walk on them in shoes , or more

It may be seen from the engravings whichaccompany the description of marriages, that theyhave al so sl iding partitions ; that a partition is composed of three or four shutters or leaves, runningone before another on parallel grooves ; and that, by this mode of separat ion, they can in a few

momentsmake one large room out of several smal l ones.

INTRODUCTION T0 THE SECOND PART. 1 87

properly speak ing, sandals , which are put off on entering the house.They

sleep also upon these rugs over wh ich people i n good circumstances spread ar ich carpet , and a wooden machine serves to support i t . This i s a k ind ofbox

,

nearly cub ical , composed Of s ix smal l boards very neatly j o ined together andvarn ished ; i t i s about a span long, and not qui te so broad . Most of thehousehold utens ils are of thin wood covered with a th ick varnish ofa deep red ,

The windows are of paper, and have wooden shutters with in and without;

they are never closed but at n ight , and are not seen i n the day - t ime,thei r sol e

use be ing to prevent persons from ente ring the house by favour of the darkness,

e ithe r th rough the court or the gal lery .

In the apartment for the reception ofcompany , there is always a large cabine toppos ite to the door, and against th is cabine t vis i tors are placed . Bes ide thecabinet i s a buffet , on which are put rel igious books ; and, i n gene ral , by thedoor there is a k ind ofbalcony , so contrived that without ris ing

,you may have

a view ei the r of the country , the street, or the garden . As the use of fire

places is unknown in Japan , there is i n the largest apartments a square wall edhole , which i s filled with l ighted charcoal , that diffuses heat suffi ci ent to warmthe whole room . Sometimes a low table covered with a large carpe t i s setover the fire , and people sit upon i t when the cold i s very severe

,nearly in the

same manner as they do i n Persia, on what i s cal led a kartsii . I n apartmentsi n which a fire-place cannot be made , they supply the want of i t by coppe r andearthen pots , which produce nearly the same effect. Instead of poker andtongs they use bars of i ron to st i r the fire , which they do with as much addressas they use smal l varn ished sticks i nstead offorks to eat with

.

In the houses of ve ry weal thy pe rsons and i n great i nns are to be seenvery curious articles , which serve to amuse travel lers , such as : l . A largepape r, on wh ich is represented some de ity , or the figure of some pe rsoneminent for v irtue, _withan appropriate and frequently very ri ch border

,i n

the manne r of a frame . 2 . G rotesque Ch inese figures,b i rds

, trees, landscapes ,always in a masterly style , covering skreens . 3 . Pots of flowers

. 4. Per

fuming—pans of brass or copper, in the shape of cranes, l ions, or other animals .5 . P ieces of furn iture of rare wood . 6 . Toilets of carved work. 7. P late

,

porce lain , do.

DESCRIPT ION

OF THE

CEREMONIES OBSERVED IN JAPAN

AT THE

MAR R IAGES OF FARMER S , AR TISANS , AND TR ADESMEN.

THE marriage ceremonies of the highest and those of the lowest classes aretotally different. Ve ry curious parti culars relative to th is subj ect are given inseveral Japanese works

,part icularly i n the Jome- tori - tiofo-hi , i n which the

manner of conduct ing the brid e out of the house of her parents is accuratelydescribed . The same th ing is also to be found in the Kesifouhoro, of which Ihere give a translation

,together with the plates belonging to it , containing all

that i s to be Observed at the marriages of farmers , artisans , and tradesmenThe presents that are to be sent to the res idence Of the bride when the matchis agreed onThe ceremonies observed from the commencement til l the conclus ion Of themarriageThe appare l and what is most commonly worn on such occas ionsThe furni tu re , ordinary and extraordinary ;The manner of contracting the engagement at three times , with a s ingle

earthenwarejug full Ofza/r/ri , and when three such jugs are employedHow the nearest relatives on each s ide meet, and bind the new al l iance bydrink ing salthi ;The manner ofadorning the tekahé, the fihiwatasi , and the sousous ; and theorder i n wh ich the company are placed .

All th is is shown in the Kesi -fouhoro by_ several engravings on wood , the

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1 90 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES .

3. To make out a l ist of thepresents they usefosio paper, or songi-fara

pape r,according as i t i s longer or Shorter. This paper is folded length

w ise iri the middl e and only one s ide is written upon . When the present islarge

,and one s ide 1 8 not Spacious enough to hold the description of them , they

take tahe- naga paper . This l ist must be written with thick ink , othe rw ise i twould not be accepted .

4. Th is l ist is made out as fol lows

aMohrolr, or List '

of P resents .above , pieces of money , below 1 50 pieces .

wh ite pelongs, 5 rol ls .red gilams, 5 rol ls .red stuff, 5 double pieces .bunches of nos i , 5

sea- cat,‘ 3 handfuls .sea l ent il , 50 pieces .kommelmaas, 50 pieces .bream

,2

zakki , 2 kegs ,At the s ide n . Izjo, or the end .

0 . Niwa- Kanjemon, name of the bridegroom ’s father,p. the date .

q . Ima- i - S ioy emon, name of the bride’s father.

5 . The presents having been carried to the house of the bride ’s father,

the messenger arranges them in the order i n which they are enumerated inthe l ist. If the place be rather too smal l for d isplay ing them , stil l they mustnot be set out indist inctly ; each of the articles must l ie separately , but theymay be laid as close ly as poss ible to one another.

6 . Among the midd ling class trays w i th legs are used , and among thel ower trays wi thout legs.

7 The messenger sent to the res idence of the br ide must be accompan iedby the mediator. The former pays this compl iment

Niwa - Kanjemon is exceedingly flattered that Ima- i - S ioyemon- Sarna g ives

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES . 1 91

h is daughter to h is son. For this reason he sends h im this present, as a

token that he wishes him durab le heal th .

”

8 . At the house of the bride ’s father, a servant in decent atti re , as well

as the messenger, must be on the watch to'

rece ive the present . Afte r comparing i t with the l ist, he pol i te ly accepts i t, and i nforms the master of thehouse of - the present and the message .

9 . The messenger and mediator are then conducted into any su itableapartment .

1 0 . The conductor, h is people , and the messengers , are then led i ntoanother apartment , by persons appointed for that purpose; who, afte r theyare there seated , leave them for a moment . Meanwhile a cup of tea, andthe apparatus for smoking, are handed round to each of the persons thusseated .

1 1 . If the messenger is a person of respectabil i ty , he i s regaled withsoni soup , famagouris (a species ofmuscle) with the i r sauce ; a hoemisiu , (a boxOf sweatmeats) , and several other k inds of refreshments , the whole served upin smal l bowls exquis ite ly varnished

,with covers . If he is an ordinary person ,

he is treated only with soni soup and soeimono, (fish chopped very small) , withsauce in bowls of a more common kind , but also with covers . To these areadded a box of balls made of fishand aah/vi .

1 2 . I t frequently happens that the messenger and the maste r of the houseare of different rank ; if the former be of higher rank , the other comes tohim and compl iments h im ; i n the contrary case , he i s not expected to do so.

1 3. The rece ipt contains a l ist of the presents at ful l l ength , and coneludes with these words

The present described above has been duly rece ived by Ima- i - S ioyemon,

who also wishes durable health to Niwa- Kanjemon.

”

1 4CThe receipt be ing considered as an important document, the name of

the father is inserted in i t, and that of the messenge r is not mentioned .

1 5 . A t the expiration of'

three days,'

the messenger and those who aecom

panied'

him to the res idence of the bride , rece ive a counter - present proport ionate to what they brought for i nstance ,The messenge r 2 pieces ofmoney, 1 roll of stuff for a cloak of ce remony , 1 0

quires of s’ougi -fara paper .

MAR RIAGE CEREMONIES .

The conductor , 2 itsibs of go ld, wh ich make a half- koban , and 5 qu i res of

sougifara pape r.Each servant 3 strings of sepilc/res, and one qui re offansi paper .1 6 .The day after that on wh ich the present i s carri ed to the house of

the bride,the mediators are compl imented by the parents of the young

couple .

1 7. The med iators are charged to ascertain , on behalf of the bride , thearms of the bridegroom , and the length ofh is robes .

1 8 .The two parties must settl e between them on what day the marriage

i s to take place .

1 9 . The following art icles are prepared for the bride at her own homeLong robes

,wadded with s ilk for winter ;

A wedding dress , white , embro idered wi th gold or s ilve r ;Another dress , w i th a red ground ;Another with a black groundAnothe r of plain wh ite stuff;Another of plain ye llow ;(Peopl e of qual ity have for th is purpose costly stuffs , the ground of which ,called cy

'

a,i s sprinkled with squares of the same stuff, crossed each way , thus ,

Ea,named saji - waifies. Such is the costume indispensably necessary on all

great festivals . For mourn ing they have also stuffs w i th th is aja ground , butwithout squares) .A number of summer robes , both l ined and s ingle , and all the other requi

s ites of a wardrobe , as gird les , bath ing gowns , Chemises, under robes ,fine and coarse , a bed - gown with sl eeves , (a thick furred robe) , a rug to sleepon,bed - clothes , pi llows , gloves , carpets , bed - curtains , head - dresses

, (usuallyof sil k gauze , which young females wear when they go abroad) , a l ight girdle

(which is covered by the broad one, and serves to tuck up the robes with longtrains) , plain strings, (to tie round the cotton gown worn i n bed), a s ilk cap , afurred cap of cotton , long and short towels , a cloak , a covering for thenorimon, s il k busk ins , and a bag w ith a m ixture of bran , wheat , and driedherbs , to be used in washing the face .

90 . The SW IM/f, Or pocket - book , must contain a small bag of toothpicks ,some ske ins of moto- iwi (th in twine made of paper to t ie the hai r) , a smal l

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1 94 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES .

saki , one of the wives of the Dai ri , wh ich , to his indel ible d isgrace , waspubl ished in a great number ofbooks .The Tsouri - tsauri - gousa, a colle ction of tales , from wh ich moral precepts aredrawn , i n e ight volumes .

The GensiMonogatari , or, H istory of Gensi - no- Kimi , a k insman Of one of theDair

'

I'

s, containing an account of his adventures i n several countries, andl ikewise some poems byMourasaki - Zikieb , i n fifty volumes .

OR ,

The Koget- su , another vers ion of the Gensi -Monogatari , written in the languageof the learned, by Kigin .

The Hizu - itze- day- eu , i n twenty - one volumes , with poems composed under

forty - th ree Da'

iris, from the 5thyear of the Nengo Ingi in the e ighthyear of the re ign of the s ixti e th Dairi , Dan - ten - o, to the tenth year of theNengo-Jeyhjo the tenth year of the re ign of the one hundred and thi rdDai ri , GO Fannazono- no - in.

OR ,

The Z in- san- day- eu , th i rteen volumes , containing al l the poems composed unde r

the th i rteen Dairis, from the se cond year of the Nengaw a to thetenth year of the Nengo-Jey lry o,

TheManjo- zu,a collection of ancient poems from the re ign of Saisin- ten- o, the

tenth Dai ri , to Daygo - ten - o, the sixtieth .

The Sagoromo, or, explanation ofthe GensiMonogatari , in S ixte en volumes .The JeigwaMonogatari , h istory ofa spendthrift , from which may be drawn useful moral precepts ofeconomy .

Ona - si - zio, that i s , four books for the use of females , msTheDay gahf, ormoral precepts ofConfoutsé .

The R ongo, h is lessons to h is d isciples.TheMozi, a defence ofhis works , byMoz i .The Ty njo, or treatise on the advantage of observing a due mean in all things ,by Ziz i , grandson of Confoutsé . These works , publ ished in the learnedlanguage , Gago, w ith the hata- lcana, or women’s lette rs , have been rep rintedexpressly for them .

MARR IAGE CEREMONIES. 1 95

The Kai - awasi—o- goura-walca- sougo- rolr, or, description of a certain toy for women ,

consisti ng oftwo h igh boxes , filled w ith shells offamagouris, gilt in the ins ide ,and painted with figures ofmen , animals , flowers , plants, &c. I n th is bookthere is, by the s ide of each she ll, a short poem relative to the subj ect wh ichi t exhibits . See the representation of these boxes marked with the lettersCC , plate 3.

The S ei—Sz'

onag0 7z- yzjc- ita, the dut ies of a female in the married state , by Sei

sionagon, wait ing-woman to one of the wives of a Dai ri .And, lastly ,The Konrei - lcesi -fou/rouro. Konrei

’

, properly s ign ifies marriage ; lresz'

,the seed of

the poppy ; foelcoero, a sack . These three words j oi ned together,i ntimate

that the most minute ci rcumstances relating to the marriages of farmers,

artisans , and shopkeepers , c ompared with those which are to be observed atmarriages ofpersons ofqual i ty , are described in th is work with the greatestaccuracy .

24 . At the res idence of the bride many things are also provided for the entertainment of the relations , as tea - cups , tea - tables , boxes for eatables , zakkipitchers and waite rs , boxes of sweetmeats , boxes to lean upon

,plates for con

fectionary , a salve- g in (contain ing two zakki) , pitchers and several dishes andplates which fi t exactly one in anothe r ; such a sa/re- zm, enclosed in a largerbox is taken along on any party of pleasure, to prevent embarrassment), a pot,a tobacco- ban (apparatus for smoking) , a songo - rokhan (ak ind of chess - board),small tongs , a l ittl e bar to hang '

towels on , several instruments for burninglcalamba/r

,a small box containing all the requ is ites for smoking (this i s used on

ordinary occas ions , the other only on fest ivals), pipes , a desk to lay booksupon whil e reading

,a low table with four legs .

25 . Some coarse articl es are also provided , such as a lantern , a small tubfor wash ing hands

,a small bow l of varn ished wood with l i d and handle , for

pouring out water,a hat

,a parasol , a norimon, with a covering of o i led paper

against rain , two kinds of sl ippers , wooden sandals mounted on pattens , and abox for the sl ippers .

26 . S everal other articles are prepared, such as a mizousz', or dress ing table

(sec plate 9 , letter A ) , a Koero- dana (see the same plate , le tter B, where a2 c 2

1 96 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES .

description is given of these two pieces of furniture) , two boxes wi th paintedshells (al ready mentioned in section 23, and represented in plate 3, CC), ascreen , boxes for victuals , a tans, or ordinary drawer, a square osie r basket , alarge chest

,an oar to hang clothes upon , a chest for press ing sashes, two

fasami -fa/ro (smal l portmanteaus) , a box for pastry , and several othe r trifl ingthings .

§ 27. The day afte r the wedding, the bride rece ives a present from eachperson who comes to see her in her apartment ; she takes care to provide beforehand various arti cles to give in return . If she had not suffi cient

, she wouldbe obl iged to apply to her husband , which woul d be a d isgrace to her and he rwomen

,be ing yet but a stranger i n the house .

To prevent such a mortification, they prepare the undermentioned packetsof gold , s ilver and copper coin . The present which the bride makes mustalways be i n proportion to that she receives .

50 packets , each con taining one itsib of s i lve r or mamesta,of the

value of 2 maas.

1 00 packets of the value of 3

80 packets of the value of 4.maas 3 kondoring ,

50 packets Of the value Of 2 taels 1 maas 5 lrondom'

ns.

30 itsib Ofgold Of the value Of l tael 5 ma n, or a fourthofa koban.

20 packets , each of2 z'

tsib of gold , making 3 taels

1 0 packets , each of3 i tsib of gold,making 4 taels 5 maas.

5 packe ts , each of5 i tsz'

b ofgold , 7 taels 5 maas.

A quantity ofpackets , each contain ing two small s trings of zem’

or sepi/r/res.

A quanti ty of other packets ofone string each .

There should be a considerable quantity of the two latter sorts .On each packet i s stuck a small piece of nosi ; and the different packets arekept i n separate boxes .Care i s also taken to have in readiness fifty quires of sougi—fam and fansz

’

paper, ofwh ich ten , five , or three , qui res are attached to each counter - present ,i n proportion to its value . (This provision of paper seems very smal l whencompared with the packets ; but, as each vis itor adds a few qu i res to his present, these are used for the counter - presents) . On these qu i res of paper a

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1 98 MAR RIAGE CEREMONIES.

33. That i s only done in the receipt which is s imply wordeda. R ece ipt of, &0 .

Each article rece ived i s then mentioned .

6. Isio, or the end .

0 . W hat is mentioned above has been rece ived , and spec ially del ive redby us .

d. The date .

6 . The servant ofNiwa Kanjemon.

S itsijemon.

f. The servant of Ima - i - S ioyemon, Koufe- dono.

g . The seal of S itsijemon.

34. The mediator first proceeds to the house of the bridegroom,to recei ve

what i s to be sent th ither . A number of servants are in waiting ; someto attend to the door, and to open i t on the arrival of the articl es and othersto lead the bearers as ide , that they may not obstruct the entrance , and to prevent confusi on .

The messenger, the superintendent , and the mediator, are conducted i nto aseparate apartment, where they are served with refreshments . The persons ofl ess consequence are conducted into anothe r room , where some one remainswith them and suppl ies them with refreshmentsA cup of tea is first handed to each of them , and then tobacco ; the messen

ger,superintendent , and mediator , are suppl i ed with som

’ and soeimono soups,

famagouris, i n the i r sauce , a box of dainties , sea- spider, fish- balls , and otherdishes prepared beforehand , as wel l as zakki .If the mediator is of inferior rank to the messenger and the superintendent ,he remains with them the whole t ime ifnot he quits them .

A waiter i s brought them with three jugs of zakki , one ofwhich is alwayslarger than the others .As he som

’ soup , hastily prepared for the domestics , might not be properlycooked

,nor sufficiently good in qual ity , another soup is given to them ; or in

stead of soup , three or five cakes , i n proportion to the i r s ize , are set beforeeach

,wrapped in sougifara, orfansi paper, t ied with compl imentary strings on

each packet are two dry gonames (a species ofpil chard) .

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES . 1 99

These packets are given to them as wel l as the soeimono soup (a preparationoffamagourz

’

s) , and za/r/ri but th is i s not done i f they have the soni soup , forwhich reason they prefer the packets .

36 . The bearers are rewarded according to the value of the articles : eachof them rece ives three small strings of sepi/r/ces or more , according to the ci rcumstances ofthe bridegroom ’s fathe r.

37. The betroth ing and nuptials take place on the same day . No priest isever required for the marriage ceremon ies .On the day fixed , one of the female servants of the second ' class

, who i sknown to be the most i ntel l igent, i s sent to the house of the bride to re ce iveher . (There are three classes ofwomen se rvants : the first make the appare l ofthe mistress , dress her hair, and keep her apartments in order ; the se condwait on her at meals , accompany her when she goes abroad, and attend to otherdomesti c duti es ; and the th ird are employed in cooking and various menialofli ces.)

38 . At the bride ’s house , she is treated w i th refreshments ; a female meanwhile bearing her company .

§ 39. The bride ’s father i nvites all h is k insfolk , and gives them an entertainment before h is daughter i s conducted to the hab itation of the bridegroom ,

40 . S ome servants of the second class there await the arr ival of thebr ide .

41 . The zakki i s poured out by two young girls , one ofwhom is cal led themal e butterfly

,and the other . the female butte rfly (These appellat ions are

derived from the i r sousous, or zakki j ugs , each of whi ch i s adorned w ith a paperbutterfly

,to denote that

,as those insects always fly about i n pairs, so the hus

band and wife ought to be continually together. For a representation of these

jugs , see plate 4, l ette r A, No.

Before the male butterfly begins to pour out, the other pours a l ittle zakki out

of her jug into that of her companion .

The manner of pouring out the zakki i s governed by particular rules, wh ichwi ll be noti ced hereafter.

42.The Telralré , the Filt iwatasz

’

, and the S ousous, ought to be ready , andalso a woman to hand them round . They are described in 177, 178, and 1 79,

200 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

and the manner i n wh ich they are to be decorated,and the ceremoni es to be

observed in present ing them , wil l be mentioned in the sequel .43. The S imaday and the Osiday ought l ikewise to be in readiness (See

P late 1 1 , A and B .)

44. The boxes of dainties are also set i n order . There are three sortsOne with dried sea - cat, doubled , then rolled and out smallOne wi th the roe of dried fish;One with Imbo (or bul lock

’s tai l) , a species of black carrot .People of qual ity have other boxes which require more ceremony

.

45. At the house of the bridegroom are provided numerous art icles mecessary for the wedding, viz .

Tea- cups , tea- tables , apparatus for smoking, bowls and platte rs for theentertainment , porcelain dishes , l arge and small plates , salve rs , small cups ,basins for the soeimono soup , two k inds of candlesticks , long and short ; lamps ,large and small lante rns , (the forme r are l ighted up i n the house , the othersare to carry about in the hand) ; candles , chafling- dishes

, za/r/ri pitchers,small

st i cks u sed in eating ; different sorts ofjugs for zalr/rz‘

,some for s ingle portions

,

others for three , five , or n ine ; al l k inds of beautiful furniture for the idea,

and for decorating the apartment ; the requis i tes for making tea , and manyother articles of too l i ttle importance to be enumerated .

46 . A l ist of the d ishes is made out, with di rections how they are to beprepared .

47. The norz'

mons, orpalanquins , are arranged at the house of the bridein the fol lowing orde r1 . The norimon of the mediato r’s wife2 . That of the bride , i n which are her mamori and her mamon-

gatana (See

3 . That of the bride ’s mother4 . That ofher father.

‘ The mediator precedes them to the house of the bridegroom.

(Every Japanese carries with h im h is mamori ; some put it in the santo/r, orportfol io ; others suspend i t from the neck by a small cord, l ike the childrenand travel lers . I t is properl y a smal l square or oblong bag, containing adraw ing or image of some de ity, as Kompra, Akifa, Atago, Fikozan, Bouzenbo,

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MAR R IAGE CEREMONIES .

48. The lantern of the bride is painted with he r arms . She i s dressed inwh ite , be ing considered , thenceforward , as dead to her parents

.

49. It is customary to send a man and woman very early i n the morn ingto the house of the bridegroom , to decorate the bride ’s apartment , and set i ti n order.

50 . If al l the ceremon ies are to be observed , there should be on each sideof the entrance to the house of the bridegroom , a mortar wi th some smal l cakesof rice pounded and bo il ed , for the purpose of making the woutie- az

'

case-motie.

On the left of the entrance is stationed a man , on the right a woman , both ad

vanced i n years . The moment the bride ’s norimon reaches the house , they poundthese cakes ever so l i ttl e , at the same time say ing, the man : A thousand "the woman : Ten thousand years 1” (This is a compl iment : th e first partal lud ing to a crane , which is said to l ive a thousand years ; the second to atorto ise

, which is asse rted to l ive ten thousand years .) As the norimon passesbetween them , the man pours h is cakes into the woman’s mortar, and theybegin to pound together. What is thus pounded by both at once is cal ledwoutie- aivase-motie. (This i s an al lus ion to the cohabitat ion ofman and womanin marriage) .

51 . With this pounded matte r are made the lragami -motie, or two cakeslaid one upon another, wh ich are placed as an ornament with in the to/ro the i rs ize is not fixed . What remains of the pounded cakes is mixed in the soup ,cal led soni -motie, made of cakes . (See plate 1 , b.)This ceremony is performed or omitted according as the nuptials are cele

brated with more or less pomp . Thus the Iragami -motie may be made byknead ing the matter i nto the requ i red shape

,s in ce the cakes i n the mortars

are composed only of bo iled ri ce .

52 . The norz’

mon of the bride is brought with in the passage,where the

bridegroom stands to rece ive i t i n h is dress ofceremony : he sl ightly touches thefront pol e with his hand the bride reaches to h im through the l i ttl e windowin front , her mamori , or small bag , containing the image of some de i ty . Hetakes i t of her and gives i t to one of he r women

,who carrie s i t into the

apartment prepared for the reception of the company , and hangs it upon ahook .

MAR RIAGE CEREMONIES . 203

This ceremony i s also performed in a d ifferent manner, as followsA s soon as the norimon i s wi th in the passage , there is a woman seated there ,

having a small lantern , and seve ral females beh ind her ; one of these i s torece ive the mamori and the mamori - gatana, before the bride qui ts her norimon

,

and to del iver them to one of he r women . Another then leads the bride bythe hand to her apartment ; the woman with the lantern goes before ; she whocarri es the mamori and mamorzl gatana follows , hands the former to the bridegroom

,who sits at the entrance of the se cond apartment, and takes the latte r

d i rectly to the apartment of the bride .

The bridegroom immediately del ive rs the mamori to the female se rvantplaced at the entrance of the house to rece ive i t : she carri es i t into theapartment prepared for the entertainment, and there hangs it up to a smal l hook .

53.In this case the lantern used to serve to give the bridegroom _a v iew

of the bride . If he d i sl iked her, the match was broken off, the matter wasarranged by means of the mediators , and the next day she was sent home .

Such cases formerly occurred ; but at present beauty is held in much lessestimation than fortune and high birth , advantages to which peopl e would oncehave been ashamed to attach so mu ch value . Th i s custom has been by degreesenti rely lai d as ide , on account of the mortification which i tmust give to thebride . At present when a young man has any intention of marry ing a female

,

whom he deems l ike ly , from the s ituat ion of her parents, to be a su i tabl e

match , he first seeks to obtain a sight of her : if he l ikes ' her person,a

mediato r,sel ected from among his married friends , is sent , and the business

is soon arranged .

