3 1822 01387 9028
 
 Old and Second Hand 
 
 Books. NoveU.i Etc. 
 
 Bought. Sold and Ex* 
 
 changed. 
 
 OTIS W. POTTER, 
 
 IOI Snow St:rset, 
 
 Providence. R. I- 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY Or 
 CALIFORNIA 
 
 SAN DIEGO 
 
 presented to the 
 
 LIBRARY 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIF.GO 
 
 by 
 FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY 
 
 Mrs. Edwin W. Meise 
 
 donor
 
 3 1822 01387 9028 
 
 DS
 
 THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD 
 
 AN HISTORICAL SERIES 
 
 IN 
 THIRTY VOLUMES 
 
 VOLUME TWENTY-NINE 
 
 JAPAN
 
 JAPAN 
 
 BY 
 
 WALTER JMCKSON 
 
 WITH TWO SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS OF RECENT EVENTS 
 
 By MAYO W. HAZELTINE 
 
 ILL USTRA TED 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 PETER FENELON COLLIER 
 
 MDCCCXCVIll
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT 9 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT 55 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA 78 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 GOVERNMENT OF 'j AIKOSAMA 124 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS 160 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 HISTORY TO THE EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY 176 
 
 CHAPTER VH 
 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS 192 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 THE POSITION AND COURT OF THE SHIOGOON 223 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 THE DAIMIOS 228 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 THE DAIMIO CLASS 279 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE CONTINUED 288 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 EVENTS FOLLOWING THE ABOLITION OF THE SHIOGOONATE 363 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE FOREIGN POLICY OF NEW JAPAN AND THE WAR WITH CHINA.. .. 374
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 JAPAN 
 
 Frontispiece lokio Pagoda and Bell Temple 
 Scene on Japanese Man-of-War . 
 Yokohama and Harbor 
 Japanese Shipping Prior to 1865 . .
 
 PREFACE 
 
 IN the preparation of the following Work the Author 
 has to acknowledge the assistance which he has received 
 from a Japanese gentleman in Yokohama, whose name, 
 for obvious reasons, it is prudent not to mention. 
 
 With his knowledge of the history and institutions 
 of his country, the Author was able to fill up the 
 blanks in short notices of history contained in elemen- 
 tary Japanese books. He was further enabled to go 
 over the red-books of the empire which enter into the 
 details of the pedigrees of illustrious families, and into 
 the minutiae of Government offices. 
 
 The supposed unalterable character of these institu- 
 tions induces those who have any pretensions to learn- 
 ing in China and Japan to master and retain by mem- 
 ory the names and duties of the different offices in the 
 various departments of Government; and they are fre- 
 quently found to be good authorities upon questions 
 upon which there is no published information. 
 
 In the history of the intercourse of the Jesuits with 
 Japan, the letters of the fathers have been almost the
 
 6 PREFACE. 
 
 only authorities relied upon; while in the more recent 
 events contemporary publications have been used. 
 
 In taking notes from the conversation of a Japa- 
 nese who could speak but little English, in too many 
 cases they were written down in what is known in 
 China as "pigeon English"; and the Author has to 
 acknowledge and regret that in many cases the cramped 
 nature of the notes has not been entirely removed, and 
 for such instances he craves the indulgence of the 
 reader.
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT 
 
 MAN, in the earlier periods of his existence, when he was 
 as yet putting forth his juvenile strength to subdue creation, 
 was ever inclined to look upon the great forces of nature as 
 difficulties in his path and obstacles to his progress, which, 
 in his more mature strength, he has come to regard as aids 
 to help him, and to cherish as the very means to the at- 
 tainment of his ends. Such an object of awe to the earlier 
 mariner was the great ocean, when he had no compass to 
 guide him over its unknown and apparently boundless ex- 
 panse, and with no knowledge of the winds and no experi- 
 ence of the currents. "When he had no means of keeping 
 food or fresh water for any great length of time, he was a 
 bold man who would venture far out of sight of land. Pro- 
 vided with the faithful compass, men became bolder; they 
 enlarged their vessels, making longer voyages, until they ran 
 over the length and breadth of the Eastern seas. Still the 
 China Sea, with its typhoons and its monsoons and currents, 
 down to a comparatively recent period, was looked upon as 
 an obstacle which was to be smoothed down and not to be 
 wrestled with. To beat up the China Sea against the north- 
 eastern monsoon was considered a rash struggle and a fool- 
 hardy waste of time, and in consequence the trade- voyages 
 to China were confined to vessels going up the sea in sum- 
 
 (9)
 
 10 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 mer with the southerly monsoon and returning in winter 
 with the northerly. Obstacles such as these made mariners 
 unwilling to run the risk of pushing up the sea the length 
 of Shanghai or Japan, when the time of their return was 
 a matter of so much doubt. 
 
 In the present age, when man is thinking himself of some 
 importance from the little odds and ends of knowledge he 
 has stored up, the ocean, instead of being a barrier of separa- 
 tion between islands and continents, has become what the 
 Mediterranean Sea was to the Old World a link of connec- 
 tion, a highway of commerce, and steam has become a bridge 
 by which distant shores have been joined together. The 
 world is now finding out that she is one that the interests of 
 nations are one, and that no one part of the body can say to 
 the other, "I have no need of thee." If Japan has hitherto 
 felt herself in a position to use such an expression to her 
 fellow-members of the body cosmopolitan, and the feeling 
 has been responded to by their acquiescence, the time and 
 circumstances seem to have arrived when this seclusion is to 
 be ended. The distance at which these islands seemed to lie 
 from the heart of the world's circulation, Europe, has been 
 almost annihilated, and European nations have through the 
 settlements in India and China crept up alongside of the isles 
 of the East. The difficulties of access have been smoothed 
 away, her sumptuary laws have been abrogated, while the 
 produce of her rich soil is daily increasing to meet the de- 
 mands which are made upon it, and which she is becoming 
 willing and ready to exchange for that of which she is more 
 in need. 
 
 Steam has been the active agent in bringing about these 
 changes, causing the pulses of trade to beat with greater 
 frequency and with increased vigor. But to any one who 
 looks below the surface there may be seen other agents at 
 work, all concurring at this crisis in the world's existence to 
 produce changes of portentous magnitude. The discoveries 
 of chemistry, whether by the aggressive forces obtained in 
 the manufacture of munitions of war, or by the more widely
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 11 
 
 extended but silent beneficial operation of such an agent as 
 quinine, steam with all its ramifications of wealth, the tele- 
 graph with its tenfold power of convertibility, the discovery 
 of gold at the most remote parts of the world, have combined 
 to produce, by the sudden influx of real wealth, by the inter- 
 mingling of ranks of men, and by the rapid throwing into 
 men's minds of a quantity of information or of knowledge, 
 a condition of things in the mass which makes that mass 
 knead able by those who can knead it, and fitted for the 
 reception of any leaven, for good or for evil, which may be 
 mixed with it. The mingling of ranks in the social system, 
 the disturbance of creeds hi the religious, the confounding 
 of parties in the political, are preparing the way for some 
 world-wide change, by which old systems are to be done 
 away and new established. It is not working in one nation 
 alone, but in all : it is not confined to Christendom, showing 
 that the time to come is not to be like times past ; but that 
 the time is coming when it is possible for one person to aim 
 at one rule over the whole world. This change is coming 
 up like the rising of water. It may overwhelm all existing 
 things like a wave. Some call it Progress, others Democ- 
 racy, but, whatever it be, it is evident that every existing 
 institution is to get such a shaking that only the things that 
 cannot be shaken will stand. 
 
 All national institutions having, or pretending to have, 
 order, will probably have to undergo this trial ; and when it 
 comes the whole remains of the feudal system will be tested : 
 monarchies, the peerage, tenures of land, orders in the 
 Church, and, above all, the question of primogeniture, can- 
 not fail to be put on trial. The different sections in the 
 religious and political world seem gradually separating them- 
 selves into two large parties, the one standing for the vox 
 Dei, the other holding the vox populi to be the vox Dei 
 the one believing that power comes from above, the other 
 that power comes from below. 
 
 The leaven is working in the minds of men, whether 
 they will it or not ; and no nation will feel the effects of this
 
 12 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 fermentation more than Japan. Above all nations, she to 
 this hour retains her feudal system intact. She must learn, 
 as others have in past times and may have to learn again, 
 at the expense of revolution and blood. The people are 
 already being stirred, and dare to question. The nobles 
 are beginning to quake, they know not why, in the face 
 of changes which are being forced upon them. The very 
 throne of the emperor is being searched and shaken. 
 
 In order to understand where the weakness of a building 
 lies, or how it is likely to fall down, it is first necessary to 
 know how it is constructed ; and in order to comprehend the 
 changes which events may bring about in Japan, some idea 
 must be formed of the government of the country. Without 
 some knowledge of the framework of the constitution, it is 
 difficult to understand the relative position of mentor to 
 appreciate the operation of external agents upon the system 
 of the empire, whether that operation work by a slow process 
 of leavening from within, or by a violent concussion from 
 without. 
 
 The aim of the author in the following pages has 'been to 
 give some idea of the framework of the constitution of Japan. 
 Having resided for some little time in the country, he was 
 enabled to get what seemed to him a clearer glimpse of the 
 working of the different parts of the machinery of State than 
 was to be gained from any of the able works published on 
 the subject. The time at his command was too short, and 
 his knowledge of the language too limited, to enable him to 
 do more than prepare a sketch which may serve a temporary 
 purpose, before works of greater research and fuller inf orma- 
 tion are produced. 
 
 The position of the Emperor (Spiritual Emperor, as he is 
 sometimes erroneously called), as the first in the empire, 
 must be recognized; the office held by the Temporal Em- 
 peror, the Shiogoon (or Tycoon, as he has been named), must 
 be correctly and distinctly understood before the nature of 
 the rule in the empire can be comprehended. It is further 
 essential that the student should be acquainted with the rank
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 13 
 
 and position of the nobility or nobilities of the empire (for of 
 these there are two classes) that of Miako at the court of 
 the Emperor, the Koongays ; and that at Yedo at the court 
 of the Shiogoon, the Daimio, and beneath them the Hatta- 
 moto. "Without some knowledge of these the reader is lost 
 in a maze of unmeaning names and titles ; but with a slight 
 acquaintance with the rank, offices, and names of these 
 nobles, he is able not only to follow the thread of history, 
 but to understand the intricacies of current events. 
 
 A description of a picture by a native artist, seen by the 
 author of this volume, may give some idea of the relation in 
 which these dignitaries stand the one to the other. The 
 upper half of the picture represents the Shiogoon or Tycoon 
 at the palace in the capital, Miako, making his obeisance and 
 performing homage before his liege lord the Emperor, seated 
 in the great hall, Shi shin den, of the palace. The upper 
 part of the Emperor's person is concealed behind a screen of 
 thin slips of bamboo hanging from the roof. The throne is 
 three mats, or thin mattresses, placed one above the other 
 upon the floor. There is no chair or support to the back. 
 On each side of the Emperor sit on their knees on the floor 
 the high officers of his court. Before him is seen the late 
 Shiogoon, kneeling and prostrating himself, with his head 
 to the floor. Behind the Shiogoon are his high officers Stots- 
 bashi and the great Daimio Owarri, both in a similar position 
 of prostration ; while beneath, in the open court, are military 
 officials of the Imperial Court standing or kneeling. This 
 picture represents accurately a fact, and what appears to be 
 a correct illustration of the ideas of the people of Japan with 
 regard to the relative status of the Emperor and the Shiogoon. 
 
 It may almost be a matter of wonder that so little was 
 known of Japan until the advent of the Portuguese. Men 
 were in old times adventurous travelers, and yet, except what 
 is contained in the pages of Marco Polo, written in the thir- 
 teenth century, nothing more was known of the existence of 
 the country. The Buddhism of India had permeated China, 
 Corea, and Japan, but it brought nothing back. Moham-
 
 14 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 medanism, at an early stage, reached China, and gained 
 many converts, and the Arabs carried on an extensive trade 
 with China and the Eastern Isles ; but neither by their writ- 
 ings nor by the early native accounts do they seem to have 
 reached the shores of Japan, or, at least, ever to have re- 
 turned from them. This may perhaps be attributed to the 
 wars of the Crusades, which appear to have lighted up such 
 a fierce feeling between the Christian and the Moslem as to 
 have proved a barrier to the inquisitiveness of the former 
 in his investigations regarding the East. When the Portu- 
 guese, in the beginning of the sixteenth century, had pushed 
 their discoveries and trade as far as Malacca, and thence to 
 China, it was to be expected that such adventurous seamen 
 as they then were would, before long, solve the question of 
 a people living under the rising sun. It is fortunate that, 
 among the lawless buccaneers and pirates, as they evidently 
 were, on those seas during his time, one man, Mendez Pinto, 
 should have been found with the zeal to write some account 
 of the doings on the Sea of China, and to lift the veil which, 
 until he wrote, hung over the events which he records. That 
 the latter part of his narrative, relating principally to China, 
 should have been called mendacious, is not to be wondered 
 at. But all that he relates with reference to Japan is not 
 only corroborated by a closer acquaintance with the country 
 and people, but also by the native historians in their accounts 
 of the arrival of foreigners in the country, as well as by the 
 letters of the Jesuits who visited Japan very shortly after it 
 was first discovered by the Portuguese traders. 
 
 Subsequently to the period at which Mendez Pinto wrote, 
 the history of foreign relations with the country is kept up 
 by the letters of priests and Jesuits who occupied Japan as 
 a field for the spread of Christianity. In the "Histoire de 
 PEglise du Japon" there is an excellent summary of occur- 
 rences connected with the Church, its missions, its successes, 
 its difficulties, its martyrs, and its enemies, together with a 
 glance at events in Japan during the most eventful crisis in 
 the history of the country. After the expulsion of the Jesuito
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 15 
 
 and Roman Catholic doctrines from the empire, there are 
 accounts from time to time published by the officers con- 
 nected with the establishment kept up by Holland at Naga- 
 saki. Caron, Fischer, Meylan but, above all, Ksempfer 
 and Thunberg, and Titsingh and Klaproth and, in our own 
 times, Siebold have done much to elucidate the manners 
 and customs and natural history of Japan. 
 
 Kaempfer has given a most interesting and instructive 
 account of what he saw in the country during a long resi- 
 dence, and upon more than one progress to the courts at 
 Miako and Yedo. His delineation of the manners and cus- 
 toms of the people of Japan will remain as a memorial of a 
 state of things seen under circumstances not likely to occur 
 again. But the work was published by another after the 
 death of the author, and, in consequence of this, many of 
 the names of men, places and things are nearly unintelligi- 
 ble. Ksempfer's work is well known to the Japanese, hav- 
 ing been translated or repeatedly copied in manuscript, and 
 is known as "Su koku rong." It is an interdicted book, and 
 only recently a man was punished upon being detected in 
 the act of copying the translation. The translation by Kla- 
 proth of the "Annales des Empereurs de Japon" is a most 
 valuable work, and contains a wonderful amount of infor- 
 mation, being, as it were, the complement of Ksempfer's 
 work, drawn entirely from books and not from personal 
 observation. 
 
 The natives of Japan appear to have an intense love and 
 reverence for their own country, and every individual in the 
 empire seems to have a deep and thorough appreciation of 
 the natural beauties and delights of the country. To this 
 the genial climate, the rich soil, and the variety of the sur- 
 face contribute. The islands lie at such a latitude as to 
 make the air in summer warm without being hot, and in 
 winter cold without being raw. The soil, as in all recent 
 lava soils, is of a rich black mould, raising the finest crops 
 of millet, wheat and sugar-cane, and when supplied in un- 
 stinted profusion rearing splendid timber, or capable, when
 
 16 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 nearly entirely withdrawn, of keeping life and vigor and 
 seeding power in a pine tree of two inches in height. The 
 trees have a tendency to break out into excrescences from 
 plethora. The variety of surface arises from the great 
 height to which the mountains rise in an island which at 
 no part presents so great a breadth as England, and yet 
 slopes gradually from the mountain tops to the sea. Some 
 of these ridges appear to rise to the height of Mont Blanc, 
 one of them, Fusiyama, being upward of thirteen thousand 
 feet in height, and it would appear that other ranges are 
 higher. The great beauty of Fusi (pah rh, not two) consists 
 in its rising singly out of a low country with a beautifully 
 curved sweep to a conical apex ; and the atmospheric effects 
 changing from hour to hour, as it is seen from thirteen 
 provinces, give such a variety to this single object that it 
 is rightly called by a name to express the feeling that there 
 are not two such in the world. The variations of atmos- 
 pheric density ma^e it look at one time much higher than at 
 another. It may be seen with its head clear in the blue sky 
 rising out of a thick base of clouds or the clouds rise and 
 roll in masses about the middle, leaving the gentle curve to 
 be filled up by the mind's eye from the base to the apex. 
 Again, the whole contour, in a sort of proud, queenly sweep, 
 stands out against a cloudless ether, or with a little vapor 
 drifting to leeward of the summit giving the appearance 
 of a crater or, after a cool night in September, the eye is 
 arrested by the appearance of the bursting downward of a 
 flattened shell, the pure white snow filling the valleys from 
 the top, the haze of the morning half concealing the hill be- 
 neath. Every hour brings a change upon a landscape which 
 consists of a single object which the lover of nature can 
 never weary of admiring, in a climate where seventy miles of 
 atmosphere does not obscure the larger features on the face 
 of the mountain even to the naked eye. How often would 
 such an object be visible in the climate of England? 
 
 The first settlement of inhabitants upon an island is always 
 a subject of interesting speculation and inquiry. The insu-
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 17 
 
 lar position gives an idea of a definite time or period at which 
 the peopling of a large island must have taken place. The 
 freedom of possession of boundless wealth presents every in- 
 ducement to the immigrant to remain, while distance and 
 difficulties repel the idea of return. In Japan this immigra- 
 tion may in all probability have commenced by a gradual 
 spreading from the north of inhabitants of Manchuria 
 through the islands of Saghalien and Jezo to those of the 
 Japanese group. 
 
 During the earlier periods of a nation's existence, the art 
 of writing has been generally kept hi the hands of men who 
 have devoted themselves to a life of retirement and seclu- 
 sion from the strife and temptations of the outer world. 
 These have been found among the priesthood, and it has 
 been their business or their amusement to gather up and 
 commit to writing what had been up to the time current as 
 oral tradition in regard to prehistoric occurrences. Men are 
 forced by reasoning to refer the appearance of their first an- 
 cestors to a creation by, or procession from, a Divine Being. 
 At the same time, those who have wielded the power of 
 writing, and thereby reached and influenced a larger circle 
 of their fellowmen, have generally endeavored to clothe the 
 deities from whom they profess to have sprung with virtues 
 which were to be emulated by their descendants, or to incul- 
 cate through them, by precept, a purity of moral conduct to 
 be practiced by their followers. 
 
 The group of islands generally included under the one 
 name Japan was known in remote times by a variety of 
 names " Akitsu sima, Toyo aki, Toyo ashiwarra no nakatsa 
 kooni." "Wo kwo," the country of peace, is used by the 
 Chinese for Japan. "Ho," pronounced "Yamato," and 
 used for one province, is frequently applied in Japan to 
 the whole country. 
 
 The name Nippon Nits pon "Yutpone" in Cantonese, 
 "Jih pun" hi the Mandarin dialect, by which the whole em- 
 pire is now known is of Chinese origin, and has probably 
 been conveyed to the country by the first Chinese settlers.
 
 18 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 Denoting, as the name implies, that it is the country where 
 the sun rises, the idea must have originated with the people 
 to the west. "Hon cho," another name by which it is 
 known, conveys the same idea, "The beginning or root of 
 the morning." The name "Yamato," peaceful, harmoni- 
 ous, was more likely to have originated with the natives. 
 " Akitsu sima" implies that the island resembles a dragon-fly 
 in shape, and was at first applied to Kiusiu alone. "Shin 
 koku, ' ' a name by which the Japanese speak of their own 
 empire, means the land of spirits ; and a similar idea is con- 
 veyed by the name "Kami no kooni." "Awadsi sima" re- 
 fers to the supposed origin of the islands from mud or froth, 
 and is still applied to the large island lying between Nippon 
 and Sikok. 
 
 Some of these names probably retain the old words used 
 by the original inhabitants of the country translated into 
 Chinese by the new immigrants. To these newcomers it 
 was no doubt a work of pleasure to gather up what stores of 
 tradition were floating among the inhabitants of the country, 
 and, adding thereto much from their own imagination, to 
 compose a mythology suited to the genius of the people. 
 This mythology, which we may suppose to have been com- 
 posed by some of the Chinese literati about the court, had 
 for its object the elevation of the reigning family, and the 
 assertion for that family of a divine origin and divine an- 
 cestry. It is worthy of note that these divine ancestors were 
 known at a very early period by Chinese names, that of the 
 mother and founder of the imperial family being "Ten sho 
 dai jin" the "great spirit of the celestial splendor of the 
 sun," four distinct Chinese words. 
 
 According to this mythology, the heavens and the earth 
 having formed themselves out of nothing, gave forth a spirit 
 a "kami" who was the father of a line of seven genera- 
 tions of spiritual beings who ruled the universe as it then 
 was, during a period extending over millions of years, end- 
 ing in a male and a female, respectively named Issanaghi 
 and Issanami. These seem equivalents to or representatives
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 19 
 
 of the male and the female principles which, according to 
 the Chinese, pervade all animate creation. They are alle- 
 gorically represented as producing the islands of Japan, the 
 mountains, seas and other natural objects therein. Subse- 
 quently a daughter was brought forth, "Ten sho dai jin," 
 who is the spirit of the sun; and another, "Tsuki no kami," 
 the spirit of the moon. These divinities are of no further 
 importance in history than as serving to make a line of an- 
 cestry for the reigning family. At the time when, according 
 to tradition, the genealogy merged in mortal men, the coun- 
 try was found to be peopled, and there is no attempt to 
 show whence these people came, though described as hairy, 
 uncivilized, and living in the open air. These myths are 
 generally of a Buddhistic origin, and were probably brought 
 over or invented by some missionary of that religion at an 
 early time, when the influence of India operated strongly in 
 the spread of its doctrines. This influence is shown to this 
 day in the repetition of prayers in an unknown language, 
 and the retention of an Indian alphabet and writing the 
 Sanskrit or Devanagari in all the religious works of Japan. 
 
 Some of these divinities are so frequently heard of, and 
 representations of them, in pictures and carvings, are so 
 common, that even a slight acquaintance with their names 
 and attributes is useful. The different Buddhas are wor- 
 shiped; Compera; the five hundred "Rakhan" or "Lohon"; 
 the "Kwanon," or goddess of mercy; and the "Stchi fuku 
 jing," or seven gods of riches. These last are generally 
 drawn or carved on a boat, with emblems around them of 
 long life, etc. the stork, tortoise, a deer, a bag of money, 
 a fir-tree, a bamboo, a crystal ball, a fish. Their names are 
 Hotay Daikoku, Yaybissu, Benten, Gayho, Bistamong, 
 Fukowo kojiu. But the religion is more or less pantheistic, 
 and there are many other gods and divinities, even down to 
 shapeless stones. 
 
 To "Ten sho dai jin" is attributed the origin of the im- 
 perial house, as is shown by the words of the Emperor, in a 
 letter recently written on the political position of affairs, "I
 
 20 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 am grieved, standing as I do between 'Ten sho dai jin' and 
 my people." 
 
 In the fifth generation after "Ten sho dai jin" was born 
 "Zinmu" or "Jin mu" (Chin: Shinwu i.e., spirit of war). 
 He was the first of the earthly or human rulers. He is said 
 to have been born in Fiuga, a mountainous province on the 
 east side of Kiu siu, on the west coast of the Boo ngo Chan- 
 nel. This part of the islands is well suited for trading pur- 
 poses, and it is also well adapted for the landing of an 
 invading force, and it is not unlikely that Zinmu either 
 originally came from China, or was the son of some Chi- 
 nese who had settled there, and who started thence on a 
 design of conquest. At the time when he set out upon his 
 career, the people of the country are said to have been hairy 
 and uncivilized, but under the rule of a headman in each 
 village. The Japanese have to this day a great contempt 
 for the people of Yezo, who may be thus described, and they 
 allege that similar tribes occupied the whole of the islands, 
 and that they were gradually driven back before the armies 
 of Zinmu. It is more likely that they were conquered, and 
 gradually amalgamated with their conquerors by the inter- 
 marriage of these with native females, and that in this way, 
 and by the effects of the warm climate of the south, they 
 lost that hirsute appearance which is so characteristic of the 
 people of Yezo. Aino, the name given to the hairy inhabi- 
 tants of Yezo by the Japanese, means "between," and has 
 reference to a contemptuous idea of the origin of these peo- 
 ple from a dog. There are two strongly-marked varieties of 
 feature in Japan, which are always strikingly portrayed in 
 their own pictures. There is the broad flat face of the lower 
 classes, and the high nose and oval face of the higher. The 
 difference is so marked as to be some argument in favor of 
 a previous mixing of two different races ; the one of which 
 had extended southward from the Kurile Islands and Sibe- 
 ria, hairy and broad-featured ; while the other had originated 
 from the south, with Indian features and smooth skins. 
 