People of qual ity have ne ither lante rn nor mediator, because the parentsafli ance the i r ch ildren in the i r infancy , and marriage always follows . Shouldit so happen that the husband disl ikes the ’ wife , he takes as many ' concub ines

as he pleases . This i s also the practice amongpersons of the inferior classes .The ch ildren are adopted by the wife

, who is respected in proportion to thenumber of her ch ildren .

Before the time at whi ch I am writing,the bride was not al lowed , in case

of the bridegroom’s . death previously to the consummation of the nupt ials , tomarry again . Th is custom no longer obtains e ither among the common people ,

2 D 2

204 MAR RIAGE CEREMONIES .

or even among the princes and grandees of the empi re ; yet , i f the presentDjogoun,

who,previously to h is be ing elected hered itary prince in 1 779, was

betrothed to the daughte r of the prince of Satsuma, had d ied before theconsummation of the marriage , the princess Would have been obl iged to remains ingle al l he r l ife . Had he been sooner el e cted successor to the throne , hewould have been obl iged to marry a princess of h is own family , or of thecourt of the Dai ri , A t any rate i t was a strokeofpol icy to al ly himselfwi ththe prince of Satsuma , as will be se en i n the S ecretMemoirs of the Djogouns of

the present dynasty .

In ancient times , the fol lowing custom prevai led in the province of Ozu .

Whoever took a fancy to a girl , wrote h is name on a small board , cal lednisi - lcz

'

gi , and hid it between the mats i n the ante - chamber of her house . Theseboards showed the number of he r lovers , and remained there t ill she tookaway that of the man whom she preferred . At present the choice of a wifedepends , throughout the whole empire , on the will of the parents : of coursethere is seldom any real affection i n these matches , and the husband cares butl ittl e about h is wife . A ll the men , from the highest to the lowest, e i ther keepconcubines or frequent brothels .

54. The Te/ra/ré , the Fikiwatasz'

,and the S easons, are i n the apartment

contiguous to that i n which the wedding is to be held (See P late 8 , a . b .

They are removed into the latte r on the arrival of the bride”

, and set beforethe ‘

to/ro, a k ind of alcove, formed by the highest and the most d istinguishedplace i n the apartment

,which is easily discove red at the fi rst glance .

55 . The bride is then led by the hand , by one of he r waiting - women,to

her proper place in this apartment . Her attendant , called lraz'

éoje,'

or ass istant,

s its down at her right,and another takes her place at her left .

56 . The bridegroom then leaves h is room and comes to th is apartment.57. As soon as he is seated , the female mentioned in ‘

§ 42, takes thetekalré

,and presents i t fi rst to the bridegroom , then to the bride , and afte rwards

sets i t down again before the take.

This presentation of the'

telralré, i s but a compl iment'

of welcome ,' for ne ither

the bridegroom nor the bride takes any th ing from i t, each merely mak ing asl ight incl inat ion .

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206 MARRIAGE CER EMONIES.

Each t ime that the bride and bridegroom have drunk , they set down thebow l on the fi/ewatasz

'

, the mal e butte rfly passes her left hand through theaperture at the foot , and presents i t i n th is manner to both parti es , holdingher sousou i n her right hand . She then sets the fi/cz

’

watasi on the mats , and

again replenishes,holding her sousou at the bottom with both hands while she

i s pouring .

As the bride , though previousl y instructed in the ceremonial , might happento make some mistake

,the lraz'zoje (P late 1 , fig. i s at hand to prevent i t .

62 . The male butterfly ought to pay great attent ion neve r to pour out

til l ~ the othe r has put a l ittl e za/rlci i nto her sousou th is is all they have toobserve .

63 .There are also two pans for zakki one , named nagaje, has a handle

the othe r,call ed siosi -fisage, has none ; they requi re more attention when they

are used .

64.I t is not allowed to snuff the candles at the solemnization ofwedd ings

when the snuffs become too long, fresh candles must be brought .65 . After the marriage ceremony , the filriwatasz

' and the sousous are set

down before the to/ro.

66 .I n the adj o ining apartment, there is another woman to bring the

simaday (P late 1 1 , she sets it i n the middle , between the take and the placewhere the company are seated

67. As soon as the filciwatasz l s placed before the to/ro the bridegroom leavesthe apartment .

68. After the nuptial s , the b ride moves back a l ittle , and the lraz'

zoje againplaces herselfat her right .

69 . The parents , who were in another room , are informed by the attendant who was on the left of the bride that th is ceremony is ove r ; they thenremove to the festive apartment .

§ 70 . The parents of the bridegroom ente r at the same t ime , and seat themse lves in the place destined for the maste r and mistress of the house , on theleft hand , which is the most d istingu ished , near the bride , whose parents l ike "wise s it in the most el evated part of the room , and near the to/ro.

§ 71 . The bridegroom returns, and places h imse lf on the left of the bride ’smother . (P late 1 , fig.

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES . 207

§ 72.The med iators are seated to the left of the bridegroom . (Plate 1 ,

fig .

73. The two younger brothers are seated on the right hand, which is theless honourab le place

, of the bride . (Plate 1 , fig. 9 and The lraii e i snext to them

,but rathe r farther back . (P late 1 , fig .

74. Al l be ing seated , a servant takes the te/ralré from before the toko, andpresents i t in token of wel come to each , beginning with the parents of thebride

,then proceeding to the bridegroom and the med iators , afte rwards to th e

parents of the bridegroom , the bride , and the bridegroom’s brothers .

§ 75 . The te/ra/cé having been thus presented , i s carri ed to the adjoiningroom

,and depos ited in its place .

The tekaké - tanbo i s another tray , with a quadrangular supporter, also ofwood,but without any circular aperture at the foot ; the j oin ings are fastened withbark of cherry - tree . The te/ra/ré, the fikiwatasi , and the sousous, on the contrary ,have on three s ides of the i r supporte r a circular hole the s ide where the re isnone

,and where the pie ces are j o ined together with cherry - tree bark , i s cous i

de red as the front.The person who presents the te/ra/ré l ifts i t on each side underneath , as theedge must on no account be touched with the fingers .

§ 76 . The male butterfly then goes to the to/ro, takes the fi/rz'

watasz' i n the

same manner, carries i t into the second chamber, and returns i t to itsplace .

§ 77. The female butterfly , having taken the seasons i n the same manner,follows the others and s i ts down with them at the entrance of the secondchamber, near the sl id ing groove for the shutters .The mediator then di re cts the male butterfly to whom she is to hand thebowl ofzakki she immediately places the fi/riwatasi before h im , and fetches hersousou . We have already explained in § 60 how i t is to be held.

The male butterfly seats herself before “ the fi/riwatasi with her sousou

the female butterfly s its down behind her, and every time the first has toreplenish , she pours a l ittle zakki into her sousou . Each of the company drinksthree times when one has drunk he sets down the bowl on the fi/ciwatasi , andthe mediator by a gesture , ind i cates to the male butterfly to whom she mustnext hand it . She holds her sousou i n her l eft hand , passes the right through

208 MARRIAGE CER EMONIES .

the hole i n the foot of thefikz'

watasi, and thus presents i t, held on the open hand ,to one afte r another . The manner ofpouring out and drinkinghas been al readydescribed .

The female butterfly constantl y fol lows the mal e , who, holding her sousou i nher l eft hand , and the tray on the palm of he r right , must pay great attent ionto turn always to the l eft ; a circumstance which the other must l ikewiseobserve .To convey a more correct i dea of th is , le t the company be supposed to beseated i n the manner represented in plate 1. When the mal e butterfly has tocarry the bowl from the master of the hous e to the father of the bri de , she turnsto the left, and sets down thefil ’z

’

watasi before him ; ifshe has to present i t tothe bridegroom

,she turns to the left , and advancing se ts i t down before h im

but,i f his father offers i t to the bride , she makes a ci rcuit to the l eft , passes

before the bridegroom ’s parents , and sets down the tray before the bri de : i fthe maste r of the house offers the bowl to some one on his right , or toany of the persons who are Opposite to h im , she must st ill take care to turn tothe left .

§ 78 . The company be ing supposed to consist ofthe persons above - mentioned,

they are seated in the fol lowing mannerI n the most distinguished place of the apartment (plate 1 , a) , i s the take ;next to i t

,fig . 1 , the father of the bride ; 2 , her mother ; 3, the bridegroom

4,the mediator 5 , his wife .

Opposi te to the most d isti nguished place , fig . 6 , the master of the house ;7, h is wife ; 8 ,

the bride 9 and 1 0 , the b ridegroom’s brothers .

§ 79 . The following refreshments are provided for the occasionI n the first place

,what is on the on the fikiwatasi and in the sousous,

then soni and soez'mono soups , i n covered terrines, each on a very small salver ;then is b rought a tray of a white colour, cal led osiday , on which is a represemtation of a torto ise , from whose back rise several k inds ofornaments appropriate to

joyful occasions, as fir- trees , plum - trees , bamboos , rocks , do. (See P l ate 1 1 , B) .

Various k inds of confect ionary and several l ittl e boxes ofdainties are also set uponi t

. Each person i s then presented with the trayfonzen, upon whi ch are a d ishof fish

,pulse

,and carrots

,cal led namasou , a bowl of bo il ed rice , another bowl

with a cover,containing misc soup , made offish , pulse , and carrots and a smal l

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21 0 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES .

for the purpose of making Irawara/ci , to be used for invoking the gods of

heaven and earth .

W hen the bowl i s carried to the mediator, he puts the l ist bes ide i t,and to

avo id al l mistake,he lays h is fan by the name of the person who is to drink

th is is one of the duties attached to h i s oflice.

§ 8 1 . Let us suppose that the company consists of the under - mentionedpersons

,who are d istinguished in plate 1 by numbers , as fol lows

1 . The bride’s father .2 . Her mothe r.3. The bridegroom .

4. The mediator .5 . His wife .

6 . The bridegroom ’s father .7. His mothe r .8 . The bride .

9 . The elder of the bridegroom 's two brothers .1 0. His younger brother .The mediator first sends the bowl to the bridegroom’s father

, or to N°

. 6,

fromhim to 1 , from 1 to 7 , from 7 to 4, and thus fol lows the whole series of

numbers,which is scrupulously given i n the Chinese work , but would be

superfluous here sufli ce i t to observe , that th is long ceremony concludes as itbegan

,with the father of the bridegroom .

Here the marriage ceremony preceded , and is followed by the contract ofrelationship , to prevent confusion .

§ 82 . S ometimes the marriage and the contract of rel ationship take place atonce . I t will be seen below how they proceed in this case .

During th is ceremony the whole company sit quite stil l , without speak ing aword the mediator alone intimating by signs to the male butterfly the personto whom she is to present the bowl . She begins with the father of the bridegroom

,orN

°

. 6 , goes from 6 to 1 , from 1 to 7, from 7 to 8 : the engagement isthen made between 8 and 3, or between the bridegroom and the bride , each ofthem drink ing thrice three times , i n the manner described i n section 60 whichdone

,the bowl again passes from 8 to 3, then from 3 to 4, constantly following an

order of numbers marked i n the Japanese original . The ceremony finishes

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 21 1

between 1 and 6 that i s,between the father of the bride , and the father of the

bridegroom .

When this method is i ntended to be adopted among the lower classes,the

mediator must previously study his part with the greatest attention . To

prevent mistakes , he has the i nit ials of the name of each guest wri tten down inhis l i st

,i n the order i n wh i ch he is to drink .

§ 83. After the conclus ion of the contract of relationship , the male butterflytakes up her sousou i n her right hand , passes her left through the aperture inthe foot of the fihiwatasi, and thus carries i t on the palm of he r hand into theadj oining room , where she puts i t i n i ts former place by the s ide of the tehahe'.The female butte rfly fol lows with her sourou ; the two butterflies set the i rsousous on the waite r whi ch is placed by the fihiwatasi , so that the sousous areas before qui te close to one anothe r.

§ 84 . Whether the wedding is held at the house of the bridegroom’s father,

or at that of the bride’s father, the room adj o ining to the apartment preparedfor the ceremony is separated from i t by sl iding shutters, that the guests maynot see what is passi ng in the latte r . Behind these shutte rs i s stat ioned a manin a hami - simo, or complete dress of ceremony , (Plate 1 , fig . which has beendescribed in a note to the Ceremonies observed at the Court of the Djagoan, i n thecourse of the year ; or a woman in her dress of ceremony , calledwoetje-hah'e

, flow

i ng robe with a long train . Both of them must be we l l acquainted with all theformal it ies connected with weddings . I t is the i r business to pay the greatestattention to all that passes , and to give the necessary instructions to the otherservants .

§ 85 .The contract of relat ionship be ing concluded , the bridegroom’s father

congratulates the company upon it,and each of the others does the same .

§ 86 .Three varnished zahhi bowls , one with in anothe r, are then brought

upon an ordinary waite r, which is placed in the honourable part of the roomnear the candl esti ck .

§ 87 . A present from the bride is now brought to the residence of the .bride

groom : i t i s del ivered by a femal e , who i s deemed clever at turn ing theaccustomed compl iment. She lays i t down with the l is t i n the room next tothat in which the company are assembled

,arranges each arti cl e separately , and

hands the l ist to the mediator : he transmits i t to the bridegroom’s father, who2 E 2

21 2 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES .

lays i t by his s ide , returns thanks , and afte r reading i t , again expresses h isthanks .

§ 88 . The names of the bridegroom’s parents and brothers are written on

the same l ist,which also specifies the present destined for each of them .

If the near re lations are too numerous , a second l ist is made for thei r namesand presents .A separate l ist is made for the servants of the firs t and second class : thesame is l ikewise done i n regard to those of the th ird class , who are presentedwith strings of sepihhes.

I t i s a mark of distin ct ion to make these l is ts . The present is del ivered toeach of the near relat ions on a separate tray .

§ 89 . Th is and the next section describe the articl es compos ing the presents ,andhow thel ists of them should be made out, under the letters D, E, F, and G ;D. a . The l ist ofpresents for the bridegroom .

6. Two robes .c. A bel t or girdle .d. A dress of ceremony .

e. A fan.

f. S ome quires ofpape r .g . The end .

a. L i st ofpresents .b. A roll of s ilk for the bridegroom ’s father .c. For the bridegroom’s mother, a piece of s i lk .

d. For the elder ofhis brothers , a piece of s ilk .

e. For h is younger brothe r, a piece of s ilk .

f. The end .

F. a L ist ofpresents .b. For the chief se rvant , a double p iece of s ilk from the province ofKaga .

c. ForM, a piece of s ilk for a cloak .

d. ForN , a piece of silk for a cloak .

e. For 0 , a piece of s ilk for a sash .

f. For P , apiece of s ilk for a sash .

g . The end .

G . a. L ist ofpresents.

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21 4 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

soeimono sauce .On each there are two shel ls , and i n each shel l one of those

muscles . (See P late 4 . cc.

1 02. The fathe r of the bridegroom then begins to drink zahhi out of varnished bowls ; he presents one to the bride

’s father ; the rest of the companyafterwards drink in turn, and reciprocal ly congratulate one another .

1 03. This done , a box of daint i es , having three compartments , is brought .

(See P late 1 . d) .

The first contains hasoenoho, or fishes’ roe .

The second contains zourame, or dri ed sea - cat .

The th i rd contains gobo, or black carrots .

The dri nking of zakhi must finish as i t began with the master of th e house .

1 04 .A t such an ente rtainment , the candles must not be snuffed , but

changed,when necessary , for fresh ones .

1 05 . The tray cal ledfonzen, mentioned in 79, i s then handed about .1 06 .

The bride is furnished with her l i ttl e table to eat from , and herordinary dishes and plates ; but the rice i s piled up higher than usual , and thisis call ed taka -mori .’ On this ri ce i s a smalle r bas in , or a soje- no-hasa, for acover

,and upon that a small stone . The other d ishes are presented to her as

to the rest of the company . I t i s the same with those placed on the tray

fonzen.

Before our t ime i t was customary for the bride to eat i n the apartment withthe company ; but th is practice has been changed , because bashfulness frequently prevented her be ing present . I t i s now usual for her to eat with oneof the women who wai t on her, i n another room ; here she i s plentiful lysuppl i ed w ith daint ies .

1 07. Al l her women , as wel l as herself, formerly sat i n the apartmentprovided for the company but as this often occas ioned confus ion , both i n theceremony of contract ing relationsh ip , i n drinking , and in serving up the dishes ,they now remain in another room .

1 08 . Afte r the tray fonzen and certai n dishes have been served round , abowl ofzahhi , called fihi - saha - souhi , is given to each of the guests , and threevarnished zakki bowls , one with in another, are carri ed into the apartment .The fi rst serves for ornament ; the bride ’s father takes the second, drinks out

MARR IAGE CEREMONIES . 21 5

of i t , and passes i t round . The bridegroom’s father takes the th i rd , out of

which al l the company drink in l ike manne r . Afte r th ey have thus drunkthree times , and when they do not choose to take any more , the bride ’s fatherhands the th ird bowl to the bridegroom’s father, and with him the drinkingends .S uch is the practi ce of the present day for the purpose of shorten ing theceremony .

1 09 . Bes ides thefounamori , the sigifamori , and the harasoumi , described in79 , - the firi - soei -mono and misc soups are served up : the former i s made ofbream , the latter of perch . If the apartment is large enough , the tray cal ledosiday , i s also brought in . (See P late 1 1 . B .)

1 1 0.I n serving up the firi - soei -mono soup , the osiday is se t by the si de of

the candlest i ck,which stands near the place where the maste r of the

house s its .1 1 1 . Afte r the company have eaten what was on th e tray fansen, i t is

carri ed away,and a cup of strong tea is handed to each person . I t is not

al lowable to give weak tea .

1 1 2 . The entertainment be ing now finished , the parents of the brideprepare to leave her

. They are accompanied by those of the bridegroom andby the bride to the entrance of the house . The bridegroom pre ceded by twoservants

,with candles

,conducts them to the door, where he takes leave of

them with a compl iment .1 1 3 .

I t sometimes happens that the bridegroom , afte r the conclus ion of theente rtainment at his house

,goes the same night to the house ofthe bride

’s parents

, forfurther amusement . If they have reason to expect this visi t, a numberof the servants are kept i n readiness to wait upon him . I n th is case thebride’s parents , on the ir return home , send an intell igent servant, in h is dressof ceremony , accompanied by another, carry ing

‘a lantern to escort the bridegroom .

1 1 4. At the res idence of the latte r, some servants wait on th is messenger,and offer h im zahhi and various refreshments .

1 1 5 . When the bridegroom'

repairs with his parents and the mediator tothe house of the bride ’s parents , his brothers remain at home .

1 1 6 . In the absence of the bridegroom , the bride must bear her brothers

2 1 6 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES .

ia - law company ; they thank her for the presents wh ich she made themrespect ively .

I n some houses,the servants are sent in at th is t ime to thank he r also for

the presents whi ch she allotted to them ; bu t i n others th is practice is notfol lowed .

1 1 7 . The strings of sepihhes, of which these presents cons ist , have beenment ioned in 88. They are given to each of the servants , whether belongingto the house or to the ki tchen .

1 1 8 . At the house of the bride’s parents , the company sit in the fol low ingorderIn the upper, ormore honourabl e part of the room , are ,1 . The toho, and close to i t2 . The bridegroom’s father .3. H is mother.4 . The mediator.5 . His wife .Oppos ite to the most distinguished place are

,

6 . The bride ’s father.7 . His wife .

8 . The bridegroom .

9 . The bride ’s elder brother.1 0. Her younger brother .1 1 9. The toho i s decorated as at the bridegroom’s house , but wi thout the

hagami -motié. The same ceremonies are observed here as there .1 20 . I n se rving up the refreshments , and in every other respect, the pro

ceedings are the same .

1 21 . The bridegroom wears the robes presented to him by the bride ’sparents

.

1 22. In contractin relationshi here the same formal ities are observedg P

as described in 8 1 .

1 23. A female se rvant to the bridegroom ’s parents carri es into the roomcontiguous to the festive apartment the present wh ich they have brought

,and

del ivers the l ist to the mediator. The manner in wh ich th is list should bedrawn up has been already explained .

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21 8 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES .

thanks ; he then takes it i n his right hand only , moves a l i ttl e to the left ,rises

,goes into the adj o ining room , takes off his sabre with his left hand ,

l ays i t down,puts on that which he has j ust received , and re turns to the

company . B efore he s i ts down , he expresses h is acknowledgments to thefather of the bride .

1 29 .His parents also return thanks to those of the bride ; the mediator

then carri es the tray i nto the adjoining room , and returns to h is former place .

The sabre laid down by the bridegroom is put by one of his women servantsi nto thefasami -faho, (a kind of portmanteau) , which she del ivers to one of hermaste r ’s people .

1 30 . With respect to the soni and soeimono soups , and other dishes anddaint i es , the ceremonial descr ibed above ta kes place at the house of thebridegroom only .

1 31 . The entertainment be ing finished , the bridegroom and his parents,after tak ing a frie ndly leave , return home , and are received at the door by thebride .

1 32 . In making the bed for the bride , her pillow is placed towards thenorth , (as emblematical of the practice followed with the dead , since she ishenceforward considered as dead to herparents) . Th is custom is conformablewith the genuine Japanese rites , but is now rarely observed .

1 33 . The bride ’s bed resembles that of the bridegroom ; i t i s previouslyprepared at her house and if that of the bridegroom is not also prepared there ,i t is provided at home .

1 34. The beds having been made , the bride is conducted to hers by oneof the women appo inted to attend her , and the same person introduces thebridegroom into the apartment .

1 35 . This apartment is well furnished ; the servan ts carry into i t thesanbo, a d ish covered wi th a pyramid of pounded rice , two hommel -maas, i nsoagy

'

ara paper,t ied with compl imentary string ; and two hawarahi , or earthen

bowls , placed one withi n another for drink ing cold zahhi .The bridegroom orders one of these bowls to be fill ed , and drinks , andthen hands i t to the bride ; she drinks and returns i t to h im ; he drinks ag ain ,and sets down the bowl .The female attendant of the bride remains to obey her orders.

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES . 21 9’

The young coupl e are waited on by the male and female butte rfl ies , whosesousous are decorated with artific ial i nsects of that k ind .

1 36 . One of the bride ’s women sleeps secretly i n the adj oining chambe r.1 37. Next morning a fouro, or bath , i s prepared , and the young couple

wash themselves in i t with hot water .1 38 . Suitable dishes are also provided . A smal l table is placed for each

of them , one by the side of the other, and they breakfast together.1 39 . A s ingle man - servant and a woman servant of the bridegroom

,and

servants of the bride , ass ist i n arranging the apartment, i n which are ,1 .The toho, and with in the te/rahe

'

, the fihiwatasi , and the sousous.

2 . Bes ide the toho, the haje- obi , two high boxes , with painted shel ls , a k indof toy for women . P late 3 . CC .

3 . The misousi and the hoerodana, pie ces of furniture for d ifl'

erent pu r

poses. ( A description of them wil l be found in

'

§ 1 90, and representations i nPlate 9 .

The first,marked A , has a ledge round the top ; that of the other,

B ,i s flat .)4. The siodana, or secretaire, i s placed by some persons by the two precedingarti cl es . (P late 9 . C .)

140 . The married couple are furnished with a greater or less quantity ofwearing appare l , accord ing to the i r rank , and with one or two moveabl e racksor horses , to hang them upon . (P late 3 , fig . 1 and

1 41 . People of qual ity have their garments made of fisi—aja stuffs . (See

Though each dresses accord ing to his rank , i t i s necessary to be veryparticular i n the cho ice of these garments . I n famil ies of eq ual rank with thegovernor or t reasure r of Nangasak i , the bride is portioned with twelve robes ,each upon a disti nct horse , viz .

A blue robe for the fi rst month , embridered with fir- trees , or bamboos .A sea- green robe for the second month, with cherry flowers and butter - cups .A robe of a l igh t red for the th ird month , with wi llows and cherry - trees .A robe of a pearl colour for the fourth month , embroidered with the letter

fohotogizou , or cuckoo , and smal l sprigs , called sima,or islands .

A robe of a faint yellow for the fifth month,embroidered w ith waves and

sword - grass .A robe ofbright orange for the s ixth month , embro idered wi thmelons, and

2 r 2

220 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES .

with an impetuous torrent ; the rainy season , which usually lasts twenty days ,falls i n the last two months.A white robe for the seventh month , w ith hi/g

'

o flowers , white and purpleflowers

,i n bells

,the milky root ofwhich is used in medi ci ne , and makes as

good a cordial as bi rds’ nests.