 The Japanese themselves do not pretend that there is any
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 21 
 
 native documentary evidence in support of their history at 
 the date of Zinmu, and the best writers allow that no writ- 
 ings prior to the seventh century are authentic. The intro- 
 duction of Chinese letters into Japan is generally attributed 
 to Onin, a learned man who came from Corea about the 
 year 285 A.D. But prior to the date of Onin, many of the 
 names of offices and officers were Chinese. It is hardly 
 credible that, with the communication which is known to 
 have existed at different times between Japan and China, 
 and also with Corea, there should have continued for so 
 long a time such complete ignorance. More than one em- 
 bassy had resided at the court of China for months. The 
 Chinese annals speak of an embassy during the reign of 
 the Han dynasty, A.D. 238, when China was divided into 
 "three kingdoms." The ruler of Woo, one of these three, 
 proposed to invade Japan, but the expedition miscarried. 
 Nearly two centuries before this, in A.D. 57, an embassy 
 was sent from Japan to China by Sei nin, which arrived at 
 the court of Kwang ou, of the Eastern Han dynasty, in the 
 last year of his reign. It is unlikely that, residing as such 
 an embassy must have done for a considerable time at the 
 court of China, they should not have brought away some 
 knowledge of letters or some instructors in reading and 
 writing. This Corean, Onin, may have been brought over 
 to replace or to reteach what had been lost: for in more 
 recent times it is known that, after the long civil wars of 
 the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, so little attention had 
 been given to the instruction of youth that only two men 
 were found in the empire competent to teach the written 
 language. 
 
 We may be permitted to believe that much of what be- 
 came tradition had at one time been committed to writing, 
 and that, corroborated as it is at some points by Chinese his- 
 tory, there is a foundation for much of that part of history 
 subsequent to the time of Zinmu, for the support of which 
 there existed, when writing recommenced, no documentary 
 evidence.
 
 22 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN 
 
 The line of gods carried on through godlike mortal de- 
 scendants was prolonged in ordinary mortals, the first of 
 whom was Zinmu. It is of little consequence by whom this 
 pedigree was written or invented. It evidently was solely 
 written for the then de facto rulers of the land. It does not 
 pretend to deal with the people of Japan, or with the mode 
 in which the peopling of the empire took place, but simply 
 invents and details a divine pedigree for one family. At 
 the time when this family is first heard of, the islands of 
 Japan are acknowledged by Japanese historians to have 
 been already peopled and divided into villages, each under 
 some municipal rule. 
 
 The reign of Zinmu is the era of Japan, and is placed 
 at 667 years before Christ. Setting out from Miazaki in 
 Fiuga, on the east side of the island of Kiusiu, he with 
 troops under his command gradually overran that island, 
 and the adjoining one of Sikok, together with the west half 
 of the island of Nippon, as far as the province of Mino to the 
 east of Miako. Coming from the most rugged and compar- 
 atively barren province in the empire, he was attracted by 
 the beauty and desirableness of the country around Miako. 
 He settled at a place named Kashiwarra or Kashiwabarra, 
 a site near the city of Narra, about fifteen miles from the 
 present capital. This choice of a site has been ratified by 
 every succeeding emperor, the Kio or capital ("King," Chi- 
 nese) of the empire having been frequently changed, but 
 never removed to any great distance from the spot origi- 
 nally selected by Zinmu. 
 
 In truth, the site is in every way most suitable for the 
 capital of the country. It is, geographically, nearly in the 
 center of the islands which constitute the empire. From 
 the port of the capital, Osaca (or Naniwa, as it was named 
 of old), a great fringe of the coast of the three islands in 
 almost landlocked waters is accessible to ships without their 
 venturing into the open sea. To this port a large body of
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 water is rolled down by the confluence of several rivers, 
 which at one time were dispersed into several mouths and 
 branches ; but by labor these have been collected and con- 
 fined within two outlets. There is, in consequence, a large 
 extent of alluvial ground producing rice and wheat for a 
 numerous population. The inland water communication ex- 
 tends to the large lake Owomi upward of sixty miles in 
 length and eighteen in breadth ; and thence, with an inter- 
 val of a few miles only of land-carriage, to the port of Tsu- 
 runga, on the northern coast; while to the southeast, the 
 natives report that there is uninterrupted water-communica- 
 tion to Owarri, and thence to Sinano, and, with a short in- 
 terval of land-carriage, even to Yedo whence, again, it 
 extends northward by rivers and canals to the vicinity of 
 Nambu. The city of Miako of the present day stands on a 
 plain, among hills clothed with wood, where art has done 
 what it could to assist nature in the completion of landscape 
 scenery, of the beauties of which the natives speak with rap- 
 ture. During twenty-four centuries, members of the family 
 of Zinmu have sat upon the throne, and during that long 
 time the palace has been only at short intervals removed to 
 any considerable distance from the site on which it at pres- 
 ent stands. 
 
 The imperial residence in Japan is a very different struc- 
 ture from anything that European ideas of palaces would 
 expect, being chiefly built of wood and other materials so 
 inflammable that a palace has been reconstructed and de- 
 stroyed within a year. When we read of each emperor, at 
 an early date, building a palace for himself, it is not to be 
 supposed that these were either expensive or very durable 
 buildings. Each emperor seems to have occupied a differ- 
 ent habitation from his predecessor, removing from one site 
 to another, but generally keeping within the province of 
 Yamashiro, or that adjoining, Yamato. Kwanmu, in the 
 year 794, built a palace on the site where the present city 
 stands, and since his time Miako has been always looked 
 upon as the metropolis.
 
 24 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 The palace of the Emperor of Japan is called, as a whole, 
 "Kinri go sho." Though built of fine and expensive timber, 
 it presents no appearance of that outward splendor which is 
 generally considered by us to be necessary to an imperial 
 residence. The roofs of the buildings are said to be white. 
 It is surrounded by a common inclosure of wooden boarding. 
 This inclosure is pierced by several gates. These entrances 
 are graduated, and the settlement of the gate by which a 
 great man shall make his entrance or his exit is a matter of 
 no small importance at court. These gates lead into a large 
 open space; in this is another inclosure (with other gates), 
 in the center of which stands the wooden building, the ' ' Shi 
 shin deng, ' ' or imperial office, in which the emperor receives 
 the highest officers of the empire. This he appears to do 
 almost in the open air. The emperor does not sit upon a 
 throne or chair, but is slightly raised above the floor three 
 of the ordinary mats of the country, and placed one above 
 the other, being used as a throne. To the back of this public 
 office is the residence or private apartments of the emperor ; 
 and behind these are the female apartments of the empress, 
 the empress-mother, and other high ladies. 
 
 The "Shi shin deng" (Ch. "Tsz shin tien") faces to the 
 south, to the large outer gate, the "Yio may mong"; within 
 this is another gate of a red inclosure, the gate of the sun, 
 "Hi no go mong." On passing through this, the large 
 wooden-pillar-supported hall, with its roof with immense 
 eaves, is seen raised from the ground upon a lower frame- 
 work of wood. Before it stand an orange and a cherry tree. 
 Between these, six steps lead up to the wooden gallery or 
 veranda, which goes round the hall under eaves projecting 
 five or six feet from the supports. A low balustrade sur- 
 rounds this veranda. Under this large canopy of roof, al- 
 most in the open air, the Emperor sits while he receives 
 homage. The "Shi shin deng" occupies the red inclosure, 
 having on the east side a small wooden building for covering 
 the car used in processions ; to the east of that is the building 
 hi which the "three jewels" are kept, the "Naishi dokoro."
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 25 
 
 Within the "Shi shin deng" all extraordinary formal busi- 
 ness of importance is transacted. The Shiogoon here pre- 
 sents himself to the Emperor. In the long hall to the west 
 of the "Shi shin deng," the "Say rio deng" ("Tsing Hang 
 tien") or "Hiru no ma," the mid-day room, ordinary busi- 
 ness is transacted. Immediately in the rear of the "Shi shin 
 deng" is the "Nai go bansho," or inner hall for business. 
 To the east side, and overlooking the garden, is the "Tsunay 
 no goteng," or hall of meeting, or drawing-room. Behind, 
 in the "Ko ngo sho," the Emperor's" son and heir lives; here 
 also are the apartments of the elder women. "Nanga Hashi 
 no Tsubo nay" is the room in which levees are held, where 
 rank is given, and degradations or punishments are awarded. 
 Formerly all the offices of the different departments of gov- 
 ernment were in the neighborhood of the palace, but outside, 
 at a distance of one "cho," or 120 yards. 
 
 At the back of all are the female apartments. On the 
 east side, outside of the inclosure, is the Gakumonjo, or 
 imperial school. 
 
 To the southeast of the whole is another inclosure, the 
 "Ko een go sho," the palace of the Emperor after he has 
 abdicated, when he is known as Kubo, covering a space of 
 ground nearly as large as the palace inclosure. Adjoining 
 this, and immediately to the south, is the residence of the 
 father or predecessor of the abdicated emperor. He is known 
 as Sento (Tsin tung). To the southwest is that of the em- 
 press dowager, and the females of the old emperor's court. 
 The Shi sin wo, or four royal families, are located in the 
 neighborhood, while all around are the residences, with in- 
 closures of ground, belonging to the "Go sekkay," or "five 
 assisting" families. Among these also is found a small 
 inclosure, the residence of the Sho shi dai, the envoy of the 
 Shiogoon at the imperial court. 
 
 Except the greater elevation and whiteness of the roofs, 
 there is nothing to distinguish the palace from the adjacent 
 streets. That the Emperor should be thus housed probably 
 involves a great state principle. The houses of Daimios and 
 
 2
 
 26 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 high officers are built in a much more durable manner. The 
 Shiogoou's residences at Osaka, Miako, Yedo, and other 
 places, are generally built more like fortifications or places 
 of great strength. In similar style are raised the houses, 
 palaces or forts of the Daimios in their respective provinces. 
 It cannot, therefore, be from any fear of earthquakes that 
 this style of a plain wood-and-paper house is adopted, but it 
 is probably founded on the same principle as that on which 
 the imperial pedigree is drawn up; viz., with the view of 
 giving to it the appearance of a temple, and surrounding the 
 Emperor with the circumstances and attributes of a god. 
 
 This palace in Miako appears to be the only one now used 
 by the Emperor. He is supposed to move from it temporarily 
 only upon rare occasions. "When he is obliged to change his 
 residence, as when the palace is burned down, he occupies 
 apartments in some one of the many temples in the neigh- 
 borhood. Any display of splendor in building is reserved 
 for the Shiogoon, who has several palaces of great size and 
 strength, as at Miako, Osaka, Fusimi, Yedo, Kofoo, Soonpoo, 
 all of which are laid out on the plan of forts, and built with 
 a view to defense from military attacks. 
 
 It has been stated, and often repeated, that the Emperor 
 of Japan sits on a throne all day without moving his hands, 
 or even his eyes; that he is treated as a god, and that his 
 subjects believe that the empire totters if he is unsteady. 
 These are the exaggerations of the lower classes. There 
 is no doubt that he is treated with the greatest reverence 
 and respect that he is, as it were, an ideal abstraction, a 
 thing apart, necessary to the empire that he is the Lord's 
 anointed, and not to be touched, and that no subject, how- 
 ever great he may be, or however firmly he may have 
 grasped the power of the empire in the convulsions of a 
 revolutionary period, may contemplate placing himself upon 
 that seat ; and we shall find that two of the greatest men 
 who rose to the highest power did not dare to take such a 
 step, though one, and perhaps both, proposed it to himself, 
 and broached the idea to his followers. Though Nobunanga
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 27 
 
 set up a representation of himself to be worshiped, he did 
 not set aside the Emperor; and though Taikosama proposed 
 to depose the Emperor, his followers would not allow it, or at 
 least dissuaded him from making the attempt. Still the Em- 
 peror is not altogether looked upon as the spiritual being he 
 is generally represented in modern books. Indeed, in the 
 first periods of the history of the country the head of the em- 
 pire was the commander, the leader of the army. Zinmu 
 led his army to victory; and long after him the Empress 
 Jinku Kogoo led her army into Corea. Her son Osin, better 
 known by his posthumous title of Hatchimang, was at the 
 head of his army. But where there is no enemy to fight, 
 the post of commander-in-chief soon falls into abeyance. 
 Japan has long been in this position of having no enemy to 
 watch or to attack. Such a position entails, almost of neces- 
 sity, the creation of a duality or double power. The weak 
 condition to which the imperial court descended, after it had 
 been denuded of its power, and after the command of its 
 armies had fallen from the hands of scions of the blood-royal 
 into those of other families, was followed by convulsions, 
 civil wars, and bloodshed, till the people returned to a state 
 of ignorance, and the fields to barrenness; but this seems 
 only a consequence of having no enemy, no near neighbor 
 with whom, by a process of constant watching and battling, 
 as in Europe, the sinews of a nation are strengthened, and 
 national feeling is concentrated into a unity. 
 
 The annals of the emperors show that, for long after the 
 time of Zinmu, his successors took an active part in the poli- 
 tics, the wars, and the intrigues of the state. It is not a 
 matter of wonder that the hands which held the scepter 
 should have become feeble during the fierce civil wars which 
 raged in the sixteenth century. The country would seem 
 to have been driven by necessity to have two emperors or, 
 at least, two opposing interests; and when the hereditary 
 commander-in-chief had in turn become a nonentity, one 
 adventurer after another started up first, Nobunanga; sec- 
 ondly, Taikosama; thirdly, lyeyas, all able men. The first
 
 28 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 battled with the Buddhist priesthood, the second turned his 
 arms against Corea, the third, the ablest of all, devised that 
 dual system of seemingly divided empire, by which the power 
 of the executive remained in the hands of the Shiogoon at 
 Yedo, while the source or fountain of honors remained with 
 the Emperor in Miako. The configuration of the islands pre- 
 vents their being cut into two empires; it remained for lyeyas 
 to devise a dual system by which peace has been preserved 
 in a remarkable way for two hundred and fifty years. 
 
 As to the titles by which the Emperor is known, these are 
 drawn in most part from the Chinese, and denote, in lan- 
 guage suited to Oriental ideas, the illustrious position which 
 he holds. The names express the idea that he reigns by 
 divine right. The oldest of these titles seems to be Mikoto. 
 This is a Japanese word meaning "venerable," and trans- 
 lated into Chinese, "tsun." The word Mikado is more com- 
 monly used now, and is translated by the Chinese "Ti," or 
 emperor. The word " O" or " Wo' ' is the Chinese ' ' Wang, ' ' 
 emperor; and the word "ten," or heaven, is commonly 
 added "Ten wo," the heavenly ruler; or the combination 
 "Owo," or "Oho- wo," meaning the great ruler, in which 
 sense "Dai-wo" is also used. "Tenshi" is the "tien-tsi" of 
 China, the son of heaven. "O-ooji," the great family, is 
 sometimes applied to the Emperor. The common people talk 
 of the Emperor as "Miyako sama," in contradistinction to 
 "Yedo sama," the Shiogoon, the Lord of Yedo. "Ooyay- 
 sama," or the superior lord, is also used. "Dairi," made 
 up of two Chinese words signifying the inner court or "the 
 interior," is equivalent to the word "the court" in English, 
 and seems to include the residences of the royal families and 
 higher nobility. It is, however, sometimes applied to the 
 Emperor himself, and sometimes to the palace as a building. 
 The first word, "dai" is written both "great," a, and "in- 
 ner," nai. The latter seems the more common. "Gosho" 
 is a word sometimes applied to the palace, at others to the 
 Emperor and the government. The word "in," or "een," 
 is a Buddhist word, added to the posthumous name of some
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 29 
 
 of the deceased emperors instead of "Ten wo." In addition 
 to these, other names are used, as "Kwo tei," or ruler of the 
 people, "Chokku," etc. 
 
 From the earliest period in the history of Japan, mention 
 is made of three things which necessarily appertain to the 
 person who sits upon the throne. They seem to be looked 
 on as symbols of the imperial power, as palladia of the em- 
 pire. In one of the treatises upon the Emperor's court it is 
 said of these mysterious emblems: "In that early time the 
 heaven-illuminating god arrived at Kashiwabarra, then the 
 capital, and placed an eight-cubit mirror and a grass-shaving 
 sword in the palace, on the throne of the Emperor, and these 
 received such homage as was rendered in the early times. 
 The efficacy of the god was very great, so that the Emperor, 
 dwelling with this god (these divine symbols), was, as it 
 were, equal to a god. Within the palace these things were 
 laid up, that the divine power might remain wherever these 
 things were. At that time (two high officers) regulated the 
 sacrificial rites and ceremonies until the tenth emperor, who, 
 f earing the sacredness of the divine presence, took these two 
 efficacious symbols, the sword and the mirror, and put them 
 away in another place, which was the origin of the idea of 
 the Emperor sitting like a god in the place of a god. ' ' 
 
 In this quotation only two things are mentioned the 
 sword and the mirror. A third is spoken of sometimes as a 
 ball of crystal, at others as a seal, "sinji." Klaproth calls 
 it a ball of greenstone with two small round holes. The 
 three things go by the name of "Sanjioo no jinji." During 
 the long and bloody wars between the emperors of the north 
 and south, in the sixteenth century, the former, who resided 
 in Miako, and finally established himself on the throne, was 
 not considered incontestably emperor until he obtained pos- 
 session of these three sacred symbols. Though the emperor 
 of the south was hard pressed, and almost a refugee in the 
 mountains, he kept possession of them, and finally concluded 
 a truce, delivering them up to his opponent, emperor de 
 facto. On one occasion the three precious jewels were stolen,
 
 30 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 and after being kept several months were recovered or sent 
 back. On several occasions they have narrowly escaped 
 destruction by fire, and in the year 1040 A.D. the mirror was 
 broken by the heat; but the pieces were recognized and 
 placed together. "Within the last few years (in 1851) they 
 were again nearly exposed to a similar chance of destruction, 
 but were saved by Hoongay Hashimoto, who brought them 
 out at the risk of his life. 
 
 In Japan it is usual to perform a ceremony at the time 
 when the boy assumes the toga virilis and becomes a man. 
 The age at which this takes place is not settled, and seems 
 to vary from the tenth to the fifteenth year. The eldest son 
 of the Emperor undergoes this operation (known as "Gem- 
 buko"; Ch., "yuen fuh") about the age of ten or eleven, 
 when he, according to the custom, receives a new name. 
 His hair is shaved off in the manner usual with men, and he 
 assumes a dress. In all families the occasion is an important 
 one, and in the case of the son of the Emperor, the heir- 
 apparent, it becomes national. At the inauguration of the 
 Emperor (according to Klaproth) his height is measured with 
 a bamboo, which is deposited in one of the great temples in 
 the province of Isse until his death, when it is removed to 
 another, and revered as a spirit. With the bamboo of the 
 reigning Emperor are deposited a straw-hat, a grass rain- 
 mantle, and a spade, emblems of agriculture, held in Japan 
 as an occupation second only to that of the soldier. 
 
 The Emperor is said to have his eyebrows shaved, and to 
 blacken his teeth every morning, which operation is effected 
 by a mixture of sulphate of iron and some astringent bark. 
 The state dresses of the Emperor are generally of very rich 
 strong silk of a bright green color. The shape, the color, the 
 pattern are all fixed, and not left to choice. His under gar- 
 ments are of white silk, and called "mookoo"; and this is 
 the part of his dress which he never wears twice. Besides 
 being changed every morning, there are other occasions dur- 
 ing the day in which necessity demands a change. These 
 white silk dresses are the perquisites of one of the servants,
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 31 
 
 and are sold by him in Miako. The Emperor always uses 
 cold water for bathing. The cups which he uses for his 
 meals are also broken ; but when it is remembered that the 
 Chinese and Japanese style of eating requires only one cup, 
 and this perhaps not a very expensive one, the total does not 
 amount to a large sum in the annual budget. He is said to 
 devote his time to business matters, with discussions upon 
 history, laws, and religion. In times past he has taken but 
 little part in the business of the country; but his share in 
 this is every year upon the increase, and he is courted by 
 those who see in what direction political power is tending. 
 The power of conferring titles and rank may have given him 
 an amount of occupation and an acquaintance with mankind 
 which would hardly leave him the nonentity he has gener- 
 ally been described. Twelve days of the month are set apart 
 for conversations and discussions upon the history, laws, and 
 religion of Japan. Such spare time as he has is devoted to 
 the composition of poetry, with music and chess. The Em- 
 peror is supposed to move out of his palace and the grounds 
 and gardens adjoining only twice a year once during spring, 
 and once in autumn when he goes in a covered car, inclosed 
 by semi-transparent screens of bamboo, drawn by large bul- 
 locks, to visit the environs of Miako. This procession is 
 known as "Miyuki" or "Gokowo." 
 
 On this state procession the Emperor is accompanied by 
 all the high officers in Miako. He does not always strictly 
 adhere to this rule of seclusion, however. Twenty-five years 
 ago Kokaku was in the practice of walking about the town 
 with his son, afterward Jin-ko, dressed like a common man. 
 The excuse for this was that his palace was being rebuilt, 
 after having been burned down. After the Emperor has 
 abdicated no restrictions are placed upon him. 
 
 The Emperor, like the majority of his countrymen, is a 
 vegetarian in his diet, and, in addition, only eats fish. At 
 one time such animal food as venison was considered fit for 
 royalty; but the story goes that the Emperor Ssu-jio heard 
 one evening a doe crying plaintively for her mate. On the
 
 32 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 succeeding morning he came to the conclusion that some 
 venison for his breakfast was the missing lover; and, ever 
 since, venison has not been included among the dainties of 
 the royal kitchen. In his time the Emperor and all his court 
 began to wear the stiff-starched ample robes still used, and 
 the long "kio" or train, which was introduced to prevent the 
 feet of the retreating courtiers being seen. On leaving the 
 presence of the Emperor, officers walk backward on their 
 knees. 
 
 Some writers have alleged that the Emperor is looked 
 upon as a god, and that the people think that he goes in the 
 eleventh month to the meeting of the spirits, the "kami." 
 This meeting is believed by the lower classes in Japan to take 
 place during the eleventh month in the province of Idzumo, 
 at the temple of Oyashiro, which temple is thus honored 
 because the first spirit dwelt there. At this meeting the 
 spirits arrange the sublunary and mundane business of Japan 
 for the subsequent eleven months. The inhabitants of Id- 
 zumo call this month "Kami ari tski," or the spirit month. 
 All the other provinces call it "Kami nashi tski," the month 
 without spirits. The Emperor is supposed to be above all the 
 kami or spirits, inasmuch as he can confer honors upon the 
 dead; but he is not looked upon as above the "Tento sama," 
 or Lord of heaven, showing that a lower position is assigned 
 to the kami (or "Shin" of the Chinese) than to the highest 
 deity. But no one of any ordinary education in Japan be- 
 lieves that the Emperor goes to this meeting of spirits ; these 
 ideas, like many others similar in China, are only current 
 among the least educated of the people. During this month, 
 when the spirits are so occupied, none of those ceremonies in 
 which their assistance must be invoked, such as marriages, 
 adoptions, etc., take place; no prayers are offered, as the 
 spirits are supposed to be engaged. At this meeting they 
 arrange all the marriages which are to take place during the 
 ensuing year. Each individual in this world, male and 
 female, is supposed to have a thread of existence, "yeng." 
 The spirits take the pairs of threads of those who are to be
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 33 
 
 joined in martimony and knot them together. So we speak 
 of marriages being made in heaven while the hymeneal knot 
 is tied on earth. From this the month is called "Yeng 
 moosoobi tski" i.e., Tie-the-knot month. 
 
 Abdication from positions of active life is very common 
 among all ranks in Japan. No position seems to be more 
 easily renounced than that of the occupation of the throne. 
 In a country where the heir may have the misfortune to be 
 brought up in the lap of luxury, and amid sensual excite- 
 ments and indulgences of every kind, it is not surprising that 
 the irksomeness of his position should make the holder sigh 
 to be relieved from it, or that vigor of mind or body is only 
 to be found in those cases where, the heir-apparent having 
 been cut off, the successor has been adopted at a late period 
 of his life, having been reared without the expectation of 
 subsequent elevation. After the Emperor has abdicated he 
 is named "Tai sho ten wo" equivalent to "His most exalted 
 and sacred Majesty." At the present day, upon his taking 
 this step, should he devote himself to religion and become 
 "Fo wo," his head is shaved, and he retires to a monastic 
 life, and generally occupies the temple Ninaji or Omuro in 
 the neighborhood of Miako. 
 
 The Japanese are unostentatious in their customs, and 
 in the treatment of their great ones after death are singularly 
 undemonstrative. Considering that all the rites connected 
 with the dead are after the Buddhist ritual, and that the 
 Chinese devote so much money and soil to the tombs and 
 monuments of their ministers and great men and women, 
 something of the same veneration might be expected in 
 Japan. But, on the contrary, the tombs are generally very 
 small unpretending structures, consisting of a basement, 
 upon which a single stone is erected of no great size. Such 
 is the tomb of Yoritomo, the great hero, in the neighborhood 
 of Kamakura; and such, we are told, are the tombs of the 
 emperors. They are covered over with a roofing of straw, 
 to keep before their countrymen and subjects the remem- 
 brance of their primeval simplicity.
 
 34 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 As Jbo the succession to the throne, the laws or regula- 
 tions in Japan do not seem to be very decided. The fre- 
 quent abdication of the ruler gives the opportunity for secur- 
 ing that his successor shall have all the weight and assistance 
 that the predecessor can give to overcome the pretensions of 
 rival claimants. When the death of the Emperor has sud- 
 denly left the throne vacant, the eldest son is supposed to 
 be the rightful heir. But when, as frequently has hap- 
 pened, his mind and body have been enfeebled by dissipa- 
 tion, and he has neither wit nor vigor to seize the reins of 
 power, he has too often been supplanted by the ambition 
 of a brother, or a wife of his father. When the Emperor 
 leaves only a daughter, she is married to a member of the 
 four imperial families, and her husband hi that case becomes 
 Emperor. In reality, the most powerful party about the 
 court, when any difficulty occurs, puts in and supports the 
 member of the imperial family meet favorable to their con- 
 tinuing in power. 
 
 The genealogy of the Emperors is considered true and 
 authentic as published in the Red Book of the empire ; the 
 pedigree of the Shiogoon is looked upon as made up. The 
 former is to be found fully detailed from native sources in 
 the works of Klaproth and Ksempfer. The "Oon jo may 
 rang" is the title of a small .book giving the pedigrees and 
 crests of the Emperor's family, and of the koongays or nobil- 
 ity. Two crests or coats-of-arms are used by the Emperor 
 the one, "kiku," for outside imperial government busi- 
 ness, like the flower of a chrysanthemum, with sixteen 
 petals; the other, the "kiri," is used for the palace mat- 
 ters personal to the Emperor and his family. No notice 
 seems to be taken of the common assumption of the impe- 
 rial crest, but no one dares to use the crest of the Shiogoon 
 except by permission. 
 
 The following sayings give some idea of the reverence 
 with which the Emperor is spoken of: "Mikado ni ooji 
 nashi," is a saying to express that the Emperor is of no 
 family. "Tenshi foo bo nashi" "The Emperor has neither
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 35 
 
 father nor mother." "In heaven there is one sun, on earth 
 there is one Emperor," is a Confucian saying in accordance 
 with the ideas of the country. "O wo wa jiu zenn, kami 
 wa ku zenn" ''The power of the Emperor is as ten, that of 
 the gods as nine"; implying that more reverence is due to 
 the Emperor than to the lesser spirits, and that he has more 
 power. "The Emperor all men respect, the Shiogoon all 
 men fear." "Heaven is his father, earth is his mother, his 
 friends are the sun and moon." Such ideas are taken from 
 the Chinese classics. 
 
 The Emperor marries one wife, who is the Empress. He 
 is allowed by the laws of the country to take twelve concu- 
 bines, who are generally the daughters of the poorer nobil- 
 ity. The throne can be, and has frequently been, occupied 
 by a female. The Emperor is supposed to receive, as an 
 allowance from the Shiogoon, 100,000 kobangs, equal to 
 $350,000 per annum. This he receives from the Yedo gov- 
 ernment, but he probably has a large revenue from land in 
 the "Go ki nai" or "Go ka koku," or five provinces. He 
 is said to complain of the duties from foreign trade not being 
 paid into his treasury, inasmuch as when the trade was con- 
 ducted formerly by the Portuguese at Sakkye, the Emperor 
 received the duties; but as Yokuhama is out of the Gokinai, 
 the Shiogoon prefers that the duties should flow to Yedo. 
 -These five provinces are frequently spoken of by the writers 
 of the sixteenth century as the Tensee heavenly or sacred 
 soil. They are Yamashiro, Yamato, Setsu, Kaawdsio, and 
 Idzumi. The whole empire is spoken of, as in China, as all 
 under heaven "Tenka." 
 
 Two officers in the Emperor's palace are appointed from 
 Yedo two Hattamoto, or inferior barons to superintend 
 the disbursement of money, and to keep accounts of the 
 money paid by the Shiogoon 's government. These men 
 have fifty soldiers under them. Under them are nine "To- 
 ritsungi," generally men of some rank and position. 
 
 The Emperor's own private establishment consists of the 
 following officers :
 
 36 HISTORY. OF JAPAN. 
 
 1. Makanye Kashira, generally a Hattamoto, who keeps 
 the accounts of the imperial table and pays the money. 
 
 2. Kye mon tskye, called "Kimsakye," two Hattamoto, 
 who go to buy the provisions for the palace. 
 
 3. Go zembang, six men, whose business is to examine 
 the Emperor's food. 
 
 4. Shuri siki, five men, to look after the buildings; gen- 
 erally Miako men of old families. 
 
 5. Makanye kata, six men, whose duty is to say what, 
 and how much, is to be purchased for the palace. 
 
 6. Gim miakoo and Itamoto of the former three, of the 
 latter seventeen head cooks and ordinary cooks. 
 
 7. Kangay bang, keepers of the keys, seven men. 
 
 8. Sosha bang, messengers. 
 
 9. Tskye bang or Kashira, three men, lower messengers. 
 These are all given in the official list as the ordinary 
 
 household in daily attendance on the emperor. 
 
 After his death an honorific title is given to the deceased 
 Emperor, by which he is subsequently known in history. 
 
 THE SHI SINWO, OR FOUR IMPERIAL FAMILIES 
 
 The "Shi sinwo" ("sz tsan wang") are "four imperial 
 relatives," or royal families of Japan. This name denotes 
 four families of imperial descent set apart, with allotted resi- 
 dences and revenues, as supporters to the imperial family. 
 The families are cadets of the royal line descended from 
 junior branches. From among the members of these four 
 families, in case of failure of male heirs of the body, an heir 
 to the throne, or a husband to the Princess Imperial, is to 
 be sought. 
 
 In Japan all ranks are under laws more or less strict, and 
 from such the imperial family does not escape. The succes- 
 sion to the throne, at all times an object in Eastern countries 
 for daring ambition to aim at, and a fruitful source of revo- 
 lution and misery to the people, is regulated and guarded 
 in Japan on a basis wide enough to secure a succession, and
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 37 
 
 preserved by such safeguards as to put it out of the power 
 of collaterals to hope for success from intriguing ambition. 
 One of these safeguards is supposed to be in the Emperor's 
 being allowed to take twelve concubines over and above his 
 lawful wife, the Empress. These are generally daughters of 
 men of high rank about the court, and the son of any one 
 of them, if there is no son by the Empress, may succeed. If 
 there be a daughter, she marries one of the members of these 
 four families, and he becomes Emperor. Jinko, the father 
 of the late Emperor, succeeded in this way. His father, 
 Kokaku, was a member of the royal Kunnin family, and 
 married the only daughter of the Emperor, and so became 
 Emperor. He had a concubine, the daughter of Koongay 
 Kwadjooji. The wife and the concubine had each one son. 
 Satchay no mia was the son of the wife, and heir-apparent 
 to the throne. But the concubine was a fierce, jealous 
 woman, and determined that her son should succeed, and 
 she poisoned Satchay. It was the duty of the Shiogoon's 
 envoy, Sakkye, to inquire into the reports that were circu- 
 lating; and having done so, he discovered the truth, and 
 put the concubine into confinement. But, though the Em- 
 peror was much distressed, he loved her too well and insisted 
 on her being released. The government at Yedo heard of 
 what had happened, and required the envoy to give his rea- 
 sons for releasing her, when she had committed so heinous 
 a crime. He committed suicide. Her son, Jinko, it is said, 
 always paid the Empress the greatest respect, and would 
 never see his own mother afterward. 
 
 But even with this wide matrimonial basis allowed to 
 the Emperor, there may be a failure of heirs direct. These 
 four families are therefore established as a further safeguard 
 to the succession. 
 
 They take their names from collateral branches of the 
 imperial house, being originally the families of younger sons 
 of previous Emperors. At present there are only two fami- 
 lies of Sinwo, two having become extinct by failure of heirs. 
 They are, however, only dormant, as it is a part of the policy
 
 38 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 of the state that these families should be in existence, and it 
 is in the power of the Emperor to put one of his sons into, as 
 it were, the extinct family that is, to call him by the name 
 and give him the revenues belonging to the house, which 
 revenues have been accruing until the family is re-established. 
 
 The four families are called collectively Shi (four) sin (re- 
 lations) wo (imperial). The sons of these families are called 
 Sinwo O'nkatta, or O'nkatta sama [O'nkatta is used as an 
 address of respect to ladies, and also to Sinwo and high offi- 
 cers in personal attendance on the Emperor], and from these 
 sons a successor to the Emperor may be taken. 
 
 The names of the four "families" are 1, Fusimi; 2, 
 Arisungawa; 3, Katsura; 4, Kunnin. Of these the two last 
 are the dormant houses. The revenues of these two houses 
 are managed by factors or agents, and the fourth is said to 
 be very wealthy. 
 
 The heads of the two existing families are : 
 
 1. Fusimi no mia, who has a nominal revenue of 1,016 
 koku * of rice ; but he has probably twenty or thirty thou- 
 sand koku. The present man is a Koboong of Jinko the late 
 Emperor. 
 
 This "boong" is a voluntary union between two persons, 
 and is quite different from adoption. It is more of the char- 
 acter of a Masonic connection. In the relation of a child he 
 is called Koboong; of a father, Oyaboong; of brothers or 
 sisters, Kiodaiboong : and this connection is a very common 
 tie between two individuals in Japan, as well as in China, 
 to help and assist each other. It runs through all ranks and 
 both sexes. It is a connection which may be as easily sev- 
 ered as it is made, but it is often strictly adhered to. It is 
 
 * The koku, or "stone," contains 5.13 bushels; is the meas- 
 ure by which revenue is estimated; is the standard value of 
 the country; and is generally considered equivalent to one 
 gold kobang. The only invariable standard of value in the 
 world is the average amount of food that will suffice to keep 
 a man in health a pound varies, the other does not.
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 39 
 
 generally made by drinking formally out of the same cup, 
 each taking half of the liquor. It may be severed by cut- 
 ting off the queue, or simply by formally intimating that it 
 is at an end. 
 
 2. Arisungawa Nakatskasa no kio, or head of the Cen- 
 tral Board. His nominal income is 1,000 koku, but his real 
 revenue is much larger. 
 
 3. Katsura; the revenue is 3,006 koku. 
 
 4. Kunnin; the revenue is nominally 1,006 koku. 
 
 In these families there is generally a sufficient number 
 from among whom to select a successor in case of the death, 
 or what seems more common in Japan, the abdication and 
 retirement, of the Emperor. But, at the same time, the 
 arrangement has its disadvantages. It places a number of 
 men and women of all ages in a very high position, with 
 apparently no occupation for their leisure time. These men 
 might become troublesome in the state by carrying on in- 
 trigues for their own advancement and for the gratification 
 of their ambition. "Within the last few years much dis- 
 quietude has been caused by one of the Sinwo engaging in 
 intrigues to upset the reigning Emperor. A means has been 
 arrived at for at once giving these persons income, business, 
 position, and at the same time getting them out of the way. 
 
 The Buddhist priesthood was at one time a very powerful 
 element in the country. The number of priests was very 
 great, and the revenues of the monasteries were enormous. 
 By their wealth, and from among their vassals, they were 
 able to keep up a respectable army ; and not by their vassals 
 alone the priests themselves filled the ranks. The different 
 sects built magnificent temples, and these were endowed with 
 ample lands. Immediately before the period of the advent 
 of the Christians in the sixteenth century, the power of the 
 priesthood seems to have reached its highest point. Nobu- 
 nanga, who at one time was inclined to favor the foreign 
 priests, had always a great jealousy of, and bore a great ill- 
 will to, the Buddhist priesthood. He destroyed their tem- 
 ples, killed their priests, and confiscated their revenues, and
 
 40 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 thus gave a blow to their power from which they have never 
 recovered, and under which they are withering more and 
 more every day. 
 
 In Japan, a man while a priest, after having shaved his 
 head and taken the vows, is supposed to be out of the world, 
 and it is then much easier to keep a certain amount of sur- 
 veillance over him, and to see that he is attending to his 
 duties, and is not engaged in political intrigues. 
 
 Of the larger Buddhist temples of different sects, fourteen 
 are retained as having the largest rev nues ; and whenever 
 a male member of the royal family is unprovided for he is 
 put in as head abbot or bishop of one of these temples. 
 They are generally appointed while children, and brought 
 up to the position; and as the revenues of the office have 
 thus time to accumulate, the reverend holder has sufficient 
 for his wants and those of a respectable retinue. They are 
 then called Sin wo Monzekke (Muntsih). 
 
 1. The first is Rinnoji Monzekke, or abbot of Rinoji tem- 
 ple. The temple over which he is abbot is To yay zan, in 
 Yedo. The first high-priest put into this was Koboong of 
 lyeyas, then Shiogoon. The revenue amounts to 13,000 
 koku of rice. The holder is of the Arisungawa family, and 
 is of the first rank and second degree. He is known as 
 "Kwan rayee no mia" (from the nengo, or date, of his ap- 
 pointment), and Yedo no mia or Ooyay no mia. In 1860 
 the incumbent was very old, and a boy, Gofutay, of the 
 Fusimi family, was appointed assistant and successor. 
 
 2. The second is Ninaji no mia, otherwise called Omuro. 
 The income is 1,502 koku. The incumbent is of the Fusimi 
 family. He is head of the Singong sect, and was appointed 
 to the office in 1848, when four years of age. To this temple 
 the Emperor generally retires should he become a priest after 
 abdication. 
 
 3. Dai Kakuji, otherwise called Sanga, is vacant. 
 
 4. Mio ho in, at Hiyayzan, a large temple near Miako. 
 The Monzekke is of the Kunnin family. He is head of the 
 Tendai sect of Buddhists, and is known as Tendai zass.
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 41 
 
 5. Sho ngo in no Monzekke is head of the Yamabooshi 
 religion. He is of the Fusimi family, with an income of 
 1,430 koku. His temple is at Omine Honzan. 
 
 6. Sho ko in; vacant, but the revenues are held by No. 5. 
 
 7. Say ray in Monzekke : is known as Awata Mia. He 
 is of the Fusimi family. The income is 1,330 koku. 
 
 8. Chi wong in Monzekke, of the Arisungawa family. 
 The temple is in Miako, and he is the head of the Jodoshiu 
 sect of Buddhists. 
 
 9. Kwajooji is vacant. 
 
 10. Itchi jo in Monzekke. The temple is in Narra, and 
 is very old. Held by one of the house of Fusimi. 
 
 11. Kaji ee Monzekke, of the Tendai sect. Of the family 
 of Fusimi, with an income of 1,600 koku. 
 
 12. Manjo in Monzekke is vacant. 
 
 12. Bissa mondo Monzekke is also vacant. 
 
 14. Emmang in Monzekke, commonly called Medora, in 
 the province of Owomi, is also vacant. 
 
 All these bishoprics, as they may be called, are held, or 
 may be held, by Sinwo or sons of Sinwo. 
 
 But as it is in many countries, both European and East- 
 ern, as necessary and as difficult to dispose of the females 
 of high families as the males, they also are in many cases 
 provided for. 
 
 There are twenty-four temples or nunneries which are, or 
 may be, under the superintendence of daughters or relatives 
 of the four royal families. 
 
 1. Daijoji, in Miako; of this temple a daughter of the 
 Emperor was formerly abbess. 
 
 2. Hokio ji. 
 
 3. Dan kay in. 
 
 4. Ko shio in. 
 
 5. Bay gan ji, held by one of the Fusimi family, who 
 has the title of Nio-wo, or Queen of Nuns. 
 
 6. Yenshoji, in Narra, the ecclesiastical metropolis of 
 Japan. 
 
 7. Rin kinji.
 
 42 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 \ 
 
 8. Chiu goji and sixteen others of lower class. Many of 
 them are, however, unoccupied ; partly, perhaps, from want 
 of ladies of the royal family to fill them, and partly from 
 failure of zeal for the Buddhist religion all over the country. 
 
 The laws with reference to the perpetuity of the vows of 
 these priests and priestesses do not seem to be very strict, as 
 we find that, when opportunity offers, the garb is thrown 
 off, the hair is allowed to grow, and he or she mixes again 
 in the world in whatever capacity their worldliness, their 
 ambition, or their sense, has prompted them to desire. 
 
 It has been stated that the Emperor, as the fountain of 
 honor, reserves to himself the sole right of conferring titles 
 and rank. This reservation throws great political power into 
 his hands, the acquisition of title and rank being, with rare 
 exceptions, an object of the highest ambition to a Japanese. 
 The amount of business connected with this power is great, 
 and may be said to have been for many years the sole occu- 
 pation for the Miako court. A special office and officers 
 are set apart within the palace inclosure for carrying on 
 the correspondence and settling disputes connected with the 
 department. 
 
 RANKS OF MEN IN JAPAN 
 
 Every individual in Japan, whether noble, priest or peas- 
 ant, is supposed to know the rank in which he stands rela- 
 tively to those about him. The marks of respect to superi- 
 ors which in degree appear excessive to "Western nations 
 are graduated from a trifling acknowledgment to the most 
 absolute prostration. When two men or women meet, the 
 first point to be ascertained seems to be, which of the two is 
 to make the acknowledgment of the social position of the 
 other. This state of things is supported by law as well as 
 custom, and more particularly by the permission given to a 
 two-sworded man, in case of his feeling himself insulted, to 
 take the law into his own hands. "What would be irksome 
 to us seems to become easy and a matter of course in Japan ; 
 and though, no doubt, the assumption of position is often the
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 43 
 
 source of brawls and fights, the system works more smoothly 
 than might have been expected. 
 
 The custom of wearing two swords was introduced in the 
 sixteenth century. The old Miako nobility do not adopt the 
 custom civilian Koongays wearing no sword, and military 
 only one as of old. All Japan is divided into two classes : 
 those who have a right to wear two swords, the "Nihon 
 sashi shto" or "two-sworded man," called also "Yashiki 
 shto" or castle retainers; and those who have no such right, 
 the "Matchi shto" or street man (otherwise called Chonin). 
 The latter class comprises merchants, artisans, workmen, 
 etc., who work at some trade, but possess no ground; and 
 also Hiaksho, farmers who do not trade, but farm or rent 
 ground. In some cases individuals of these classes can wear 
 two swords. The "swordless man" in Yedo pays rent for 
 his ground, house and shop. The "two-sworded man" pays 
 no rent and no taxes, because he is not allowed to trade. In 
 Yedo, parts of the town are known as "Matchi tsuchee," 
 street ground, and other parts as "Yashiki tsuchee," castle 
 ground. Persons living on the former can open shops and 
 trade; hi the latter this is not allowed. This last two- 
 sworded class is known as "Samurai" (Ch. Sz), which 
 may be translated "an officer and a gentleman," and is 
 an important distinction conferring valuable rights and 
 privileges at the expense of the rest of the community. 
 
 This division of the people into two classes is a measure 
 issuing from the executive at Yedo, the Shiogoon's govern- 
 ment, rather than from Miako. The Samurai class may 
 be said to include the Koongays, the Daimios, the "Jiki 
 sang," who are the officers and sub-officers in the service of 
 the Shiogoon; the Byshing i.e., officers in the service of 
 Daimios ; and such Chonin as are doing duty as officers in 
 some large town, such as Osaka or Miako, and are always 
 spoken of in connection with the city as Osaka chonin, for 
 instance. The term "Samurai" is applied more particularly 
 to all below the fifth rank, military or civilians who are not 
 merchants or artisans. There are others who have the right
 
 44 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 to wear two swords, such as Goshi, large farmers or landed 
 proprietors whose ancestors were Daimios. These are strong- 
 est in the provinces of Kahi, Etsjiu and Dewa, some being 
 very wealthy as Homma in Dewa, and Hanagura in Etsjiu. 
 The Samurai who have the right to wear two swords assume 
 the right of giving two swords to their attendants; and this 
 right, once assumed, is not readily relinquished, seeing that 
 a two-sworded man has the privilege of traveling at a much 
 cheaper rate than other members of society, pays no tolls or 
 taxes, and not infrequently pays nothing for food and lodg- 
 ing, their power being so great that they are feared, if not 
 in actual attendance upon some superior. These men are 
 frequently dismissed by, or voluntarily leave the service of, 
 their Daimio or master ; but as those who are so dismissed are 
 often brawlers, they retain their swords, and gain a living 
 by their becoming a terror to quiet people. They are said 
 to be "floating," without any attachment, like straws on a 
 stream, and are thence called "Ronin" or "floating-man." 
 These men are most imperious and domineering toward 
 others not having the same privileges as themselves, and 
 this power compels wealthy traders and others to enroll 
 themselves in the retinue of some Daimio, or take some 
 other roundabout mode to prevent themselves being in- 
 sulted. This is not the character of every Ronin, many 
 of whom are respectable members of society, holding their 
 privileges in abeyance until called upon to give feudal ser- 
 vice by some superior. 
 
 The people of Japan are divided generally into the fol- 
 lowing classes: 
 
 1. Koongays, or Miako nobility. 
 
 2. Daimios, or Yedo nobility. 
 
 3. Hattamoto Lower Daimio class. 
 
 4. Hiaksho Farmers and landed proprietors without 
 rank or title. 
 
 5. Shokonin Artisans, carpenters, etc. 
 
 6. Akindo Merchants. 
 
 7. Kweiamono Actors, beggars, etc.
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 45 
 
 8. Yayta Tanners, shoemakers, leather workers, skin- 
 ners. 
 
 Beneath these are prostitutes, and all connected with 
 them, who are considered beasts, or on a level with them. 
 
 In opposition to the name of "Koongay" (Kung kia), 
 "exalted house," the nobility of Miako, the Daimios and 
 officers of the Shiogoon's court, are called "Jee ngay" (Ti 
 hia), meaning persons low, on a level with the ground, the 
 latter not being recognized by the Emperor as feudal lords 
 further than as servants of his servant, "Tokungawa" i.e. 
 the Shiogoon. 
 
 The Japanese titles and classification of officers have been 
 taken generally from China. As in China, all the officers 
 honored with titles by the Emperor, or performing duties 
 about the court, are divided into classes or ranks. In China 
 the Mandarins are divided into nine classes. Each of these 
 classes is again sub-divided into a first and secondary di- 
 vision. The same division and sub-division are found in 
 Japan, with this difference, that there are six classes, each 
 sub-divided into four ranks. The word used for rank is I, 
 otherwise called Kurai. This is the Chinese word Wai. 
 The six ranks in order are, Itchi-i, Ni-i, Sanm-i, Shi-i, Go-i 
 and Roko-i. Each of these is divided according to the 
 Chinese classification into two, the "shio" (or "jio") and 
 the "jiu," corresponding to the "ching" and the "tsung." 
 These are sub-divided again into two- upper and lower 
 "jio" and "gay," the Chinese "shang" and "hia." The 
 full description of men of the first and second ranks would 
 be respectively "Jo itchi-i no jio" and "Jo itchi-i no gay" 
 the "no" meaning "of." The minor divisions "jio" and 
 "gay" are not much used in the higher ranks until the 
 highest is reached, an honor now reserved only for the 
 dead. Indeed, all below Shi-i, or the fourth grade, are 
 commonly known now by a general name, "Sho dai boo" 
 ("Chu ta fu"). The higher classes wear at court distin- 
 guishing dresses and colors, or devices upon black dresses, 
 and they are entitled in virtue of their rank to have a spear
 
 46 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 carried before them when moving about officially. Officers 
 are presented at court, both at Miako and Yedo, according 
 to their rank, not according to the importance of their office. 
 Few of the Daiinios are higher than the first sub-division of 
 the fourth rank. The Shiogoon himself is elevated from one 
 rank to another by the favor of the Emperor, at times not 
 rising higher than the first sub-division of the second class. 
 To attain such rank at the imperial court is the great object 
 of ambition in Japan, and next in importance is the acquisi- 
 tion of a title conferred by the Emperor. But as some titles, 
 though not recognized at court, are used by the Daimios as 
 holding territory under the Shiogoon, there is a distinction 
 observed between the two. The holders of titles conferred 
 by the Emperor are known as "Kio kwang" (King kwan) or 
 imperial officers, while the Daimios are known from their 
 territorial appellations as "Kooni kami" (Kwoh shau), or 
 keepers of the provinces. An imperial title in the address 
 is always placed before the territorial title. 
 
 THE KOONGAY 
 
 After the Emperor and royal families, the first in rank in 
 the state are the Koongays. Until further light be thrown 
 upon Japanese history, the remote origin of this class will 
 be somewhat obscure, some tracing their pedigree back up- 
 ward of 1,500 years. Many of the Koongays are descend- 
 ants of younger sons and cadets of the imperial family 
 branching off at former periods, while the surnames of some 
 of the other families are as old as historic records. In all 
 probability their forefathers came over to Japan at the time 
 of its invasion and conquest by Zinmu, and being the assist- 
 ants, brothers in arms, and mainstays of his throne and 
 power, the soil about the center of the empire was divided 
 among them, and they thenceforward became the nobility of 
 the court of the Emperor. So long as the empire was under 
 one emperor who ruled vigorously, this aristocracy seems to 
 have existed in the central provinces as feudal lords, much
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 47 
 
 in the same way as the Daimios of the present day. But 
 when the vigor of rule relaxed, and power fell into the hands 
 of a commander-in-chief, or mayor of the palace, with un- 
 certainty in the rulers, there followed division in the aristoc- 
 racy. Previous to the beginning of the fifteenth century, 
 the western part of the empire was all that was known to 
 any who could throw light upon its position by writing. 
 The large tract of country to the north and northeast of 
 Yedo, called the obscure or unpenetrated way, was com- 
 paratively unknown and uninhabited, and was divided into 
 four or five large territories, under princes who seldom 
 heard of, and more rarely visited, the court at Miako. The 
 dissensions and struggles for power between the two power- 
 ful families of Heji and Genji gave rise to a nearly continual 
 state of civil war for upward of 200 years. During the Onin 
 war families were destroyed, territories were lost, might was 
 everywhere right, and though several of the oldest and 
 noblest families among the Koongays retained their honors 
 and titles and places about the court, .they lost their prop- 
 erty, and many have ever since remained at the lowest ebb 
 of poverty. 
 
 Those few noble families which had previously to this 
 period of civil war divided among themselves the places and 
 titles of the court, were denuded of their splendor; but their 
 representatives continued to struggle on with poverty, proud 
 in the possession of an ancient lineage, and of their names 
 being enrolled as nobles in the Great Book of the empire. 
 These are the Koongays of the present day. They are not 
 all in this state of poverty, many of them being well off, and 
 some very wealthy ; but others are very poor, and eke out 
 the scanty subsistence given them by the Emperor by paint- 
 ing, basket-making, and other manual employments, afford- 
 ing, in their persons, their poverty, and their pretensions, 
 ample scope for the pen of the native caricaturist. The 
 names, history, and pedigree of the Koongays are enrolled 
 in the Great Book of the empire, the equivalent to the Her- 
 alds' Office or Patent Office of England. A book, the
 
 48 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 "Koongay no Kayzu," or Pedigree of the Koongays, is 
 printed in- Japan, giving all these particulars, and is gen- 
 erally by the natives considered authentic. The names of 
 Daimios (as such) are not so enrolled ; they have no patents 
 of nobility from the Emperor, and the "Hang campu," giv- 
 ing the pedigree and history of the families of Daimios, is 
 regarded as anything but authentic, and is looked upon 
 as in many cases made up by individuals to conceal the 
 origin of the family. 
 