A red robe for the e ighth month , sprinkled withmamisi , or sloe l eaves .A violet robe for the n inth month , embroidered with flowers of motherwort.An ol ive - coloured robe for the tenth month , representing a road , and ears ofrice cut off.A black robe for the eleventh month , embroidered with hori l ette rs , or i ce

,

and tsourara, i cicles .A purple robe for the twelfth month , embro idered with juhi l ette rs, or snow

,

and powdered tjirasi .On my return to Japan in 1 784, I l eft in the care of one of the d irectors ofthe Batavian S ociety of S ciences , draw ings of all these robes exquis i tely embro idered i n gold , s ilver, and vivid colours , represented spread out onseparate bars

,and also of various other obj ects . When I came back from

Japan,they were not to be found . From what I afterwards learned respecting

other articles,i t is probable that they were sent to Europe to some dist in

gu ished personage , with whom this di recto r wished to ingrat iate himse lf.1 42 . After the wedding , the bride

’s parents send the sahe- ziu (see sec. 24)to the house of the bridegroom in token of congratulation : each sends a presentofgreate r or less value , according to his rank .

1 43 . A man - se rvant i s i n wa i t ing at the bridegroom’s res idence to receivethe presents , of which , as well as of the zahhi vessels , he keeps an accurateaccount in a memorandum - book .

The pieces of gold and s i lve r, the sepihhes, and the different kinds ofpapermentioned i n section 27, be ing ready , those who bring them are rewarded in

proportion to the i r value . An account is kept of these counter - presents also.

1 44. In the apartment of the bride there i s also a man - servant to keep asimilar account, and another to arrange and take care of the presents .

1 45. There is another servan t w ith the bridegroom to note down the vesselsof za hhi and the trays of fish that are sent to h im .

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222 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES .

1 53. The day afte r, al l the bridegroom’s peopl e are treated w i th cakes inthe apartment of the bride .

1 54. To each of the near re lations who did not attend the wedding , i s senta small box call ed hawa - i i , to acquaint them that the ceremony is ove r. Such abox contains about two and a halfgantings, or four pounds and a half of motsi

game, or stewed ri ce - cakes,and sometimes more , according to the s ize . (The

best rice for making cakes comes from S inowara, in the province of Omi . Afte ri t has been well pounded , i t be comes as white as snow . )

§ 1 55 .I n section 1 91 , I shal l treat of the paper for wrapping up different

articles . P late 1 0 ,represents the Various ways of fold ing i t , according to the

articl es about which i t is to be wrapped .

1 56 . A t the exp irat ion of three days the bride pays a vis i t to her parentswho send a woman to fetch her .

1 57. S oni and soeimono soups , as we l l as zahhi , are prepared for her at thehouse of the bridegroom .

1 58 . On this occas ion the bridegroom sends ' to the parents of the bride , intoken ofcongratulation , afohai , or box of stewed rice - cakes

,a tray offish , and

a pot ofzahhi . (See P late 4 , B .)

1 59 . This present, accompanied by a superintendent , i s dispatched beforethe departure of the bride .

1 60 . R efreshments and zahhi are provided at the house of the bride’s parentsfor th e superintendent and the bearers .

1 6 1 . The counte r - p resent i s also got ready there .

1 62. Care is taken to provide suitable refreshments for the bride , and thosewho accompany he r .

1 63. The bride ’s parents show the bridegroom’s present to al l the relationsl iving with them .

1 64. While the bride is with them ,the bridegroom sends another present

as a memento of the vis it paid by the bride to her parents . (See P late 5 , B . )1 65 . I t is customary for the re lations on both s ides to send a present of

some sort to the bride’s fathe r and mother.1 66 . The beare rs are well regaled , and rece ive a counter - present .1 67. The bridegroom sends a man and woman to escort the bride back to

h is house .

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES . 223

1 68 . A fresh repast is provided for these attendants .1 69. W hen the bride i s preparing to depart , her parents send to the bride

groom’s house afohai , or box of cakes , a tray of fish , and a vessel ofaah/ria present exactly corresponding wi th that wh ich they have recei ved .

These cakes , which sometimes are made large , at others small , are composedof the stewed ri ce rece ived among the presents ; some make a s ingl e cakeof a ganting of rice ; others two or three .

This present i s d ispatched before the bride qui ts her parent’s house .

§ 1 7 l . R efreshments and zahhi are ready at the bridegroom ’s residence toregale the superintendent and the bearers , in the same manner as h is have beenregaled .

1 72 . The counter - presen t i s i n l ike manner proportionate to the other .Q 1 73. The bridegroom shows the present of the bride ’s parents to al l h is re

lations l iv ing with him .

§ 1 74. All the ceremonies be ing finished , the bride , accompanied by hermother - in- law , or some aged femal e relative

,pays a vis i t to each of those who

have sent her presents , thanks them , and at the same time , offers them someth ing i n return . (Plate 5 , A .)

1 75 . These counte r - presents have been prepared beforehand by the parentsshould any be wanting, the bridegroom suppl i es the deficiency .

§ 1 76 . Seven days afte r the wedding and all i ts ce remonies are over,the

bridegroom and four or five of h is int imate friends are invited by the parents ofthe bride to a grand ente rtainment . If they cannot accept the invi tat ion forthat day

,the party is deferred til l the n inth day .

Before d inner, the bridegroom pays a vis i t to the bride’s mother in he r apartment , where he is refreshed with tea and sweetmeats .I t is al lowabl e for the company i n the d in ing - room to indulge in mi rthsome have concerts of al l sorts ofmusical i nstruments , which are cal led maijha

jasi , and requ i re great attention others have only the samsi, the 0020 , and someother instruments .A few days afterwards , the bridegroom invites the relations of the bride to asimilar entertainment .Thus terminate all the matrimonial ceremonies , the exact observance of

224 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

which is suffi cien t for the lower classes . Among persons of qual ity the marriage ceremon ies are much more numerous and compl i cated.

To avo id confusi on , the terms bridegroom and bride have been used in theabove description of the nuptial ceremon ies , i n preference to the words hasband and wfie, though the latte r would have been , i n many instances , moreappropriate .

DETA ILED EXPLANATION

OF VARIOUS OBJECTS REPRESENTED IN THE PLATES .

§ 1 77. In P late 6 , letter A , are seen on the fihiwatasi, two small dishesmarked a a, call ed [toga/r : on one of them is a piece ofsea- lent il , and on theother are five chesnuts .b. Thre e earthen dishes call ed dohies, orhawarahe.

c. A bunch ofnosi , or dri ed rock - l eech , t ied to a very thin piece of bamboo ,both ends ofwhich are so dexterously fastened against the ledge of the trayas to be scarcely perce ived .

In the same P late , letter B , _i s represented the tehalre'

, on wh ich are seena. Chesnuts ;b. Sea- l entil out smallc. A bunch ofnosi, cons isting ofseven pieces ofequal length , j o ined togetherwith starch , the top wrapped infosio paper, t i ed by a bunch of compl imentarystrings

,the ends ofwhich are crisped .

The nosi on the fihiwatasi i s adorned i n the same manner ; on the d ishes ,which are sometimes wrapped i n gold or s ilver paper, are painted a crane , a torto ise

, fir- trees , or bamboos .178 and 1 79 . In P late 4, l e tte r A, i s shown how the sousous or zahhi j ugs

are ornamented.

The mal e butterfly , a, is decorated w i thtwigs of fi r and of the juzourifa, orw ith leaves of the tsour- siba tree .

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MARRIAGE CEREMONIES . 225

The female butterfly , b, i s also adorned w ith fir- tw igs , and three c itrons wh ichnearly resemble sweet oranges .

1 80. In P late 4, at the lette rs BB ,are se en two coppe r vessels nearly in the

shape ofour tea - pots , and decorated l ike the j ugs but the handle is wrapped in

fosz’

o paper, t ied w ith a siro-moto- i , or thin white string, used in dressingthe hair.In an ord inary year, th is string i s twisted twelve t imes round the handle , butin an embol ismi c year th i rteen times

,corresponding with the number of the

months .Beh ind the handle of each zakki j ug, the male of wh ich is distinguished bythe lette r a, the female by the lette r 6, there is a k ind of tai l , about three inchesand a half long ; i t resembles the tai l of the kite , on wh ich account i t is calledtabi - no- o. These copper vessels , wh ich, l ike the j ugs , are denominated sou

sous, are used in the bedchamber, and somet imes also in the apartment of theb ride .

1 81 . P late 7, represents the decorat ion and arrangement of an apartmentfora wedding .

A. No. 1 . The tolro.

2 . Thehagami -motie.

B . The room adjoin ing to the apartment.(1 . The telrahé.

b. Thefihiwatasi .c. The sousous.

d. The simaday .

e. The osiday .

f. A candlest ick .

1 82. P late 8, represents the apartment in wh ich the bride ’s parents entertain the bridegroom .

1 83 . Here the osiday and simaday may be dispensed w ith , unless the utmostceremony is intended to be observed.

§ 1 84. At the wedd ings of persons of the inferior classes, no othersowous

2 a

226 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES .

than those described above , are used : but people of qual i ty have two othe rsmall sourour of copper, wh ich are represented in Plate 4,

marked B , 1 84.

That marked a, i s call ed tjosi -fisagé the other, b, nagajé - tjosi .Near the spout of the fi rst, a paper butterfly is fastened to the handle ; roundthe latte r are n ine circl es of white cord , that number be ing conside red as themost perfe ct ; behind the handl e there is also a tail .The second has a spout on each s ide in the middle is a long handle it hasalso a tai l , proj ecting from the end of the handle .

1 85. The two coppe r sousous are adorned in two ways , differing but l i ttlefrom one anothe r ; white , gold , s ilve r, or red paper, i s used for the butte rfly ,and for wrapping round the handle .That part of the handle of the nagoje- y

'

osi, wh i ch ex tends beyond the brim ,i s

surrounded w ith seven bands of th in wh i te cord , doubled , cal led quansmyorz,made of sougifara paper—an emblem ofthe seven planets .

.In the middle , between these bands , i s fastened the butte rfly, and to thehandle are ti ed small Sprigs of fir and juzourifa leaves .The extremity of the handle is wrapped in tripl e paper, and the handle , fromthe place where i t begins to grow smalle r, is surrounded with sprigs of fir ,

juzourifa l eaves and paper .The handle , from the brim to the curve , has three bands, and thence to theci rcular part n ine bands , or, i n the whole , twelve bands

.

i n an o rdinary year,but thi rteen in a year of thi rteen lunar months .The second copper sourou marked b, i s cal led the male butterfly ; the o ther,marked a , the female . There is one observation to be made respect ing both .

Bes ides the sprigs of fir and the leaves of the tsourz iba tree , t i ed to the spoutof the tjosi—fisage

’

, the two butte rfl ies have a kind of small beard, made of

crisped paper, and beh ind a tai l six inches long .

§ 1 86 . Among peopl e of qual i ty , the hai r of the two females denominatedmal e and femal e butterfly , form a sort of flat tai l , called sagé -hami

, as may beseen in P late 1 , fig . 1 1 , i n the haizoje, or ass istant to the bride . I n walki ng , they raise the sk irt of the i r robes with the right hand , whi ch is calledhai - tori .

The male butterfly brings the nagaje in her left hand,and sets it'

down'

on

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228 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES .

d. A boan- tsin, or: figure of an animal , of stone , copper, or other metal ,

which is set as a weight upon pape r.e. A fitsouha, or box with channels for the pencils .

f. Different sorts of paper, as o- taha,hotaha, fosio, sougi

-fara, &c.

On the ai - no—tana, or se cond she lf.a . Thefanzo, or apparatus used by the women for blackening the teeth.b.

’

A mcy’

oufahe’

,or small bunch of feathers for smooth ing the eyebrows .

e. Fané, or the largest feathers of an eagle or a crane , for sweeping up

dust or ashesd. A ho- ban, or chaffing- dish , w ith its horo, or stand , for burn ing halambahor some other incense .

e. Ko- ba - si , or small tongsfor bu rn ing tobacco .

f.The gin- ban, or small pie ce ofMuscovy glass , in a s i lver case , used forthe same purpose .

On the san- no- tana , or thi rd shelf, area .A smal l case with two doors , containing tansok, .or coloured paper, forwriting verses . I t is also used for keeping books and manuscripts in

.

b. A fits- dai , or box for penci ls .I t i s also customary to put i n i t some tahi -mono, or a mixture of odoriferous drugs .

Afay - osi , or smal l fire - shovel of s i lver or some other metal , e i ther pol ishedor

'

engraved with various figures . I t is used to flatten or press downthe ashes i n the terrine .

A fi - tori , or double fire- terrine ; the oute r one, of wood, i s in the shape ofa gourd ; the inne r is of s il ve r or copper gil t : ove r i t is a ' smal lplate

,with open work figures of the same metal , which serves i t for

a l id .

On the si - no- tana, or fourth shelfa . A case to hold zosi , or books and writings .b. A small varni shed bowl

,w ith its pot, for wash ing hands .

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 229

I n the sameplace , letter B , are shown the articles“ placed on the hoero- dana,

viz .

On the i tje- no- tana, the first she lf,’

or rather the topa . A tansuk -faho, or box for coloured paper, on wh ich verses are wr itten .

b. A zousourifaho, or box for the ink - horn .

c. A naga -foami—faho, or box for ob long letters .d. Afoumifaho, or box for ordinary letters .

On the ui -no- tana, or se cond shelfa . The work hohin- ziu ,

b. The work manjo- z iu,

Both contain ing a col lect ion of ancient poems .

On the san-no- tana, or th i rd ghelfa . A case w ith two doors for the zosi - no-fan, or for a variety of books andmanuscripts .

b. A tsou - no- tarai , or smal l ewer w ith two handles on each'

side.

c.

“ Amissou - tsangi , or water - pot.

On the si - no- tana , or fourth shelfa. Amoto- i -faho, or box to hold the strings for ty ing the hai r.b. A foasi -faha, or box with a white powder, which is used by the women

for pol ish ing thei r teeth after they have blackened them .

0 . Afagouro-faho, or box with a compos ition for blackening the teeth .

The same plate exhibits , at letter C , the fashion in which the siodana, or

secretaire, i s made . I t is shown empty , merely as a model , because each personmay put into it whatever he pleases .

1 91 . P late 1 0 represents the various ways of folding paper for wrappingup different arti cl es .There are some persons for whom paper is folded in three ways for othersi t is folded in two ways ; and for others in one way only .

The first manner offolding paper is called sin, wh ich" means the true, genuine

this i s the most pol i te .

230 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

The second is cal led'

gz'

o, or the ord inary way ; i t is less pol ite than the other,

and is used between persons of the same rank .

The th i rd , called 2 0 , i s the general and common manner , and i s pract isedtowards inferio rs and people of the lower classes .I n order to qual ify myself to furnish a correct idea of th is matter

, 1 procuredthese different k inds ofpaper previously to my departure from Japan .

a. a . i s the paper for nosi , folded in the first and second manner.

b . b. b . for s ilks , in the fi rst , second , and third .

c. for towels and the fol lowing articles,in the th i rd manner

.

d. for a band or narrow gi rdle .e. for a common sash .

f. for a mixture of odoriferous drugs .g . forhalambah.

for a cap or hood .

z. for paint .h. for sihi - si , or square coloured paper, for writ ing verses .I. for tansok, or oblong coloured paper, for the same purpose .

m.m. for fans , i n the second and third way .

71 . for plants , sl ips of flowers , and bulbous roots, in the th i rd manner, as

are also the followingo. for flowers and branches of tre es i n flower.for ink and pencils .

q . for ground pepper and pimento .

r. for a taha - no- asigai, or small lure that i s fastened round the foot of afalcon . ( It is usually of a purple colour, with red fringe ; but whenthe bi rd has caught a crane , a red lure is given him , w ith fringe ofthe same colour .)for goma - sio, or a mixture of sal t and goma- seed , wh ich nearly re

sembles that of the poppy , though rather large r. This paper isfolded in the three ways .

1 92 . P late 1 0, fig . 1 . represents the tray w ith the money presented bythe parents of the bridegroom .

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232 E" PLANATION OF THE JAPANESE W ORDS

E"PLANATION

OF THE

JAPANESE WORDS IN THE PRECEDING DESCR IPTION.

Aja, the ground of a certain stuff.

B oun- tsin, a smal l figure ofan an imal of stone , wood , or metal .

Condorin, a co in .

Da iri , the eccles iasti cal sovere ign of Japan .

Dohi , or Kawarahe, an earthen jug.

Fagoarofaho, a box contain ing a m ixture for blackening the teeth .

Famagouris, musclesFanes, large plums .Fansi , a kind ofpaper.Fanzo, the apparatus for blackening the teeth .

Fasamifaho, a bar or bearer for clothes .Pay asi , a smal l fire- shovel .Fiki - saha- souhi , a k ind of zakki - bowl .Fihiwatasi , a tray , represented in P late 6 , A.

Fi/ci - demono, a sab re presented to the bridegroom .

Firi - sara, a small , flat, round bowl.Firi - soei -mono, a kind of soup.

Fira- bouta, a varn ished tray .

Fisi - aja,stuffwith an aja ground . See 5 1 9 .

Fi - tori , a double fire terrine .

IN THE MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

Fits- day , a box for pencil s .Fits- ouha, a fluted box .

Foude- tada, a case for penci ls .Foami -jaho, a box for ord inary lette rs.Founa-mori , an im itation of a lobster.Fouro, a wash bas in .

Foasi -fako, a box contain ing a wh ite tooth - powder.Fohai , a box with stewed rice cakes .Panzen, a kind ofboard or stand.

Fosio, a sort of paper.

Gilams, s ilk stuffs .Gin- ban, a small p iece ofMuscovy glass .Go, manner of folding paper.Gobo, black carrots .Gomame, a kind ofpilchards .Goma- sjo, a mixture of sal t and goma- seed.

Itje- no- tana, the top or uppermost she lf of the mizousi , &c.

Itsib, gold and s i lver coin .

Jasouri -fa, the leaves of a k ind of tree .

Isjo, the end .

Kagami -motie, a cake laid in the toho.

Kaje- obi , a toy for women .

Kai - tori , manner ofholding up the sk i rt of a robe .Kalambah, aromatic wood .

Kami - simo, the dress of ceremony for men .

Kanboa , sea- l enti l .Kani - s

'iah, measure for carpenters,Kasounoho, fishes’ roes .Kawa- i - i

, a box sent to near relatives who have not attendedKenbio, a small stone cover .Kinofari , long pins .

wedding.

233

234 E"PLANATION OF THE JAPANESE “ ’ORDS

Koban,a coin , both ofgold and s il ve r .

Kobosi , small tongs .

Kobou, fresh rock - l eech .

Koumi - sin, box ofdai nt ies .Koura - soami , fishes ’ roes .Kouro- dana ,

dress ing - tabl e .

Kousira - siah, measure for every thing woven .

Kouivaje, to pour salt-hi from one vessel i nto anothe r .Kogak , a small wooden platte r .Konnemon, cucumber pi ckled in aah/t i grounds .

Koro,a fire- terri ne .

Kotto,a kind ofharp .

Kommetmaas, the dried sound of the bonetto .

Il l aas,a coin .

Mai - bajari , to play on all sorts ofmusical i nstruments .

BIcy’

onfahé , a small tuft offeathers .Mahi—hami , a sort of paper .Mame- ita , a s il ve r co in .

fifamori . S ee 47 for the explanation .

Mamou-

ri - gataha. For the explanation see 22.

Mehan- no-hi , the orange - tre e .

Mina- kami, a sort ofpaper .

Miro, smal l beans of wh ich soup is made .Misou - tsougi , a water - pot.Mi zousi , a dress ing tabl e .Moto- i -falro, a box for strings to ti e the hair .hIoto- iwi , a cord .

Mot- roh, a l ist ofpresents .

bfotsi - gmne, rice cakes stewed .

Nagey'

e- tjost, a small zakki - pot of a parti cularNaga -foumifaho, a box for oblong letters .

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236 E"PLANATION or JAPANESE wonns.

Tobacco- boa,a box contai n ing al l the requ is ites for smok ing .

Taba - nosi , large bundles of nosi .Taha -mori , manner ofpil ing up r ice .

Tahe- naga, a sort of paper .Tobi -mono,

a mixture of odoriferous sp ices .Tans, a common drawer .Tansa/c, coloured paper .Tansah-faho, a box for coloured paper.Taha - no- asigai , a small lure about the foot of a falcon .

Tapies, buskinsofwh i te l inen cloth .

Tatse-houri , or gum , a kind of pil chard .

Tatsi bana, the citron tre e .Tatsi - ori -hame, the belt for the sabre for the bridegroom .

Tatama- souri , a round plate , properly s ign ifying sl ider on mats .Tehahe', a k ind of t ray .

Tiosi -fisage, a small zakki - pot .Tobi - no- o, a k ite ’s tai l .Tripangs, a marine plant , which serves instead of morels, champignonsTsou - no- tarai , a smal l wate r bucket .Tsoursiba,

a sort of tre e .

W arabinawa,th ick black cord .

W ousou - ita ,the bottom of the platter on which konnemon i s se rved .

W outje- awasi—motie, smal l cakes ofboiled rice .

W oetje-hahi , women’s dress of ceremony .

Z ahhi , a k ind of strong beer, the ordinary beverage in Japan .

Zeni . See S epi/rhes.

Z inrah, ground green tea.Z o,a way offolding paper.

Z ousouri -fako, the box for the ink -horn .

Zosi , books and manuscripts .Z os

-i - nofan, a vari ety ofbooks and manuscripts .Z oerami , sea- cat, a k ind ofmarine plant .

I N TRODUCT ION

TO THE

DESCRIPTION OF THE FUNERALS

THE JAPANESE.

IF the Japanese , i n whatever relates to the ceremony of marriage , evenamong farmers , artisans , and tradesmen, subm i t to such numerous rules of

etiquette as have been detai l ed i n the preceding pages,i t will not appear

surpris ing that funerals should be attended w i th fo rmal it ies , every part ofwh ichis fixed with equally scrupulous pre cis ion .

In regard to funerals the peopl e of Japan commonly fol low the customs ofthe Chinese , a description of which is given i n a work

,i n two volumes

,

int ituled—Two Funeral Ceremonies, explained for the Instruction of Youth.

The first volume contains a detai l of the ce remoni es to be obse rved atfunerals ; the se cond , a description of the festivals in honou r of the gods heldon these o ccas ions .The Japanese do not exactly conform to the rules prescribed in this work

,

especially at Nangasak i , the i nhab itants . of which are considered as havingdegenerated in consequence of the i r i nte rcourse w ith foreigners. The presenceof strangers is almost an abomination i n the rest of Japan . When , i n my

journeys to court, I passed through Sanagosta, and certain hamlets dependenton i t

,none of my ret inue could procure e ither fire , tea, or the most trifl ing

necessary . It w ill not, therefore , be amiss, before 1 proceed to the translationof the two Chinese works, to give an account of what is commonly practisedat Nangasaki , on the death of the maste r or m istress of a family . Here be i t

238 FUNERAL CEREMONIES .

remarked , that , accord ing to the custom establ ished in that country , a Japanesewho has no son adopts the son of a fri end

,who is thenceforward regarded

as his own ch ild , and enj oys al l the rights attached to that qual ity . Suchadopt ions also take place among those who have large famil i es . Thus

,for

instance, N gives a daughte r i n marriage to a son ofM,

who then succeeds tothe post or place of N , s i nce his son has been adopted by another

,whom he

succeeds in l ike manner . This custom forms the groundwork of more sol idconnexions ; i t un ites fami l ies i n the bonds of mutual interest , and has a powerful influence over the state of society .

The re are two kinds of funerals . The doso cons ists i n depositing the bodyin the earth

,and the guaso i n committing i t to the flames .

Most of the Japanese , e ither when in good health , or during seriou s i llness,

s ign ify to the i r he ir, or to some intimate friend , the manner in wh ich theywish the i r body to be disposed of after death . The ce remon ies of the dosoor i nhumation , are as fol lowsP eople of qual ity usually keep the body twice twenty - four hours . Those

of the lower classes , from the farmer to the porte r, in te r the corpse the dayafte r death they are therefore not obl iged to go into mourning ; yet some ofthem wear i t for two ,

th re e , or more days ; but for the former the t imeofwear ing mourning is fixed . I t used to be for one hundred days ; but wasreduced byMinamotto - no -Yeye-Yasou , fi rs t Djogoun of the re ign ing dynasty

,

to fifty days , that the business ~

of the publ ic functionaries might sufl'

er the lessinte rruption ; and for the same reason B ingo , a governor, who was muchhated , reduced the period ofmourning to th i rty - five days foral l those employedat Desima.

P ersons i n mourning are obl iged to stay at home for fifty days , and to absta i nfrom eating animal food , fish , fowl , and general ly whateve r has had l ife , subsisting enti rely on ri ce , vegetabl es , and frui t .Though B ingo reduced the time of mourn ing to th i rty - five days , this te rm is

not stri ctly observed . People repai r, i ndeed , on the thi rty - fifthday , to the res idcnce of the governor, to inquire afte r hi s health , but such as adhere to thecommands of the Djogoun and the practi ce of S iaka, give out , on the i r returnhome , that they are indisposed , and continue to l ive fifteen days longer onfruit , rice , and vegetables .

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240 FUNERAL CEREMONIES .