 The Koongay class includes all the illustrious families of 
 Japan. In common estimation the Daimios are far below 
 this class ; and even the Shiogoon, though he is feared as the 
 head of the executive, is looked upon as comparatively a 
 parvenu. 
 
 The class is divided into two, an older or higher, the 
 "Koongio," and a lower, or more recently created, "Ten jio 
 bito" (Tien shang jin). "Koongio" (Kung hiang) is a name 
 which includes all the officers of the first, second and third 
 ranks. All of the fourth rank and below are called "So 
 shing," in which are included "Ten jio bito," "Sho diabu," 
 and "Samurai." The appellation "Mayka" (ming kia) 
 seems to denote that the bearer is a civilian. All the higher 
 offices in the state are filled by Koongays, but only five 
 families are eligible to fill the highest. These five families 
 are known as the "Go sek kay" (Wu ship kia), or "Shippay 
 kay," or "Sessio no eeyay," helper of emperor lit., to take 
 the handle "the five assisting families." They are: 1, 
 Konoyay; 2, Koojio; 3, Nijio; 4, Itchijio; 5, Takatskasa. 
 If the highest offices under the Emperor (as those of "Dai 
 jio dai jin," "Kwanbakku," or "Sessio") be vacant, no 
 one who is not of one of these five families is eligible to fill 
 such office. 
 
 In regard to rank at court, the Koongays generally stand 
 in the lower class of the first, or in the second or third rank. 
 They are known at Miako by their dress. For a long time 
 past they have had little power, and were of little impor- 
 tance ; but since the commencement of foreign relations the
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 49 
 
 political tide has rather flowed toward Miako, and from 
 Yedo, and they have increased in political power as well as 
 in wealth, as the Daimios and office-seekers of Yedo endeavor 
 to obtain the objects of their ambition through the influence 
 of their poorer brethren in Miako. The poverty of most of 
 the class prevents them entering upon an enervating life 
 of dissipation, which too often saps the vigor of the constitu- 
 tion of the Daimios, and they are able to take a part in the 
 discussion of political subjects. Many of them fill the more 
 or less nominal offices of government in one of the eight 
 great boards of the empire ; and this amount of occupation, 
 together with writing imaginative pieces, keeps their minds 
 in a sufficient state of activity. 
 
 In addition to the distinctions of rank in Japan, there is 
 also the distinction into families or clans, great importance 
 being attached to a family name. The feuds between rival 
 families have in past times rent the empire to pieces. The 
 Emperor is said to have no name ; but some of the cadets, 
 offshoots from the imperial line, have founded lines of their 
 own, taking root and flourishing as distinct families. In this 
 way have been derived the lines known as the "Say wa 
 Genji," the "Ooda Genji," and the "Murakami Genji." 
 These are descendants of younger sons of emperors of these 
 names. But among all the families of Japan, the first place 
 is held by that of Fusiwara, in length of pedigree, in the 
 honors held in past ages, and in the present position of the 
 family. During every period in the annals of the empire, 
 members of this family have filled the highest offices, civil 
 and military, of the state. But it has, perhaps, shone more 
 in civil employment than in military. The "five families" 
 of the Sekkay mentioned above belong to the clan Fusiwara. 
 Other families have risen at different times to the highest 
 pinnacle attainable by subjects, but after a time they have 
 gradually fallen back into comparative obscurity. Ninety- 
 five of the Koongays call themselves of the clan Fusiwara. 
 In very remote periods the family of Nakatomi seems to 
 have held the highest rank, absorbing by its members, at one 
 
 3
 
 50 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 time, all the offices of religion. Only one Koongay family, 
 Fusinami, now represents this old clan. In point of antiq- 
 uity, if not of luster of name, the Sungawara family, com- 
 monly called Kwang kay, ranks only second to Fusiwara. 
 The members of this family are rarely found in military em- 
 ployment, generally filling the offices of teachers or lecturers 
 on history or religion. 
 
 The "Gen kay," otherwise called "Minnamoto," are more 
 illustrious as military men. Seventeen families of the Koon- 
 gays belong to this clan. All the Minnamoto Koongays are 
 descended from younger sons of former emperors. One of 
 these, the "Say wa" Minnamoto, assert that their line is the 
 same as that of the present imperial dynasty of China, who 
 are descendants of the Emperor Say wa, or "Tsing wa," 
 whence the "Tsing" or "Ta Tsing" family, which emigrated 
 from the north of Japan several centuries ago. 
 
 The Taira, or He kay, the great opponent of the Gen kay 
 (otherwise known as Heji and Genji) during many years of 
 civil war, includes five familes. 
 
 Nishika koji, of the Tanba clan, is said to represent one 
 of the emperors of China of the Eastern Han dynasty, who 
 was driven from China and took refuge in Japan. 
 
 A new creation of Koongays is very rare. About 1830, 
 Kitta koji (of the clan Oway), whose family for three gen- 
 erations had filled the office of Kurodo, was elevated to the 
 rank. 
 
 The names of Koongays are, in many cases, derived from 
 the street or place where they originally lived, as Itchi jio, 
 No. 1 Street. 
 
 There are in all 137 Koougays. 
 
 There is assigned to each Koongay an annual revenue 
 calculated in koku of rice. This, in most cases, implies so 
 much ground held of the Emperor. The total sum divided 
 among these noble families does not amount to that allowed 
 to a third-rate Daimio. But though several of these nobles 
 are miserably poor, and have probably little to live upon 
 besides the rice which is given them by the Emperor, there
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 51 
 
 are some among them who have other sources of wealth. 
 In old times the Koongays possessed large landed property; 
 but in the wars of the He kay and Gen kay, Kiomori, the 
 leader of the former, despoiled them, and the divided por- 
 tions of these lands were seized by whoever had the power. 
 Some still retain extensive landed property, but the majority 
 have fixed salaries, which they receive at the Emperor's 
 hands. Residing near the court, and often connected with 
 the Emperor and high officers by marriage, the poorest may 
 possess some influence, and this frequently contributes to 
 swell their incomes. This influence is courted by the Daimios 
 at a distance, who, aspiring to rank or titles, purchase the 
 assistance and influence of the Koongays, such as it may be, 
 by solid presents. The higher class, who really have much 
 power, in this way become very rich. The little land which 
 belongs to them may, by taxes, duties, or customs, produce 
 much more than the exact number of koku of the original 
 calculation. Thus the seaport town of Itami stands on the 
 ground of Konoyay dono, and he levies a tax upon the ex- 
 ports and imports; and, in addition to the customs, he re- 
 ceives the duties upon all the saki or spirit distilled between 
 the towns of Hiogo and Osaka, and this is the great distilling 
 district for the whole country. Having acquired money, he 
 lends it out at Oriental rates of interest to the Daimios, who 
 are too often in need of ready money, so that he is a very 
 wealthy man. The Koongays have not the large expenses 
 which drain the purses of the Daimios ; having compara- 
 tively few retainers, they are not obliged to make the osten- 
 tatious display which brings the Daimios to poverty; nor 
 have they the same number of establishments to keep up 
 at different places. All this contributes to make the upper 
 class of Koongays, already powerful by rank, position and 
 influence, substantial in their independence. The poorer 
 class eke out their existence in a variety of ways, honorable 
 enough, but not contributing much in the way of worldly 
 wealth. Assukayee teaches playing at "mari," a sort of 
 football, which is a fashionable game at court, and which is
 
 52 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 probably derived from the Chinese shuttlecock, varied ac- 
 cording to the difference in the style of boots and shoes. 
 In playing at this game in Miako, the court turns out in 
 gorgeous dresses. Jimio-in and others teach writing. Sono 
 dono teaches the science of dwarfing trees, and the art of 
 arranging flowers in flower-holders. At both of these the 
 Japanese excel. In the former they display a wonderful 
 power over nature, and in the latter a highly cultivated 
 taste. A fir-tree has been seen in perfect vigor, bearing a 
 cone, and eight years old, and only an inch in height. 
 Rayzay teaches poetry and composition. Sijio dono teaches 
 the art of dressing dinners and cookery, which is considered 
 in Japan the occupation of a gentleman. When an artist 
 has prepared a dinner, and laid it out, it is common for the 
 public to go to see it as a work of art. Yamashima and 
 Takakura superintend and teach the art of dressing and of 
 etiquette. Tsutchi Mikado teaches and explains what is 
 known in China as the "Ta kih," the ultimate cause of 
 things, the immaterial principle of the Chinese philosophers, 
 as contained in and exemplified by a series of diagrams ; and, 
 as an astrologer, divines into futurity. Others paint, and 
 sell their works of art, or teach painting. The poorer indi- 
 viduals who receive rice also get the Emperor's cast-off outer 
 garments. Their daughters are in the habit of going to the 
 families of the Daimios as governesses (and are commonly 
 known by the name of "jorosama"), to teach the young 
 ladies and gentlemen the customs and language of the court. 
 Of these ladies there are generally one or more at the resi- 
 dence of the Shiogoon in Yedo. They sometimes act in the 
 capacity of spies as well as of governesses; and, having 
 much influence, they are sometimes feared as censores 
 morum. 
 
 Under the five Go sekkay nearly all the Koongays are 
 classed into five divisions; and in his relation to his head, 
 each Koongay is known as "Monrio" or "Sorio" one divis- 
 ion under each of the five. 
 
 If any of those in a position of Monrio have any business
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 53 
 
 with the court, such must be dispatched through his head, 
 who then communicates with the Emperor. 
 
 It has been shown that the Sin wo and sons of the impe- 
 rial families are provided for by absorption into the higher 
 offices of the priesthood, and to fill the seats in, and receive 
 the revenues of, the richer abbeys and monasteries. In a 
 similar way the sons of the Go sekkay and higher Koongays 
 (known as Kindatchi) are provided for. There are six richly- 
 endowed temples whose revenues are respectively enjoyed by 
 a member of one of these families. These men are known ' 
 by the name of "Sekkay Monzekke." 
 
 If a Daimio happens to meet the norimono or sedan-chair 
 of a Koongay upon the highroad, he must wait with all his 
 retinue till the latter shall have passed. Koongays usually 
 blacken their teeth and shave the eyebrows, and do not fol- 
 low the usual custom in shaving the head. Civilians do not 
 carry a sword; military carry one called "tatchi." In ordi- 
 nary times a Koongay is not likely to be put to death, how- 
 ever great may be his crimes ; but he may be ordered to 
 shave his head and enter a monastery, or may be confined 
 to a room in his own house. 
 
 It is not easy to ascertain what was the exact position of 
 the Koongays in the times before the great civil wars of the 
 thirteenth and following centuries. The empire seems to 
 have been divided at that time very much as it is now, into 
 one large central court at the metropolis, with a number of 
 smaller courts in the provinces, each ruled by its lord, king, 
 Daimio, or dynasta, as they have been called. The court of 
 the Emperor always remained at Miako. There he was sur- 
 rounded by the members of the old families, among whom 
 he distributed honors. There was to be seen a supposed pre- 
 fect form of government, the history of which is written in 
 the "Annals." Probably in each of the lesser courts such, 
 for instance, as that of Satsuma, Mowori, and other wealthy 
 lords the same form of government was carried on in a 
 miniature scale ; and, so far as can be gathered from history 
 and native historical maps, the extensive territories belong-
 
 54 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 ing to these lords were always under the entire rule each of 
 its own master, and acknowledging no right in the central 
 court (so long as that master did not in any way come into 
 collision with the general good of the empire) to interfere 
 in any way with what passed within these territories. The 
 imperial court, in its executive form, was confined to the 
 provinces around Miako the Gokinai. The annals of the 
 Emperors are devoted in the main to the occurrences which 
 took place within these provinces, detailing the names and 
 families, the titles, ranks, and history of the men who in 
 that court were looked upon as great and eminent. Of 
 these, the more prominent were brought forward and ad- 
 vanced by the Emperor in hereditary rank and title above 
 their fellows these were the Koongays ; while the territorial 
 lords were only known by their family names, or the name 
 of the provinces over which they ruled, and were only ex- 
 pected to come once a year to Miako, in order to pay their 
 respects to the Emperor. It is not to be expected but that 
 differences would arise among these territorial lords, some 
 more or less powerful ; ambition and lust of wealth or power 
 would soon find a cause for a quarrel, and this would light 
 up a civil war. In such cases, the Emperor and the officers 
 of the imperial court were looked to as the arbiters or um- 
 pires, and acquired and retained so firm a position hi the 
 machinery of the State and in the minds of the people as to 
 withstand all the shocks which have at different times so 
 frequently and rudely put one down and set up another of 
 these provincial powers.
 
 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 55 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 THE EIGHT BOAEDS OF GOVERNMENT 
 
 HAVING given above a sketch of the ranks eligible in old 
 times to fill the offices of government, a step will be gained 
 by obtaining some insight into the means by which that gov- 
 ernment was carried on. The arrangements are of very 
 ancient date, and seem to have been more or less in actual 
 use until the separation of the empire into two at the end of 
 the sixteenth century. At that time the executive depart- 
 ment of the empire was entirely removed to Yedo, but the 
 shadow or the skeleton of the defunct body was allowed to 
 remain in Miako. The offices which had of old conferred 
 power, and demanded exertion in fulfilling the duties, were 
 now only empty names honorific appellations; the power 
 of conferring these nominal offices being all that remained 
 to the Emperor of his former greatness. Still the retention 
 of the power has not been without its use. Though the 
 actual power has been in the hands of the Shiogoon, the 
 hopes of the people and of the Emperor have ever turned 
 toward its ultimate re-establishment at Miako, in a machinery 
 all ready at any moment to take up the duties of government. 
 
 At the period when the government of Japan was settled, 
 many of the institutions of China seemed to have been copied 
 or transferred by the founders of the empire. This must 
 have occurred at a very early period in its history. While 
 the original model has been followed, modifications have 
 from time to time been introduced to meet the varying 
 exigencies of the country. But perhaps nothing points more 
 strongly to a Chinese origin for the ruling ranks of Japan
 
 5 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 than the early adoption of this form of government. As in 
 China six boards are found at Pekin, so in Japan eight boards 
 are found at Miako. The names of these boards or depart- 
 ments, the titles of the officials, the ranks of the subordinate 
 officers, are all found under Chinese names. 
 
 Klaproth has given in his "Annals of the Emperors" a 
 sketch of these eight boards, with the offices under each. It 
 is probably taken from the "Shoku gen sho," a little work 
 written in the year 1340 by Kitta Batake Chikafusa, and 
 in use at the present day as a concise account of the govern- 
 ment of Japan. 
 
 The study of such a subject is rather dry and uninterest- 
 ing, but it is necessary for any one who wishes to make him- 
 self acquainted with Japanese history, either of the past or 
 of the present day, to read and understand this book. What 
 here follows is only a rough sketch with a little further filling 
 in. In what may be called the preface to the "Shoku gen 
 sho" a slight historical introduction the author says : ' ' We 
 gather from old records, that in the time of Sui ko (the first 
 Empress), in the twelfth year of her reign, A.D. 605, Sho 
 toku, being prime minister, settled twelve grades of officers. 
 Afterward, the Emperor Kwo toku, in the fifth year of his 
 reign (A.D. 650), divided the country into eight provinces (or 
 divided the government into eight departments), and defi- 
 nitely fixed the offices. Subsequently, in the first year of the 
 Emperor Mun moo (A.D. 697), Fusiwara no tan kaiko Kama- 
 tariko (canonized as Kassunga dia mio jin) was appointed 
 great minister, and by him laws were made and the officers 
 and nobles were appointed. At one time the numbers were 
 greatly diminished, and again they were increased, and fresh 
 officers, 'uncommissioned,' got employment. But the min- 
 isters, the 'Nai dai jin' and the 'Chiu nagoon,' existed be- 
 fore the first year of Mun moo. But authentic records of 
 that period do not remain in existence at the present time. 
 In old times there was a separate office of religion known as 
 the 'Jin ngi kwang' or 'Kami no tskasa,' answering to 
 the 'Ta chang sz' in China. The two officers who super-
 
 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 57 
 
 intended the rites in worship of the gods were above all 
 other officers. This was the pristine custom in the kingdom 
 of spirits (Japan), arising from the reverence paid to the 
 gods of heaven and the spirits of earth. 
 
 "In the earliest times the Emperor Zinmu established 
 the capital within the bounds of the province of Yamato, at 
 Kashiwarra. At that time, in the beginning, Ten shio dai 
 shin (the heaven-illuminating spirit) came down and placed 
 three things a ball or seal, an eight-cubit mirror, and a 
 grass-shaving sword in the palace, on the throne of the 
 Emperor, which received homage such as was offered in early 
 times. The efficacy of the spirit was great, so that the Em- 
 peror dwelling with the spirit was, as it were, equal to a 
 god. Within the palace these three emblems were placed in 
 safety, that it might be said that where these are there is 
 divine power. At this time two high officers, ' Ama no koya 
 ne no mikoto' and 'Ama no tane ko mikoto,' regulated the 
 sacrificial rites and court ceremonies, until the time of the 
 Emperor Soui-zin (97-30 B.C.), who, fearing the majesty of 
 the divinity, took away these three efficacious symbols, the 
 sword and the seal and the mirror, and put them elsewhere 
 (i.e., in a palace he built at Miako); which was the origin 
 of the idea of the Emperor's sitting like a god in the place 
 of a god. 
 
 "In the reign of Swee nin (A.D. 29-70) the great spirit 
 Tenshio, or Ten shio dai jin, descended upon the province of 
 Isse (when the Emperor measured and divided that province), 
 and that Emperor built and endowed the temple or yashiro of 
 Isse. This is the most sacred temple in the empire. 
 
 "At that time the O nakatomi family were hereditary 
 officers of religion, and of rites of worship. 
 
 ' ' After the officers of state had been appointed, the officers 
 of the Jin ngi kwang, or spiritual department, were settled. 
 Originally the Jin ngi kwang was the highest department of 
 all. The temple built by the Emperor at Isse had separate 
 officers of worship, and as to duties, both regulated worship \ 
 the offices were similar in their origin and character, but the
 
 58 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 department of religion was of the highest importance. There- 
 fore, in the kingdom of spirits (i.e., Japan) these officers of 
 religion ranked above all other officers. At that time a man 
 of the fourth rank could be an officer of religion, but now it 
 is confined to the second and third ranks. Formerly, of old, 
 any one was considered capable of filling the office, Naka- 
 tomi or other ; but in the middle ages, since the time of the 
 Emperor Kwa sann, it became hereditary in the family of 
 his son, and no other family could fill the office ; and it has 
 since been filled by the members of the royal family. 
 
 "Originally the name Nakatomi designated an office. 
 When one of the holders was made Oodai jin, he added O 
 (great) to his title ; but his descendants did not use the title, 
 therefore they are simply called Nakatomi." 
 
 Such is the introduction to the "Book of the Government 
 of the Empire." What follows is the names of the different 
 offices, and ranks of officers, whether civil or military, stat- 
 ing what rank is eligible to hold each office, what offices can 
 be held in conjunction by the same person, together with the 
 Chinese equivalent of each title wherever it can be given. 
 
 Every office in Japan is divided into four a head and 
 three subordinates. The head is called by various titles, 
 Kio, Kami, Tayu, Daiboo, etc. The highest subordinate is 
 called Skay or Ske in Chinese, Tsu to assist or help; or 
 Kai, to attend upon ; also Tso, to assist : all three characters 
 are used. The next is Jo Chinese, Shing, to assist deputy. 
 The clerks are called Sakkan Chinese, Shuh attached to 
 as a tail, dependent on. Each of these may be subdivided 
 into great and small, Dai and Sho; and further, frequently 
 into sa and oo i.e., right and left. Besides these official 
 grades, the title of Gong, or Gonno, is found. This seems 
 to be an honorific title, and is generally conferred by the 
 Emperor upon Koongays and persons about his own court. 
 It seems to mean honorary substitute or deputy, and is added 
 or prefixed to another title. This is the word K'iin in Chi- 
 nese, with the meaning of power, balance, temporary sub- 
 stitute.
 
 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 59 
 
 With these explanations it may be possible to understand 
 the titles and descriptions of offices and officers given in the 
 Shoku gen sho. 
 
 The first or highest office was that of religion, or board 
 of rites, the Jin ngi kwang (shin k'i kwan), the office of the 
 worship of spirits. This office, at first entirely for regulation 
 of the Sinto religion, was rendered unnecessary by the intro- 
 duction of Buddhism, and has been practically done away 
 with the higher titles and larger emoluments being ab- 
 sorbed by the younger sons of royal families, while the work- 
 ing part of the board has been joined with the highest board, 
 Dai jo gwang. 
 
 The Dai jo gwang, or Matsuri koto tskasa, is the great 
 office of government. This is the "cabinet," and is over and 
 superintends the eight boards and the affairs of the whole 
 empire. The chief of the department is the Dai jo dai jin 
 the great minister of the whole government. He is also 
 called Sho koku. This office is not always filled up. The 
 holder is in settled times nearly invariably one of the "five 
 families." This is the highest office in the state, and was 
 commenced by the Emperor Ten shi, who conferred it on his 
 son. "When this office is vacant, the next in rank, the Sa dai 
 jin (left great minister) is highest official in point of rank. 
 The highest subject generally receives at the Emperor's 
 hands the title of Kwanbakku, first given A.D. 880. The 
 Kwanbakku is always near the Emperor's person, and not 
 engaged so much as others on public business. If the sov- 
 ereign be a minor or a female, a regent is appointed, who is 
 naturally the most powerful subject in the empire. He is 
 named Sessio, or Setz jio, helper of the government. When 
 such a regent is appointed for a young Empress, it is gen- 
 erally intended that he is to marry her, and become Emperor. 
 The Kwanbakku was, in old times, called Omurazi. He is 
 frequently spoken of as Denga sama. The Dai jo dai jin 
 is commonly known as Sho koku, the Sa dai jin as Sa foo 
 sama, Oo dai jin as Eoo foo sama, Nai dai dai jin as Nai or 
 Dai foo sama. There may be only one of the three titles,
 
 60 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 Dai jio dai jin, Kwanbakku, or Sessio, conferred at a time; 
 but whoever holds it is known to be the highest official, and 
 he may have all three titles at the same time. The office 
 of Dai jio dai jin has frequently remained vacant for length- 
 ened periods. 
 
 In the Dai jio gwang there are four ministers. Dai jin 
 means great minister, and the prefix of Sa is left, of Oo is 
 right. In Japan the left generally takes precedence. And 
 these four stand in this relation to one another. The three 
 first are known as the "Sanko," or three exalted ones. 
 There is another officer, that of Nai dai jin, inner or mid- 
 dle great minister. This office is filled up if there be no 
 Dai jio dai jin; but if otherwise it remains in abeyance. 
 
 Since 1780 the Shiogoon has generally been elevated to 
 be Oodai jin or Sadai jin. 
 
 The next officer below the Oodai jin is the Dai na goon. 
 There are ten of them. They act with the Sanko in the Dai 
 jo gwang office. They seem to be the mouthpieces to and 
 from the board, and in consultation with the board. They 
 are generally Koongays. But some of the highest Daimios 
 are competent for the office, Owarri, Kishiu, and Mito. 
 
 The Chiu (or middle) na goon ten officers of much lower 
 rank than the last never deliberate with the board, but are 
 consulted after or before. They are generally Koongays. 
 
 The Sangi (Ts'an i), also called Sei sho and Gisso (I tsau), 
 is a very important office eight officers. They are of high 
 rank (above the last), and are chosen for their talent for the 
 office. This seems to be to report upon the proceedings and 
 conclusions of the other officers of the board ; to watch and 
 also advise, and sometimes to act as judges. They are both 
 civil and military. If a man has shown himself qualified 
 for this office he may rise to it, though not originally of high 
 rank. 
 
 The Sho (or lesser) nagoon are much below the above 
 officers in rank. They are said to help the memories of the 
 principal officers, to put seals to deeds, and carry communi- 
 cations to other boards : they are both military and civil.
 
 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 61 
 
 Gayki or Kwanmu five officers who act as secretaries to 
 one of the three officers of the Dai jo ngwang. Divided into 
 great and small, Dai and Sho, gayki ; the head man is called 
 Kioo ku mu. The duties consist in writing out the patents 
 and titles conferred by the Mikado. In cases of dispute be- 
 tween high officers, they seem to write out a statement of the 
 case on both sides for the decision of the board. They look 
 after any newly-introduced business, such as introduction of 
 foreigners to the country. 
 
 Ben-gwang, seven officers, all Koongay a higher office 
 than the preceding. Two head men, left and right, Sa and 
 Oo dai ben. This is a very responsible office; all the busi- 
 ness of the board passes through the hands of the officers. 
 They superintend and set apart to each of the minor offices 
 their business. 
 
 Sa chiu ben and Oo chiu ben, two men. 
 
 Sa sho ben and Oo sho ben, two men. 
 
 These are subordinates in the office, but men of rank. 
 
 Gonno ben. This is an honorific title, giving high rank, 
 but having no business or duties to perform. 
 
 The Ben-gwang officers are always in their handsome 
 official dress, and are at once recognizable on the street. 
 
 Shi, eight men. Their business is to act as bookkeepers 
 or registrars of the transactions of the board; they take 
 charge of the 'books, and are referred to for information of 
 past transactions. 
 
 Sa and Oo dai shi, four men. 
 
 Si sho, twenty men, attendants of the three high officers. 
 
 Kwa jo, four men, attendants of the Ben-gwang. Though 
 low, the office is an important one. 
 
 HATCH SHIO, THE EIGHT BOARDS 
 
 The eight boards under the Dai jo gwang are : 
 
 1. Nakatskasa no sho. 5. Hio bu sho (Ch., Ping po). 
 
 2. Siki bu sho (Ch., Li po). 6. Gio bu sho (Ch., Ying po). 
 
 3. Ji bu sho (Ch., Li po). 7. Okuranosho (Ch., Ta fusz). 
 
 4. Min bu sho (Ch., U po). 8. Koo nai sho (Ch., Kung po).
 
 62 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 I. Nakatskasa no sho, or Naka no matsuri koto sum 
 tskasa (equivalent office in China, Chang shu shang). The 
 Board of the Interior Government, superintends the palace 
 and the affairs of the Emperor, and regulates the imperial 
 household. 
 
 The head man, Nakatskasa no kio, is always of very high 
 rank generally a son of the Emperor, or of one of the royal 
 families. 
 
 Nakatskasa no ta yu, chamberlain of the household. 
 
 Nakatskasa no gonno tayu is always a Mayka no tenjio 
 bito^koongay. 
 
 Nakatskasa no shoyu. 
 
 Nakatskasa no gonno shoyu. 
 
 Nakatskasa no dai and sho jio, subordinates of the above. 
 
 Nakatskasa no dai and sho sakkan, secretaries. 
 
 Dji jiu, eight men of high rank. 
 
 Wo do neri, ninety men of low rank ; clean rooms, etc. 
 
 Neiki, writers to the Emperor's dictation, or for his perusal 
 on government business; correspond about conferring rank, 
 and write out documents connected with this. They are 
 always able men, and any man may rise to fill this office 
 if he shows talent. 
 
 Dai neiki, one man ; sho neiki, two men ; the latter sub- 
 ordinates and successors of the former. 
 
 Kemmootz, Dai and Sho, two men. 
 
 These are the reporters or spies (ometskys) upon the officers 
 of the whole board literally, lookers into things (kien wuh). 
 
 Sho den, one man of low rank to superintend the servants 
 and to see that rooms are cleaned, etc. 
 
 Kangee no tskasa, keepers of the keys, now done away 
 with. 
 
 Included under this department are the establishments of 
 the Emperor's grandmother, mother, and wife. These are 
 called the Shi ngoo four offices. 
 
 The office of the Emperor's grandmother is Tai kwo tai 
 kowu goo siki, the great Emperor's great Empress's office. 
 
 That of the mother, Kwo tai kowu goo siki.
 
 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 63 
 
 That of the wife having a child, Kwo tai kowu goo siki. 
 
 That of the wife before she has a child, Chiii ngoo siki. 
 
 The ladies rank as Dai nagoon. 
 
 Under the Nakatskasa no shio there are several minor 
 boards or rio. 
 
 O do neri no rio. In this office there were formerly 800 
 men about the court, as messengers, servants, etc. 
 
 Odoneri no kami, Ske, etc. 
 
 Dsu sho rio, surveying office for plans of houses, maps of 
 towns, country, harbors, seas, etc. 
 
 Dsu sho no kami, Ske, etc. 
 
 Koora rio, storehouse officer, has charge of the valuables 
 belonging to the palace a responsible office. 
 
 Officers Koora no kami, K. no gonno kami, K. no 
 ske, etc. 
 
 Noo ee rio superintends the making the clothes and sew- 
 ing generally of the palace. 
 
 Noo ee no kami, N. no ske, N. no gonno ske, etc. 
 
 Ong yo rio (literally, clear obscure office), department 
 of astrology composer of the almanac observers of the 
 heavens. 
 
 Ong yo no kami, O. no ske, etc. Ong yo no haka se and 
 Gonno haka se, teacher of astrology. 
 
 Rayki haka se, composer of the almanac and teacher. 
 
 Ten mong haka se, astronomer-royal. 
 
 Ro koku haka se, keeper of time by the clepsydra ; teacher 
 of time-keeping. 
 
 Taku mi rio, office of the carpenters, woodworkers. Taku 
 mi no kami, etc. 
 
 Palaces, temples, houses and bridges in Japan being, for 
 fear of earthquakes, nearly entirely built of wood, the trade 
 of carpenter rises to a science, and, including architecture 
 and engineering, is a business or profession which is held in 
 high respect. 
 
 In the official list mention is not made of the head man 
 of the tanner class, or that which deals in skins of dead 
 animals, which occupation is an abomination to the pure
 
 64 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 Buddhist. The name of the class is Yayta. They live in 
 Yayta mura or village of skinners, often called Yakunin 
 mura. The head man is Kobowozi. His duty is to go every 
 day to the palace and clear away all dead animals rats, 
 mice, birds. He wears two swords, and is generally hand- 
 somely dressed. The class belongs to the Ikkoshiu sect of 
 Buddhists. Some of the men following this trade are very 
 rich. Teikoya in Osaka and Siroyama in Yedo are both 
 wealthy. The head skinner of the "eight provinces," Danza 
 yay mong, claims to be descended from Yoritomo. He also 
 is reputed to be very wealthy, exercising great power over 
 his own trade, which is governed by its own laws. Living 
 in a fine house near the Yosiwara in Yedo, he is a despotic 
 ruler, and can punish with death those under him. His pri- 
 vate chapel or Bootzu dang is said to be the finest in Yedo. 
 
 II. Siki bu shio (Chinese, Shik po shang ; Chinese equiva- 
 lent office, Li po), the Board of Civil Office. Has legislative 
 functions, and under this board is the department of public 
 instruction and the college. The head man of the board is 
 the Siki bu kio. He is generally a Sinwo, or a member of 
 the imperial family. If the Kio be an able, energetic man, 
 his position enables him to obtain great power, and he may 
 become the first man in the empire. Formerly, men known 
 by the name Si sho were sent by the board to all the prov- 
 inces to report on the government of each. They were 
 changed every four years, but the custom has become 
 obsolete. 
 
 Siki bu no Tayu. 
 
 Siki bu no Gonno Tayu, both men of high rank, who 
 practically carry on the business of the board. 
 
 Siki bu no She yu and Gonno sho yu, etc. 
 
 Under this board is the Dai gaku rio (Ch. equivalent, 
 Kwoh tsz kien), office of instruction or education. The head 
 man is Dai gaku no kami. This office is divided into four 
 sub-classes, which have to do with the instruction conveyed 
 in books and literature to the people. 
 
 1. Ray ki shi, history, including the history of China and
 
 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 65 
 
 Japan and a little of India and Ceylon, as Buddhist coun- 
 tries. 
 
 2. Migio, religion originally Sinto religion only. 
 
 3. Mio bo, laws and jurisprudence. 
 
 4. Santo, mathematics, arithmetic. 
 These are called the four paths, Shi do. 
 
 Besides these officers there are teachers or professors 
 named Haka se (pok sz). 
 
 1. Munjo haka se, two men; teachers of history, other- 
 wise called Shiu sai. 
 
 2. Mio gio haka se, teacher of religion and the works of 
 Confucius. 
 
 Jokio, two men. Chokko ko, two men. 
 On no haka se, two men, teachers of music. 
 Sho haka se, two men, teachers of writing. 
 
 3. Mio bo haka se, two men, professors of jurisprudence. 
 
 4. Sang no haka se teachers of mathematics, arithmetic 
 two men. Is always in two families, Mio shi and Otsu 
 ngi. The former teaches arithmetic and the abacus; the 
 latter teaches the science of taxation. 
 
 III. Ji bu shio (Chinese office, Lai po). This board deals 
 with the forms of society, manners, etiquette, worship, cere- 
 monies for the living and the dead, etc. 
 
 Ji bu kio, the head officer of the board, of very high rank. 
 
 Ji bu no tayu, two men ; Ji bu no gonno tayu, two men, etc. 
 
 Oota rio (Ch., Ya yoh), a department of the board 
 superintends music and poetry in all its branches. 
 
 Oota no kami, etc. 
 
 Gengba rio is another department, called also O shi maro 
 wo dono: takes charge of embassies from outer countries 
 Corea, China, and India; looks after Buddhism. All busi- 
 ness connected with foreign countries comes within the scope 
 of this office. 
 
 Genba no kami, head officer, Ske, etc. 
 
 Misasaki rio, an officer to look after the tombs of the 
 Emperors. 
 
 Misasaki no kami is head officer.
 
 66 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 IV. Min bu sho (Chinese, Min po shang) Chin, office, 
 Upo, board of population and revenue. Tame no tskasa, 
 board of the population states, provinces, land, houses, cen- 
 sus. In this office is kept a book or register for the regis- 
 tration of all deeds connected with land and landed property, 
 surveys, and statistics of the empire. The book is called 
 "Min bu shio no dzu sho." 
 
 Miu bu kio, head officer, of high rank. 
 
 Min bu no Tayu.* M. Gonno Tayu. 
 
 Min bu no sho, etc. 
 
 Kadzuye no, the office for taxes paid in money. Officers 
 Kami, Ske, jo, and sakkan. 
 
 San shi, office for money taken in country places only. 
 
 Chikara rio, so mewhat similar to the above ; taxes paid 
 in kind, rice, etc. The office is now merged in the Kadzuye 
 rio. 
 
 V. Hio bu sho (Chinese office, Ping po), Board of War 
 war-office. This is the most important department. 
 
 Hio bu kioh, the head officer, is sometimes of the imperial 
 blood. 
 
 Hio bu no tayu. H. no Gonno tayu, sho, etc. 
 
 Hyato no tskasa, seems to be a sort of police in case of 
 war. Hyato no kami, ske, and sakkan. 
 
 VI. Gio bu shio (Chinese office, Ying po), board of pun- 
 ishments. The name is changed to Ke be ishi, which in- 
 cludes the criminal courts, with the machinery necessary to 
 their working, but the titles remain. 
 
 Gio bu Kioh, head of the office. 
 
 Gio bu Tayu, Gonno tayu, sho, etc. 
 
 Dai han ji, the first judge. 
 
 This officer is the judge of civil and criminal cases. There 
 are no barristers or advocates used in the law courts of Japan. 
 Each man states his own case. 
 
 Shiu goku ji prison department. 
 
 * This was the title of the young man living in Paris in 
 1867. Commonly called brother of the Tycoon.
 
 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 67 
 
 Shiu goku no kami, ske, etc. 
 
 As this title is supposed to convey some disgrace with it, 
 no one considers it an honor, and therefore it is generally 
 combined with some other. 
 
 VII. Okura no shio (Chinese office, Tafu sz), officer over 
 the imperial storehouses and granaries. 
 
 O kura kio is an officer of high rank. 
 O kura no tayu, O kura no Goiino tayu, etc. 
 Ori be no tskasa, weavers of the imperial silks. 
 Ori be no kami, etc. 
 
 VIII. Koo nai shio, the board of the interior of the pal- 
 ace; was formerly a department of the Naka tskasa shio. 
 Superintends the furniture, food, pathways, etc. 
 
 Koo nai kio, first officer, of high rank. 
 
 Koo nai no tayu, and Gonno tayu. 
 
 Koo nai no sho and Gonno sho, all of high rank. 
 
 Koo no dai jo and sho jo, etc. 
 
 Dai zen siki, purveyor to the Emperor's guests. 
 
 Dai zen no daibu, first officer. The Prince of Nagato, 
 Matzdaira Daizen no daibu, holds this office. 
 
 Dai zen no Gonno daibu, of high rank. 
 
 Dai zen no ske and Gonno ske. 
 
 This was formerly the highest ske at court. 
 
 Mokoo rio, officer of carpenter and woodwork about the 
 palace. 
 
 Mokoo no kami, high rank. 
 
 Mokoo no Gonno kami, etc. 
 
 San shi, book-keepers. 
 
 Oee rio, purveyor of food for the gods of the palace. 
 
 Oee no kami, one man. This is said to be a lucrative 
 office; probably much is provided and little consumed. 
 
 Oee no ske and Gonno ske, etc. 
 
 Tonomo rio, department for superintending the cleaning 
 of the palace. 
 
 T. no kami, etc. 
 
 Ten yaku rio medical department two apothecaries, 
 medical attendants upon the Emperor, etc.
 
 68 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 Ten yaku no kami, etc. 
 
 Ee no haka se, teachers of medicine. 
 
 Nio yee haka se, teachers of diseases of women. 
 
 Shin no haka se, teachers of acupuncture. 
 
 Jee yee, one man Emperor's personal medical attendant. 
 
 Ee shi, similar, but of lower rank. 
 
 Kammon rio (Ch., Si sau shii), scavenger department in 
 the palace. 
 
 Kammon no kami the Daimio Ee holds this title. In 
 1859 this Daimio was regent under the Shiogoon's govern- 
 ment, and was assassinated in the streets of Yedo. 
 
 Kammon no ske, etc. 
 
 O Kimi tskasa, chamberlains to the Sinwo or royal 
 families. 
 
 O Kimi no kami is hereditary in the family of Owo. 
 
 Nai zen shi, purveyor of provisions for the imperial house- 
 hold. 
 
 Nei zen no kami, obsolete. 
 
 Bu zen no kami fills the office above. 
 
 Ten zen, of low rank. 
 
 Miki tskasa, office for presenting wine to the gods in the 
 palace. Upon every household altar in Japan is seen a small 
 bottle of wine. 
 
 Miki no kami, etc. 
 
 Ooneme tskasa, overseer of the female officers of the 
 palace, O. no kami and O. no sakkan. 
 
 Hondo no tskasa, superintends the water supplied to the 
 palace, M. no kami, M. no sakkan. 
 
 These (the Ooneme and the Mondo) are the two lowest 
 offices in the eight boards. In the offices about the court the 
 subordinate officers under the rank of kami are known by 
 the general name of Shi kwang. 
 
 The second part of the Shoku gen sho relates to the Boo 
 kang, executive and military departments. 
 
 Dan jo dai (Ch., Yu shi t'ai), was formerly at Miako, is 
 now at Yedo. The Kebe ishi at Miako seems to be what 
 remains of the office at that place. The office has very great
 
 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 69 
 
 power, acting apparently as police of the empire, the busi- 
 ness being to arrest criminals of all descriptions. The office 
 is within the inclosure of the castle at Yedo. 
 
 The head officer is the Dan jo in. He is of very high 
 rank sometimes of one of the royal families, or one of the 
 three highest ministers. 
 
 The second is Dan jo no dai hitz; below him, D. sho 
 hitz, etc. 
 
 Sa kio siki, office of the left half of Miako. 
 
 Sa kio no daibu, mayor or governor of high rank now 
 has but little power, as the business is transferred to the 
 Kebe ishi office. 
 
 Under the Sa kio siki is To itchi tskasa, superintendent 
 of the east market. 
 
 To itchi no Kami. 
 
 Go kio siki, office of the right half of Miako ; similar to 
 the above. Oo kio no kami, and the office of Sei itchi tskasa, 
 superintendent of the west market. 
 
 To ngoo, office of the heir-apparent, son of Emperor. 
 
 To ngoo no fu, head of the office. 
 
 To ngoo no yaku shi, two men, teachers of the prince 
 are always either Munjo haka se, or Mio gio haka se, and 
 of the families of Sungawara or Owe. To ngoo no bo keeps 
 the prince's accounts. To ngoo no daibu is always Dai jo 
 dai jin, or Kwanbakku, or son of one of the highest ministers. 
 
 To ngoo no gonno daibu, etc. 
 
 Shuzen Kang, purveyor for the prince. He is always 
 Nei zen no kami to the Emperor. 
 
 To no mo sho, keeper of the chambers of the prince. 
 
 To ngoo no shunen sho, keeper of the horses of the prince. 
 
 Isse no sei goo rio, or Sei ki no mia no tskasa. This was 
 an old office in connection with the Emperor's daughters, 
 who officiated as priestesses at Isse. It is now obsolete. In 
 the year 5 B.C. the Emperor Sei Nin established his daughter 
 at Isse as priestess of the temple he had built in honor 
 of Ten shio dai jin. He gave her the title of Seigoo or 
 Sai koo.
 
 70 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 Shuri siki (Ch., siu li chih), carpenters of the Buddhist 
 temples. 
 
 Shuri no daibu. This office is filled by the Daimio of Sat- 
 suma, "Shimadzu shuri no daibu." 
 
 Sh. no gonno daibu, etc. 
 
 Kangay yushi. This seems to be a military board of de- 
 liberation. Kangay yu no cho gwang of high rank. 
 
 Kangay yu no ji kwang, one man of high rank, generally 
 a Ben gwang. This is a very high office; the officers are 
 always known from their fine dress. 
 
 K. no hang gwang, military secretaries in the office. 
 
 Shuzen shi, the Mint. 
 
 The Mint is not now at Miako, but at Yedo, where the 
 Shiogoon's officers keep it in their own hands. 
 
 Shuri goo jo shi, superintendent of Sintoo temples or mias. 
 Head officer is always a Ben gwang. 
 
 Dzo ji shi, superintendents of Buddhist temples. 
 
 Bo wo ngashi, military man, superintends the banks of 
 the Kamongawa, a river at Miako. Is at the same time Ta 
 yee no ske. 
 
 Se yaku in, doctors for the poor in Miako. 
 
 Ke bi ishi, Police and Executive. The Kangay yu no cho, 
 the Gio bu shio, and the Kebi ishi, are now merged in one 
 department, to which all the Kokushiu Daimios, the Dai jo 
 gwang, Giobushio, the Ometski, and city governors belong, 
 and is very important. 
 
 The head officer is Kebi ishi no bettowo, a military man 
 of higher rank than the Sanghi. There is a saying that a 
 Kebi ishi no bettowo should have seven virtues. These seven 
 virtues, the book remarks, it is very difficult to find in one 
 man. K. no bettowo is one of the men with most power 
 over the natives in the empire. 
 
 K. no ske, two men. They are commonly known as Ta 
 yee no ske, and every one in Miako can recognize them at 
 once by their dress. 
 
 Then follow the titles of men as heads of some of the large 
 families or clans of Japan.
 
 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 71 
 
 Fusi wara ooji no choja (chang shang), the head of the 
 clan Fusiwara. By men of this clan all high civil offices 
 are filled. The offices of Sessio and Kwanbakku are filled 
 by members of this family. When the country is torn by 
 civil war, then he who gets the power may take the title, as 
 in the case of Taiko sma and his son. 
 
 Genji no Choja, the head of the family of Gen. Gen and 
 Minnamoto are the same name (Ch., un, a spring of water). 
 It is supposed to be pre-eminently military, and having gained 
 the upper hand in the long civil wars with the He family, it 
 has advanced in honor, especially under the present dynasty 
 of Shiogoons, who call themseives Minnamoto. 
 
 The Shiogoon is Minnamoto no choja, and as holding this 
 title he now is also Shiungaku in no bettowo, or principal of 
 the college of Shiungaku in, formerly in Miako, now in Yedo. 
 He is also head of the college Joone wa in. 
 
 Then follow some of the officers more immediately about 
 the Emperor's person. 
 
 Nai keoo bo no bettowo, office of music for the ladies, 
 generally held by a man of high rank, with some knowledge 
 of music. 
 
 Nai zen no bettowo, examiner or presenter of the Em- 
 peror's food, of high rank. 
 
 Mi dzu shi dokoro no bettowo, superintendent of the 
 kitchen in the palace, is always Kura no kami. 
 
 O oota dokoro no bettowo, superintendent of singing and 
 poetry, an officer of very high rank, sometimes one of the 
 royal family. 
 
 Ki roku dokoro no bettowo. Every day there meet hi 
 the Emperor's study, or Ki roku, this officer, who is of 
 Koongio rank, one of the Ben gwang, one Kaiko, and one 
 Yori oodo, who come to write for the Emperor. 
 
 Kaku sho no bettowo, superintendent of a certain kind 
 of music (Yoh). 
 
 Kuro wu do or Kurodo dokoro, an important depart- 
 ment in the palace. The Emperor Saga, A.D. 810, com- 
 menced the office. The officers seem to be noble attend?
 
 72 HISTORY OF' JAPAN. 
 
 ants on the Emperor's person, and to appear about him 
 when in public. 
 
 Kurodo no Bettowo is an office held by one of the highest 
 ministers Kwanbakku or Sadaijin. 
 
 Kurodo no To (or Tono kurodo dokoro), two officers, one 
 Ben gwang, one military. 
 
 Go-i (fifth rank) kuro do dokoro, three officers, civilians, 
 always rise from this to higher rank : first, to Hatch shio no 
 ske, then to Kangay yu no jikang, to Kebe ishi no ske, to 
 Tono Kurodo, and to Sanghi. Therefore this place is sought 
 after by the Kindatchi (sons of Go sekkay), as it brings them 
 prominently forward ; but it is an office requiring great energy 
 and exactness, and mistakes are apt to bring the officer to 
 trouble. The dress of the K. no To is somewhat similar in 
 color to the Emperor's. 
 
 Roko-i (sixth rank) no kurodo, four officers. Must be 
 sons of Shodaibu (fifth rank); must be able and of good 
 courage, and steady men. The first officer gets as his per- 
 quisite the kikuji no ho, the used outer clothes of the Em- 
 peror, of yellow and green colors mixed. One of the lower 
 officers gets the inner white silk dress, which is changed 
 every day. The Emperor never wears linen or cotton. 
 
 Hi kurodo, many, all of low rank, and are the men- 
 servants of the palace. 
 
 Ko do neri, lower servants. 
 
 Dzo siki, military officers, young men, guards of the 
 kurodo. 
 
 TokorO no shiu, attendants. 
 
 Take ngootchi, private soldiers. 
 
 Then follows another short historical notice of the Sho 
 koku, all the provinces of Japan, to the effect that formerly 
 all Japan belonged to the Emperor Zin mu, who was, before 
 becoming Emperor, a (kami yoh) god. He came from 
 Miazaki in Fiuga, and at the time Japan was wild and bar- 
 barous. He fought his way to Yamato, and made his capita] 
 Kashiwara. 
 
 At the time of the tenth Emperor, Shiu jin, Kashiwara
 
 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 73 
 
 existed. He sent embassies to all the separate princes of 
 Japan. He appointed four generals of the north, south, east 
 and west, Si dono shiogoon, and, war ensuing, he conquered 
 all Japan. 
 
 Emperor Say mu, A.D. 150, the thirteenth after Zin mu, 
 appointed rulers over the country. These were then called 
 "Kooni no miatsko," and he subsequently divided the empire 
 into provinces. These lords were afterward called "Koku 
 shiu," and again were known as "Kami to you." 
 
 The provinces were divided into 
 Gay koku, inferior provinces. 
 Dai koku, large provinces. 
 Jo koku, superior provinces. 
 Chiu koku, central provinces. 
 Ki nai koku, the five provinces round Miako. 
 
 To each of these there were appointed officers kami, jo, 
 ske, and sakkan. 
 
 The provinces were classed together as To kai do (eastern 
 sea-road), fifteen provinces 1, Iga; 2, Isse; 3, Sima; 4, 
 Owarri; 5, Mikawa; 6, Tootomi; 7, Suruga; 8, Idzu; 9, 
 Kahi; 10, Segami; 11, Musasi; 12, Awa; 13, Kadsusa; 14, 
 Simosa; 15, Hitatsi. 
 
 To sando (eastern Highland), eight provinces 1, Oomi; 
 2, Mino; 3, Hida; 4, Sinano; 5, KowodsuM; 6, Simodsuki; 
 7, Mootz; 8, Dewa. 
 
 Dewa and Mootz are large outlying provinces, and one 
 Kami is not sufficient, therefore another office is established 
 there, "Azetshi no foo." Originally Mootz and Dewa were 
 one. About A.D. 713, in the time of the Empress Gen mei, 
 Mootz was divided; and the Empress Gen Sio, who suc- 
 ceeded, created the office of Azetshi shi; and the Emperor 
 Sio mu added Chinji foo and Fooku shio goong, and Goon 
 king and Goon so. Azetshi shi is the chief officer of Mootz, 
 and is of high rank. 
 
 Azetshi shi no keji, his secretary. 
 
 Chin ji foo is another officer in these provinces, of which 
 the head officer is named Chin no shiogoong. The Daimio 
 
 4
 
 74 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 known as "Sendai" is the head man of these provinces, and, 
 as Kami of Mootz, is known also as Fooku shiogoong. 
 
 In these provinces are the two officers Akita no jo and 
 Ske. The Emperor Sio mu built a fortress at Akita, and 
 appointed an officer in charge. Dewa no ske and Akita no 
 ske are different titles of the same officer. 
 
 Hoku roku do, north-country provinces route. Seven 
 provinces 1, Wakasa; 2, Etsizen; 3, Kanga; 4, Noto; 5, 
 Etjiu; 6, Etsingo; 7, Sado. 
 
 San in do. The back or north Highland route. Eight 
 provinces 1, Tamba; 2, Tango; 3, Tajima; 4, Inaba; 5, 
 Hoki; 6, Idzumo; 7, Iwami; 8, Oki. 
 
 San yo do. The fore or south Highland route. Eight 
 provinces 1, Harima; 2, Mimmesaka; 3, Bizen; 4, Bitsjiu; 
 
 5, Bingo; 6, Aki; 7, Suwo; 8, Nagato. 
 
 Nankai do. Southern sea route. Six provinces 1, Kii; 
 2, Awadsi; 3, Awa; 4, Sanuki; 5, lyo; 6, Tosa. 
 
 Sei kai do. Western sea route in Kiusiu. Eleven prov- 
 inces 1, Tsikuzen; 2, Tsikugo; 3, Hizen; 4, Higo; 5, Buzen; 
 
 6, Bungo; 7, Fiuga; 8, Osumi; 9, Satsuma; 10, Iki; 11, 
 Tsusima. 
 
 The Emperor Siomu created an office in the island of 
 Kiusiu, Da zai fu, but it is now done away with. All the 
 lords of that island were formerly required to come to Miako 
 once every four years. 
 
 Military department. The imperial guards are called Sho 
 ye (Ch., Chu wei), "all keep." 
 
 Sa kon ye fu, and Oo k., office of the left and right 
 guards. A military office is Jing, or Goong, or Oo rin goong, 
 or Ye fu no jing. 
 
 Tai sho, generally commander-in-chief of the army, is 
 sometimes called Shiogoon and Baku foo, is always of the 
 highest rank, his office making him of equal rank with the 
 Sadaijin. 
 