6 . The ifay ,an oblong tablet, on which are inscribed the time of the death

and thename afterwards given to the deceased .

7 . Priests striki ng small bells , and reading hymns aloud .

8 . The guan, or coffin .

9 . The eldest son.

1 0 . The family .

1 1 . The i ntimate friends of the deceased , h is colleagues , acquaintance , andservants of both sexes .1 2 . The norimons, or palanquins ; i n the first, i s the eldest daughte r ,

w ife ,‘ younger s ister, or nearest female relat ive of the deceased ; then come

the other females of the family , and lastly the wives of his friends . The

norimons of the family are distinguished by a small piece of whi te cloth , a markof kindred which is not afli x ed to the others .R elatives i n the ascending l ine and seniors never attend the funerals ofk indred of inferior degre e .

Thus,for example , if the second son should d ie ,

ne ither fathe r, mother, uncle , aunt , e ldest son, or e ldest daughte r, wouldfol low the corpse .

The remains of pe rsons of a ce rtain rank are carried by the i r own peoplethose of persons of the lower classes by publ i c beare rs , who, l ike all otherbearers employed at funerals , are habi ted in a white hami - simo, and carry asabre by the i r s ide .Those who go before with the trestles and the bundle of straw wear a k ind

of whi te sh i rt over thei r clothes .The eldest son and his brothers are dressed in wh i te , and wear over al l awh ite mantle of ceremony , but withou t armorial d istinct ions ; the othe r relativesare dressed in the i r usual apparel .The females who attend funerals , whether relatives or friends , are all dressed inwhite the i r hai r i s merely fastened by a comb without the smallest ornament .As soon as the quan, or coffi n , has reached the temple where the priests areal ready assembled , i t is set down before the image of the god , and the priestsimmediately begin to read hymns . The ifay i s placed before the quan,

andbefore the ifay are set some plates of sweetmeats , pears and flowers , and infront of these the sio/to, or small box for burning incense .The eldest son steps up before the ifay ,

says h is prayers, and burns some

fuNERAL CEREMONIES. 241

i ncense ; when he has retu rned to h is place al l the relatives and friends do thesame one afte r another .The priests having read hymns for about half an hour, the bel ls are struck ,the drums beaten , thejamabos sound the i r trumpets, and the homsos, the flutes .The priests then range themselves i n the fol low ing manner :

a. The quan, or coffi n .

b . The high - priest of the temple0 . c. The inferiorpriests.

d . d . d . d . The'priests of the other temples.

After reading a hymn in this posit ion , the coffi n is taken up and carried tothe grave , - acco‘mpan ied by al l the parents and friends of the deceased .

As soon as’ the hymn is fin ished , the women , the colleagues of the deceased ,

andhis acquaintance , re turn home , and are compl imented at the door of thetemple by who wai t there for the purpose ._Afte r the i r departure the relat ives proceed in haste to the grave , where , i nthe inte rim , a

‘

priest reads' some hymns til l the ir arr ival ’The moment they ‘

are come , the tub contai ning,

the body is taken out of the guan, and depofsited i n the grave , wh ich is

' then filled with earth,and covered with a flat

stone , and th is i s again covered w ith earth ; Over the whole is placed thequan, which is removed at the expiration ofseven weeks, to make room for the

sisehor tomb- stone, whichis prepared in tho ' mean time,

242 FUNERAL CEREMONIES .

These particulars wil l sufli ce to explain the ceremon ies practised at Nangao

sak i,on occas ion of the doso, or inte rment .

W hen the deceased has preferred the guaso, that is, to be burned , thisce remony takes place on the summit of one of the two mountains

, Kasougasira

and Fondesi - yama former s ituated to the south - east,the latter to th e

north of the city .

On each of these mountains is a hut called ohoubo, two ik ies and a half, or

about e ighteen feet and a half square : above , there is a smal l w indow ,and a

door on the s ide next to the road .

The quan i s prev iously carried , with al l the ceremonies enumerated above ,to the temple , where , after the reading of the last hymn , i t i s taken up by thebearers

,and carried to the ohoubo, fol lowed by the re latives and fri ends .

I n the centre of th is hut is a large well of freeston e ; outs ide of th e doorthe tub or coffin IS taken out of the quan by the se rvants of the deceased

, or

by the beare rs,and placed ove r this well , in which the ombos, a class ofpeople

very l ittl e bette r than beggars , keep _

up a_great fire w ith wood ti ll the body

is consumed .

Each of them has two poles of bamboo , with wh ich he picks the bones outof the ashes .The first bone is taken up by two of these ombos with four sti cks

,which is

call ed alibasami , or, to l ift up on oppos ite s ides . For this reason two personswil l never l ift up togethe r any meat o r food whatever w ith the st icks they usefor eating : i t would be an omen of i ll luck .

The ombos del iver th is bone with the i r fou r sticks‘ to the e ldest son, or thenearest relation , who i s provided with ah earthen u rn , into wh ich he puts th ebone wi th his right hand . The othe r bones are collected by the se rvants o r theporters , and poured w ith th e ashes into the urn , the mouth of which i s closed upwith plaste r.While the body is consum ing a priest reads hymns ; the friends remain out ~s ide the ohoubo i n the road .

The beare rs then take up the urn , and carry i t i n the i r hands to the grave,

to which flowers,the sioho and the quan are l ikewi se carried ; but the flags and

lanterns are thrown away , or g iven to beggars .The parents , the friends , and the priest who reads the hymns, follow the

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FUNERAL CEREMONIES . 243

urnto the grave , i n wh ich i t is immediately deposited . I t i s fil led with'

earth,on which is laid a flat stone ; th is is also covered with earth , and afte r it hasbeen wel l stamped down and l evel l ed the quan i s placed over i t . At theexpi ration of forty - nine days the quan i s removed , and the sisehput i n itsstead .

People of qual ity and r ich tradesmen cause a but to be erected near thegrave , where a se rvant is stationed for the purpose of noting down the names ofall those who come th ither to pray : h is presence also serves to protect the quanand other things from be ing stolen during the seven weeks . (See P late At

the expi ration of th is t ime , the eldest son, or other nearest relative,calls

to return thanks to each of the persons whose names are upon the l ist.I n case of the sudden death of a person hold ing an e mployment under thegovernment , i t i s not uncommon to bury him the same or the following n ight ina clandestine manner . The corpse is immediatel y washed , put into a tub , andthe vacancy fi ll ed with small bags stuffed with leaves of the tana - si ba tre e : al id is nailed on, and the tub is t i ed round with straw - bands. People of qual i tywho adopt this '

course fil l up the space with cinnabar,which prevents putre

faction .

~

The tub , or coffi n , is then put into a norimon, which is carried to the templeby servants or—hi red porte rs : the sons , relatives , and fri ends of the deceased ,dressed in the i r ordinary apparel , without hami - simo, accompany the bodv. Theprocess ion i s l ighted by ordinary lante rns . On reaching the temple , thepriests read some hymns ; the coffi n is then carried to the grave , and coveredw ith earth ; afte r which each returns home . When people adopt th is k ind ofi nterment, which is of so secret a nature that they do not even give noti ce of i tto the government,

‘

they must keep the i r doors open , and l ive in the usualmanner .The son then sends word to the governor, that h is father i s so dangerouslyind isposed as to be incapable of performing the dut ies of h is offi ce , which hebegs l eave to res ign . The governor sends for him , accepts the resignationof the father, and gives h is post to the son. I n about ten days the latte r announces to the governor the death ofhis father, after which the funeral ceremoni es are performed publ icly

,t hough the interment took place in the ve ry

night of, or that following h is decease .2 r 2

244 FUNERAL CEREMONIES .

At Nangasaki peopl e are al lowed to eat and bathe immediately afte r thedeath of one of the i r relatives : but they abstain from flesh and fish , and eatvegetables alone , for the cooking ofwhich i t is lawful to make a fire . One ofthe relations , or servants , sleeps by the s ide of the corpse , or in the adj oin ingroom .

P ersons of the m iddl ing class have not recourse , l ike the Ch inese , to theofficers whom they denominate the goso, the zuvin, the sisio

,and the sigua.

They request some relative or intimate friend to prov ide and order whatever i snecessary for the funeral , as flags, flowe rs , l anterns, the tub , or coffin , the

game, the trestles, so. or the whol e bus iness is committed to a trusty servant.The three~ latter articles are made by a cooper.Care is taken to have a grey ish hami - simo of coars e hempen cloth

,without

armorial bearings,and cal led for fune rals mofouhou i t i s worn for fifty days .

The following arti cles are necessary for fune rals ;1 . The tub for the body , commonly three Japanese feet high , two and ahalf i n d iameter at the top, two feet at the bottom ,

and made forpeople of qual i ty of a very th ick durable wood : for persons of thei nferior classes of ordinary wood . I t is cal led quart - ohe.

2 . The quart, or, oute r coflin ; i t is square , oblong, made - of thin wh iteplanks , w ith an obl ique roof, r is ing in the fo rm of an arch andpointed at the top . The summit is adorned with a crescent at eachextremity . The pannel in front is sculptured with images

,flowers

,and

other'

ornaments. For the common people this chest is not made ofwood , but of a kind ofwhite pasteboard .

3. The szselr, or tomb - stone , placed on the grave seven weeks after the interment , when the quan i s removed .

4 . The hio- lratabera, which w i ll be described hereafter.5 . Thehami - simo, which wil l be described hereafte r .6 . New towels to wipe the corpse after it has been washed, and before i ti s dressed in the hio-hatabera.

For persons of the middling class, two ifay s of th in white wood are orderedof a coope r. These are sent w i th the flags to the temple

,and carried back

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F UNERAL CEREMONIES.

funeral,and who came to pray at the grave ; after wh ich he sends them a

ha'

wa - i ,(

o r smal l chest ofmotsi - gome, or stewed r ice fit for mak ing cakes .At the end of the seven weeks two other ifay s, varn ished black and superblygilt, are provided : on the back are written in gold lette rs the nengo, the year,month , and day , ofthe death of the deceased : this is cal ledfoanmen. One ofthese ifay s is sent to the temple and there kept by the priests ; and the otherremains a t home in the l i ttle temple , which eve ry Japanese, from the highest tothe lowest, has i n his apartment, and before which he says h is praye rs morningand evening , and burns a lamp . Every month , on the day of the decease ofh is ancestors

,he places before h is gay , for fifty , and even for a hundred years ,

a smal l table .withv ictuals , sweetmeats , and fruit , and every day sets before thede ity of this temple , a basin of boil ed ri ce and another of tea.

One hundred days afte r the decease offathe r or mother, the son again inviteshis re latives , h is i ntimate fri ends , and the priest who attended on the occas ion ,and gives them a good ente rtainment afte r the read ing of a few hymns . Th isente rtainment is l ikewise called fozi : i t is repeated a year afterwards , on theann iversary of the decease , and then i n the th i rd , seventh , th irteenth , twentyfifth

,th i rty - th i rd , fifti e th , hundredth , and one hundred and fift ieth year, on

the ann ive rsary of the decease of the first ancestor, and so on as long as thefam i ly exists .To i llustrate what I have sa id above , I shal l annex two representat ions '

of

funerals . The first exh ibits the funeral of a civi l offi cer of d istinction , according to the manner of the four se cts of S iaka . (See P late The processioncons ists of

1 . Thehiatats, or trestles , on which the b ie r is placed on i ts arr ival at thetemple .

2 . The meto- day , w ith the bundle of straw,to l ight the road at night.

This is carried merely for the sake of form,s i nce lanterns are taken

along for the purpose . He is fol lowed by two se rvants ofthe deceased .

The hami - simo of his people exhibits the escutcheon ofh is arms : for inJapan al l servants wear the arms of the ir maste r.

3 . The obata, or great flag , inscribed with the name of S iaka , Am ida, or thedei ty , or with the t itle ofa hymn , for the professors of the doctrine ofthefakesjo sect.

FUNERAL CER EMONIES . 247

4.The rengi es two flowe rs of tratté,or lotus ( nymphcea nelumbo) ofwhitepaper. Th is flowe r is deemed the purest, asnot be ing sull ied by thecontact of muddy water

,wh ich keeps up its freshness without impair

i ng its colour.Tw‘o servants.

5 . The ho- bata,four smal ler flags , inscribed with moral sentences of ancient

t imes.Two servants .

Thefora in whi ch l ighted candles are burned even in broad day .

Two se rvants of the de ceased who were always i n attendance on himduring his l ife .

8 . Two pots with flowers of wh ite paper, the one containing the renge'

e, or

flower of the tratté , and the other the hihou - nofana, or flower of motherwort .

9 . The sio/co, or box of incense , wh ich i s burned by the way . I t remainsfor seven weeks w ith the two ’

pots of flowers before the sepulchral

ifay : each of those who come to say the i r praye rs there puts into it asmal l scented l ighted tape r, called sinho.

The beare r of the ifay , who is commonly a ch ild .

His attendants.

A priest w ith h is Chaplet : he is represented as s il ent. If the funeral isperformed accord ing to the doctrine of the S iodosju sect, and hymnsare read by the way , he carries a book i n h is hand . He serves as aguide to the deceased .

A,

young candidate for the priesthood , having in his hand a smal loblong vase , into wh ich the pr iest throws some incense on his arrivalat the temple .

The servant of the pri est with a box conta in ing the hymn - books .Two servants of the deceased .

His second son.

The bearers .The quan, or b ier.The tengay , or umbrella.

248 FUNERAL CEREMONIES .

20 .The smal l board inscribed with the name given to the quan,

as,tran

s i ent bril l iancy , dull l ight , or some other symbol ical express ion .

21 . Two servants to clear the road , and to dr ive away dogs and cats .22.The ato- tsougi , the he ir or eldest son.

23. The near relati ons , who alone are hab ited in wh itehami - simos.

24 .

'The i r attendants .25 . The geigua, or surgeon . Persons of th is profess ion do not shave the

head .

26. The intimate friends and acquaintance . Those inhami - simos are personsholding places under gove rnment, and those w ithout them are merchants and tradesmen .

27. The isja, or phys i cian . The persons of th is profession shave the i r headsl ike the pri ests .

28. Thefari—outsi , or pri cke r w ith the needle . Fari s ignifies needle, outsi

to strike . I t was fo rmerly customary to drive the needle into the fleshwith gentle blows of a hammer ; and though th is operation is now performed with the finger, the express ion has been re tained .

29. Spectators ; Those dressed in hami - simos are civi l officers ; the others arecit izens , tradesmen , dc .

30 . The norimon of the wife , daughter, younger s ister, and some othe rfemale relative i n the descending l i ne . Those in the ascending l inenever attend ' the funeral process ion , ashas been

.

already obse rved.

The i r norimons are covered wi th a small p iece of white cloth,and

the i r women are dressed in a siro-moulton, or white mourning robe , aswel l as

'

their mistresses, each '

of whom is attended 'by a manservant a lso .

31 . The norimon of one of the female friends of the deceased, dressed , aswel l as her women; i n her usual appare l . Accordingly , there is nota white cloth attached to her norimon.

Lastly,a numbe r ofpe rsons assembled to see the process ion.

In the annexed series of engravings , fai thfully reduced from the Japaneseoriginals , only two norimons have been introduced , though the original represents several fol low ing one another.

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250 FUNERAL CEREMONIES.

39.Two fassambalros, or smal l trave ll ing trunks , covered with wh ite l inencloth .

40. Two bearers of l ante rns .41 and 42 . L ife - guards of the i nferior class .43. The quan, carried by the bearers of the norimon of the deceased , all

dressed in whi te .

44. L ife - guards of the inferior class .

45 , 46,and 47. B earers ofthe p ike , the cane , and the long - handled parasol ,who belonged to the retinue of the governor, while l iving.

48 . Afassambaho.

49 and 50 . Two grooms .5 1 . The governor’s horse , having the bridle , saddle , and tail covered with

white l inen .

52 . The long - handled sabre .

Two i nspecto rs of the pro cess ion .

54. The governor’s physician .

55 . His attendants .56 . His sl ippe r - bearer .

(Plate The muni cipal officers ofNangasaki , the Superintendents ofcommerce , the i nterprete rs ofthe Dutch and the Chinese , from the chiefdown to the lowest class , the office rs of the treasury , the city officers ,the phys icians , surgeons , needle - pri ckers , principal inhabi tants andtradesmen . (The multitude of h igh and low was immense

,the

governor be ing un iversally beloved for his good qual ities) .58. The chief se cretary , who closes the process ion .

59 . His attendants .60 . His long - handled parasol .6 1 . His pike .

62 . His sl ipper- beare r.63. Hisfasami -faho.

64. His horse .

65 . (Plate The siseh, or tomb - stone , twelve feet and a half high , Japanesemeasure .

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DESCR IPT ION

OF THE

CEREMONIES PRACTISED IN JAPAN AT FUNERALS .

CHAPTER I .

WHEN the master or mistress of a family i s attacked by a dangerous disease,

when al l hope of recovery is past, and the patient’s end is evidentl y approaching

,

the foul clothes which he or she has ‘

on are changed for clean ones . -Men areattended by men , and women by women . They inqui re the last w ishes of thedying person

,and commit them to writ ing, at the same time observing profound

sil ence . A s soon as hehas breathed h is last, all the relatives weep for h is deathi n an attitude“ of grief. The body is carried to another place and a coveringthrown over i t . This covering is the ordinary robe , but the skirt is placed overthe head , and the sleeves over the feet . The head l i es towards the north , butthe face is turned to the west . Skreens are put round the corpse and a pieceof gauz e i s laid over the face , that the person may not be prevented frombreath ing and recovering, if contrary to al l appea rance , he should only be in alethargy .

The son, or sosu , who succeeds his father, i n Ch inese mosu, ought, as well ashis wife , ch ildren , brothers, and s isters , to manifest his profound affl i ction inh is demeanour and apparel . The hai r is commonly l eft untied , or at least i t i svery loosely fastened with a hempen cord . He must not wash h imself nor

This is done to preserve i t from cats. It is asserted that if a cat springs upon a corpse, the

person revi ves ; that if he be then struck witha broom,he sinks lifeless ag ain ; but that if he bestruck wi thany thing elsehe still cont inues to live. For this reason i t is strictly forbidden to driveaway cats withbrooms.

FUNERAL CEREMONIES . 253

take any food for three days ; but , if he cannot endure so long a fast h isfri ends or acquai ntance come to his rel ief, and supply him with hon- si , or

ste eped rice . I t is upon them that this duty devolves , since Confoutsé says i nthe Lihi , that i t i s not lawful to make a fire in the house of the deceased forthree days afte r his death . If there is absolute necess ity for a fire i t ismadeelsewhere , and then carried to the door of the house where the body l i es . I nthe n ight the sosu and other re latives sleep on mats near the corpse .

CHAPTER 1 1 .

IT i s necessary , immediate ly afte r death , to appo int four persons for differentdut ies , namely :

1 . - The Gozo. Th is Ch inese word denotes a ski lful man , sele cted fromamong the relatives or friends to make al l the requ isi te arrangementsfor the funeral .

2 . The Zavin, who rece ives those who come to pay visits of condolence .

W hen any person of consequence cal ls , he informs the sosu, who, i f i tb e a friend

,goes to meet h im , and salutes him merely w ith a pol ite

bow,but without speaking : if not a friend , the zuvin rece ives him .

3 . The S izio, whose offi ce it is to note down in a small book whatever i swanting for the funeral , and the presents sent by friends .

4 . The S iqua,who makes out a statement of the gold and si lver co in , the

copper sepih/res, and l ikewise of the rice requ is ite forthe funeral .For these offices persons of known punctual ity and prudence are chosen . If

the sosu were not assisted by these four deputi es , he would be disturbed inh is medi tations by incessant interruptions . If, owing to the excess ofhis grief,he does not appo int them himself, i t is the duty of his fri ends to del iberatetogether , and each to assume spontaneously such of these offi ces for which he isbest qual ified ,

254 FUNERAL CEREMONIES .

CHAPTER I I I .

THE third chapte r contains all that re lates to the arrangement of the funeral,

and to the offerings i n honour of deceased relatives , as wel l asthe apparatusand instruments requ is i te for the occas ion , as

1 . The exte rnal coflin or bie r, called quan, described in the next chapte r .2 . The sinsu , a tabl et of hard wood , on which is i nscribed the name of thedeceased, and which se rves for a mark of honour. The Ch inese andJapanese fix i t up in thei r houses i n memory of the death of the i rparents or relat ives . In Japan th is tablet is cal led ifay : the descript ion of i t i s given in Chap . V .

3 . The sireir, a monument e rected over the grave . (S ee Chap . VI.)

4. The hosodés, the upper and unde r garments , w iththe upper and undersashes

,

‘ the first ofwhich is cal led wouvei - obi , and the othe r sita - obi .

5 . The hami - simo, or complete dress of ceremony ; hami signifies above,

simo,below. The cloak which is without sle eves i s called by the

Japanese hata- gihon, and the breeches , vahama .

6 . The tapies, l inen buskins , or a kind of shoes with th ick soles of

cotton .

7 . The uhata, a robe of fine l inen ; i t is put on i n com ing out of the bathto dry the body . They have two of them , and l ikewise two

towels .8 . The vehbohin, a piece of s i lk , to cover the face of the deceased , twelveJapanese inches square , double , with cotton i nterposed , and smallribbons at the four corners to ' t ie at the back of the head . TheChinese use for th is purpose a black s tuff w i th a red lin ing . Amongthe Japanese i t is ofwhite silk .

9 . The ahsuhin,- a piece ofwhite s ilk doubled , and stuffed w ith cotton, one

foot two inches long , with small r ibbons at the four corners : there aretwo which serve to envelop the hands .

IO. Z uusi , or purified cotton , to fill the cars.

1 1 .Mohjokgou , or utens i ls for wash ing the body , as tubs , buckets , do.

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256 FUNERAL CEREMONIES .

CHAPTER IV .

THE quan, or external coffin , i s made of very smooth blocks of yew,each one

foot two inches thick , fastened together at the four corners with pegs of somehard wood , and not w i th nails . It i s made in proportion to the body , so thatthe legs may be stretched out straight : the breadth is regulated by that of theshoulders : the depth is such that the corpse when laid on the back shall notbe compressed ; at the end where the head is , i t is higher and broader, andtowards the feet i t becomes gradually narrower and lower . Care is taken thati t should not be made e ither too wide or too narrow

, so that the hosode’

s, thetonkin, and the men/t in, may go into i t with ease . The l i d is fastened also withwooden pegs , because i ron nails by rusting would rot the wood . The bottomall round is furn ished with i ron rings , through which are passed ropes , for thepurpose ofmanaging the quan with greate r facil ityThe construction ofth is cofli n differs much from that adopted by the Japanese ,who wil l not follow the Chinese fashion in this parti cular. The generalcustom ofthe former, therefore , i s to have a round tub , or a high square chest ,i n wh ich the deceased can be placed on h is knees : sometimes this chesti s made rather oblong , to hold the body in a half re cumbent posture . If

such a chest were to be ordered at the death of any relative , i t would be madeof green unseasoned wood , and not read ily take varn ish : for th is reason , whenparents or relat ions become advanced in years , the i r ch ildren or kinsfolkhave the coffin secretly provided , that i t may be properly varnished intime . There have been instances ofpersons l iving upwards of s ixty years afterthe chest or other apparatus has been prepared for them . I t is cons ide red asessential that these arrangements should be made with the utmost secrecy .

Formerly the coffin used to be enclosed in another of th in boards two incheswider

,and seven or e ight higher than the othe r , furnished with a l id , but

without bottom , and cal led by the Chinese quay -hale, or separation . I t wasused for pack ing up the sanbouts, as wil l be seen in Chapte r X .

Some pe rsons have double cofli nsmade , and fil l up the space between the oute rand the inner with melted ros in : the oute r coffi n is cal led quah. The ancients

FUNERAL CEREMONIES. 257

held i t to be useless ; but without i t the ros in cannot be poured about theother . Yet , as the sanbouts, after i t has been for a long seri es of years underground , acqui res the hardness of stone , there is no occas ion for ros in , andthe oute r coffin also may be d ispensed with . The opulent may have both theseart icles

,while the poorer classes can very well shift without them .

CHAPTER V .

THE sinsu, or ifay , was in use among the ancients . A mere descriptioncannot convey a j ust idea of the fashion in which i t i s made . For this purposeocular inspection is absolutely necessary . AtMeako the re are dealers

,who

keep stocks of them for sale . The fol lowing descript ion will be useful tothose who l ive at a d istance from the capital and wish to have ifay s made.I t is one foot two inches h igh , three inches broad, and an inch and one- fifthth i ck

, Chinese measure , call ed in Japan zinsiah. I t grows gradually narrowerto the top , where i t terminates i n a Ci rcle . An inch be low the place where theci rcle commences , i t i s sawed to the depth of four - tenths of an inch , a l ittleob l i quely towards the top , which the Chinese cal l gan,

and the Japaneseotogay ,

or j aw . From the depth of th is notch the ifizy i s sawed in a right l ineto the bottom , and thus d ivided into two pieces ; one of these pieces , havingthe ci rcl e at top , i s four - fifths, and the other two - fifths, of an inch th ick : thelatte r serves for the front, and is rubbed exte rnally with white lead . In thethickest or h inder piece is made a smal l channel , an inch broad and two~ fifths

of an inch deep , the l ength being in proportion to that of the i nscription to beput on i t. This channel the Chinese te rmhan- tju , which s ignifies , hollowedout i n the middle . On each s ide of the b inder piece , i n the middle of i tsthickness

, or two - fifths of an inch from the edge , is bored a small round holefor the admiss ion of the air, and also for the admission of the soul of thedeceased ; after wh ich these two pieces are agai n jomed together and insertedin a pedestal

, four inches square , one and a half high , and hollowed to halfi ts depth

,according to the measure of the ifay . The Ch inese cal l th is pedestal

2 L

258 FUNERAL CEREMONIES.

fou ; i t is made of chesnut - tree wood ; but for want of that , other wood maybe used .