 Besides the Tai sho there are two officers, the Sa and Oo 
 daisho ; sometimes called Sakonye no taisho. The Sadaisho 
 is the superior officer.
 
 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 75 
 
 Chiujo, lieutenant-generals of the guards, four, or at 
 times six, officers. 
 
 Sa kon ye no Chiujo and Oo kon ye, men of high rank. 
 
 Shojo (small general), major-general. Of these there are 
 uight or ten. Are also of high rank, especially if appointed 
 while young. 
 
 Shogeng. Military offices of inferior rank to the above. 
 
 Shoso. Secretaries; adjutants. 
 
 Banjiu. Also called Konye no to neri servants. All 
 the officers above are near the Emperor as guards. 
 
 Gay ye. Outer guards. 
 
 The office is Sa (and Oo) ye mon no foo. The Emperor 
 Sanga changed the name from Ye ji no foo. 
 
 Sa ye mon DO Kami. 
 
 Sa ye mon no ske, etc. 
 
 Sa (or Oo) hio ye no foo is another office. 
 
 Sa (or Oo) hio ye no Kami is head officer of high rank. 
 This officer is frequently mentioned by the Jesuits. 
 
 Sa hio ye no ske. 
 
 Oo hio ye no ske, etc. 
 
 Soma rio or Sa-oo ma rio. The office of right or left 
 superintendent of the cavalry. 
 
 Sa ma no Kami. ; Oo ma no Kami. Both of high rank. 
 
 Sa ma no gonno Kami ; Oo ma no gonno Kami. 
 
 Ske and Gonno Ske. These take rank above all other ske. 
 
 Sa and Oo ma no dai jo and shojo. This is the first rank 
 attained by a commissioned officer in the army. 
 
 Hio ngo rio. Ordnance storehouse. 
 
 Hio no Kami. One officer; 
 
 Gay boo no Kwang. The outer military department. 
 The army in distinction from the guards. 
 
 The annals of the army are very ancient. In Tenshio 
 dai jin's time, the title of the commander-in-chief was Fu 
 dzu nushino kami, known by his posthumous honors and title 
 as Kashima Mio jin in Hitatsi province. The title of Shio- 
 goon (tsiang kiun) was first used by the Emperor Shiu jin 
 50 B.C. In the Emperor Kei ko's tune, his son, Yamato
 
 76 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 taki no mikoto, was dai shiogoon, and there were two others, 
 Sa and Oo shiogoon. This Yamato overran all Japan and 
 the island of Yezo, also the three countries of Sinra, Corea, 
 and Haxai or Hiakusai, provinces of what is now known as 
 Corea, and put into them Japanese offices and officers; and 
 after that commenced Goonfoo or military offices, or, in 
 short, a standing army. 
 
 Chinjiu foo. Office for northern provinces. C. no Shio- 
 goon, an officer who is general and commander-in-chief in 
 the provinces of Mootz and Dewa. Mootz no Kami (Sendai) 
 is generally the hereditary Shiogoon of these provinces. He 
 is bound to keep, in the two provinces, an army of 5,000 men. 
 
 Chinji foo no fooku shiogoon is an officer called out only 
 during war. 
 
 Chinji foo no goon kan, etc. 
 
 Se i dai Shiogoon (Ch., Tsing i ta tsiang kiun), tranquil- 
 izer of barbarians; great army general. Yamato take no 
 mikoto was the first called Tai shiogoon. Se i was a title first 
 given to Bunya no wata maro for bringing all the wild north- 
 ern part of Japan under rule. This is the officer known to 
 foreigners as Tycoon. 
 
 Se i shi. The office of the tranquilizer of barbarians. 
 
 Sei fu is one name by which the Shiogoon 's castle in Yedo 
 is known. This title and it is now only a title has for long 
 been in the Minnamoto family. Yoritomo was Sei Shiogoon 
 (not Kubosama, as Ksempfer says). 
 
 Sinwo. Imperial families; previously explained. 
 
 Koongio. This class includes all of the three first ranks, 
 and Sanghi, though of fourth rank. Only three men have 
 been of the first rank and first class while alive, Tatchibanna 
 moroye, A.D. 749; Fusiwara no Oshikatz, 762, a great tyrant; 
 and Nangatte, so bad a man that the book will not say when 
 he lived, A.D. 770, 780. These three men all lived and rose 
 to power one after the other during the reign of Koken the 
 Empress. This woman is notorious in Japanese history for 
 her outrage of morality in her conduct with Dokio, a priest. 
 She seems to have shown talent and capacity in her public
 
 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 77 
 
 position, and reascended the throne as Shio toku after one 
 abdication. 
 
 Daijodaijin, Kwanbakku, Sessio, Sa and Oo daijin, pre- 
 viously explained. 
 
 8ho shin, all beneath the third rank, including Tenjio bito 
 and Jeengay, being so called, includes some Koongays and 
 all the Daimios. 
 
 Kindatchi, sons of the Gosekkay. 
 
 Sho dai bu, officers of the fifth rank and below. 
 
 Samurai are all military men and civilians who are inde- 
 pendent of trade or farming. 
 
 The Emperor's wife has the title of Ko-ngoo. 
 
 The Emperor's widow has the title of Nioying. 
 
 The Emperor's daughter has the title of Nei shin wo. 
 
 The female attendants are called Jo wo ro. 
 
 The female inferiors are called Ko jowo ro and Chiu ro. 
 
 The female lowest class are called Gay ro. 
 
 Then follow the titles of Buddhist officials in temples, 
 such as 1, Dai so jo, equal in rank to Shanghi; 2, Ho yin; 
 3, Ho-moo; 4, Sowodz and Gonno Sowodz; 5, Ho-ngong; 
 6, Bis shi. 
 
 There are different titles of inferior orders of priests who 
 have to do with ritual, worship, funerals, etc. 
 
 The above gives an imperfect sketch of the offices, with 
 the titles, ranks, and degrees, of the officers connected with 
 the government of Japan. Such information is at the best 
 uninteresting ; but when it is conveyed in names which have 
 no meaning, it becomes, without some practical acquaintance 
 with the country, as difficult as it is useless to attempt to 
 master the subject. But to one living in the country this 
 knowledge is indispensable, and even for reading the letters 
 of the old Jesuits, who seem to have been thoroughly ac- 
 quainted with the names in common use by the people, some 
 such information is very needful. Thus we find, among 
 many others, they speaic of Toronosqui as Cauzuye dono, 
 and of Don Austin as Chikara dono, titles which are ren-
 
 78 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 dered in the above list as Kadznyay no Kami and Chikara 
 no Kami. These titles, as has been said, are in use at the 
 present day, but they refer more to the old form of govern- 
 ment of Miako, which has been supplanted by the more 
 recent imitation of it at Yedo. The latter having retained 
 the whole executive in its hands, the mere form has been left 
 to Miako. Now, when the country has begun to have rela- 
 tions with foreign countries, the difficulty of the double gov- 
 ernment is hanging over the rulers, who have not yet seen 
 that one must be swept away as a thing no longer required. 
 The two parts of the double government come into collision 
 in presence of third powers. The Government of Yedo is 
 still to be explained, and the reader will then be able to see 
 how far the opposing interests of the two capitals throw 
 difficulties hi the way of smooth progress. 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 HISTORY OP THE EMPIRE TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA 
 
 THE period of the history of Japan which has most inter- 
 est to a European is that during which intercourse was car- 
 ried on with Europe. But, independently of this new and 
 interesting element introduced into the country, this is, even 
 to a Japanese, the period of the history of his country which 
 has most interest. It was the termination of a long succes- 
 sion of bloody civil wars, during which the whole empire was 
 deluged with blood, lasting long enough to make the country 
 a desert, the inhabitants savages, when agriculture was to- 
 tally neglected, and the knowledge of letters nearly forgotten. 
 Family ties were broken ; young men were all soldiers ; young 
 women were common property. The Japanese may well 
 look upon the man raised up, and who proved himself able 
 to put an end to such a state of things, as a hero, and think
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 79 
 
 his family worthy of the highest honors. To reduce order 
 out of chaos, to insure his country 250 years of peace, during 
 which time every one has been able to sit under his own vine, 
 and to rear his family in happiness, and gather in the fruits 
 of his labor in peace, may well rank lyeyas as among the 
 illustrious of men. 
 
 It is necessary, in order to understand the working of the 
 government as it exists at present, to have some knowledge 
 of the events which preceded and gradually led up to the 
 period when this change began. 
 
 In the works of Klaproth and Ksempfer will be found 
 notes of the earlier historical events occurring in Japan. 
 "What follows here is derived from these and other sources, 
 and is an attempt to notice some of the more prominent im- 
 portant events, and to give some interest to the subject by 
 bringing it down to the present time. It is unnecessary in 
 such a sketch to go back to the time of remote antiquity, 
 or to try to get glimmerings of light out of fables, such as 
 the different generations of heavenly and earthly emperors. 
 To notice shortly the more prominent characters and events 
 may be deemed sufficient. 
 
 Among the first of these prominent characters was Yamato 
 Daki no Mikoto, prince of warriors, commander-in-chief , and 
 of the imperial family. He is supposed to have lived during 
 the second century. He overran the eastern and northern 
 parts of Japan as far as the island of Yezo. A story is told 
 of his wife having thrown herself into the sea to appease a 
 storm, and from his lamentations over her, as Atsuma or 
 Adzuma, the eastern provinces are spoken of as Adzuma, 
 now sometimes applied to the east generally, and more spe- 
 cially to the inhabitants, who are spoken of as Adzuma Yebis, 
 or "boors of the east," by way of contempt. 
 
 Another of these early events in the history of Japan, 
 which bears an interest even to the present day, is the inva- 
 sion and conquest of the southern part of Corea by the Em- 
 press Jingu kogu, known by her husband's name as Chiu ai 
 tenwo, in the third century. The Emperor, her husband,
 
 80 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 was the son of the above-mentioned Yamato. She accom- 
 panied him to the island of Kiusiu, whither he went to put 
 down a rebellion among some tributary states ; but before 
 the operation was accomplished he died, and she assumed 
 the reins of power. Her prime minister was an old man, 
 Take ootsi no Sukonne. After raising troops, and collecting 
 ships to transport them across the sea, she found herself preg- 
 nant, but she was fortunate enough to find a stone which de- 
 layed her accouchement till her return to Japan. Having 
 subdued the three countries of Sinra, Korai, and Hakusai, 
 and compelled them to give up their treasures and to promise 
 to pay annual tribute to Japan, she returned to bury her de- 
 ceased husband, and was soon after delivered of a son, who 
 was afterward the Emperor Osin, known better by his post- 
 humous title of Hatchimang. Two older sons of her hus- 
 band by a concubine, asserting their rights of primogeniture, 
 and probably doubting the virtues of the stone, raised an 
 army to oppose the Empress. Take ootsi was sent to defend 
 her rights, and he put them to flight. 
 
 There is no incident more frequently taken for a subject 
 by painters in Japan than the Empress Jingu and her infant 
 in the arms of the aged Take ootsi. She is worshiped under 
 the name of Kashi no dai mio jin ; but though her victories 
 threw more luster over the arms of Japan, in foreign war- 
 fare, than any previous reign, or, it may be added, any sub- 
 sequent one, she does not seem to rank so high in the estima- 
 tion of her subjects, or in the company of the gods, as her 
 son. During his reign, Wonin descended from one of the 
 Emperors of China of the Han dynasty is said to have in- 
 troduced for the first time Chinese letters from Corea. His 
 tomb stands in the neighborhood of Osaka, and divine honors 
 have been accorded to him. As has been remarked, it may 
 be doubted how far the Japanese, with their previous use 
 of Chinese titles and names of gods, officers and men, could 
 have been ignorant up to this time of the art of writing. To 
 the Emperor Osin, though unborn, appears to have been 
 given the credit of the conquest of Corea. After his death,
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 81 
 
 in A.D. 313, divine honors were paid to him. He was styled 
 and worshiped as the god of war, and under the title Hatchi- 
 mang-dai Bosats he is represented as an incarnation of the 
 Buddha of the eight banners. The largest temples have 
 been raised in his honor, and every village, almost every 
 hill, has its Hatchimang goo or shrine in honor of Hatchi- 
 mang, the god of war. 
 
 The introduction of Buddhism was the next event of im- 
 portance in the history of Japan. This is said to have taken 
 place toward the middle of the sixth century. But it may 
 be presumed, when the Emperor receives the posthumous 
 honor of a Bosat, or Bodhisattwa, in the fourth century, 
 either that the title was given long after his decease, or that 
 the religion was beginning to be introduced at an earlier 
 epoch. In all probability Wonin, who had access to the im- 
 perial family, and must have had great influence, had sown 
 the seeds of the new doctrine, and had given the title to his 
 patron. These seeds may not have borne fruit for 200 years; 
 but considering the communication in past times with China, 
 it is difficult to conceive total ignorance of these doctrine. To 
 Corea, therefore, Japan was again indebted for a religion. In 
 the year 552, during the reign of the Emperor Kin mei, the 
 King of Hakkusai, a district of Corea, sent an embassy with 
 a present of an image of Buddha Sakya mooni, with Bud- 
 dhist books to the Emperor. The priests of the old Sinto re- 
 ligion were roused, but the new made its way. The Sinto 
 religion seems to be all prayers, without any idea of a being 
 to whom to pray beyond white paper, or a mirror, as an em- 
 blem of purity. The Buddhist religion supplied this, and 
 presented what is required by many minds, the idea of a 
 pure life through self-denial self-denial giving a man power 
 over himself, and enabling him to be the servant or the mas- 
 ter as his church may require. During the succeeding reign, 
 in consequence of an epidemic, some persecution of the new 
 doctrines was attempted ; but Moumaya do no wosi, son of 
 the Emperor, being a convert, was very zealous in the propa- 
 gation of the faith; while Nakatomi, then in power, and of
 
 82 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 the family who superintended the Sinto rites, opposed him. 
 But the son of the Emperor (known by his Buddhist name 
 Ziou go taisi, or Sho to ku tai si) prevailed. He was ap- 
 pointed regent during the reign of the Empress Sui ko. He 
 was a very gentle character, strictly acting up to the injunc- 
 tions- of the new faith. At his death, in the beginning of the 
 seventh century, there were, according to the Annales, 46 
 Buddhist temples, 816 priests, and 569 "religieuses" in the 
 empire. 
 
 The introduction of Buddhism through China and Corea 
 brought with it, as might have been expected, some of the 
 customs of these countries. The use of the Nengo (Nien 
 hau ; i. e. , year name) for marking events and dates was one 
 of the customs introduced in the year 646 A.D. A woman 
 ruling as Empress was another of the changes, and was prob- 
 ably used as a means for the consolidation of the new relig- 
 ion. Under the Empress Sui ko the degrees of rank among 
 the officers of government, similar to those used in China, 
 were introduced about 604 A.D. Six ranks, of two grades 
 each, were settled in place of the nine ranks, of two grades 
 each, as in China. These were distinguished, as in China, 
 by their head-dress, and by the color of the dress. They 
 were called by the allegorical names of Virtue, Humanity, 
 Manners, Faith, Justice, "Wit. The first Empress was fol- 
 lowed in no long time by a second, Kwo kogoo, and during 
 her reign she had the good fortune to have as a minister and 
 counselor Nakatomi-kamatar iko. He was not a Buddhist, 
 but had no doubt felt the influence which the spread of this 
 doctrine had exercised over Japan, and is reputed to this day 
 one of Japan's greatest men, and looked up to as the founder 
 of her law. During a long life he seems to have steered 
 safely through the difficulties of politics acting as counselor 
 to his mistress, Kwo kogoo, her brother who succeeded her, 
 Kwotoku, and again when his former mistress reascended 
 the throne as Zai mei, and subsequently her son Ten si 
 gaining over those who might have been his opponents by 
 suavity and gentleness of demeanor. The last-named Em-
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 83 
 
 peror deplored his loss, and gave him the hereditary name 
 of Fusi wara, a family of which he was the founder. He 
 was canonized after death, and worshiped as Kassunga dai 
 mio jin, his temple being near Narra. During his life, and 
 the reign of Kwotoku, the eight boards were completed after 
 the model of the Lok po, or six boards of China. 
 
 Another change, which commenced after the introduction 
 of Buddhism, was the abdication of the Emperors after very 
 short reigns. This led again to the successive appointments 
 of mere children as Emperors. The ages at which several of 
 the Emperors, over a lengthened period, ascended the throne, 
 tended to reduce the position of Emperor to a name, and to 
 throw the entire power into the hands of the ministers. The 
 system began shortly after the introduction of Buddhism at 
 court, and the minds of the boys and women who succes- 
 sively were nominal sovereigns of Japan were directed to the 
 study of books of the religion, to the erection of magnificent 
 temples, and to the manufacture of enormous idols and bells. 
 Such as the enormous copper figures of Buddha at Narra, 
 Kamakura, and Miako. The latter has been melted down 
 and a wooden figure substituted. Such were the Empress 
 Sei wa, who began her reign at the age of nine ; Yozei, who 
 commenced his at the age of eight; Daigo, at thirteen; 
 Reizan, a weakly lad of eighteen; Yenwou, at eleven; Go 
 itsi, at nine; Konye, at three; and Rokusio, at two. But 
 at intervals when a man ascended the throne, as the Em- 
 peror Ten si, it is a relief to see that some energy remained 
 in the members of the royal family ; and at times the national 
 vigor was shown, and the military spirit, which the people 
 are always proud of asserting, was fanned, by wars with 
 Dattang (or Tartary) and Corea in 658 and 661. About the 
 same time Yezo was once more overrun by Japanese arms 
 and brought into subjection, military stations and officers 
 being appointed in the island and in the hitherto barbar- 
 ous provinces of Mootz and Dewa, in the north of Nippon. 
 Revolts in the island of Kiusiu about 740 demanded fresh 
 action from the center, and tend to show what a loose
 
 84 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 hold this central power had at that time over the extremi- 
 ties of the country. Not till the year 794 was this central 
 power finally fixed at Miako. About this year the Emperor 
 Kwan mu built a large palace there, finding that the magni- 
 tude of the business transacted by the eight boards of the 
 empire demanded some settled place at which the court and 
 the heads of departments might be permanently located. To 
 the introduction of Buddhism and Chinese literature we may 
 ascribe the completion, by Fusiwara (Tankai ko), who died 
 in 720, of the "Ritz Rio," a code of laws which are in force 
 and use at the present day. The introduction of an alphabet 
 or syllabary (the Hira Kana and Kata Kana) to facilitate the 
 reading and understanding of Chinese was the work of the 
 famous priest Ko bo, born in the province of SanuM 774, 
 and who died in 835. He was canonized as Kobo dad si, and 
 is venerated as one of the holiest saints of the Japanese cal- 
 endar, and consequently was very much abused by the Jesu- 
 its. He spent some part of his life in China studying under 
 the Buddhists of the time, and brought with him, as many 
 others did, large numbers of Buddhist books. The endur- 
 ing property of Japanese paper and the absence of white ants 
 have preserved these, and doubtless in some of the libraries 
 of the country and Corea there may be found works of great 
 interest to the student of early Buddhist history in China and 
 India. The Issyekio or catalogue of all Buddhist canonical 
 books has been lately republished. 
 
 The custom grew gradually into use of the Emperor, after 
 his abdication, adopting the garb of a priest, shaving his 
 head, and retiring to a religious life. This seems to have 
 been in many cases merely nominal, as some retained not 
 only an interest, but took an active part, in the affairs of the 
 world ; while to others the retirement was a relief and an 
 opening to license. The power, numbers, and wealth of the 
 Buddhist monasteries had vastly increased. They threat- 
 ened to monopolize the land of the empire ; and the head of 
 a monastery was equal or superior to one of the most power- 
 ful princes. Not only were the priests themselves living off
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 85 
 
 these lands, but each of these establishments had a number 
 of retainers and soldiers sufficient to change the tide of suc- 
 cess in any engagement. 
 
 For three or four centuries the history of the empire may 
 be written in the successive rise to power of individuals of 
 the great families of the peerage Fusiwara, Sungawara, 
 Minnamoto, Tatchibanna, and others. Names which are 
 regarded as illustrious in history, and held in veneration to 
 the present day, occasionally shine out, such as Kan sio jo, 
 better known by his posthumous title, Ten mang, the son 
 of Sungawar zay zen kio. He has the character of having 
 been a very able man, and was Kwan bakku and Nai dai jin. 
 Fusiwara no toki hira, ancestor of Koozio dono of the present 
 day, became very jealous of him, and Ten mang being of a 
 quiet disposition, Toka hira obtained an order for his banish- 
 ment to Dazai fu, in the island of Kiusiu. Here he retired 
 to the hill Ten pai zan, in Tsikuzen, and endeavored to get a 
 letter conveyed to the Emperor, but failed in doing so, and 
 was found starved to death on the 25th day of the second 
 month. A fable is told of letters having passed between him 
 and Haku raku teng, a Chinese poet, both letters being so 
 similar that only one word out of fourteen differed. The 
 repetition of the story in connection with the greatest literary 
 character of the country may show what admiration Chinese 
 literature was held in by the Japanese, and how it was con- 
 sidered the standard of excellence. Ten mang occupies in 
 Japanese schools a somewhat similar position to that held 
 by Confucius in the Chinese. He is worshiped on the 25th 
 of each month, a day which is marked as a holiday. On the 
 anniversary a matsuri or festival is held "Natane no goku." 
 His posthumous title is Ten mang dai ji sei ten jin. His 
 descendants ar^ known as Ten jin sang. Of temples to his 
 memory there is in Miako a fine one at Kitano, called also 
 Say bio, and in Yedo at Kame ido, and at Yooshima and 
 Shibba. In that at Miako the gilding and lacker are re- 
 newed every fifty years. There is in it a large library, with 
 many old pieces of armor and spoils taken during the wars
 
 86 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 with Corea. These are exhibited annually on the mooshi 
 boshi day, "insect-brushing-away day," when the temple is 
 cleaned. 
 
 Among others who made a name to themselves by their 
 bravery and other qualifications was Yoshi iye (son of Yori 
 yoshi, Prince of Mootz), one of the Minnamoto family, born 
 1057, and known in history by the appellation given him 
 by his enemies of Hatchi mang taro, or eldest son of the 
 god of war. His third son was Yoshi kooni, who settled at 
 Ashikanga, in the province of Simotsuki, and is the common 
 ancestor of the celebrated families of Ashikanga and Nitta. 
 
 In 1008 the Empress was one of the great clan of Minna- 
 moto, which was rising to power. The distant parts of the 
 empire were being consolidated by operations against rebels, 
 and the repeated transmission of large bodies of troops to the 
 different parts of the islands to put them down. This war 
 began to create an excitement or rivalry among some of the 
 leaders, who, when the rebellions were put down, had the 
 wish for more enemies to conquer, and could only turn round 
 in jealousy upon their equals. Yoshi iye was sent to the 
 province of Mootz as Commander-in-chief, and, after many 
 years' fighting, subdued the rebels, and brought this prov- 
 ince, as well as all the Kwanto (the provinces "east of the 
 barrier of Hakonay"), into submission. His son Tame yoshi 
 desired the same post. To Taira tada mori, descended from 
 the Emperor Kwan mu, was given the island of Tsussima, 
 and in 1153 his son Kio mori succeeded him as President 
 of the Criminal Tribunal. This name calls up, to any one 
 acquainted with Japanese history, the recollection of the 
 most stirring events, and the greatest struggle which has 
 ever convulsed the empire of Japan. This struggle was 
 between the Gen or Minnamoto and the He or Taira fami- 
 lies. He and Taira are the same word in Japanese writing, 
 meaning "peace," the former being the pronunciation of the 
 Chinese word ping. The Minnamoto family, or Gen ji, stood 
 on the broadest basis, and had risen to the greatest fame, 
 and had recently occupied the highest positions in the state.
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 87 
 
 The Empress had been of the family, and the memoirs of the 
 family had been written for her edification, or to gratify her 
 own or her family's pride. On the other side, members of 
 the Taira family, or He ji, had occasionally risen up to high 
 rank in the state ; and recently the family had been honored 
 for its prowess and its activity in the imperial service. 
 
 Yoshi tomo and Kio mori were rising step by step to 
 higher rank and power, when the abdication of Toba no, 
 1123, and the question as to his successor, threw everything 
 into confusion. His immediate successor was his son Sho 
 toku, in 1124, who after reigning seventeen years retired 
 (mainly on account of the intrigues of his stepmother) at 
 the age of thirty-nine. He left a son, Sighe shto, but was 
 succeeded by his half-brother, Kon ye no in, who,, after 
 reigning fourteen years, died at the age of seventeen. The 
 latter had been elevated to the throne by the intrigues of Bi 
 fouk mon, his mother, and she suspected the late Emperor 
 of having caused his death in order that his own son Sighe 
 shto might ascend the throne. But in order to defeat these 
 projects, she induced her son on his deathbed to adopt his 
 half-brother Go ziro kawa. A younger son was thus in 
 actual possession, while his nephew and the eldest son of the 
 elder brother were displaced. The lineal heir endeavored to 
 regain his rights. He raised an army, and on his side were 
 ranged as leaders many of the higher members of the Min- 
 namoto family. On the other side was Kio mori, of the 
 Taira family, and, of the Minnamoto family, Yoshi tomo 
 and Tada mitsi. A battle was fought only eleven days after 
 the death of the old Emperor Toba no in. Notwithstanding 
 the bravery and prowess of the leaders of their opponents, 
 the He ji, the party in power, gained the day. Among the 
 leaders of the Gen ji was Tame tomo, famous for his power 
 in drawing a bow (owing, perhaps, to the one arm being 
 shorter than the other), and, in his subsequent life, as a rover 
 over the Southern seas. He was the first historical occupier 
 of the islands to the south of Japan, Hatchi jo and its chain, 
 linked on to the southeastern promontory, and the Liookioo
 
 88 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 Islands, with the chain joined by links to the southwestern 
 promontory of the mainland. He was the brother of Yoshi 
 tomo, who fought on the opposite side. As a reward for 
 their success on behalf of the Emperor de facto, Go ziro 
 kawa, Minnamoto Yoshi tomo and Taira Kio mori were both 
 raised to higher rank and power, and to each was given a 
 province as a more substantial acknowledgment of their 
 assistance. From this time mutual jealousy seems to have 
 grown up between these two. But the ability of the reign- 
 ing Emperor, who thenceforward took the reins into his own 
 hands, seems to have kept down their smoldering jealousy. 
 As to the prince who was endeavoring to resume his lawful 
 rights, he and his father, the Emperor Sho toku, were ban- 
 ished Jo the province of Sanuki, where the latter died in the 
 year 1164. He died of starvation, having written a letter to 
 the Emperor with his blood, upon a piece of his shirt; but 
 Kio mori would not let the Emperor see it. 
 
 The banished Emperor Sho toku was devoted to his wor- 
 ship, and since his death he has to many worshipers taken 
 the place of Compera. This is a name much worshiped 
 in Japan as a god. As a hideous idol with a long nose he 
 has temples erected to his worship in every village. Imme- 
 diately after the death of Sho toku, in 1163, a violent storm 
 or earthquake took place, and as he was known to have a 
 great reverence for Compera, this convulsion of nature was 
 attributed to the anger of this supposed being, and a mag- 
 nificent temple was raised by his son and grandson on Dzo 
 dzu Hill (Elephant's Head Hill), at Matzuyama, near Mar- 
 ungame, in the province of Sanuki. Sho toku (known by 
 the adopted name of Seengeen) is by many looked upon as 
 Compera gongen. Compera, from the Chinese characters 
 composing the name, seems to be Kapila, of Indian my- 
 thology. Kapila was known as the founder of the Sankya 
 school of philosophy in India, which, in reference to the 
 sacred Vedas, held the authority of revelation as paramount 
 to reason and experience, to which Buddha, either for his 
 philosophical or his moral or religious doctrines, would not
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 89 
 
 submit. Some have thought Kapila and Buddha to be the 
 same person. His anniversary day is the tenth day of the 
 tenth month. He is revered for his great strength, which 
 he exerted in favor of Sakya mooni. In Buddhist history, 
 Daibadatta wished to destroy Say son i.e., Sakya mooni. 
 He took up a large stone, twenty-four yards long and four 
 arms'-length broad, and threw it down on him. Compera 
 saw the action, and instantly stretched out his hand and 
 caught the stone as it fell. Another name of Compera is 
 He-ira. He is called also Kapira, and "Goo pira," and 
 "Goo he ira." The name of Ee ngio wo power equal to 
 emperor is also given to him for his strength. Fudowo mio 
 is according to some the same as Compera. Many persons 
 worship him because his name begins with "gold." 
 
 Kio mori turned out to be the ablest and most unscrupu- 
 lous minister of the time, but the Emperor, who had abdi- 
 cated, still took the principal management of affairs during 
 the reigns of his son and two grandsons. Kio mori at the 
 age of fifty-one shaved his head, and nominally retired into 
 priest's orders in 1169. 
 
 Yoshi tomo in 1159 had conspired to destroy Kio mori. 
 He failed, and was killed while in the bath by his own ser- 
 vant, Osada. His eldest son went to Miako with the view 
 of killing Kio mori, but was discovered and put to death. 
 His second son died. His third son, Yoritomo, born 1147, 
 fled with his mother (Tokiwa go zen, a woman of low origin) 
 and two brothers. Overtaken by snow and hunger, they 
 were arrested and brought back, when Kio mori forced her 
 to become his concubine. His friends demanded that the 
 children should be put to death, but, at the intercession of 
 his own aunt, he saved their lives, but banished Yoritomo 
 to Hiruga ko jima, or one of the islands to the south of Idzu. 
 The other two boys, Yoshitzune and Nori yori, were kept in 
 Miako and educated for priests. The former of them was aft- 
 erward a well-known hero. His nickname when a boy was 
 Ushi waka, or young ox or calf. Yoritomo, while a boy, 
 was known as Sanaa no kami, or captain of the left cavalry.
 
 90 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 At this time, 1170, Tame tomo above mentioned, who had 
 been roving about the South Sea for years past, landed on 
 the mountainous province and peninsula of Idzu, and at- 
 tempted to raise a rebellion; but his men were overcome, 
 and he himself committed suicide. A temple was raised to 
 his memory, and he is worshiped both in Hatchi jo and in 
 the Liookioo Islands. 
 
 In 1171 the Emperor Taka kura no in, at the age of eleven 
 years, married the daughter of Kio mori, aged fifteen years. 
 This rendered Kio mori still more powerful, and at the same 
 time more imperious in his conduct. He emerged from his 
 seclusion, and placed his two sons in the office of Tai sho or 
 first generals, over the heads of others Who had hoped for 
 the places. This raised a community of feeling against him, 
 and again a conspiracy was made to attack and kill him and 
 the whole of his family, but it failed through the treachery of 
 some of the conspirators. The Empress, Kio mori's daugh- 
 ter, 1178, had a son, and in the following year his own son, 
 Sighe mori, died. This son had proved some obstacle to the 
 working out of his father's schemes of ambition, and when 
 he was removed by death Kio mori imperiously ruled accord- 
 ing to his own pleasure. His grandson, Antoku, in 1181, 
 became Emperor. Kio mori became very tyrannical before 
 his death, and he not only kept the old Emperor confined, 
 but tried to change the residence of the court from Miako to 
 Fu ku wara, and determined to extirpate the family of Min- 
 namoto. Once more a conspiracy was set on foot to destroy 
 the family of He, by one of the royal princes, who had suf- 
 fered from the arrogant insolence of Kio mori. Letters were 
 obtained from the old Emperor and secretly dispatched to 
 Yoritomo, then in banishment on the coast of Idzu, and 
 who was looked upon as the head of the Minnamoto family, 
 and the chief enemy of Kio mori and the He kay. His 
 brother Yoshitzune had escaped from Miako, in the retinue 
 of some gold merchants, to the province of Dewa, and was 
 residing in that province with Hide hira, Mootz no kami. 
 Yoritomo had married the daughter of Hojio Toki massa, in
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 91 
 
 whose charge he was during his banishment. Through her 
 father she was descended from Kwan mu, Emperor, and was 
 afterward known as Ama Shiogoon, or female Shiogoon, her 
 name being Taira no Massa go. When the letters were given 
 to him from the Emperor and his son, calling upon him to 
 raise troops to rid the country of Kio mori, and release them 
 from the durance in which they were kept, he immediately 
 wrote to his brother Yoshitzune, calling upon him to assist 
 him. Under such surveillance were these royal parties kept 
 that it was only under the guise of paying a visit to the great 
 temple of Miajima, on the beautiful island Itsuku jima, in 
 the inland sea, in the province of Aki, then belonging to 
 Kio mori, that the conspirators were able to get the letters 
 dispatched. Yoritomo, with Hojio, collected what men he 
 could, and raised the flag at Ishi bashi yama. "When he first 
 started only seven men joined him, and he fought his first 
 battle with only three hundred under him, against ten times 
 their number. He was defeated, and with his seven friends 
 ran away, and the story goes that they all hid in the hollow 
 trunk of a large tree near Ishi bashi hatto. "While remain- 
 ing concealed there, the soldiers, having examined every 
 other place, came to the conclusion they must be there. A 
 Kashi warra man (secretly a partisan of the Gen party) vol- 
 unteered to go and look, and, though suspected, he was 
 allowed to do so. He went up, looked in, and saw the party 
 hiding, and told them to lie still, and taking his spear showed 
 his commander that he could turn it all round the hollow. 
 When he did so, two bats or birds flew out, and he told his 
 commander that the mouth of the hollow was covered over 
 with spiders' webs. The party of soldiers went away. 
 Yoritomo and his friends left immediately, and went to a 
 temple, where they were secreted in the wardrobe for storing 
 the dresses of the priests. Meantime the soldiers returned, 
 looked into the tree, and found that they had been there. 
 They then went to the temple, demanded of the priest where 
 they were secreted, and, on his refusing to tell, they killed 
 him.
 
 92 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 Meanwhile Yoshitzune collected what forces he could, 
 and with them went down to Kamakura, at the head of the 
 Odawara division of the Bay of Yedo. 
 
 Yoritomo was forced to take refuge in the remote peninsula 
 of Awa, southeast of Yedo, whence he dispatched missives 
 calling on all the Gen family to collect, sending Hojio, his 
 father-in-law, to the province of Kahi, and joining Hiro 
 tsune with a large body of men on the banks of the river 
 Sumida gawa, that division of the Tonay gawa which runs 
 past the eastern side of Yedo. In the province of Musasi he 
 was joined by Hatake yama; while his relation, Yoshi naka 
 of Kisso, raised an army in Sinano. Yoritomo fixed upon 
 Kamakura, in the province of Segami, at a very early date, 
 for his residence. This beautiful classic spot is within two 
 hours' ride of Yokohama, and shows now little trace of hav- 
 ing once been the residence of a court. Trivial circumstances 
 probably led him to this conclusion, as it does not seem to be 
 a place suited in any way for a large city or for the capital 
 of a country. He was a man of great ability, and of strong 
 will, but had received no education ; and having been brought 
 up in the province of Idzu, had acquired the dialect of the 
 district. The mountain-pass of Hakkone is considered the 
 key to the eastern provinces, and if it were sufficiently 
 guarded, his position would be one of comparative safety, 
 at a distance of a day's march from the pass. His rela- 
 tion, Yori Yoshi, had formerly resided there, and he had 
 probably looked upon it, when a boy, as the family property. 
 From his residence here he was called, by the people of 
 Kwanto, Kam kura dono, a name by which he is spoken 
 of to this day. Kwanto literally means east of the barrier 
 i.e., of Hakkone and is synonymous with Ban do, east of 
 the hill. It is a name by which are understood all the eight 
 provinces to the east of the range of hills running down the 
 promontory of Idzu; viz., Segami, Musasi, Simotsuki, Ko- 
 wotsuki, Simosa, Kadsusa, Awa, and Fitatsi. It is called 
 also Kwang hasshiu. 
 
 Forces were sent from Miako by Kio mori to oppose
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 93 
 
 Yoritomo, but at this time his relative Hojio met him with 
 a large re-enforcement, and the He party retired without 
 fighting. Yoritomo overran the province of Fitatsi and put 
 to death Satake Hide Yoshi. The whole empire was now 
 desolated by war. The tide began, before Kio mori died, at 
 the age of sixty-four, in 1181, to turn in favor of the Gen 
 party. But so long as Kio mori lived the cause of his oppo- 
 nents did not seem to hold out much prospect of success, and 
 the relatives of Yoritomo are still found fighting against him, 
 and on the side of the ruling party. Among these were his 
 own uncle Yoshi hiro, and Yoshi naka, another relative. 
 The latter was afterward reconciled to Yoritomo, and ren- 
 dered him great assistance, being everywhere victorious in 
 the northern provinces of Etsjiu and Kanga. Thence he 
 rapidly pushed on to the capital, and seized the extensive 
 monastery of Hiyaysan. The Emperor An toku fled west- 
 ward with his wife, Kio mori's daughter. His grandfather, 
 the old Emperor Go Zirakawa, received his deliverers in 
 Miako, and still retaining his interest in the regulation of 
 affairs, saw another grandson, brother of Antoku, proclaimed 
 as Emperor. The possessions of the He party were confis- 
 cated and divided among the members of the Gen family. 
 Antoku remained about Da zai foo, the station from which 
 military superintendence of the island of Kiusiu was regu- 
 lated, but from this island the He party was driven out and 
 crossed over to Sikok. Still they were able in different parts 
 of the country to make a stand, and even to defeat their 
 adversaries in more than one battle. Several of the party 
 had been left in Miako in posts of consequence, the son of 
 Kio mori being regent, and they did what they could to sup- 
 port their cause in the capital. Yoshi naka, who had seized 
 Miako on the part of the Genji, became in his turn overbear- 
 ing, and roused the impatience of the old Emperor, who 
 stirred up the priests of the monasteries of Hiyaysan and 
 Midera to oppose him. But Yoshi naka suddenly came upon 
 them, seized and imprisoned the Emperor, and beheaded the 
 abbots of the religious houses. He caused himself to be
 
 94 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 created Sei dai Shiogoon, and finally set himself up in oppo- 
 sition to Yoritomo. Yoshitzune and Nori Yori, brothers of 
 Yoritomo, were immediately dispatched from the Kwanto 
 to Miako to attack him, and set free the Emperor and his 
 grandfather, and he was defeated by them and killed. 
 Meantime, 1184, the He ji had been gathering their strength 
 in the western provinces, and had assembled an army of 
 100,000 men and fortified themselves. Nori Yori and Yoshi- 
 tzune attacked them, and after a very severe engagement 
 took the fort by assault and completely routed the army, 
 killing many of the leaders of the party. After this Yori- 
 tomo ordered his son-in-law, son of Yoshi naka, to be put to 
 death, and Yoshitzune was appointed governor of Miako. 
 He attacked the enemy in the island of Sikok, and also in 
 the western provinces of Nagato, and at the fort of Aka 
 Magaseki routed them ; the mother of the Emperor escaping 
 with the two insignia of rule the sacred sword and the seal 
 or ball. But in crossing over from Simonoseki the Emperor 
 threw himself into the sea and was drowned. Of the two 
 sacred emblems, the sword was said to have been lost; the 
 seal was saved. At this narrowest part of the passage be- 
 tween Kiusiu and Nippon runs a ledge of rocks, and upon 
 these stands a small column, or tombstone, to the memory 
 of the Emperor. On the Kiusiu side is the village of Dairi, 
 called so from the imperial family having rested there. 
 Moone mori, one of the party, is said to have fled to the 
 island of Tsussima, where his descendants to this day rule 
 as (the Chinese sound of the name) Sso. When the men of 
 the party were all destroyed, the females crowded the port 
 of Simonoseki, and were obliged to live by prostitution ; and 
 hence the females of this class in Simonoseki are accorded to 
 this day the first rank of the class, and privileges in the 
 way of dress, such as wearing stockings, and wearing the 
 knot of the obi or belt behind, like other women, and not 
 before, as prostitutes which are denied to others. In the 
 center of the island of Kiusiu, between Fiuga and Higo, is 
 a high tableland, partly marsh, extending from twenty to
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 95 
 
 thirty miles in length. According to native accounts, this 
 place was a hundred years ago quite a terra incognita. 
 About that time it was discovered that there were people 
 living in three villages within the marsh. The principal 
 village was called Mayra. Further investigation being 
 made, it was discovered that these were remnants of the He 
 ji, who had fled there at this period, and had isolated them- 
 selves through fear. They had conveyed their fears to their 
 children, who, when visited, had a dread of being punished 
 for the crimes of their forefathers. The three villages are 
 now under charge of a Hattamoto. 
 
 The power of the He family was thus completely broken, 
 and that of the Gen or Minnamoto firmly established, mainly 
 through the prowess and generalship of Yoshitzune. Yori- 
 tomo began to be jealous of his brother on account of the 
 credit and reputation he had gained by his success. He 
 picked a quarrel with him on the ground of his having mar- 
 ried a daughter of the enemy of the house, Kio mori, and 
 sent forces against him, demanding of the Emperor that his 
 father-in-law, Hojio, should be appointed generalissimo, by 
 this means filling the places of command with his own creat- 
 ures. Yoshitzune left the capital and retired to Oshiu to his 
 old friend Hide Hira, governor of the province. Yoritomo 
 was enraged at an asylum being given to his brother in the 
 north, and sent orders to have him put to death. Yasu hira, 
 the son of his old friend, attacked him, and Yoshitzune, be- 
 ing unprepared and seeing no way of escape, destroyed him- 
 self, after first killing his wife and children. Yoritomo, 
 angry with the man for doing what he himself had ordered, 
 marched against Yasu hira with a large army, and finally 
 destroyed him. Yoritomo built a palace for himself in Miako, 
 but appears generally to have lived at Kamakura. At this 
 latter place are to be seen to this day the remains of his work 
 in the roads cut through rocks which confined the space of 
 ground set apart for his residence. 
 
 In 1190 he went to Miako, where he had built a palace, 
 and in great state visited the Emperor; but after a month's
 
 96 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 residence in the capital he returned to Kamakura. In 1192 
 the old Emperor Go zira kawa died at the age of sixty-seven. 
 He had lived, after his abdication, during parts of the reigns 
 of five emperors, his sons and grandsons. He had during 
 forty years taken a very active part in the working of the 
 government, and had passed through the most exciting time 
 in the history of his country, and his last years were spent 
 in tranquillity. 
 
 Yoritomo was appointed Sei dai Shiogoon. Suspecting 
 his brother Nori Yori of plotting against him, he banished 
 him to Idzu, where he was soon after put to death. He 
 again visited the capital for four months in 1195, but re- 
 turned to Kamakura, from which place he virtually ruled 
 the empire. He fell from his horse toward the end of 1198, 
 and died shortly after, in 1199, at the age of fifty-three. He 
 is generally regarded as the greatest hero in Japanese his- 
 tory. But his treatment of his brother has been a great blot 
 upon his character, and lowered him very much in the regard 
 of his countrymen. Yoshitzune is looked upon as the mirror 
 of chivalry, and his conduct is held up to the youth of the 
 country for imitation, rather than the calculating, bloody, 
 though brilliant career of Yoritomo. 
 
 Kamakura seems to have occupied under Yoritomo very 
 nearly the same situation, in a political point of view, that 
 Yedo does in the present day. The absence of external foes 
 having created a necessity for internal division, two courts 
 arose, the one with forms without power, the other wielding 
 all the power and dispensing with the forms, except when it 
 suited him to demand them. Yoritomo seems to have been 
 the first to establish his court in the eastern part of the em- 
 pire, a retreat which he chose probably on account of its re- 
 tired and defensible situation. Standing upon the sea, the 
 place is inclosed by hills, and in order to obtain access to the 
 town a road was cut on either side through the hills. That 
 to the east, toward Kanesawa, is a fine perpendicular cutting 
 through sandstone. The houses occupied by Yoritomo, and 
 after him by Ashikanga, or the sites where they stood, are
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 97 
 
 pointed out. Here stands a fine temple to Hatchimang, 
 erected since the days of Yoritomo, and upon the spot where 
 his son was assassinated. It is known as Suruga oka Hatchi- 
 mang. An avenue with three fine stone archways leads 
 straight to the sea from the door of the temple. Upon the 
 platform on which the temple stands is a small shrine to 
 Inari, the god of rice, worshiped everywhere in Japan ; an- 
 other to the spirit of Yoritomo ; another fb stones in which 
 some divine power is supposed to reside. Two stones below 
 show that the Phallic worship lingers in Japan, female (so 
 to speak) as well as male, while a temple on the shore, near 
 Ooraga, is entirely devoted to this infatuation. The tomb 
 of Yoritomo, an unpretending slab, is in the neighborhood. 
 A small hill opposite has the name of Kinoo hari yama, tak- 
 ing this name from Yoritomo having ordered it to be cov- 
 ered with white silk to show some of his lady friends how it 
 looked in winter. The story may be doubted, if it were only 
 on account of the scarcity of silk at that time. At Kanesawa 
 are the tombs of the servants of Yoshitzune. About half a 
 mile from the temple of Hatchimang, on the road to Fusi- 
 sawa, is the fine old temple called Kenchoji, built by order 
 of Moone taka Sinwo, son of the Emperor Sanga. Further 
 on is a nunnery or convent for ladies, the Matzunga oka. 
 Looking toward the sea, the little island or peninsula of 
 Eeno sima is visible. On the road in this direction is a tem- 
 ple built by a daughter of Mito ; a little beyond is a place 
 famous for the manufacture of swords ; and beyond this is a 
 village with a temple to Kunon, the goddess of mercy (Kwan 
 yin of China). 
 
 Turning to the right from the village is a large copper 
 figure of Buddha sitting in the open air, in a position and 
 with an air of great repose. It is between forty and fifty 
 feet high. Around this colossal figure are seen in the grass 
 large flat stones. These are the bases of the pillars of a 
 temple which once covered the figure. But during a severe 
 earthquake a rush of the sea over a temporary subsidence of 
 the land swept away everything but the massive figure and 
 
 5
 
 98 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 foundation-stones of the temple. It looks at present far out 
 of reach of the renewal of any such devastation. 
 
 The glory of Kamakura has removed to Yedo, and what 
 is said by the Jesuit fathers to have been at one time a town 
 of 200,000 houses is now a village of not 200 cottages. 
 
 The son of Yoritomo, Yori ye, succeeded him in all his 
 employments ; but proving unequal to the task of governing, 
 he retired, and his son, Sanne tomo, at twelve years of age, 
 was appointed Sei dai Shiogoon, Tokimasa, father-in-law of 
 Yoritomo, being regent ; and from this date the power of the 
 Hojio family began. The following year they put to death 
 Yori ye. Tokimasa assassinated Hatake yama, and after- 
 ward had designs upon Sanne tomo's life at the instigation 
 of his wife ; but they were discovered by Sanne tomo's grand- 
 mother, Yoritomo's widow, and Tokimasa was banished. 
 Sanne tomo was assassinated by his brother Kokio (who had 
 become a priest, and officiated in the temple) while descend- 
 ing the stairs of the large temple of Hatchimang goo, at 
 Kamakura, after worshiping there at night. He was the 
 last Shiogoon of the family of Yoritomo. The power fell to 
 the hands of Hojio no Yoshi toki, who ruled with Masa go, 
 widow of Yoritomo, known as "Ama shiogoon," or the Nun 
 commander-in-chief. Hojio Yasu toki was Sikken, a title 
 which was afterward changed to Kwan rei, or minister to 
 the Shiogoon at Kamakura, and began to assume a similar 
 position toward the Shiogoon that the latter held toward the 
 Emperor. Hojio and Hasago raised to the office of Shiogoon 
 Yoritsone, son of Fusiwara no Mitsi ye. Yoritsone resigned 
 the post of Shiogoon at the age of twenty-seven to his son, 
 aged six, who the following year married a daughter of 
 Hojio. The father and son, being in 1251 discovered to be 
 concerned in a plot against the Emperor, were seized ; and 
 the office was now given to one of the royal family from 
 Miako, Moone taka, "Sin wo." In his time Hojio Toki yori, 
 then Kwanrei, built the large temple of Kenchoji at Kama- 
 kura. The Hojio family (Fosio of Klaproth) at this time 
 absorbed the chief authority in the empire.
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 99 
 
 The historical notes which follow are taken from a native 
 almanac with the assistance of a native, and are in them- 
 selves uninteresting ; but they give some short notice of the 
 wars between the Emperors of the North and South, of the 
 rise to power of different families such as Hojio, Ashikanga, 
 Nitta, Hossokawa, and others who occupied prominent 
 places in Japanese history down to the time of Nobunanga, 
 when a military genius arose to extract order out of confu- 
 sion, and system out of a chaos of anarchy. But even the 
 confused and uninteresting mass of names entangled in facts 
 may give an impression of what the state of the country was 
 during a period when nothing but turmoil and boiling brought 
 one after another to the surface, to make way in turn for oth- 
 ers from the abyss below. That some information is con- 
 tained in these notes, may be an excuse for placing them 
 here in such a meager and unentertaining form. But the 
 names of individuals, of places, of temples, become interest- 
 ing as more is known of the history of the country and the 
 religion of Japan. 
 
 In 1260 the Nitsi ren sect of Buddhists was introduced 
 at Kamakura, a sect which has become of more prominence 
 lately, since foreigners arrived in Japan, owing to a saint 
 of the sect, Saysho gosama, having been a great persecutor 
 of Christians. 
 
 Hojio Toki yori, minister of the Shiogoon, one of the great 
 men of Japan, died in 1263, aged thirty-seven; and the Shio- 
 goon Moone taka was forced to resign, and his son, Kore 
 Yassu, a child, raised to the office. 
 
 In China, the Mokoo (or Mongol), about 1276, had over- 
 thrown the Sung dynasty. Corea was compelled to become 
 tributary, and embassies from China were sent to Japan, 
 calling upon the Emperor to send his tribute. At different 
 times several large naval expeditions were fitted out by the 
 Chinese emperor, the Kublai of Marco Polo. One of these, 
 in 1281, reached the coast of Tsussima; but in consequence 
 of severe storms, said to have been raised by the opportune 
 assistance of the god at Isse (whence he is called Kase mo
 
 100 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 mia, or god of the wind), the vessels were knocked to pieces, 
 and 30,000 men taken prisoners and killed. One of the em- 
 bassadors was beheaded at Kamakura. The power of the 
 Hojio family had become so great at Kamakura that they 
 retained in their own hands the appointment of Emperor. 
 
 In 1282, the Sikken, or Kwanrei, died, and was succeeded 
 by his son, aged fourteen years ; so that at this time it would 
 appear that the country was governed by a deputy or assist- 
 ant of a boy, the deputy or minister of the commander-in- 
 chief under the reigning Emperor, with the advice and as- 
 sistance of one, and perhaps two, abdicated Emperors. 
 
 This state of things could not be expected to continue, 
 and could only exist in a country with no external relations 
 and with no neighbors. The divided government made up 
 to some extent for this want, but it left so many opportuni 
 ties for individuals plotting to seize the power that it is no 
 wonder that the Emperors and the Shiogoons chafed under 
 it. This was met by a constant accession to these high posts 
 of children, who, when they began to be troublesome, were 
 forced to resign, the Hojio family continuing to hold the real 
 power at Kamakura and Miako, and also in Kiusiu, and de- 
 posing the Emperors and Shiogoons when they pleased, and 
 electing whomsoever suited them. 
 
 So early as 1284 the laws of the country seem to have 
 followed a policy of exclusion. In that year an officer came 
 over from China in the quality of embassador, accompanied 
 by a priest, but he was taken and executed on the pretext 
 that he was come to spy out the land. Some years after, 
 another priest, Na yissang, came from China, and he also 
 was treated at Kamakura as a spy, and imprisoned, but was 
 afterward liberated, and built the temple of Nan jenji, still 
 standing in Miako. 
 