B es ides the ifay , a double case must be prepared to put i t in . The Chinesecal l the inner zahay , the outer foh. Appl ication must be made to a scholarto furnish the inscription ; the books which treat of that subj ect must beattentively read , and the re wil l be found drawings of every thing relatingto it.As there is a great d ifference between the manner of wri t ing the name of

the deceased on the founmen, and that of writing i t on the han-

tja, or channelof the ifay , i t is requis i te to be thoroughly conversant with that matte r . Whenthe funeral process ion sets out from the house of the deceased

, one of theprincipal members of the family carries the ifay to the grave ; the inscript ionis put on i t during the i nterment ; i t i s taken out of the fair and placed on a

table . For this operation there must be a celebrated wr ite r, pure water, a newpenci l , and fresh - made ink .

As soon as the inscript ion is finished , the sosu falls down before the ifay ,

and bows his head thri ce to the ground , at the same time burning some k indof fragrant wood in a small censer : in a very low tone he entreats the sou lof the deceased to be pleased to pass i nto the ifay , which is then shut upagain in the case and carri ed back to the house . Sometimes the i nscriptionis previously written on i t at home , and i t is thus carried to the grave, whichis considered more decorous .

CHAPTER VI.

THE siseh, or tomb - stone , i s formed of two slabs , two inches thick , of oblongform , of equal d imensions , proportionate to the l ength of the inscription

,

perfectly smooth , laid close to one anothe r, and kept i n that position by twostrong i ron cramps . On the inner surface ofone of the stones are engravedthe names of the deceased , the place of h is bi rth and res idence , and any otherci rcumstance that i t may be thought fit to record . It i s i n general a learnedmoral ist who furnishes the characte rs for the i nscription .

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260 FUNERAL CEREMONIES.

up in a bundle : a rug i s then carried to the place of washing ; over th is‘ i sthrown the tan/t in, and the corpse , after be ing washed , is l aid upon it . The

body is dressed , according to the season , i n two or three lrosodés in summer ,merely a Iratabera, or robe of th in hempen stuff, such as is used i n very hotweathe r

,i s taken ; the sita- obz

'

, a kind of under sash , the woewa- obi , or uppe rsash

,the zzmzz', the ve/rbo/cin, the a/csu/cin, the tapies, the falrama,

and the [catagenou ,

all which garments have been described in Chapte r I I I .On the death of a femal e , the corpse is dressed i n her best clothes , but th erobes of both sexes are folded the l eft . s ide underneath and the right above ,the contrary way to that practised by pe rsons i n thei r l ife - t ime . Thus

'

too

the sashes and ribbons are not ti ed in a how, but strongly fastened wi th“ two

knots,to i ndicate that they are never more to be loosed . Then the body is

covered on both sides by the tan- kin, but also contrariwise to the fash ioncustomary during l ife . I t is then carried on the mat into the middle of thehall , with the head turned towards the south . There a small tray coveredwith victuals i s offered to the deceased , and his death is deplored with amournful countenance . Care is taken not to use the dining apparatus of

the deceased , e ither gil t , s ilve red , varn ished , or decorated in any mannerwhatever .

CHAPTER VIII .

IN putting the body into the coffi n , the fol lowing pomts must be observedThe deceased be ing laid upon h is back in the tan/fin, the arms , l egs , and

"

other parts are so completely wrapped up, that the whole forms - but one

uniform surface . The two sides of the tun/fin are turned upward in the

manner that is customary for the dead ; the uppe r and lower part meetingacross the abdomen ; a piece of hempen cloth , a lé, or a foot , - broad

,i s then

torn into three bandages , with which the tan/tin is fastened over the corpse i nfive places .The coffin is then brought, and over i t i s spread the men/fin,

which,owing

to i ts breadth , hangs down on each side ,Al l those who bear a p art in th is

FUNERAL CEREMONIES . 261

ceremony , must first wash the i r hands cl ean : they thenput i n the body inthe proper position , and fil l all the vacancy with lcosode's, or wearing apparel .If, agreeably to the doctrine of S iaka

,they cut off the hai r of the deceased

,

they place i t i n the four corne rs of the coffin,toge ther with the parings

of

his nails . They then turn up the man/fin,fi rst over the feet

,then the head

,

next on the l eft s ide , and lastly on the right, so that the corpse i s completelyenveloped in it . Over th is they lay a great quantity of wearing apparel—a

practice wh i ch is cons idered as the height of luxury .

The garments used to fil l up the coffi n are given by the family : some arethi ckly wadded , others sl ightly , and others again are of s ingl e cal i co

. Theygive also robes unl ined or l ined , without wadding, each according to his circumstances or h is pleasure .

P ersons of the inferior class , who have not garments to spare , substi tute tothem pi eces of s ilk , l inen , and cotton ; and the common people , the best clothesworn by the deceased in h is l ife - t ime , hempen stuff, and paper .The contents of the coffin be ing made perfectly smooth , the l id is put on ;

afte r wh ich an offering is made of zakki , tea , and sweetmeats , with dolefullamentations and expressions of sorrow .

The body is not deposi ted in the coffin til l the expi ration of twice twentyfour hours . S iba Onko , an esteemed Ch inese author, insists that peopleshould wait three days , because , if the deceased does not revive i n that time ,he wil l never recover : th is is accordingly done at present . It ve ry rarelyhappens

,that a person apparently dead , proves to be only in a l ethargy

nevertheless i t is customary for peopl e to keep talking a certain time longerto the i r relat ives before they put them into the coffin . To talk in th is mannerbefore the body has quite lost i ts natural heat, would indicate great hardnessofheart , and be i n some measure a rebell ion against nature .

CHAPTER IX .

BEFORE the procession quits the house of the deceased , the sosu steps up tothe coffin , and in a low tone , and an att itude of grief, acquaints the deceased,

262 FUNERAL CEREMONIES .

that he is about to be conveyed to the grave . The quan i s then carri ed tothe ifay s of h is ancestors . Here the family and friends take leave of thedeceased ; the quan i s placed on a mat in the middl e of the apartment ; andin the i r presence i t is carri ed out of the house .

The sosu ,dressed in mourning

,and hold ing the stougé , o r cane , i n his

hand,walks

, as wel l as his younger brothers , on the left of the coffin :

but afte r the inte rment they all return in nom’

mons, or Irangos. The relatives follow the coffi n ; afte r them come the friends of the deceased , whosometimes go on before and wait at the grave , which is cons idered as morede corous . The sosu

’

s mother and w ife , and the other females , walk on ther ight s ide of the coffi n ; and women of qual i ty follow the men in norz

'

mons, or

kangos. The same order i s observed by those of i nferior rank ; if any obstacleprevents them fromwalking , the i r women servants go on foot in the ir stead .

Al l those who attend the procession manifest grief in the i r looks anddemeanour.

CHAPTER X .

IF the body i s to be buried on a h il l , in a wood or in an orchard , a suitableplace is first chosen ; i f such an one cannot be immediately found , i t isi nterred , ad interim, i n a cemetery , whence i t is afte rwards removed to a betters ituation . But , if i t is intended from the fi rst to be buried in the cemetery , i ti s not subsequently removed to any other place . The grave must not be dugi n the remote recesses of the mountains , for fear of rapacious an imals , wh ichwould profane th is last asy lum of death for the purpose of appeas ing the i rhungenWhen a suitable s ituat ion has been fixed upon , a member of the fam i lycareful ly washes and purifies h imse lf

,and repai rs to the place . On the right

of the spot chosen for the grave , he presents an offe ring of victuals , burnsincense i n a small vessel , and , i n a respectful prayer, acquaints Dozin, the godof the earth , with h is i ntent ion of making a grave there , imploring him to preserve i t for many years from al l calami ty .

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264 FUNERAL CEREMONIES .

a very smal l table,at thesame timeuttering a few words . The Chinese cal l this

offering geasay . Meanwhil e one of the company , seated on the right of the sosu ,

recites a fervent prayer to the deceased—a practi ce customary in offerings on

mo 'urnful occas ions,but on j oyful ones the person takes h is place on the left

of the eld est son.

When the funeral i s over before noon , the geasay takes place i n the afte rnoon : if the funeral i s i n the afte rnoon , the geasay i s made in th e evening ;but if the corpse is not i nterred t il l n ight, this offering i s deferred ti l l thenext morn ing

. The Ch inese cal l i t siogou , which signifies the first offering .

The next day vi ctuals are again set before the ifay th is is cal led the saggon,

or second offering . The same th ing i s done the day after ; and th is is cal led

sangou , or th i rd offering ; but all of them are comprehended in the te rm

geasay .

After th is there are set before the yay fo r fifty days , morning and evening ,some v ictual s

'

on a small table , and in the night a l i ttl e vase i n wh ich incense isburned : tea and sweetmeats are l ikewise placed before i t. The v ictuals arecooked w i th l ess care than those used for the geasay , only they are madesomewhat bette r on the first day of every month , when the morn ing offeringmust be left til l even ing , and the evenin g offering t i ll morning . In summeri t is taken away soone r, because the victuals spoi l more speedily than i n coldweather : but sweetmeats , and other articl es , which keep bette r are left longe rthan cooked d ishes .Afte r proceed ing in th ismanner for fifty days , there is made another greatoffer ing, call ed in Chinese and Japanese , zukok - no-matsouri , but which is

commonly termed,at Nangasak i , fika - nitje, which signifies the celebration of

the hundredth day,and is de rived from a practi ce of the ancient Chinese,

who were accustomed to keep the corpse i n the house about three months, or

one hundred days , after which they held th is fest ival , and depos ited the bodyi n the grave ; hence this offering is made on the hundredth day afte r thedecease of relatives . The method of proceeding is the same as at the geasay ,

with this d iffe rence , that the person who reads the prayer s its on the left ofthe sosu ,

s ince i t i s considered as the first fortunate or lucky offering,one

hundred days having e lapsed s ince the death of the person for whom i t i smade .

FUNERAL CEREMONIES . 265

CHAPTER XII .

THE manner of erecting a tomb - stone , accord ing to the custom of Ch ina, i sas follows —A smal l oblong heap of earth

,cal led in Japan tsou/fa,

i s thrownup : the front, towards the south , i s about four feet , of the Chinese measureziuz

'

siak ; but, according to the present Japanese measure , rather more than twofeet five inches and a half h igh . In the direction from south to north i tbecomes gradually lower and narrower, and at the northernmost extremity i ti s narrowest above , but rather w ider below . Every one i s at l ibe rty tomake i t as large as he pleases , and to fol low the custom of the place where hel ives . The width at the bottom se rves to prevent the fall ing down of theearth

,and the narrowness at top to h inder people from walking ove r the

grave . In the middle of the south - s ide or front , i s e rected the melt,which

i s four feet long, one broad , e ight inches h igh , and te rminates in a po int atthe top.

On the front of th is s tone are engraved the name and condition of thedeceased . If the i nscription is so long as to requi re a great number of

characters , they begin on the left , and run all round the stone . The siselr i splaced on a pedestal , and the h illock is surrounded with pointed stakes ,entwined at top and bottom with cross branches , to prevent the i r beingpulled up . In front of th is fence a small gate is made for admittance .

Such is the mode of constructing the grave , accord ing to the custom of theChinese . Those who do not choose to im itate them follow the practi cecommon in Japan .

CHAPTER XII I .

ON the death of a relation , the survivors subsist for three years on the samek ind of food

,namely

,pulse and al l .the productions of the garden genera l ly ;

but no fowl,flesh or fish

, or any th ing that has had l ife . I t is not only2 M

266 FUNERAL CEREMONIES .

necessary to keep the heart and body pure , but to be very abstemiousi n l iv ing . From the commencement of mourning , peopl e must not , according to what has been said in the first Chapte r, eat any thing during thefirst three days after the decease of father or mother ; on the fourth day ,they may take a l ittl e cansy , or decoction of rice , or some ri ce bo iled soft ;and from that t ime a handful of rice only , as the quantity which suffi ces toappease hunger, must be bo il ed morning and even ing, for each person , withoutany other m ixture than that of a l ittle salt. At the expirat ion of fifty days ,they may eat as much r ice as usual .I t was formerly the custom in China to eat noth ing but rice boiled soft forn inety days . At present the people of that country fol low the pract ice of theJapanese

,eating boile d rice as usual , with pulse and other vegetables , even

before the expi rat ion of the fifty days ; because they are often obl iged beforethat time to take long j ourneys

,which they could not perform if they ate

steeped rice only ; they , therefore ,’ add to th is ri ce pulse and vegeta bles, but

must not take any other nourishment ; nor even that i n greate r quantity thanis necessary for appeas i ng hunger : when th irsty , they drink as much tea asthey please . The use of other food is allowed at the expirat ion of twel vemonths ; but for three years they must abstain from flesh , fish

,and salt/vi .

A n exception , however , i s made in favour of the s ick , i nval ids , weaklypersons , and those past fifty years of age : suchare permitted to take flesh ,fish , and salt/t i , if they are not strong enough to subsist on the prescribed diet .P ersons of a weakly constitution may have fish or fowl broth , but the aged ands ick are excepted .

Such is the manner i n wh ich mourn ing is obse rved by the Ch inese . Amongthe Japanese it is fixed at fifty days

,during which people abstain from shaving

themselves , and keep at home with the door shut .If the saw i s i n another province at the death of one of h is relat ions , and

the intel l igence is communicated to h im by one of the family , e ither by l ette ror by messenger, he deplores the loss of the deceased , inquires of th e messenge r the cause of h is death , how he was attended , the name of his surgeon,physi cian , é' c. He then returns home without the l east ostentat ion i n h isappearance or apparel : he travels in haste

,but not at n ight

,to avo id danger

and troub le : he must above all take care that no accident retards h is progress .

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268 FUNERAL CEREMONIES.

CHAPTER "V.

Ir a father, travel l i ng with his son to another prov ince,happens to d ie there

,

the son must strictly observe al l the ceremonies de ta iled i n the first and otherchapters , place the body in a coffin , cause it to be carried home , and follow i ton foot .But if the son be at home at the death of one of h is parents i n a d istantplace , he repairs th ither immediately , without the least ostentation in h isexte rior or in h is apparel , and carri es the corpse back in a cofli n. The

opul ent use for th i s purpose a double chest, and fil l the space between thetwo with melted ros i n : if this pre caution were negl ected, the effi uvia wouldpenetrate through the chest, which would be an extreme d isgrace to th e son.

To prevent th is inconvenience , the son remains some days at the place whereh is rel ative expired , that the case may be duly prepared .

The day before h is departure , he sets a smal l cense r, a l ighted candle , akind ofpul se, resembl ing peas , sweetmeats , tea, salt/t i , and other victuals , on atable before the coffin , and acquaints the soul of the deceased with his intenti on , i n these te rms To - morrow, at th is hour, I shal l set ou t with thycoffi n for thy province , and fo llow it on foot .On leavmg this place the son walks on the left of the coffi n for a league . If

the place of decease is too far d istant from that to wh ich the corpse is to beconveyed

,the son , afte r thus going

'

a l eague on foot, may use a horse , anorimon, or a kango, which is not al lowabl e if the d istance is not great . Themorning and even ing sacrifice is prepared every day , i f poss ibl e , i n the innwhere he stops , and set before the coffin .

W hen he approaches h is own province , he informs h is fami ly , by lette r orby a messenge r

,ofthe day and hour at wh ich he expects to arrive h is relatives

then go two leagues to meet h im . If they are i n easy ci rcumstances , theycause a neat new house to be e rected in haste to rece ive the coffi n ; i fnot,they hi re the li ouse of a farmer for th is purpose . Here they stop and offeri ncense

,l ighted candl es , tea, and sweetmeats . As soon as al l the relatives

FUNERAL CEREMONIES . 269

are assembled at this place , they sit down before the coffi n and weep for theloss of the de ceased .

Ifthe person res ides at or near the palace or mans ion of h is lord , he cannot ,out of respect for h im , have the coffin carried home : i t must be carriedstraightway to the grave which is to enclose i t for ever ; and in th is case everyrequis ite for the funeral must be previously provided .

Some Chinese res ident i n another country made a practi ce of prese rvingcorpses with salt and zakki , to prevent putrefaction . The Japanese cons iderth is method as indecent , and bel ieve that it was invented in China, for the purpose of convey ing the heads of enemies , or criminals , to great d istancesuntainted .

O ther Ch inese , when in fore ign countri es , burned the body , and , afterreducing i t to ashes , carri ed away the teeth and the few bones that remained ,for i nterment ; which might be done without much troubl e to a considerabled istance . S iba Onko says , that if a corpse cannot be carried to the country ofthe deceased

, it i s better to inter i t at the place where he died than to preserve it w ith salt and zulflri , or to cons ign i t to the flames .

CHAPTER "VI.

TH I S chapter states the time fixed for mourning , according to the precepts of

the Chinese .

Mourn ing is Worn , for afather, mother, uncle , aunt , brother, s ister, wife ,chi ldren of the eldest son , cous in , male or female , grandchildren , and for amother repudiated by the father and expelled from his house , for th i rteenmonths

. The garments are of white undyed hempen stuff. The Chinese andthe Japanese call th is period of mourning bou/t'ou , which s ignifies clothing .

I n the deepest mourning,the Japanese wear white garments only fifty days

fo r thei r parents,and a shorte r t ime for persons l ess closely al l ied to them ;

but they must not wear clothes of a red or any other glaring colour, or anyornament for th i rteen months : ne ither may they ente r the temples ofthe S intosduring that period .

270 FUNERAL CEREMONIES .

The Ch inese 'were formerly accustomed , agreeably to an ancient precept , tokeep corpses in the i r houses for thre e months , or from ninety to one hundreddays , abstain ing, i t i s said , during that t ime from zulf/ri and animal food :hence at present they eat ne i the r flesh nor fish for fifty , sixty , seventy , e ighty ,or n inety days , according to the degre e of ki ndred of the deceased .

For a step - father, or the man who marries a person ’s mothe r,he wears

mourn ing n ine months, abstain ing from flesh and fish as long as hepleases .Forh is great uncle , -or the great uncle or great aunt of h is brother’s wife , thech ildren of h is s ister, the brother of h is step - fathe r, the children ofhis cous in ,h is father - in- law

,and the uncle and aunt by the mother’s s ide , he wears mourn

ing five months,and eats ne ithe r flesh nor fish for three days .

For a nephew by the mother's s ide and the children of a nephew , father - inlaw and mothe r - in- law by the husband’s s ide , a daughte r by a husband

’s formerwife , and the children and grand - children of such a daughte r, people wearmourning three months , and abstain from flesh and fish three days .The mourning ofa W i fe for a husband lasts three years ; the same formal itiesare observed on such an occas ion as at the death ofa father or mother.For children from the age of e ight to eleven years , parents wear mourning

five months from twelve to fifteen , seven months ; and from sixteen to n ineteen , n ine months .For children unde r the age of e ight years , mourn ing is worn th irteen days .The work int ituled Kary , gives ci rcumstantial parti culars of the mourning ofthe Chinese .

Among the Japanese the fol lowing rules are fixed for mourningWhen a person has the misfortune to lose h is father or mothe r

,he keeps

Lou/mu for th i rteen months , and imi , or ala- imi for fifty days ; which s ign ifies ,that during that time he remains at home , dressed in mourn ing, w ith the doorshut

,without shaving and abstain ing from fish

,flesh

,and zakki .

For a step - father or step - mothe r, he keeps bou/rou one hundred and fifty days,

and ala - imi th i rty days ; and the same for a grandfathe r and grandmother : buti fhe succeeds to the post ofhis s tep - fathe r he wears mourn ing as for one of h isparents . The term step - fathe r, here denotes himby whom a pe rson has beenadopted , or h is adoptive father .

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FUNERAL FEST IVALS

OF THE

JAPANES E

CONTAINING A DESCRIPTION OF THE SACRIFICES FOR THE SOULS OF THEDEAD, ACCORDING TO THE CUSTOM OF CHINA .

CHAPTER I .

AFTER wearing mourning for father or mother for three years , a person mustafterwards make an offer ing i n honour ofthem four times a year, or once in eachseason . The Chinese cal l i t sisay , which is synonimous with the season afiering .

W hen people keep the ifay s of thei r ancestors in the front room or in thes ide room . call ed by the Chinese z ido, and by the Japanese bouts- can, and addto them that of the last deceased member of the family , they make an offeringfor all at once , choos ing for th is purpose the second , fifth

,e ighth

,and eleventh

month .

The day for the offer ing is fixed in the following mannerThe sosu consults the soul of the deceased on th is subj ect a month beforehand : to th is end he seats himse lfbefore th e zfay , burns some incense i n asmall vessel and informs h im of his i ntention to present to h im an offering onsuch a day in the following month , which he trusts will have his approbation ,adding

,that otherwise he wil l fix upon another day . He then takes two

famagouri shells , which shut exactly one upon anothe r, and drops them from acertain height on a small tabl e ; if they l ie one with the concavity, the otherwiththe convexity upward , in the manner which they natural ly do when shut

(which is cons idered as a symbol of un ion between heaven and earth), i t is

FUNERAL FESTIVALS . 273

a favourable s ign , and shows that.

the soul of the deceased approves the daymentioned but if both fall the same way

,i t is cons i dered as a s in ister omen

,

and a proof of disapprobationfin consequence ofwhich another day is chosenfor the offering.

I n th is manner it is necessary to consul t the soul of the deceased : but if aperson has no success at the beginning , or i n the first ten days of the month

,

he takes one of the ten days i n the middle or at the end,which is shown to be

approved by the manner in which the shells l ie upon the tabl e.

I n case people do not th ink fit to consul t the soul of the deceased,they

take the fifteenth , or the middle day of the second , fifth,e ighth , and el eventh

month , for the offering ; first burn ing some incense before the ifay , and addressi ng the soul of the deceased in these words On the fifteenth of nextmonth , I wil l make a thanksgiving offering to thee . If persons in the employ of others are prevented by the ir masters ’ business from communicatingthe i r in tent ion a month beforehand , i t is suffi cient if they give noti ce of i ttwo or three days before the sacrifice .

CHAPTER I I .

DUR ING the three days preceding th is offering, the sosu must not qui t thehouse

,unless obl iged to go abroad by “ the business of hi s lord or employer ;

for the house must first be thoroughly cleaned ; he must keep quietly in hisusual apartment

, put on a cl ean change of clothes , have no communicationw i th his wife

,abstai n from fish , flesh , and the five highly seasoning plants

,

eschalot 's,onions

,garl i c, horse - radish, and long pepper : the Chinese cal l them

gosin,or thefive tastes that set the teethon edge. I t is not lawful , during this time ,

to play on any musi cal instruments , or to cause them to be played upon ; tovisi t s ick persons to pay compl iments of condolence ; or to pollute one ’s selfwith such l ike impurit ies . This external purification is termed in Chinesesanzay .

The i nternal purification must be in the heart : from which every impu redesire

,propens ity , and recol lection , every pass ion , as anger, sorrow, j oy,

2 N

274 FUNERAL FESTIVALS .

must be banished . A person must be on h is guard , during these three days ,against all affections of the soul : th i s i nternal purificat ion the Chinese cal l

fi- zay . During th is time , his mind must constantly dwell on the way in which hisparents l ived

,and on the benefits rece ived from them , and he must remember both

with feel ings ofprofound gratitude for the affecti on whi ch they showed him .

These two purifications are denominated in Chinese say/ray .

In building a house , i t i s necessary to provide a separate apartment for the

ifay s, which must be carefully fin ished ; and , in furni sh ing it , whatever is re

q u isite fo r the offerings must be first purchased . A wedding, or the b irth of ach ild

,i s celebrated w ith sacrifices to the ancestors of the family ; promotion to

a higher office and all j oyful occasions are l ikewise motives for offerings ,whereby ch il dren express the i r gratitude and affection to thei r deceased parentsfor the benefits wh ich they have rece ived from them .

CHAPTER I I I .

W HEN the day of sacrifice approaches , the requis ite utens ils must be arrangedi n due order ; such as are wanting must be borrowed offriends ; or the familymust use i ts ordinary utensi ls afte r they have been well cl eaned

,which is pre

ferab le to borrowing .

F ish , fowl , sweetmeats , pulse resembl ing peas , and such other vegetabl esas are most forward i n the different seasons , are used for the offering ; andpeople must take pains to procure for thei r parents al l such dishes as they l ikedbest when l iving. These articles are cooked with as much care as they themselves used to prepare them for extraordinary occasions , and entertainmentswh ich they gave to the i r friends .W ere a person to conform to the customs of the Chinese , he must observe aninfini te number of ceremonies whi ch , i n the opinion of a Japanese , may bedispensed with . He fol lows only such of these practices as give l ittle trouble,and rej ects the rest, as wel l as the flesh of wild and domesti c an imals : hetherefore cooks the dinner in the manner usual for the l iving .

The art icl es requis i te for offerings are as follows

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276 FUNERAL FESTIVALS .

Before these smal l tables is set a larger, with a cense r in the m iddle and acandlestick on each s ide .

I n the contiguous apartment there is a closet, in which are kept al l thearticl es requis i te for the sacrifices the whole covered with a white cloth , to proteet them from dust and dirt .There are also two basins , one for wash ing hands , the other for cleaning theth ings used for the sacrifice . This business belongs exclus ively to the sosu

and his wife and they are even obl iged to clean the kettles and othe r cul inaryutensils .The sosu procures a complete su it of new clothes , breeches , a sash , a mantl e ,a robe of ceremony , and tapies, or buskins .Al l these arti cles are indispensably requ is ite for the performance ofthe sacri

fice with due decorum .

CHAPTER V .

ON the day of the sacrifice , the sosu takes two of his cleverest se rvants to ass isthim

,and another to recite the prayer . The first are call ed i n Chinese sitsouzi

the latter sin/r : but whatever else is requisi te for the sacrifice Should be doneby h imselfand his wife , unless she have then upon her one of those periodicalinfirmities during whi ch women in the East are accounted impure"There mu st l ikewise be two other persons thoroughly conve rsant in allthat relates to the ceremon ies of the sacrifice , for the purpose ofinstructing thesosu , If he i s st il l but young , he consults them on eve ry poi nt , that he mayperform his part w ith strict exactness , which he could not do without the i rass istance .

CHAPTER . VI.

THE v ictuals should be dressed w ith all poss ibl e cleanl iness . A person wouldnot Show the deceased that respect which he ought , if he were to set before

FUNERAL FESTIVALS . 277

them a profusion of refreshments ; for th is reason i t is be tter to offer a lessquantity , but to cook them with the utmost attention .

On the first l i ttle table are set a bowl ofrice,other bowls contain ing soup

,and

three sorts ofmeat.On the second there are a bowl wi th soup

,and bowls wi th two kinds of

meat , and the same on the thi rd .

I t was formerly requis i te to have seven k inds of dishes on the first,five on

the second , and three on the th ird . A moral ist ofMeako has been sinceconsul ted , and agreeably to h is advice the ceremonial has been fixed inthe manner described above , . which has been for many years un iversallyadopted .

I n winter the dishes so‘

on grow cold , and for th is reason they must be . served

up very hot . In summer they soon spoil from the heat, and on th is accountthe sosu and h is wife must rise at midnight and cook them : and

,they are not

allowed to take any refreshment themselves ti l l the dishes are placed before theifay s. If the victuals were to be touched by dogs , cats , rats , or other animals ,they must be thrown away , and others prepared : and

'

the accident wou ld beimputed to thei r idleness and inattention .

A s,i n anci ent t imes , prin ces were accustomed to cook the victuals with thei r

Own hands , persons of i nferior rank are stil l obl iged to do so : for, to haverecourse to the assistance of strangers would be the most flagrant proofof disrespect to the manes ofparents and ancestors .If a person rises at né - no- tohi , or hohenots, which is n ine o ’clock with theJapanese , but twelve at night with

_

us, he must wash hi s whole body andchange his clothes at ousi—no- tohi or jaats, two o

’clock in the morning . The

offering commences at fora - no- tohi , or nanats, one o ’clock with them , and fourwith us . On th is occasion they abstain from flesh and fowl , but take any, otherordinary refreshments .

CHAPTER VII.

IN the offerings e ighteen th ings,hereafter described , w ith the i r Chinese

names , are to be observed .

278 FUNERAL FESTIVALS .

l . The sosu goes with his w ife into the apartment of the ifay s, takes that ofhis father with the sakay , or i nner case , out of thefohor oute r case , and carri esi t into the best room on the table . The wife does the same with the ifag of

the mother . They proceed in this manner with al l the ifay s, which theyremove with the greatest care . This first part of the ceremonial is cal ledsntsu .

2 . The sosu , h is wife , h is ch ildren , and the members of h is fami ly , make atfour different times a profound obe isance before the ifay s, knee l ing downand touch ing the floor with thei r heads : th is is called san- sin.

3 . The sosu places h imself before the ifay s : one of his ass istants brings asousou , or small zahhi j ug , the other a bowl , wh ich

' they set down before the

ifag on a l ittle tabl e , the sousou on the left , the bowl on the right . Heimmediately takes up a small quanti ty of incense in h is finge rs , th rows i t intothe censer

,then takes up the bowl in h is left , and the souson with his right

hand , fills the bowl , and hands the sousou to the ass istant on his right .He then makes a respectful obe isance to the ifay ,

pours the zahhi on the bosia,

gives the bowl to the ass istant on his left , steps back a l i ttle , touches the floorthree times with hi s head

,and announces to the deceased the celebration of the

offering, which is called gosin.

4 . Bo ile d ri ce and other di shes are set before the ifay s on smal l tables : thefi rst i s carr ied by the sosu ,

the second by his wife , the th i rd by the eldest son ;bu t if he has no children , by one of the ass istants , who, in th is case fol lows thewife : this is called sinzen.

5 . Afte r the dishes are set on the tables , the w ife removes the coVers fromth e rice , soup , dc ,

places two small sti cks i n a right l ine i n the middle of thed ish of rice , steps back a l i ttl e , and makes an obe isance . Th is is cal led

jun- siah.

6 . W hen a zakki bowl has been offered on a smal l table to each ifay , the Sosaplaces himself before h is father’s , fills the bowl , pours a l i ttl e on the bosia, andplaces i t w ith what remains on the smal l table , recedes a few steps , makes anobe isance

,then goes to the {fay of h is mother, and afterwards to those of the

other deceased , and does the same before them as before that of h is father .This is cal led siohon.

7 . After once offering zakki , he causes the prayer to be read by the sink

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280 FUNERAL FESTIVALS .

respect : none of the rice and soup must be'

left'

; i t must be al l eaten ; butshould any of the zakki , fish , flesh , and raw vegetables remain , they are sent toSuch of the family as , from indisposit ion , have not heen able to attend theoffering : this practi ce serves to keep up family connexions .Such is the ceremonial obse rved by the middl ing class . Persons of qual i tyand the weal thy make much greate r preparation . The lower classes are nott ied down to any fixed rules , but may act in th is respect j ust as they please .

CHAPTER VI I I .

ON the death of an uncl e , brother , s i ste r, or any other member of a family ,leaving no pe rson to make offerings to them , the i r ifay i s added to that of theparents

,and sacrifices are made to them

.

at the same periods , observ ing th isrule , that if th e ifay s of the parents are placed to the south , the i rs i s placed tothe west ; if the former are to the east, the i rs is put to the south : those of themen are on the left or most honourable s ide those of the women on the right .The most d i st inguished are placed toward the west , the otherstoward the east.When there are a great number of zfay s i n the fami ly , they are placed on bothS ides , according to the degree of relationship .

Having first set small d inner - tables before the ifay s of his parents , a persondoes the same i n regard to the other members ofhis family, offering zahhi threetimes to those who are nearest akin to h im

,and only once to the rest.

CHAPTER IX .

BEsrnEs the four offerings in the different seasons,there are two others

,

the first cal led dayno-mat- soari , and the second hinitje.

The former takes place every year i n the ninth month : notice i s given of i tto the deceased a month beforehand. During the three preceding days care istaken to keep the heart and body pure . Th is ceremony is solemn ized by the

FUNERAL FESTIVALS . 281

father and mother only , or by such one ofthem as is sti l l al ive,without the eldest

son parti cipating in i t.The latter i s held on the anniversary of the decease . During the precedingday the heart and body must b e kept i n a state of purity , and the offering i smade to the ifag of the deceased only . For twenty - four hours afte rwards zah-hiand animal food must be abs tained from .

A ll that has been said respecting the four great offe rings,must be observed

also i n regard to these ; but none of the victuals or drink offered may afte rwards be eaten or drunk .

CHAPTER X .

FOR the offering or festival at the grave , a lucky day i s chosen from amongthe firs t ten days of the third 'month, which , in Chinese is call ed bosay ,

i nJapanese faha -matsoari. After

'

preserving the heart and body in a state of

puri ty from the preced ing day , the parties repai r to the grave , cl ear i t of grass ,herbs , and d irt, Spread over i t a cl ean mat, on which they offe r v i ctuals i n themanner described in the seventh chapter , stri ctly observing al l the de tails the regiven in Numbers 2 , 3, 6 , 8 , and 9 . They afterwards present an offering ofthanksgivi ng on the left s ide of the sisehor tombstone , to the god of theearth .

CHAPTER XI .

IN the Chinese work , Ly -hi, i t i s said that the second and th ird son are not

bound to make offerings . I n all the provinces of China the sacrifice is madeby the sosa only . I n Japan the Chinese mode of sacrifice is not stri ctlyfollowed , but those who choose to conform to i t must, at the same time , observethe customs of Japan . I n case the sosa should not observe what is practisedin China, the second and thi rd son ought to do i t : but, if he performs thesacrifice of the Chinese , they ought to attend , and to do all that i s describedabove . If a person is i n a distant part of the country , and chooses to celebratethe sacrifice

,he does i t at h is inn

,only writ ing in th is case , for want of day ,

the name of the deceased on a piece of paper, which is bu rned afte r thesacrifice . 2 o

282 FUNERAL FESTIVALS.

CHAPTER XI I .

Mosr of the Japanese are very stri ct in say ing the i r prayers on ris ing in themorning . They fi rst wash the face and hands , arrange the ir hai r , put on the i rclothes

,then b ring the hoatsdan,

shut the Sl id ing - door, and burn a l i ttle incensei n a cense r before the case of the ifay , at the same time bowing the ir headtwice or thri ce to the ground , i n token of respect .

When a person has been on a j ourney , at his return , he informs the ifay s ofh is parents of his arrival . The day before the first of each month or the newmoon before the fifteenth day or full moon ; before the th ird day of the th irdmoon, or the Feast ofDolls before the fifth day of the fifth moon

, or the Feastof Flags before the seventh day ofthe seventh moon , or the Feast of S tars andbefore the ninth day of the n in th moon or the Feast of the Fair ; (see the description of the five great festivals subjomed to theMemoirs of theDjogouns) ; theapartment i n wh ich the ifag i s to be placed must be cleaned , and the heart andbody preserved in a state ofpurity from the evening of the preceding day . Onthe day of the sacrifice , the parties ofl’ering i t rise very early , go to the houtsdan,take the ifay ou t of i ts toh, carry i t to the place prepared for i t , set before i ta smal l vessel with incense

,and two l ighted candles , and afte rwards fruits of

trees,and of the ground ,

or other eatables of the earl i est kinds in the fourseasons , but not more than one sort at once ; at the same time bowing downrespectfully .

Ifany accident, fortunate , or disastrous , befals the sosa or any ofh is family,

i t is communi cated to the ifag/s ofhis parents . I n the fi rst case , he or they cons ider themselves indebted for i t to the k ind intercession of the l atte r ; i n these cond

, as pun ished by them for some neglect of fil ial duty , or for havingviolated the i r commands .On the bi rth of a child , the day and the name of the infant must be commu

nicated to them . I n floods and fi res,the gay s must be removed before any

th ing else to a place of safety , lest they Should be carri ed away by the torrent,or consumed . The loss of the ifay s i s regarded by the Chinese as the greatest

of calamities : they dread the anger of heaven , and are apprehens ive of be ingvisi ted , on that account, w ith the severest pun ishments .

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284 ACCOUNT OF THE DOSIA POW DER,

l eft all night , exposed to the ai r, on a tabl e placed before an open window,

that i t might be come completel y stiff. Next morn ing , several Japanese ,some of the offi cers of the factory , and myself, went to examine the corpse ,which was as hard as a piece ofwood . One of the interprete rs , named Zenby ,drew from his bosom a santoch, or pocket - book , and took out of i t an oblongpaper

,ful l of a coarse powder resembl ing sand : th is was the famous dosia

powde r.He put a pinch into the ears , anothe r i nto the nostrils, and a th ird

into the mouth,and presently , whethe r from the effect of th is drug , or of some

trick wh ich I could not detect, the arms , which had before been crossed ove rthe breast

,

“dropped of themselves , and i n less than twenty minutes , by thewatch

,the body recovered al l i ts flexib il i ty .

I attributed this phaenomenon to the actionof some subtil e poison,but was

assured that the dosia powder, so far from be i ng po isonous , was an excel lentmedicine in d iffi cult labours . I n such cases , a cup of hot water, i n which al ittle of the dosia powder, t ied up in a b it of white rag , has been infused , i sadmin iste red to the pati ent , who is then sure to obta i n a safe and speedydel ivery .

The dosia powder is l ikewise recommended as the most efficacious remedyfor diseases of the eyes . An infusion of th is powder, taken even in perfecthealth , is said to have virtue s which cause it to be in great request among theJapanese of all classes . I t cheers the spi rits and refreshes the body . I t iscarefully tied up i n a piece of white cloth and dried , afte r be ing u sed , as i twil l se rve a great number of t imes .The same infusion is given to people of qual ity when at the po int of death

if i t does not prolong l ife , i t prevents rigidity of the l imbs ; and the body isnot exposed to the rude handl ing of professional persons—a ci rcumstance of

some consequence in a country where respect for the dead is carried toexcess .I had the curiosity to procure some of th is powder, for which I was obl igedto send to K idjo, or the nine provinces

,to al l the temples of the S ingous,

which enj oy the exclus ive sal e of i t , because they practise the doctrine of

Kobou -Daysi , its i nvento r. I t was afte r the death of thi s Kobou -Daysi , i n thesecond year of the nengo- zio-wa (A. D. that th is sand came into generaluse in Japan . The quanti ty obtained in consequence of th is first application

AND ITS INVENTOR . 285

was very small,and even th is was a special favour of the priests

,who othe r

wise never part w i th more than a single pinch at a time .

At my departure , i n 1 784, however,I carr ied with me a cons iderable quantityof the

-

dosia powder . Part was put up i n lots of twenty small packets each ,with the name wri tten on the outs ide i n red characters the rest was in smallbags : th is was only a coarse powder, in whi ch were to be seen here and thereparticles of gold , and which probably was not yet possessed of the requis i tevi rtues . One smal l packet only had undergone the chemical operation whichensures its efficacy and th is was a powder as wh ite as snow* .

The discovery of the dosia powder is ascribed to a priest named KobouDays i : he became acquainted with the properties of th is valuable mineral onthemountain of Kongosen, or K imbensen, i n the province ofYamotto,

wherethere are many mines of gold and s il ve r, and carried a cons iderable quantityof i t to the templ e to wh ich he belonged , on the mountain ofKojas- an

The priests of th is temple continue to chant hymns of thanksgiving to thegods who l ed Kobou -Days i to this important discovery . W hen the ir stock isexhausted

,they fetch a fresh supply from the mountain ofKongosen, and carry

i t away in varn ished bowls . I n all ages the common peopl e are apt to attribute

pheenomena surpass ing human comprehension to the agency of celestial Spirits ;and accordingly

,the priests do not fail to pretend that the dosia powder owes

al l its efficacy to the fervour of the i r prayers . A s soon as the new supplyarrives , i t i s pu t into a basin , varnished and gilt , and set before the image ofthe god , Day

- nitsi , or B i ron - sanna . The priests , ranged in a ci rcl e before thealtar

,and turn ing between thei r fingers the beads of a kind of rosary , repeat

for seven times twenty - four hours a hymn called Gaomio- S ingo, the words ofwhich are

On 0 bokja B iron sannanomaka fodora mani

Fando ma, zimbara fara, fare taja won.

The pr iests assert that, after th is long exercise , a kind of rustl ing i s heardin the sand all the impure parti cles fly out of the vessel of themselves , andnoth ing is l eft but the purified dosia powder, which is then divided among allthe temples of the S ingous.

See Note 1 , subjoined to this article.

286 ACCOUNT OF THE DOSIA POW DER,

Kobou -Days i , they say , brought th is hymn from China, where i t was i ntroduced by a pri est of the sect of Siaka, who came from

\Malabar. The onlyexplanation that I coul d obtain of i t was thi s —The sun,

according to theS i ntos , or the professors of the primiti ve rel igion of the Japanese

,i s called

Fonsio-Daysin, Daysingou , and O - Firoumé - noMikotto but the S ingou priestsgive h im theMalabar name Maka - B i ron - sanna - bouts , which signifies the Godwho dispels the great darhness. This denominati on is synonymous w ith theJapanese Day

-Metz -N io - ray,which signifies the great god of light.

W hen fishermen are engaged in the i r occupation on the sea- shore , theykeep humming this hymn

,convinced that if they did not , they shoul d be in a

manner bewitched , and catch noth ing .

The Japanese , whom I consul ted respecting the signification of th e otherwords

, cand idly acknowledged , that they did not understand them , with the‘

exception of the conclud ing zimbarafara fare tay a won. When people , fond of

the pl easures of the table , have made a very hearty meal , i t is common forthem to use th is expression

,which s ignifies : my fal l belly makes me heavy .

There must ce rta inly be supposed to be some impiety in it, s ince ch ildren aretaught to bel ieve

,that if they were to repeat these words , the i r mouths would

be i nstantly turned awry .

Kobou - Daysi , l ike al l the heroes of the oriental legends , changed h is nameSeve ral times during h is l ife . For the greatest part of i t he was calle d S iokonno - Konkai . He was born at Fodo - no - kori , i n the provi nce of Sanou - ki . Hisfather,hamed Denko , was descended from Sajeki ; his mothe r, of the i llustriousfamily of Ato,

dreamt one night that she admitted a strange priest to her bed .

Becoming pregnant in consequence of this mysterious connexion , She broughtforth a son at the end of twelve months , in the fifth year of the nengo-foki

(A.D . during the reign of Konen - Ten- o, the 49thDai ri . The childrece i ved the name ofFato -Mono , which s ign ifies precious stone.

On attaini ng the age of twelve years , he was taught arithmetic and learnedto read al l sorts of Chinese and Japanese books. So early as h is e ighteenthyear he had read the principal works of Confutzée* .

His preceptor was h is maternal uncl e , Fiosan- Daybou- oto - no - Otari . Under

See Note 2 .

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288 ACCOUNT OF THE DOSIA POWDER,

The great book of hymns , Day- B i ron - sanna - sienben- Kasr 1 s genuine : thou

w ilt there find numberless wonderful th ings .”

The d iffi cul ty was to find out th is book . The Japanese saint long soughti t in vain ; at length he d iscovered i t in the province of Yamatto,

near theTodo

, or great tower, on the east s ide . I n the intoxi cation of his joy ,he

read i t with avid ity , and there found the solution of several of his doubtsbut many of the passages still remained obscure , and to obtain an explanationofthem he dete rm ined to vis i t China .

W e learn from the N ipon- o- day - tche - lan , that Kwan - mon - ten - o,sent to China

,

in the 23d year of the nengojen- ria/t (A.D . an embassy,consisting of

Fonsawara - no - kado - no - maro , firs t ambassador, Isigawa- no - mitze- masou,second

ambassador, and Sougawara- no - se iko , th i rd ambassador. They had A sano - nokatori for thei r secretary of l egat ion . All three were scholars of the firs teminence , and they took wi th them two priests , Tengon and Konkai , to studythe rel igion of the country .

According to the author of the Life of Kobou -Day si , he accompanied anotherambassador, who .

was sent to China by Kwan - mou , i n the fifth month of thetwenty - th i rd year of the nengo-jen- riah. The name of the minis ter plenipotentiary was Korok -DaybouF ousiwara. They embarked to the west of

Osaka, and reached the coast of the provi nce of Kosjou in the e ighthmonth .

China was at this time governed by the emperor Tet - zong , and i t was then thetwentieth year of the Chinese nengo, feigin ( aching -

y am) . After a long j ourney by land

,they arrived , in the twelfth month , at the imperial res idence ,

Tjoan,andwere lodged by the emperor’s command in the stre et S injobo,

where they occupi ed a palace destined for that purpos e .

Kobou remained in China afte r the departure of the ambassador. Theemperor ass igned h im a lodging in the temple of Sai - mi - j os i , and gave h impermiss ion to visi t all the templ es of the capital . Afte r long seeking ascholar capabl e of i nstructi ng him in what he wished to know , he at l engthmet

,at the templ e of Sjorusi , with a priest named Kygua- A sari

,the most

eminent of the disciples of Kotz i - Sanzou . This worthy priest k indly met thewish of Kobou to be init iated into the doctrine of S iaka ; and he recom

mended to his d isciples to treat him with all the consideration and respect dueto a descendant of the god , Sansi -Bosat - sou .

AND ITS INVENTOR . 289

At the expi ration of six months , according to the same author, Kobou readin the templ e the hymn Dayfi

- Tyson-Mande ra, and threw into the ai r flowers ,whi ch al l fl ew and al ighted on the image of the god Day

- ni tsi - Gakouwo.

The venerabl e Asari concluded from th is miracle , that the origin of Kobouwas real ly divine : he immediately ordained h im a priest by an aspers ionresembl ing baptism , and made h im a present of the vessel used for theceremonyIn the seventh month he explained the hymn Kongo - Kay -Day

-Mandera, andwas found to have attai ned so high a degree of perfection , that in the e ighthmonth he was named Denbo - Asari . He was then made high - priest , and gave ,on the occas ion , an entertai nment to five hundred ofh is companions . Asari madeh im a present of the Kongo Tiogio, Daynits

- gio, Zositsgio,

and several otherbooks of hymns . He also gave him the images of the gods (Mandera) drawnon long rolls

,and al l the utens ils requis i te for the performance of the rel igious

rites .Asari then addressed him thus There was in ancient t imes a god called

R i eron- sanna Sesson S iaka, who taught h is disciple , R iumio - Bosats, manywonderful th ings , whi ch he again communicated to other disciples , and the i rdoctrine was perpetuated

’

ti l l the time ofFoukou -Dayko- tgi

Jr, of the dynasty of

Foo (Fang) . The latter baptiz ed (or consecrated by aspers ion) three emperors ,namely

,i n the e ighth year of the nengo (A . D. on his return from India

to China, the emperor Ge n - zo, (Hinen - tsong) , and afterwards the emperorsZ iuck - zo and Tay - zo (Sou - tsong and Tay - Tsong) .

S i nce you are a man of great knowledge , and ass iduous in study, I make

you a present of al l my books ofhymns, of al l my manuscripts , and of all mysace rdotal o rnaments . ”

Kobou accepted these gifts w ith the warmest gratitude , and in the sequelcarried them with him to Japan , but not t il l he had prayed to God to protecth im in that dange rous voyage , s ince upon th is

‘

depended the happiness of theempire add ing

,that he only regretted that he was too far advanced in years

to acqui t h imself duly of the obl igations which he owed to the beneficentd iv inity ,

See Note 6 . t See Note 7 .

ggo ACCOUNT OF THE DOSIA POW DER ,

Asar i took care to i nfo rm Kobou , that the oral explanations wh ich he hadgiven him respecting the rites he ought to practise were not suffi cient for thethorough understanding of them , and therefore recommended to h im to sol i ci tthe ass istance of the empe ror’s painters . L iesson, the painter, and ten of h iscol leagues

,furn ished faithful representations of the principal ceremonies .

Jotjusin, brass - founde r to the emperor , made the utens ils necessary for thetemple . More than twenty of the most renowned wri ters se t about copying allthe books of hymns , both publ i c and pr ivate ; and these valuable mate rialswere presented to S iokou - no - Koukai .

One day , when he was paying a visi t to Faujo - sanso , the h igh - priest,

the latter related to h im , that, when young , he had left his own country ,call ed Kaifinkok , or properly Fann ia, to the north of I ndia , and had travel ledover Hindfistan, pray ing S iaka to spread hi s doctrine through the wholeworld . He had already seen success crown his efforts i n China, and hadconce ived the design of pass ing over to Japan with the same views . Now

that he had met with S iokon - no - Konkai,he rel inquished th is plan as unne

cessary , S ince the Japanese saint was intent on undertak ing that m iss ion . He ,therefore , offered him the book Keigan- rohfara -mietshio, translated from theHindu into Chinese , and al l the manuscript works composed by him i nthe course of h is travels . Konkai accepted these fresh presents w i th thewarmest grati tude .

I n the th i rd month of the fi rst year of the Ch inese nengo (A. D . our

saint re turned to Japan , and arrived there in the first year of the nengo- day do,

in the re ign of Fysjo - ten - o, the fiftyffirst Dai ri , He was accompan ied in thisvoyage by Fatjebana- no - Faja - nari renowned , even in this remote country , forthe beauty ofhis writing .

I t was then that he assumed the name of Koubou , or Kobou . Historiansrelate

,that all the pr iests having been summoned to court to preach in turn ,

Kobou took for the subj ect of h is first se rmon the immortal i ty of the soul , on

which the Japahese had til l then but very confused ideas .S ince our body was created by God , said Kobou , my op in ion is, that

the soul of the j ust man must ascend to heaven , and return into the bosom of

its C reator .The other eccles iastics denied the propos i t ion , and raised al l sorts of objec

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292 ACCOUNT OF THE DOSIA POW DER,

4 .The Jajoen-moaga- zin. Man must keep h is heart as pure as he rece ived

it in the womb ofh i s mother : and as he grows older, he must carefully prese rvei t from al l stai n .

5 . The Batson-

go- in-goa - z in. The soul of h im who breaks these command

ments will pass into the body of the basest vi l lain .

6 . The Tajin- dai - sjo- zin. The reward of h im who appl ies with ardour to thestudy of the Day

- sjo; that i s to say , of all that is most subl ime in the doctrineofS iaka,

“ will be , the transmigration ofhis soul into the body ofone of the mostvi rtuous pri ests of that sect .7 . The Cahf- sinfan- zio- zin. I t i s necessary during th is l ife to satisfy theheart respecting the state of the soul after death .

8 .The Niosits- itji - do- zin. Every person who is wel l founded i n the doctrine

of S iaka, ought to stifle in h is heart every impure desi re , and to keep devoutlythe d ivine commandments .9 . The Gohoamoa - si -mo- zin. I t is expressly re commended not to take up anyparti cul ar op in ions , but to pl ace perfect confidence In the doctrine of S iaka .1 0. The Fi—mits- siagon- zin. The rich man , who has studied the n ine preceding commandments , ought to found temples , and to provide them with al lthe utensils and ornaments necessary for divine servi ce .

Such are the ten commandments on which is founded the doctri ne of S iaka,that st il l conti nues to be taught by the priests of that sect .During the re ign ofZjum-wa- ten - o, the fifty - th i rd Dai ri , in the first year ofth e nengofen- tja, (A . D. and in the th ird month , there was an excess ivedrought through the whole empi re . The Dai ri o rdered Kobou

'

to offer up

prayers for rain in the garden of S inzenjen. An ol d priest , named Sjub inFos i claimed the prefe rence , which was allowed him on account ofhis great age .He accordingly began h is prayers , and assured the people that there would berain at the end of seven days . On the morning of the seventh day, the sky hecame overcast

,and there was a violent storm , which gave the Dai ri great joy ;

but th e rain extended no farther than the cap ital , not a d rop fel l i n the provinces .Kobou then promised to procure by h is prayers a general rain throughoutall Japan i n seven days . Notwithstanding the fervour of his prayers , theatmosphere cont inued perfectly dry . He thence concluded that Sjub in- Fos ihad

, by his prayers, drawn all the de ities of the waters to a s ingle po int, and

AND ITS INVENTOR . 293

in consequence told one of.

his disciples that Anno - Koudasti - R uwo , the godof the waters , dwel t i n a pond near the temple , directing h im to watch to seewhethe r he could perce ive any traces of that dei ty on the surface of the water,whi ch would be an infall ibl e token of rain . The disciple repaired th itherwith Zinga, S itsoujé , Z inkjo, and Z insing. Al l five d istinctly perce ived thefigure of a dragon , n ine feet long , and of a gold ye llow colour. Kobou lost notime in communi cating the ci rcumstance to the Dai ri , who orderedW akinomat

souna'

to Offer a sacrifice to this de ity . I n the evening of the seventh day,the sky

was all at once overspread w ith thi ck clouds the thunder rolled on all s ides,

and the fal l '

of rain was so heavy , that the pond overflowed , and it wasfeared that the al tar itself would be carried away by the violence of theinundationf

" The rain cont inued throughout the whol e empi re for th ricetwenty - four hours . The Dai ri , highly pleased w i th the result, loaded thesaint with valuable presents .About the same time the pond , s ituated near the temple , i n the province of

Kawatje, having suddenly become dry , to the great regre t of the priests ,Kobou betook h imsel f to prayer, then touched a rock w i th h is finger, and astream of pure water gushed from i t . On this occasion the templ e rece ivedthe name of R io - sen - si , which i t sti l l bears *

I t is related that , one day , when he was addressing his prayers to Fondo ,the god of heaven , a bril l iant l ight, whi ch seemed to proceed from Kobou

’

s

body , suddenly shone around h im . Anothe r time , while he was praying,according to the ri te of Sou i - so- quan f, the room in which he was seemed tobe full of water. This shewed , according to the doctrine of S iaka, that histhoughts were fixed on the waters , while those of the priests of the othersects be ing engaged with te rrestrial th ings

,the ir prayers are consequently

without effi cacy . He had other manne rs of pray ing, which tradi tion has notpreserved .

In the seventh year of the nengo-horin (A. D . he travelled to the prov ince of K inokoune,

to seek a s ituation suitable for the erection of a temple .Mount Kojusan appeared the best adapted for th is purpose , and he there bui ltthe temple ofKongo - Bousi .

'5 See Note 8 . 7 See, Note 9 .

294 ACCOUNT OF THE DOSIA POW DER,

In the eleventh year, (A. D. the Da i ri conferred on him by asolemn edict the t itle of Den to - day - Fos i , and made h im a present , i n the firstmonth of the fourteenth year (823) of the temple of Fos i at Meaco , TheJapanese saint erected w ithi n i t a qaantjo- ia, or chapel , for aspers ions . Everyth ing in i t was arranged in the same manner as at the temple of Syriosi , i nChina, and two days in the year were Specially fixed for the baptism or

aspersion Of the people . The sacerdotal garments, wh i ch were g iven him byhis maste r

, Ky- qoua, and the rosary wh ich he commonly used , form part of

the treasures of th is templ e .

I n the fi rst year of the nengofan- ijo, (A.D. he was honoured with thet i tl e of Zosou .

I n th e second year he changed the name of the templ e of S inguansi ,

s ituated on the mountain Fakawo, i n the prov ince of Yamassiro, to that ofS ingo - kokso - singousi . The Da iri made him a present of that sacred edifice .

In the first year of the nengo- sjo-wa, (A.D. he sol i ci ted and obtained

permiss ion of the Dai ri , N in- mio - ten - o, to build in the interior of his court,the temple of S ingou - in, after the model of that in the imperial court of China .

TheMandera - B osj o , an edifice occup ied by the inspectors of the publ ic ao-1

counts,was appropriated to th is purpose . Here prayers are offered for the

happiness of the people , from the e ighth to the fourteenth day of the firstmonth of every year.On his appl i cation also there were appointed, in the first month ofthe secondyear

,three teachers , the first to explain the book Day -mets-

gio, the second , thebook Kingo- tjo/rjo, and the thi rd the book S iomio.

Kobou closed h is honourable caree r on the twenty - first day of the th i rdmonth at the temple ofKongo - Gousi , after pass ing seven days in prayer withhis d isciples to the godMirokf. On the twenty- first, h is speech fail ed him ,

andhe closed h is eyes .The body of Kobou was not immed iately i nterred , but deposi ted in thetemple

. His disciples , divid ing themse lves into seven parties , watched by himforty - nine times twenty - four hours , performing divine se rvice accord ing to therites which he had instituted . His beard and his hai r continued to grow,

andthe body retai ned its natural warmth . I n th is state they left h im fifty days

,then

shaved h is beard and head, and cons igned h is mortal remains to the grave .

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N O T E S.

NOTE I .

IN the Dutch possess ions in the East Ind ies , the small med icine chests whichcome from Halle in Germany are he ld in extraord inary estimat ion . Each chesti s accompani ed with a book , contain ing a l ist of the articles and d ire ctions forus ing them . Among these art icles are small packets

'

of a powder called Elixirof long l ife, which are in great request, on account ofthe wonderful properti esattributed to them . The compos ition of this e l ixi r is said to be a profoundsecret . I had one of these chests in Japan , in 1 782. One day , having dissolved some of this powder in a s i lver tea - spoon full ofwater, I observed ano il y matte r form ing round i ts edges . Having repeated th is expe riment withthe dosia powder, I obtained the same result, whence I conclude that theprinciple of the two powders is nearly al ike .

Addition by the Editor.

A French travelle r, M. Charpentier - Cossigny , has the following observationson the dosia powder, i n a work publ ished in 1 799, int itul ed Voy aged Bengale,where he met withM. Titsingh.

The only Japanese medicine not belonging to the class of vege tables,and

whi ch,nevertheless , I cannot affi rm to be ei ther mineral or animal—the only

one,I say , of th is kind mentioned to me byM. Ti tsingh, i s a grey powder,

with a few packets ofwhich he had even the goodness to favour me .

I t i s call ed dosia. The finest po rtion is an impalpable powde r, which may ,perhaps , be ashes ; i t is of a grey ish colour : the rest consists of smal l stonyi rregular fragments, the largest ofwh ich are of the s iz e ofa p in’s head . Someare as transparent as crystal , others only. semi - transparent , having a m ilky

NOTES . 297

appearance , and others again are variously coloured . Nearly one- tenth of thewhole ofthis powder is composed of smal l laminated fragments

,blue

, or a dullgreen on one s ide , encrusted on the other

,and mostly sparkl in

gl ike mica

. On

examining them with a good magn ifier , they appeared to me to be fragments ofpyri tes , charged in thei r fractures wi th a saffron - coloured efli orescence,

whichI take to be of an ochrey nature .

This powde r has no perceptibl e effervescence with the most highly con

centrated acids : but the bits , which I cons ider as of the nature ofpyrites , arecl eared by vitriol i c acid of the tartar which hides the i r metal l ic lustre

,and

assume , i n a short time , al l the appearance of gold dust . The finest part ofthe powder seems to be d issolved by o il of vitriol . A s to the other fragments , they remain in the menstruum without any apparent alte ration .

I suspeet them to be a compound partl y sparry , partly quartzose , reduced to powderby art . I exposed i t for a considerable time to the focus ofa good commonburn ing - gl ass , wh ich communicated to i t a fire heat

,and i t was merely turne d

a l ittle black ; on examin ing i t afte rwards , I found no trace of fus ion i n thesmallest particl e .

Be the nature of th is powder s impl e or compound , i t produces , accordingto the Japanese , effects which , i f ve rified, would be truly wonderful Iwas curious to make experiments with i t . I , therefore , tried the dosia,

i n doubleand triple doses , on bodies al ready cold , and I must confess as rigid as theyever would be . T ruth , however, compels me to state , that al l my efforts couldnot impart flexibil ity to the j oints , afte r waiting in vain fifteen , thi rty , andeven sixty minutes I can affi rm , moreove r, that I have taken a wholedose of the dosia without experiencing the sl ightest effect e ither for bette r orworse . I t i s without smell , nor have I found i n i t any more taste than i n themost insipid sand .

W hatever may be the vi rtues of the dosia, which , in my opin ion, res iderathe r i n some po int ofJapanese superstit ion than in i tself, M. Ti tsinghasse rts ,that , throughout the whole empi re , great and smal l , rich and poor, purchaseand employ i t on al l occasions to which i t is appl i cabl e : this is an ample sourceofweal th to a family whi ch exclusively possesses the secret of i ts composition ,res id ing alone upon a sequestered mountain , abounding in minerals , whichbelongs to i t , and where i t prepares and sells this drug. This almost myste

2 Q

298 NOTES.

rious origin seems to confirm my 'opin ion , that the use of this powder has itssource i n some rel igious notion .

”

NOTE 2 .

The books which the Japanese class among the works ofConfoutzee, arecal led Z in- san - kio , (Chy - san- k ing) , or the thi rteen books . They were collectedby Kojo - datson (Kong - yng- ta) , one of his descendants and preceptor to theemperor, Fono - fayzo (Fang - tay - tj ong) ; and are as follows

1 . The Yehjo (Y - king), a col lection ofenigmas .2 . The Z i -hjo (Chi - king), a col le ction ofancient poems .3 . The Z iohjo (Chou - king) , history of the Chinese emperors , from Gou (Ya)

to Z in (Tcheou ) .4. The R i—hi (L i - ki ), description of all the ceremon ies wh ich took place

during the reigns of the empe rors Z in (Tcheou) and R OO (Lou).5 .The Zias- sio (Tchun - tsieou), history of the princes of the dynasty of

R 0 0 (Lou) .

The three succeed ing arti cles are commentaries on th is h istory of the houseofLou .

6 . The Zian- sio- sa - sidin (Tchun- tsieou - tso - chy - tchouen) , by Sak -j ume(Tsok ieou - ming) , a disciple of Confou tzee, and private secretary to the prince ofR OO (Lou).

7 . TheZ ian- sio-hoa-jodin(Tchun- tsieou - kong - yang - tchouen), by Kou -jo (Kongyang) , a disciple ofS ika (Tse- k ia) another disciple ofConfoutzee.

8 . The Zian- sio-ho-hlio - den (Tchun- tsieou - ko - leang - tchouen), by Ko - kl io (Kol eang) .The three preceding articles form but one work with No.

9 . The R on-

go (Lun -

yu) , or maxims of moral ity, w ith comments by hisdisciples .1 0. The Ko-hjo (Hiao - king), treatise on the duty of ch ildre n to the i r parents .1 1 . The Z ia - zy (Tcheou - l y). This work is l ike the R i - k i (L i - ki) , No . 4. I tcontains noth ing but the ce remonies of the court of the emperor Z in (Tcheou) ,by Z in- ko - tan (Tcheou - kong—tan), first empero r of the dynasty of R 0 0 (Lou) , adescendant ofZ iu (Tcheou) , but corrected by Confoutzee.

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300 NOTES .

This reason inducedMatsdayra—syntaro, prince of Elzen , at the beginningof the las t century , to orde r al l the temples of S iaka in h is domin ions , exceptinge ight, to be destroyed . The lands dependent on them were grante d to thepriests for the i r subsistence . The i dols of metal were melted

,and those of

wood thrown into the sea . Two of the latte r, be ing carried by the waves tothe coast ofPangasak , were picked up with great veneration , and are stil l prese rved in the temple ofAuzensi .There was one of the metal images that at fi rst i t was found impossibl e tomelt . The people conce ived the notion , that i t was a god who would punishthe prince forhis sacril ege . The prince , be ing apprized of the ci rcumstance ,ordered urine to be poured on the image , which done , i t i nstantly mel ted .

Koumasawa - riok i , the wisest of the courtiers of this pri nce , urged him totake this resolution , say ing , that so great a number of idols and priests wasperni cious to the state , and consumed the r ice of the people .

NOTE 4 .

The pri ests of the S intos , who fol low the primi tive rel igion ofJapan , do notshave the head : those of S iaka are enti rely shorn , and they are i ron ical l ycall ed Kami - naga , l ong - haired men . They are not all owed to enter the courtof the Da 1 ri . If they wish to vis it the temple ofIze,

‘ they must first performthe i r devotions by the side of the riverMijagawa, and put on a k ind ofwig ,without which they would not be admitted .

S uch is the contempt in which th is doctrine is held , that, when mention ismade of i ts professors at the court of the Dairi and i n the temple of Ize, i t i snecessary to employ particular express ions by way ofderision .

Thus the nickname ofNahago i s substituted instead ofS iaka .

I nstead ofKio, the name ofthe i r books ofhymns , the termS ome- gami , whichsignifies painted pape r, i s employed .

The To, a k ind of tower or steepl e to thei r temple , i s called Araragi .The Dera,

or temple,i s called Kawari -hantsi , that is, a ti l ed roof. The

temples of S iaka and the prisons were formerly cove red with tiles, while thetemples of the S intos and all the other bui ldings were covered with boards .The words 2 0 , zahhe, or bonsan, wh ich signifies priest, are replaced by the

NOTES. 30 1

i ronical epithet hami - naga,long - hai red man , because th ey have no hai r . The

ama, or behoani , priestesses , are l ikewise called hami - nagafohi .Z in-moaroa , the dead , are call ed Nawaroa,

the displaced .

I nstead ofnihoa , meat , they use the word ta/re'

, which signi fies mushrooms .Instead ofjanna - i , the s ick , they sayjassoami , those who stay at home .

Nairoa, to weep , i s rendered by th is c1 rcumlocution, zhavo- taroaroa, to wetwith a sal i ne l iqu id .

Tje, blood , i s changed to azee, sweat .I nstead of saying that a S i aka has been struck

, outsou , or tahahoa they say,

that he has been kissed, nasoaroa .

The word faha, grave , is superseded by tsoatsn-hoare, heap of earth , do.

NOTE 5 .

The re are th ree se cts of the Sanrou doctrine : l . the Tjuron ; 2 . the Sjunimonron ; 3. the Fiakron. There is a small d ifference between the tenets ofthese thre e .

NOTE 6 .

Baptism , or aspersion , i s called qaan- tjo. The high - priest of the temple ,holding a copper vessel , pours a l ittle water on the head ofthe new convert , atthe same time pronouncing certa i n words . This ceremony is performed in ”adark place , so that the eye of no person whatever can penetrate into i t.S igok -Daysi informs us , i n h is book Zorzets-hihjo, that al l the gods are

invoked in th is ceremony . Whenever the order of priesthood is conferred ona member

, hanro, water, or dew,i s poured upon his head , with a prayer to

heaven to preserve him from san-

go, that is , from al l sin before , during , andafter, th is l ife , that he may be able to pray to the gods with a pure heart .

NOTE 7.

The priest Day - ko- tj i died in the ninth year of the nengoday - reh(A. D.

the t ime ofKobou’

s birth . A t h is death the emperor Tay - zo (Tay - tsong) , took

q ua-Asari , the priest , forhis preceptor.

302 NOTES.

NOTE 8 .

R io- sen - si is composed of three words : rio, which sign ifies a d ragon ; sen,fresh water ; si , temple . R in, or R iosen, means sea-

god.

NOTE 9 .

S oai - so-

qaan i s composed of three words : soai , water ; so, to th ink ; qaan,

manner. This mode ofpraye r consists in squatting on the ground w ith the l egs

crossed under the body,and the hands clasped over the breast . In this

posture the devote e must abstract h is thoughts from every obj ect but wate r, andin so do ing

,he is cons idered as exalt ing h imse lf above humanity . Th is kind

of prayer was brought from Hindfistan.

NOTE 1 0.

The gahf i s a smal l heard , on whi ch characte rs are made . At the court ofthe Dai ri , there is one over each entrance . They are also to be seen beforetemples , and even some private persons set them up over the i r doors .I t is related in the Nipan- o- day

- tche- lan, that in the fourth month of the n inthyear of the nengoho- nin (A . D. Saga - ten - o, the fifty - second Dai ri , orde redall the gahfs of the court to be renewed . Tatjebana- no - taga - nari wrote that onthe east . The inscriptions for the south and the Datsou - tenmon- in were writtenby Kobou .

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304 SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE ON THE W ORKS OF CONFOUTZEE.

cal led Kohanwo, i s d ivided into e ighteen chapters ; i t i s now call ed K in-hoan.

The second was discovered by prince R oo - no - kowo ; i t was writte n on bambool eaves i n very ancient characters , denominated qaato- no-moa . This manuscriptowed its prese rvation to the ci rcumstance of i ts having been concealed in aholei n a wall

,during the re ign of

'

Zik i - ne (Chy - hoang - ty ) , when most of thethen existing books were se i z ed by command of that emperor

,and when

learned authors themselves were burned together with the i r works . Thiscommentary , divided into twenty - two chapte rs

,i s cal led K ohoun. Koankok

(King - ngan - koué ) , a descendant ofConfoutzée, transferred these ancient characters i nto modern writing , and thus formed the work , inti tuled KohounIrohjo.

The K in- boan,i n e ighteen chapte rs , i s full of e rro rs , both in the form

of the letters and in the phraseology Afte r Kokanwo had found the lostmanuscript of the Kohjo, copies of i t we re dispe rsed al l over Chi na . The

empero r Kan (Han) ordered an examination to be made , for the purpose of

asce rtai n ing which of the two explanations was the genuine . The preferencewas given , out ofprejud ice , to the K inhoan, and though Koan - kok had giventhe true explanation of the text of the Kokjo i n twenty - two chapters

,h is com

mentary was rejected .

In the seque l , Kiba—kito also gave an explanation of these e ighteen chapte rs ,during the re ign of the Emperor Kan : Tykosée made use of i t for his commentary , conside ring i t as accurate , and i t was adopted by al l China . Somepersons , however, stil l adhered to the other explanation i n twenty - twochapters .

Tono -my zo (Tang - ming - tsong) employed both vers ions for the workwhich he produced in the year 926 ; but he chiefly followed the first , forwhichreason

,i n h is time , the other was enti rely neglected .

In the time of Zoo (Song) an author, named Kyfée, declared the expl a

nation ofMy zo to be the only accurate one, and th is recommendation caused itto be adopted throughout the whole empi re . Faul t was found with that ofTykosée, and i t was not long before the Kohoan was , i n l ike manner, rejected .

The consequence was,that in the end that work was enti rely lost , and copiesof

i t were scarcely to be found . S iba - onko was the only one who continued toprofess a h igh esteem for that text . From the time of S i - ty , to that of the

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE ON THE W ORKS OF CONFOUTZEE 305

philosopher Z i - k i, doubts were raised respecting the authenticity ofthe Koboan,

and discuss ions on the question whether i t was not by some other author thanKoankok .

Z i - k i (Se - ky), having composed a book on divination in e ighteen chapters ,struck out two hundred characters , absolutely contrary to the pre cepts ofConfoutzee, who ins ists that the ancient annals ought to be bel ieved . A ll hisd isciples rej ected the Koboan, which ceased to be read e i ther by youth , or bypersons ofmature age .

This disdain was really to be regretted , i nasmuch as , i n all ages , and evenunder the emperors of the very firs t race , fil ial piety was considered as the firstand most important of the injunctions of Confoutzee.

W e recommend , therefore , the perusal of th is excellent work . Z i - ki andhis fol lowers have been unfortunately misled by the v i le priests of S iaka, whodisapprove the Kohoun. W e pray , that this book may continue to be venerated ,

s ince , at all times it has been highly esteemed i n th is empire , and the meanestenvy has not been able to discove r any faults i n i t .Let us be thankful for the lucky accident which has preserved to Japan a

book totally forgotten in China ’is

During the re ign of the Emperor Zoo (S ong), there l ived one O -Joosi , whocomposed a piece of one hundred verses in praise of the sabres of Japan .

Fouenen, the priest , went to China, i n the time of the emperor Zin - zo - ko - té

(Tch in - song- koang - ty ) , and presented the Kinhoan to h im ,according to Kokanwo .

The emperor gave i t to S iba - onko or Kouni - fitz ,who expressed the warmest

Before my final departure from Japan, I procured fromMeaco several works containing theKobona -hokjo. In transl ating the preface I wasmuchstruck by the omission ofa fact recorded in theJapanese work intituled R emarks on Chronology . It is there observed, that this sacred work has

been preserved in Japan in its primi tive purity , because, from the most remote ages, that empirehas

been governed by the same race of emperors, whereas China had been subject to several successive

dynasties, and themodern princes, rejecting the genuine explanation ofKoankok , are stil l attached tothe false doctrine of Zi - ki .

”

These remarks were suggested to me in 1 78 2, by the learned Ko- sak , a passionate admirer of the

Kohoun. Z inb i , the interpreter, to whom I communicated them, told me that the passage in questionis real ly to be found in the edition of 1 73 1 , but that i t was omi tted in subsequent editions, to avoid

giving offence to the court ofPekin, and that those who carried copies of the work to China, might notbe obl iged to tear out the preface.

306 SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE ON THE W ORKS OF CONFOUTZEE.

gratitude for the favour . S even centuries have s ince elapsed . A great numberof other works besides the Kinhoan have been lost i n China, and among th erest the Koboan, which , by a very remarkabl e co incidence , was l ikewise recovered in Japan .

Dazay z iung has closely examined th is work , and found that its contentsexactly agre e with

'

what i s said by the anc ient phi losophers concerning theexplanation of the Kohjo by Koankok . The explanations ofthe EmperorMyzoand ofKyfee l ikewise accord with i t . There are , however, one or two obscurecharacte rs in it

,which may be attributed to inaccuracy in the manuscript, or

inattention in the printe r : and yet , on th is S l ight ground, the learned thoughtfi t to question the authenti city of the Koboan. Dazayz iung pos it ively asse rts ,that th is work is the genuine production ofKoankok . These trifl ing obscuri ti esare not a plausible reason for i ts rej ection , s ince the text perfectly agrees withthe quotations from it that are to be found i n ancient authors .

For i nstance , i n the Kohjo there is th is maxim : As al l the parts of our bodyare derived by us from our parents , we ought to take the greatest care of themfil ial piety makes self- prese rvat ion a duty.

’

The commentators found great difficulty in explain ing th is passage . How,

said they,can there be any fil i al p iety in taking care to avo id accidents and

injury to our own persons ?

Here follows the ve ry plaus ible interpretation given by Koankok Weought to take great care not to d isobey the laws ; for the violation of theemperor’s commands is punished with the loss of some member . ’

I t was actually customary under the Emperors Ka- in and Z in, i n the periodcalled san- day , to cut Off the nose , the ears , or some other member, accordingto the nature of the cr ime committed . S ometimes the culprit had only h is hairpull ed up by the roots , or a mark made on his body by scarifying i t with asharp i ron , and covering the wound with a blackish substance . These pun ishments were termed sin- day fa -

pon.

Afte r th is explanation it cannot be doubted that the true mean ing was hitupon by Koankok .

Another commentator, named Ozzu or Tjusin, has given a stil l moreluminous elucidation of th is passage . C rim inals ,’ says he , are pun ished by

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308 SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE ON THE W ORKS OF CONFOUTZEE.

fully developed and il lustrated . Fil ial piety , ’ says the text, is incontestablythe foundation of all the social duties : whoeve r, from the emperor to themeanest ofhis subj ects , disregards the lessons of his parents, proves that he i sunworthy of the existence he has received from them .

’

W hen the doctri ne ofZ i - k i had spread during his l ife - time over al l China,

the Kohjo was los t there , because that philosopher was enthusiasti c i n behalfof the tenets of S iaka . Dazayz iung neve r ceased to regret th is l oss , t il l a copywas discovered in the temple of As ikaga . I n the opin ion of that sage

,th is

was an invaluable treasure , s ince no clear notions offil ial piety could be formedin Japan from the moral i ty of Ziki . All we re eager to obtain copi es

,which

were made in such a hurry that many e rrors crept i nto them : for in

stance,the characte r stupid was introduced instead of that which signifies

fish. Dazayz iung spent ten years in preparing a correct ed ition of i t ; forwhich purpose he was obl iged to examine wi th care al l the characte rsone by one .

During the re ign of Zin - zo - no - te (S ineu - tsong - Hoang- ty , A . D. acertain philosophe r composed a very diffe rent explanation of the Kohjo, whichwas rejected . The commentary ofKoankok is the only pure and genuine onehe was related to Confoutzee i n the el eventh degree . There are indeed

, as

we have al ready observed,two or three obscure characters in hl S text ; but

they are l ikewise met with in al l the others , and they have not been changed .

I t is to be hoped that enl ightened persons wil l some day discove r the i r trueinterpretation .

The K inboun was original ly without any punctuation . This omission wassuppl ied during the re ign of the Emperor Tono - ny

- zo (Tang- ningetsong,

A. D.

by Lak - fok -my , who was thoroughly conversant i n the learnedlanguages .

The K oboan also was without points . Dazayz iung suppl ied the want ofthem by Japanese s igns , calculated to prevent all mistakes i n the reading.

When he had completed a copy that was perfectl y accurate and w ithout fault,he had a small number printed for his disciples alone . Atsado- s iko , a veryopulent man , cons idered his country as i nte rested i n the publ i cat ion of so

valuable a work , and took upon himself al l the expenses ofprinting , in order to

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE ON THE W ORKS OF CONFOUTZEE. 309

place i t w ithi n the reach of every individual . Dazayz iung* was accustomed

to say I never pe rformed my duty to my father and mother so well as Iought to have done : henceforward I will be a faithful d isciple ofKoankok .

’

Nipon, the eleventh month of the s ixteenth year of the Nengo

This philosopher was born in the province of Sinano : he was surnamed Yayemon but his realname and that whichhe assumed inhisworks wasDazay ziung.

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CATALOGUE

O F THE

BOOKS AND MANUSCRIPTS, JAPANESE, FRENCH ,ENGLISH AND DUTCH ; AND

OF THE PAINTINGS , ENGRAVINGS ,MAPS , PLANS , DRAW INGS, ANDCOINS OF JAPAN , COLLECTED BY THE LATE M . TITSINGH.

COP IES of Letters i n Dutch , addressed to d ifferent persons byM. Titsingh,

from 1 790 to 1 797, written at Batavia, Canton , Nangasak i , gm, MS . ,

small fol io , 204 pages very closely written .

Forty- six AutographLetters, addressed toM. Titsinghby S ige- Senoski , Nagawa

Sjun- nan , Koozack -Monsuro , Fes i - Bz inby , Matsutsna, N is i - K ijemonNamoera -Montojsero,Nisi - K itsrofe, Ima-Moera- K insabroo,Motoji - Enosin,

and other Japanese inte rpreters , or publ i c funct ionari es, and by FathersChassé , R iocard , dated Batavia, B es ima, Yedo , Nangasak i , d c.

MS fol i o .

Joarnal of TravelsfromCanton to Pehin, i n Dutch , i nM. Titsingh’

s hand - writing,

smal l and close ; fol io ; 58 pages .Exposition of the Ofi icial Conduct ofM. Ti tsingh, or extracts from difie1*ent l etters ;MS . , 88 pages .

Thirty -five AutographLetters, i n French and Dutch , addressed toM. Titsingh,among whi ch is a very long lette r from M. de Guignes , senior, and theanswer, four l etters from M. de Volney , M. Titsingh

’

s credentials forhis embassy to China, and those ofLordMacartney in Latin .

Observations of the Japanese, on the alleged h igh antiqu ity of the Chinese .

MS . , fol .

Inquiries concerning the Origin of the Japanese, and Sketch of the i r fabulousHistory . MS ., fol .

314 CATALOGUE OF BOOKS, se.

R egular Chronology of the Chinese andJapanese, from the year 841 before Christto the year 1 796 . MS . , fol .

Nipan- o- day- tche- lan, or abridged Annals of the Dai ris : a manuscript in the

hand - writing ofM. Titsingh, translated by him from the Japanese , withnotes and comments . S even parts , fol io , 450 pages ; which would formthree thick octavo vol umes .The same in Dutch , one volume , fol io .

S ecret Notes relative to the Djogouns of thepresent Dy nasty , or the real Sovere ignsof Japan . MS . , i n the hand - writing ofM. T itsingh; 1 56 pages , smal lfol io : translated from private JapaneseMSS . ; to whi ch i s annexed aShetchof the Ceremonies constantly practised at the court of the Djogounthroughout the year. M.S . , i n the hand - writing ofM. Ti tsingh; 49pages , smal l fol io .

The same in Dutch .

Description of theMarriage Ceremonies pract ised i n Japan,among farmers

,

artisans , and trades - peopl e , translated from the Japanese work KesiFou/rouro and preceded by an Introduction . MS . ,

i n the handwriting ofM. Titsingh, small fol i o , accompanied with original colouredJapanese engravings .The same in Japanese , i n two parts , oblong 8vo . ,

w ith the engravings.

The same in Engl ish .

The same i n Dutch .

Description of the Funeral Ceremonies practised in Japan . MS .,smal l fol io

,i n

the hand - writing ofM. T itsingh, translated from the Japanese , andaccompan ied by the two following rolls , painted by Japanese art ists .

Funeral Procession and Tomb of the Governor of Nangasahi , Foat-jefa - no-hami , who

died June 27, and was buried July 1 6 , 1 784, near the temple ofZ untoksi .A roll

, 1 7 fee t 6 inches 7 l ines long , and 9 i nches 6 l ines h igh , containing upwards of 1 30 figures , 35 i nches high , in water - colours .

Funeral Procession of a Civil Ofiicer of distinction, according to the manner of thefour sects of S iaka . A roll , 1 3 feet 6 i nches long , and 9 i nches 6 l ineshigh , exh ib iting 1 05 figures , 35 inches h igh , i n wate r - colours , and thenorimons of the relatives and friends of the deceased .

Funeral Procession of an Emperor, very coarsely engraved on wood , printed in

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3 16 CATALOGUE OF BOOKS , é'c.

containing d ifferent kinds of needles and prepared mugwort for themom,

belong to th is arti cle .

Thirty - eight species ofFishand Shell -fish, some ofwhi ch are unknown in Europe ,and among others the tortoise with blue and green hairs

,cal l ed minogame,

exquisi te ly painted . A roll of strong Japanese s i lver paper, 355 feetlong

,and 1 1 i nches high . Over each subj ect i s the name in Dutch .

This rol l i s mounted on a roller with ivory ends , and covered wi th apiece ofblack sat i n , embro idered i n go ld and green s i lk .

One hundred andforty difl'

erent Shell -fish, painted with great care , the Japanese ,as wel l as the Ch inese , excell ing in the representation of i nan imatenature . A rol l on the same pape r, of the same dimens ions , and havinga l ike cove ring wi th the preceding arti cl e .

Continued View of Landscapes along a R iver, upon which the spectator i s supposedto be sai l ing ; showing several wooden bridges as se en from below . A

roll of strong Japanese paper , 43 fee t 9 i nches long, and 9 inches 2 l ineshigh

,three feet of whi ch cons is t of text i n Chinese . The name is

wri tten i n Dutch over eve ry town or vil lage that appears on unrol l ingth is long coloured engraving . F i re - works are seen on the water

,

Opposi te to Famatsjo - saccai - z in- rino - daiboe. A t the back of the engravi ng i s a sati n paper, sprinkled with squares ofmetal l i c l eaf.

Continued View of the S cenery along a R iver, which occupies two - thi rds of theheight of this long engraving . A roll on strong Japanese paper

, 26 feet1 1 i nches long , and 9 i nches 2 l ines i n he ight. I t exhibits a greatnumber of barks , boats , barges , and craft of all k inds . At a placecalled Quacht- hui - sl iogoe- vasi is represented a bridge

,covered with

upwards of s ixty persons , of al l ages and profess ions , and in d ifferentcostumes . Over each town and village is the name i n Dutch .

Continued View of S cenery , painted on satin ; a roll ofworked satin of an ol ivecolour, feet long, and 1 0 inches h igh .

A JapaneseLady , stand ing , with flowing hai r. A roll , 6 fee t long, and 1 foot5 i nches wide . This beautiful painting, i n a border of s ilk stuffworkedwith gold , is on very fine gauze , pasted upon strong paper, and mountedon a rol l er .

Japanese Fishermen,i n n i ne boats

,engaged i n the whale fishery , for which

CATALOGUE OF BOOKS, so.

purpose they have thrown out an immense net . A rol l of th in pape r,

4 feet 4 i nches long , and 1 0 i nches wide .A Whale whichhas broken theNet

, and is struggl ing to disengage himself from theharpoons of a number of fishermen on board of four barks . A rol l ofthe same paper as the pre ced ing , 25 fee t long and 1 0 i nches wide .

On the subject of th is fishery Father Charlevoix Observes z Themost useful species of fish is the hudsuri , or whale . I t is caught on allthe coasts of Japan , especial ly on that of Khumano,

and the wholesouth coast of the great i sland ofNiphon, round the is lands of Tsussimaand Gatto , and on the coasts of Omuza and Nomo . W hales are com

mou ly taken with the harpoon as i n the northe rn seas but the Japanesevessels appear to be better adapted to thi s fishery than ours

,because

they are smalle r and narrower , with one end te rminating in a sharppoint , and have each ten men at the oar, which causes them to movewith incredible velocity . About the year 1 680 ,

a wealthy fisherman,

of the province of Omu za, named Gitai -jo, i nvented a new method ofcatch ing whales in nets , made of strong ropes , about two i nches th ick .

This practi ce was soon adopted in the isl ands of Gotto . I t i s said, thatas soon as the head of the whale is entangled i n th is net

,he cannot

swim without great diffi cul ty , and may then be easily dispatched withthe harpoon ; but this mode of fishing is too ex pens ive for ordinaryfishermen .

A R oll of thin paper, 4 feet 5 i nches long, and 1 0 inches 3 l ines h igh, representi ng a vessel of rude construction and seven Ainos, with curly hai r andblack skin

,wearing a kind of whi te waistcoat without Sl eeves

,which

reaches no l ower than the nave], and a white cloth round the waist ;the ears adorned with fish bones . TW O of them have a vest made ofl eaves .

Two R olls of thinpaper, one of them 6 feet 5 i nches long , and l l i nches 6 l ineshigh

,the other 4 feet 6 inches long , and of the same he ight , exhibiting

models engraved in the l ine manner ofthe largest vessels that the Japaneseare allowed to build . The number of planks , pieces of timber, andcopper nai ls

,i s marked with the utmost accuracy , and any shipwright

who Should not adhere closely to this plan , and presume to add but a

3l 8 CATALOGUE OF BOOKS , dc.

S ingle nail, or exceed the d imensions ever so l ittle , would be doomed

to d ie,togethe r w ith h is who le family .

Nine Engravings printed in colours, on th e same number of separate shee ts ,1 0 i nches wide , and 1 foot 2 i nches 9 l ines in height , representingJapanese lad ies in vari ous d resses .

ThreeEngravings printed in colours, on three sheets of the same dimens ions asthe preceding

,probably representing Ainos, one ofwhom is throttl ing

a bear,and anothe r making monkeys dance in grotesque dresses .

Four Engravings printed in colours, on Japanese paper ; one representing twochildre n amus ing themselves w i th a swing ; the second , a person witha long sabre

,and partly covered with a cloak , on which i s his Coat of

arms ; and the othe r two , Chinese .

A folio volume, 1 foot 3 inches h igh , and 1 0 inches broad , covered with bluesatin

,open ing l ike the leaves ofa fan , and contain ing fiftee n engravings

printed in colours,representing Japanese ladies , e i ther walking abroad

or at home . There are also se rvants holding parasols over the head sof the i r mistresses .

Afolio volume, of the same dimens ions and covered as the preceding, containingfifteen engravings printed in colours , representing Japanese ladieswith the i r daughte rs , e ithe r walking abroad or at home . In this volumethere is not to be seen a s ingle male figure .

A small white paper bag, contain ing th irty sheets ofJapanese paper, folded andsealed i n the various ways customary in Japan for letters

,according to

the rank of the pe rson to whom they are addressed .

Two folio volumes, covered with blue s ilk , one foot two i nches three l ines inhe ight

,and e ight in ches and a hal f wide

,the one contain ing forty - one,

the other , thi rty - six plants , exquis itely painted on very fine Japanesepaper, with Japanese explanations on the oppos ite page in a paste - boardcase

,covered with purpl e satin .

M. Charpent ier~ Cossigny , i n h is Voy age au B engate, mentions th isarticle i n the following terms I t was a present made toM. Ti tsinghby the wife ofthe chief physician to the emperor. I doubt whether anyth ing more perfect i n its k ind exists : the stalks , flowers

,frui t

,ro ots ;

al l have the appearance of nature itself : Oppos ite to each plant its name

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320 CATALOGUE OF BOOKS,

P lan of a small Town, washed i n colour, on thi ck Dutch paper, 1 foot 8i nches long

,and 1 foot 4 i nches broad , with references to a sheet of

manuscript explanation .

Plan of the Interior of the Palace of the Emperor of Japan at Yedo, made by aDutchman on European paper, 2 fee t '

7—21 i nches long , and 8 i nches

broad .

Planof the Port, the R oad, and the Islands near Nangasahi , executed by Europeans

, on th ick Dutch drawing pape r, with explanations i n red ink , 2fee t 3 inches square .

P lan of Yedo, printed on pape r, 2 feet 7 i nches 6 l i nes long, and 1 foot 1 0i nches high

,w ith more than references made i n red ink by

M. Ti tsingh. The streets and publ i c places are marked by ye llow andgrey t ints .

P lan of Nangasaki and the adjacent Islands, drawn on very th in yel low paper,

l ike Bank paper, and coloured , 4 feet 6 i nches long , and 2 feet broad .

The references to the templ es and buil d ings are i n red ink , those tothe streets in black ; the names of towns , temples , and isl e ts , as wellas the d istances , are written i n Dutch .

This plan , from the minuteness and accuracy of all the details,

cannot but be considered as h ighly valuable by European geographe rs .P lan ofNangasaki , printed on pape r, 2 feet 8 in ches 3 l ines in height , and 2

fee t 1 1 i nches i n breadth . The houses are marked wi th a grey,and

the sea with - a bluish , t int . A circumstance worthy of notice is, thatthe references are printed i n A rabic ciphers by the side ofthe Japaneseciphers

. S everal Dutch vessels are lying off B es ima, and there is one

i n tow by s ixteen Japanese boats .B ird

’

s- ey e View of the Island of B esima . A drawing on Japanese paper, 2 fee t5 i nches 6 l i nes in he ight , and 2 feet 2 inches 6 l ines in width . Thisplan seems to have been executed at an earl ie r period than the foll owing arti cle . The Dutch flag , indeed , i s here seen flying as i n thelatte r ; but the houses are not so numerous , nor are any persons represe nted i n them .

B ird’

s- ey e View of the Island of B esima,printed in colours , 1 foot 8 inches 8

l ines in length , 1 foot 3 i nches 3 l ines in breadth . Dutch and Japanese

CATALOGUE OF BOOKS , 5m. 321

are represented in the streets and in the i r Shops . The bridge commu

mi cating with Nangasaki i s shown . A t the end next to B es ima is ahouse where Japanese sentinels are stat ioned . An enormous foldinggate

,furnished with strong i ron bars, converts th is l i ttle island into a

prison,and prevents“ the Dutch from going out or i n but at the good

pl easure of the governor of Nangasak i .

P lan of the Island of B esima, painted on gauz e , pasted on canvass , and mountedon a’ rol ler

,35 feet wide and 5 high .

P lan of Osaha, printedfon paper, 2 feet 9 i nches long,and 2 feet 6 i nches

9 l ines wide . The canals and rive r are marked by a greenish t int .The re are upwards of five hundred numbers i n black

,and some letters

i n red byM. Titsingh, referr ing to a manuscript explanation .

P lan ofMeaca, pr i nted on paper 3 feet 8 i nches 8 l ines in length ,and 2 fee t

8 i nches i n breadth . There are 729 numbers, 'written i n red ink byM. Titsingh, referr ing to a book of manuscript explanations . The streetsare marked by a yel low tint . The temples

,palaces , and shops are

represented in el evation in the city and env irons .P lan ofMijako, printed on pape r, 2 feet 1 - inch long

,and 1 foot 6 inches

9 l ines broad . The principal streets are marked with yellow t int .AManuscript Map of the Island of Yesso, coloured , on thin paper, 1 foot

6 i nches by 1 foot 2 inches , with the names in Dutch ; and a greatnumber of refe rences .

AMap of the Island of Yesso, coloured , 1 foot 25 i nches long , and 1 1 5 i nchesbroad , with Dutch and Japanese explanations .

P lan of the Island of Seringapatam, coloured ; and a coloured vi ew of the same .

Two sheets of European paper, 1 foot 4 i nches long, and 95 i ncheshigh .

A Volcano inEruption, a coloured drawing, on very th in paper, 3 feet 3 inches6 l ines i n l ength , and 2 feet 1 i nch in height .

Volcanoes in Eruption, a coloured drawing , on paper , 2 feet 2 i nches long, and1 foot 8 i nches broad . R ed ,

yellow,and grey tints seem to indicate an

earthquake over a whole island .

An Island. A draw ing in colours on strong Japanese paper, 2 fee t 6 inchesby 1 foot 8 inches

,with the names written very smal l in Dutch . On

2 T

322 CATALOGUE OF BOOKS , 5c.

the middle of th is sheet is fixed a piece of th i ck pape r,coloured on

both s i des , representing a lofty volcano , the top of whi ch is i ne ruption .

S ummits of Volcanoes in Eruption, drawn in colours , on a sheet of 1 foot2 inches 9 l ines , by 1 0 inches 3 l ines , with Dutch explanations on apaper that folds down ove r i t .

A Volcano in Eruption, a pain ting on gauze , pasted on th i ck Japanese pape r,3 feet 3 i nches long and 2 feet wide , w ith a border of red pape r,having patches of s ilve r paper fol ded down on i t i n several places , withmanuscript explanations in Dutch . There are many numbers , written inblack

,referring to an explanation in the Dutch language . Th is paint ing

i s executed on a ground sprinkl ed with gold .

S everal VolcanicMountains, sketched on a shee t of pape r , 1 foot 3 inches by1 foot

,with explanations in Dutch .

Volcanic Eruption and Earthquahe, a drawing in colours , on th in paper, 4 feet

2 in ches 6 l ines in l ength , and 1 1 5 i nches wide , with Dutch and Japanese i nscriptions .

A small foldingMap, 1 foot 1 by 1 1 5 i nches , printed on pape r , and apparentlya reduced map ofJapan . On the t i tl e are the Dutch words , Kiezjo af de

neege Lannden.

Designs of the Temples ofNihho or Jama, printed on Japanese paper, with 23 1numbers , marked in red ink byM. T itsingh, 1 foo t 4 in ches long, and1 foot broad .

Guide to Yedo and its Environs, a thin sheet , printed , 9 i nches 6 l ines high ,and 1 foot 4 inches long . There are 1 23 numbers of reference inred ink .

Another Sheet, 1 foot 2 i nches by 1 0 i nches , with 1 7 numbers of refe rence .

R epresentation of the Banian, a remarkabl e tree , which sometimes coversseveral acres of ground , and i s very common inHindustan . A woodengraving, 1 foot 4 i nches long , and 1 0 i nches high .

R epresentation of R ohausi , i n the country of Tiesen, a wood engraving, on th inJapanese paper

,1 foot 4 i nches long , and 1 15 i nches broad. It exhibi ts

temples and colossal idols on the mountains , with devotees go ing topay adoration to them .

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324 CATALOGUE OF BOOKS , so.

Another Corean Fisherman, harpooning a seal , a coloured drawing , on pape r ofthe same dimensions as the preceding .

AColoured Engraving , executed in Japan , representing a lake with a causeway and a bridge , l eading to a large mans ion stand ing i n the middle2 feet 1 i nch (3 l ines long , and 9 inches wide .

View of Tolonomon, a small coloured copper- plate engraving, 5 inches by 4.

These two attempts at engraving, i n the European manner , by Japaneseartists

,afford some idea ofthe i r aptness for im itation .

A Coloured Drawing of a Species of Camelopard, w ith the follow i ng explanationin Dutch and FrenchOn the 6thof signats, the se rvants of the lord ofMatsumai arrived

with the following paperNear the is land of Yesso there are several more islands

,discovered

at the same time , s ituated to the north , and cal l ed Kara - fou - te - si - ma .

Here two animals were discovered at n ight by moon - l ight , i n the mountains ; one of them was shot with a pistol . The description of i t i sas fol lows —Heigh t from head to foot

, 8 fee t ; l ength of the body5 feet ; i t has very soft hai r, and feeds on grass and the leaves of trees .

A TravellingMap, 6 inches high , 7 feet long , opening l ike the l eaves of afan.

Another TravellingMap, of the same dimensions . On the subj ect of these mapsFather Charlevoix has these remarks Ne i ther men nor women ever goabroad without fans in the i r hands . When they travel , they have fanson which the roads are marked , as well as the best inns , and the pricesof provis i ons . Those who have not such fans may purchase smal lbooks , which are every where to be bought of l i ttl e boys , who make atrade of begging on all the roads .

Two Views of Coasts, crayon drawings , a view ofMatsuma, on the east coast,

taken at the distance of a furlong ; and view of the Bay ofNangasaki ,

35Dutch miles distantA Collection ofnearly Two ThousandJapanese and ChineseMedals and Coins, of gold ,

s ilve r,copper, and iron , formed by the lateM. T i tsingh, with infinite

trouble and expense . Among them are the rare Japanese pieces, cal ledobans and kobans ; a seri es of the Japanese and Ch inese emperors, from

CATALOGUE OF BOOKS, {c 325

the remotest ages to the present time and several medals employed asidols by the Chinese i n the i r p agodas

, or domesti c oratori es,to repel

evil gen i i .Mr. Klaproth , a gentleman well acquainted with the Chinese language

,has arranged these medals i n chronological o rder

,and begun a

descriptive catalogue of them . As no cab inet whatever possesses sovaluable a collecti on , we wish by th is note to awaken the publ i c curiosi ty , i n hopes that some government , friendly to the sciences , maypurchase i t , and enable the learned of all countries to consult i t withbenefit to chronology and numismatics .

In the long l ist of maps and plans i n M. T itsingh’

s collection , thefol lowing are parti cularl y worthy ofnoti ce

1 . The greatMap of the three Japanese Islands, which contains twi ce asmany names as any map known in Europe . The provinces are distin

gu ished , as in our maps , by different colours , indicated at the bottomof the map by correspond ing tints , which , as wel l as the principalplaces , are accompanied by numbers referring to a descriptive l ist . The

authors of th i s map are Japanese .2 . A Plan of the City of Nangasaki and i ts Environs, drawn , washed ,

and coloured , exactly in the style of ours , by an engineer to theEmperor , who made a present of i t to M. Titsingh. A ccording to thisplan , Nangasak i , si tuated in the first of the three islands , on a rive r ofthe same name , is a very large city : its figure is i rregular next to therive r, the windings of which i t follows ; towards the land i t is semici rcular. In front of th is city l ies the isle t on which is the Dutchestabl ishment, and which may be called the i r prison .

3. The coloured Drawing of a Volcano, by the recent e ruption of

which upwards of three thousand persons perished . A castl e s ituatedin the centre of the scene of devastation escaped uninj ured.

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