 In 1308, Hana zo no, then twelve years of age, was 
 chosen by the officers of the Hojio family at Kamakura as 
 Emperor. 
 
 In 1312 the Kwaurei Hojio Sada toki died, much respected, 
 and the place of minister was kept for his son, Sada toki, for
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 101 
 
 five years by two relations, till he was fourteen years of age, 
 when he became Kwanrei. 
 
 The executive at Kamakura had named Go daigo as suc- 
 cessor to the Emperor, and he came to the throne when he 
 was thirty-one years of age. He very soon began to be irri- 
 tated with the position he held, ruled over by subordinates 
 at Kamakura. He married the daughter of Chiooso Kane 
 Kado, a high officer of Chinese extraction. 
 
 In 1321 the office known as the Ki rokusho was established 
 in the palace at Miako. 
 
 Taka toki, the young Kwanrei, was very dissipated, pass- 
 ing his time between wine and women, and in consequence 
 was hated; and in 1325 Yori Kazoo and Kooni nanga, by 
 secret orders from the Emperor, set out on an attempt to 
 take his life ; but he was previously informed of it, and seized 
 them, and put them to death. Taka toki being ill, shaved 
 his head and took orders when he was twenty-four years of 
 age, and his relative, Taka Ske, at Nagasaki, assumed the 
 chief power. The arrogance of the Hojio family at Kama- 
 kura excited intense ill-will at Miako, and the attempt to 
 overthrow this power gave rise to the troubles known as the 
 war between the North and South Emperors, which desolated 
 Japan for many years, and which ended in the downfall of 
 both the Emperor and the Hojio faction. 
 
 In 1327, Oto no mia, one of the Emperor's sons, deter- 
 mined to break down the power of the Hojio family at 
 Kamakura; but his intrigues were divulged, and he was 
 compelled to shave his head and become a priest, as 
 Tendai no Zass, or head of the Buddhists. But this did 
 not prevent him putting on his armor again when occa- 
 sion offered. He afterward, under the name of Mori 
 Yoshi, was Shiogoon. 
 
 1330. The Emperor stiD longed to destroy the influence 
 of the Hojio party. He consulted with the Buddhist priests, 
 then a very powerful body in the realm. He built the fort- 
 ress of Kassangi in Yamato, to be seen to this day ; but his 
 design was discovered, and he was obliged to fly to this fort,
 
 102 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 whence he sent for Koosinoki massa Singhi, then a small 
 officer in Kawadsi, but considered a very able soldier. 
 
 In 1331 the forces of Taka toki attacked and took the 
 castle of Kassangi, and taking Godaigo prisoner, sent him 
 to the island of Oki, and for some years there was no Em- 
 peror. Ko gen was called "Ten wo" by the Kamakura party, 
 but he was called the False Emperor by his opponents. 
 
 In 1332, Otonomia, Nitta, and Koosinoki met at Chi wa 
 ya, a castle near Miako. While the Kamakura army of 
 Hojio overcame the other detachments, they were repulsed 
 by that under Koosinoki. Nitta Yoshi assembled an army 
 in the province of Kowotski. Troops were sent against him 
 from Kamakura, but after several engagements he marched 
 upon and sacked and burned that town. Among the officers 
 of the Hojio party some were killed in battle, others were 
 beheaded, and many killed themselves. Among the last 
 was Taka toki. His son had his throat cut. In Kiusiu the 
 Hojio party was defeated by Owotomo, who seized the gov- 
 ernor, whose life was saved, but all the other members of 
 the Hojio family, who had been so overbearing during their 
 period of rule, were massacred by the people. Their author- 
 ity, which had been paramount for years in Kamakura, and 
 thence in the empire, was completely broken down. 
 
 Godaigo was restored to the throne. He had not im- 
 proved by adversity, and was weak in his character. He 
 removed all the officers in place, and, against the advice of 
 his friends and ministers, conferred rank and power on Ashi- 
 kanga Taka ooji, who had entered into a conspiracy against 
 him, and who afterward became the most powerful man in 
 the empire and founder of a long line of Shiogoons. The 
 Emperor gave to those who had assisted him large landed 
 possessions : to Ashikanga, the provinces of Hitatsi, Musasi, 
 and Simosa; to Nitta Yoshi Sada, Kowotski and Harima; 
 and to his son, Etsingo ; to Koosinoki, Setsu and Kawadsi ; 
 and to others in proportion. Mori Yosi, the royal priest, had 
 been appointed Shiogoon, but at the instance of Ashikanga 
 was imprisoned and deposed. The Emperor had been warned
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 103 
 
 against Ashikanga by Madenga koji chika foossa, his minis- 
 ter, in vain. This minister was the author, in 1341, of the 
 "Shoku gen sho," the red book of the court of Miako. 
 
 The war which was now commencing is known as the 
 war between the Northern and Southern Emperors the 
 Hokko cho and the Nancho. Each party set up one Em- 
 peror after another, while the war raged under generals who 
 were fighting for the office of commander-in-chief rather than 
 for the empire. Ashikanga and Nitta, Koosinoki and Hosso- 
 kawa, Kikootchi and Owotomo, were the prominent leaders ; 
 while Godaigo, as Emperor of the South, was succeeded by 
 Go mura Kami, retaining possession of, during a series of 
 misfortunes, the three insignia of imperial power. On the 
 other hand, Ko gen, called False Emperor, was succeeded 
 as Emperor of the North by his brother Ko mio, who abdi- 
 cated in favor of Sh'ko, who was taken prisoner, and Ko 
 ngong took his place, but he and both his predecessors fell 
 into the hands of their opponent. After the destruction of 
 Kamakura and the downfall of the Hojio family in 1332, the 
 theater of war changed to the neighborhood of Miako. Yoshi 
 mitz, afterward the great Ashikanga, was appointed Shio- 
 goon in 1367, when he was ten years of age. On both sides 
 treachery on the part of the generals seems to have been a 
 trivial and common occurrence; and this is not surprising, 
 inasmuch as there was no principle involved, and no party- 
 cry to rally under. Each general was fighting for himself 
 and for his own advancement, while the opposing Emperors 
 looked on apparently without much feeling or interest in the 
 question at issue. By this war in the island of Kiusiu the 
 family of Satsuma largely increased its power and possessions 
 at the expense of Kikootchi. 
 
 In the year 1392, by the mediation of O-ooji, lord of the 
 provinces in the west part of Nippon, peace was brought 
 about. He induced the Emperor of the South to bring to 
 Miako the three emblems, and to give them up to his rival, 
 accepting the title of Dai jio ten wo. Thenceforward both 
 Emperors lived in Miako, Go ko matz reigning. During the
 
 104 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 first troublous times Ashikanga had been strengthening his 
 position, enriching himself and rising in rank and favor to 
 the highest position to which a subject could attain. He built 
 a splendid house for himself in Muro Matchi Street, called 
 the Palace of Flowers, and two others called respectively 
 the Gold and Silver Houses, which were large enough to be 
 taken away in pieces (after his death) and form parts of dif- 
 ferent temples, of which these parts are still looked upon as 
 the chief ornaments. Such is the temple of Tchikuboo shima 
 in the Great Lake. The titles given him were the head of 
 the Gen family; Joone san goo i.e., as the Emperor's sec- 
 ond son and Dai Shiogoon. He was at length, before he 
 was forty, raised to be Dai jo dai jin, and during the follow- 
 ing year he gave up his titles and place, and, shaving his 
 head, retired under the Buddhist name of Zensan, or Heav- 
 enly Mountain. He moved about with a style and equipage 
 similar to that used by the Emperor. He sent an embassy 
 to China, and received an answer, in which he was styled 
 Nippon wo or King of Japan. The Emperor visited him, 
 and conferred on him the title of Kubosama Kubo being 
 the title of the father or predecessor of the Emperor after 
 abdication, sama implying that he is equal to or "the same 
 as. ' ' He was the first to whom the title was given, and it 
 is still a title which is conferred by the Emperor, and is not 
 inherent in any office. He died in 1408. The office of Shio- 
 goon became hereditary in the family of Ashikanga, and 
 henceforth the position of Kwanrei or Minister to the Shio- 
 goon was aspired to as conveying the chief power in the 
 empire. Kamakura was still the usual residence of this 
 officer. Eight families were set apart, from among whom 
 it was eligible to name the Kwanrei, chief among whom 
 were Hossokawa, Hatake yama, and Ooyay soongi the 
 family of Hossokawa being at this time the most powerful. 
 After the death of the great Ashikanga, his descendants were 
 unable to wield the power which he had transmitted to them. 
 He does not seem to have established any powerful govern- 
 ment throughout the empire, but would appear to have held
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 105 
 
 what he had seized rather from the country being tired of 
 civil war than from any great administrative talent in him- 
 self. During the century which followed, civil war seems 
 to have been the normal state of Japan one man after an- 
 other rising to seize the reins at one time at Miako, at an- 
 other at Kamakura. No one chief was able to reduce the 
 whole empire to a settled state of tranquillity. If one rose 
 a little above his compeers, they combined against him; 
 while the monasteries and religious sects were so power- 
 ful as to be able to insure success to whatever side they 
 gave their influence and assistance to. This state of 
 things continued till Nobu nanga gradually rose out of 
 the crowd, and struck down the power of these Buddhist 
 sects. 
 
 1410. While the appointment of a Dai or great Shiogoon 
 was kept up at Miako, an inferior officer, with the title of 
 Shiogoon only, was placed in Kamakura, with a minister 
 under him. The men who filled both offices were still of the 
 Ashikanga family. When so many high offices were held 
 by powerful chiefs, jealously was excited, and this kept up 
 a state of constant civil war in some parts of the country. 
 The three rich provinces of Bizen, Mimesaka, and Harima 
 were taken from the owner, Akamatz, who to revenge him- 
 self invited the Dai Shiogoon to a banquet and assassinated 
 him. He in turn committed suicide, and his territory was 
 divided. 
 
 In 1414 the three emblems were stolen, but were after- 
 ward recovered. The family of Hossokawa was rising to 
 power and wealth at Kamakura, while that of Ashikanga 
 was in the wane. 
 
 In 1415, for the first time, an act was passed by the ruling 
 powers known as a Tokusayay. This is a law suddenly 
 passed, by which all mercantile engagements are at an end 
 and all debts cancelled. This act of arbitrary, high-handed 
 injustice has been carried out over and over again in Japan, 
 and is generally the act of some high officer who has bor- 
 rowed money largely. Whether it was carried to the full
 
 106 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 extent stated may be doubted, but it has been the cause of 
 much trouble and anxiety. 
 
 In 1452 Ashikanga nari ooji, son of the former Shiogoon 
 of Kamakura, was obliged to fly to Ko nga in the province 
 of Simotsuki. 
 
 In 1466 the war known in history as the "Onin" com- 
 menced, and lasted during the following eleven years. The 
 dispute arose between two sons of the chief Shibba, in which 
 the late Shiogoon and his successor took opposite sides. This 
 was the breeze which fanned the smoldering flame arising in 
 the desire on the part of the wife of the abdicated Shiogoon 
 that her son should be nominated to succeed, otherwise he 
 would be compelled to shave his head and become a priest. 
 The whole country around Miako was desolated by war and 
 slaughter, great excesses being committed, during which 
 houses, temples, libraries, and documents of value were 
 destroyed, and, as might have been expected, a famine oc- 
 curred in 1472. This, together with the death of the gen- 
 erals commanding on both sides Yamana Sozeng and Hosso- 
 kawa led to a cessation of hostilities in 1474, when some 
 years of quiet and peace followed. 
 
 1487. The famous Ota do Kwang was assassinated by 
 Sadamasa. An anecdote related of him is often taken as a 
 subject by Japanese artists. He was out hawking when 
 a heavy rain came on. Seeing a little cottage, he with his 
 attendants went to ask for a grass rain-coat. A beautiful 
 young woman came out, and upon his asking .for what he 
 wanted, she went to the garden, pulled a branch of a flower, 
 and kneeling down presented it to the gentleman. Looking 
 at the plant, he at once perceived that she was modestly 
 making a play upon the word rain-coat, the plant being 
 known by the name of "no seed," which implied also by a 
 turn of words that she had no rain-coat to give him. 
 
 1487. War again broke out between the Shiogoon and 
 Sasaki in the province of Oomi, which lasted for three or 
 four years, when the Shiogoon fled to the territories of 
 O-ooji, then chief of the western provinces of Nippon.
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 107 
 
 About 1494 the family of Hojio of Odawara took its rise 
 in the person of Zinkio, who had been a merchant in Isse, 
 but whose genius seems to have been military, and who was 
 known afterward as Hojio so woon. He seized whatever 
 territory in the Kwanto and around the castle of Odawara 
 he could lay his hands upon. During these periods this un- 
 fortunate country was not only desolated by civil war and 
 all its horrors, but it suffered severely in addition from con- 
 vulsions of nature. In 1472 a famine arose as the concomi- 
 tant of war. In 1475 a very extensive earthquake occurred 
 on the sixth day of the eighth month, when a wave from the 
 sea, during a temporary subsidence of the earth, carried 
 away at one sweep a large part of the lower quarter of the 
 city of Osaka. In 1496 there was a drought all over the em- 
 pire, which was followed by a famine in 1497. And the next 
 year was marked by severe earthquakes all over Japan; 
 while in 1506 all the old fir- trees on the hill Kassunga yama 
 near Narra died to the number of above 7,000. A similar 
 disease had visited Japan in 1406, exactly a hundred years 
 before. In 1514 severe drought and dreadful thunderstorms 
 were followed in 1515 by earthquakes over the whole country. 
 
 The new century brought no cessation from war and 
 assassination. Hossokawa, then prime minister, was assas- 
 sinated by his servant Kassai. O-ooji, from the western 
 provinces, marched upon Miako, bringing his protege, the 
 late Shiogoon, with him, and, seizing the capital, caused the 
 Emperor to install him as prime minister or Kwanrei, an 
 office which had for many years been in the hold of the three 
 families, Shibba, Hossokawa, and Hatake yama. An at- 
 tempt was made in Miako to assassinate the Shiogoon during 
 the night, but he killed the assassins with his own sword. 
 
 In 1510 Nangao, a servant, and relative of Ooyay Soongi, 
 minister at Kamakura, rebelled against his master, defeated 
 him, and entered into possession of his castle and territory 
 in the province of Etsingo, where he afterward became very 
 powerful as Ooyay Soongi Kengshing. Hossokawa and 
 O-ooji drove one another alternately out of Miako, but ulti-
 
 108 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 mately the latter retired to his own western province of 
 Suwo; and during the same time Hojio of Odawara was 
 fighting in the Kwanto with Miura. 
 
 1486. Hossokawa massa moto was made Kwanrei. 
 
 In 1521, for the first time for many years, the Emperor 
 made a public appearance. The officers anr* ,ourt were both 
 impoverished. The land was barely and sparsely cultivated. 
 The young were growing up in perfect ignorance. Hosso- 
 kawa brought Yoshi haru to Miako, and made him Shiogoon, 
 and put the Shiogoon, Yoshitanne, into confinement in the 
 island of Awadsi. The following year the latter died in 
 the province of Awa, where his descendants still live, and 
 the head of the family is still known as "Awa kubo." 
 
 In the year 1523 an attempt was made to commence a 
 trade with China at Ningpo. O-ooji, the lord of the western 
 provinces, sent over ships. But at this time the coasts of 
 China were infested by Japanese pirates, and the attempt 
 to trade does not seem to have been successful: it shows, 
 however, that a commerce was beginning before the Portu- 
 guese visited Japan. 
 
 1528. Mioshi kai woong, from the province of Awa in 
 Sikok, attacked Miako; the Kwanrei, Takakooni, on the 
 part of the Shiogoon, met him at the Katsura gawa, the 
 river running into the sea at Osaka, but was defeated, and 
 the Shiogoon fled to Oomi, where the head of the Sasaki 
 family gave him shelter. 
 
 1530. The following year the Kwanrei and Mioshi were 
 again at war in the neighborhood of Osaka, when the former 
 was defeated, taken prisoner, and put to death. 
 
 1532. Haru moto, whom Mioshi had placed as Kwanrei 
 in Miako, took offense at some of the proceedings of the 
 latter, and ordered him to be killed. 
 
 1536. At this period the Emperor was very poor and his 
 expenses were defrayed by O-ooji, the lord of the western 
 provinces, to whom the Emperor gave the title of Da zai no 
 dai ni. The Emperor Go Tsutchi died in such poverty that 
 his body lay unburied for some days for want of money.
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 109 
 
 To this date the annals of the Emperors are brought 
 down. Since the accession of the present dynasty of Shio- 
 goons, the printing of every work relative to government is 
 prohibited. There are slight notices of remarkable occur- 
 rences during each year published in an almanac form ; as, 
 for instance, it is noted that in 1533, on the tenth month, 
 eighth day i.e., November there were observed an ex- 
 traordinary number of falling stars, and in 1534 a very fatal 
 epidemic passed over the country. 
 
 1537. During this year disturbances arose between the 
 Buddhist priests of the Tendai sect of the Hiyaysan monas- 
 tery, and those of the Hokkay or Nitchi ren sect. The for- 
 mer burned down the temple of the latter, and with it nearly 
 the half of Miako was consumed. 
 
 1538. In Kwanto the chiefs were again at war. Hojio 
 attacked Yamano ootchi in his castle of Kawa goi near Yedo 
 and routed him by a night attack. Takeda Singeng, now a 
 lad, turned his father out of his possessions in Kahi. 
 
 In 1539, muskets were first known brought over to 
 Tanegasima by the Portuguese, pistols being known to this 
 day by the name of "tanegasima." According to the "His- 
 tory of the Church in Japan," "The islands of Japan were 
 first discovered in the last century, but at what time is very 
 uncertain some say in the year 1534; St. Francis Xavier 
 believed it was rather five or six years after. Be it as it 
 will, Father Maffius and others tell us that three Portuguese 
 merchants, Antony Mora, Francis Zaimor, and Anthony 
 Pexot, in their voyage from Dodra, in Siam, to China, were 
 thrown by tempests upon the islands of Japan in 1541, and 
 put in at the kingdom of Cangoxima." This is the southern 
 part of the island of Kiusiu, off which lies the island of Ta- 
 nega or Tanesima. Mendez Pinto, who appears to have been 
 wrecked in this vessel, gives no date, but, from his account, 
 the sensation caused by the pistols and muskets brought to 
 this warlike nation seems to have been much greater than 
 that caused by the apparition of strangers. It is not wonder- 
 ful that the year should have been noted in the Japanese
 
 110 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 calendars as that in which firearms were introduced. They 
 did not anticipate that the arrival of these foreigners was to 
 be to the empire the source of much trouble. At this time 
 the Lioo Kioo Islands seem to have been well known to the 
 buccaneers on the Chinese coast, and with the strong south- 
 erly monsoons, so frequently broken up by typhoons, it was 
 not likely that Japan could remain long undiscovered; and 
 the Japanese must have known of Europeans and their cus- 
 toms from their own sailors trading to China and Singapore. 
 
 1540. JViowori Moto nari, ancestor of Choshiu of the pres- 
 ent day, and founder of the family, was embroiled with his 
 feudal superior, Amako of Idzumo, and gave in his allegiance 
 to O-ooji. This state of disturbances is noted in the earliest 
 letters of the Jesuits, written from Amangutchi, the capital 
 of these provinces, which was afterward visited by Francis 
 Xavier. 
 
 1 542. This year was born (26th day of twelfth month) 
 To sho Shingku better known as lyeyas at Oka saki in 
 Mikawa; and during the year Ima ngawa and Nobu hide, 
 father of Nobu nanga, fought a battle at Atsuka Saka in 
 Mikawa. The Portuguese came to Boongo to trade, and 
 received a warm reception in the territories of Owotomo. 
 
 In 1543 the Portuguese came back again; Owotomo, 
 Boongo no kami, was then lord of this province, and of a 
 great part of the island of Kiusiu. An officer, by name 
 Seito, was sent by him with the Portuguese to Miako. 
 Hitherto the history of Japan has been made up entirely 
 from native sources; but after this time the letters of the 
 Jesuits, and the accounts published from time to time by 
 Europeans, become of interest. Kagosima, the port of Sat- 
 suma at which these Portuguese merchants first touched, is 
 not a place adapted for carrying on a large trade. It is too 
 far out to sea, and cut off from the interior (which is not 
 fertile) by high ranges of hills. The port offered" by Owo- 
 tomo was much better suited to their views. It is in the 
 heart of the inland sea, well sheltered, and, at the same 
 time, having water-communication with the extensive fringe
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. Ill 
 
 of coast bordering that sea. The island of Sikok, the most 
 fertile part of Japan, was within easy access. The whole 
 of the western part of Nippon and the island of Kiusiu could 
 bring their products to this port by water, while intercourse 
 with Osaka and the capital was comparatively easy. The 
 objection to Kagosima applies equally to Nagasaki, which 
 is cut off from trading communication with the interior of 
 the country by the difficulty both of its water and land ap- 
 proaches. The family of Owotomo had gradually risen to 
 wealth and power in the island of Kiusiu, and at the time 
 the Jesuits arrived, the Lord or Tono, called by them Francis, 
 was the greatest of the feudal chiefs then ruling in the island. 
 1545. Miako was reduced by war and fires to such a state 
 that it became impossible to live in it ; whoever did attempt 
 to live there ran the risk of being burned, killed, or starved. 
 The Koongays left, and generally settled under the protec- 
 tion of some feudal chief in the provinces. 
 
 1548. The Shiogoon, who had fled to Sakamoto, returned 
 to Miako, and Hossokawa was appointed Kwanrei. 
 
 1549. Mioshi tchokay, called Mioxindo no in the "His- 
 tory of the Church" (or Naga Yoshi), took up arms against 
 Haru moto and the Shiogoon party, and the latter fled again 
 to Sakamoto, about twelve miles from Miako. Nobu hide, 
 father of Nobu nanga, died, leaving him, his son, heir of all 
 the possessions he had acquired. Francis Xavier, then at 
 Malacca, whither he had gone with the fondness for change 
 and excitement which seemed to have characterized his ca- 
 reer, met with some of those who were returning to Japan. 
 He immediately determined to visit it. He arrived in the 
 year 1549, and left it again in 1551, disappointed and dis- 
 heartened with the realities of missionary work. In the 
 "History of the Church" it is said, in 1549 (p. 72): "On 
 the way from Amangutchi ( Yama ootchi) to Miako the ways 
 were infested with soldiers, by reason of troubles between 
 the Dairi and Cubo. Miako inspired Xavier with the desire 
 of planting there the standard of Christ, but the effect did 
 not at all answer his expectations. Miako, which signifies
 
 112 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 a thing worth seeing, was no more than the shadow of what 
 it formerly had been, such terrible fires and wars had laid 
 it waste, and the present condition of affairs threatened it 
 with total destruction. All the neighboring princes were 
 combined against the Cubosama, and nothing was to be 
 heard but the noise of armies. However, he endeavored 
 to gain an audience from the Cubosama and Dairi ; but his 
 poverty made him contemptible. It required 10,000 caixes 
 to gain an audience. To comfort himself he preached in the 
 streets; but the town being full of confusion, and the thoughts 
 of every man taken up with reports of war, none listened to 
 him. After a fortnight's stay, hearing that the Dairi bore 
 only the name of a monarch, and that the Cubo was abso- 
 lute only in the Tensa and Gokinai, he saw it was nothing 
 but lost labor and expense to have his leave to preach over 
 all Japan when he was not master." 
 
 1550. Yoshi ham, late Shiogoon, died. Mioshi tchokay 
 burned Hingashi yama, or Hiyay san, a collection of monas- 
 teries and temples near Miako. 
 
 1551. O-ooji was attacked by the forces of one of his 
 own officers, Suyay haru kata, who obliged him to fly, and 
 he committed suicide with several high Koongays who were 
 residing under his protection. This Suyay had promised 
 Owotomo, chief of Boongo, to give back to his younger 
 brother, Yoshi Naga, the command in the province of Suwo. 
 At the death of O-ooji the seal under which trade with China 
 had been carried on was lost, and the trade suspended. 
 
 1552. At this time the religion of Christ was brought, 
 according to native accounts, by "Nan bang," foreigners 
 from the south, to Boongo. The period at which this event 
 took place was worthy of note. Japan had been for years 
 torn by rival factions, and by the contests of men intriguing 
 for power. The Emperor was powerless, and reduced by 
 poverty and neglect to a position bordering on contempt. 
 The eastern court at Kamakura retained some portions of its 
 former power, and was at least a hotbed where schemes 
 might be hatched for overthrowing either the power of the
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 113 
 
 court of Miako, or that of some of the neighboring princes. 
 Yedo was almost unknown, except as a village dependency 
 of the castle. The western provinces were under the sway 
 of independent chiefs, while the island of Kiusiu hardly 
 acknowledged the authority of the Mikado. A small begin- 
 ning of commerce with China had been going on for some 
 years past, and was conducted with Ningpo. It was not 
 likely, therefore, that at the first landing upon Tanegasima 
 the country and people of Japan were unknown to the Port- 
 uguese buccaneers upon the coast of China. Not many 
 years had elasped since China had been first visited by the 
 Portuguese, and Liampo or Ningpo was their northern port. 
 If Mendez Pinto is to be credited, there were 800 Portuguese 
 then living near that city under their own laws ; but if his 
 account of the doings of his countrymen in China be correct 
 and it is in many things corroborated by concurrent testi- 
 mony the men who sailed about these seas were not exactly 
 the men best suited to spread a healthy commerce, or to 
 propagate correct notions of the Christian religion. They 
 were the buccaneers of that day, and mixed up their business 
 of piracy and murder with trade and religion in a strange 
 medley. The vast opening consequent upon the doubling of 
 the Cape induced these men to push their discoveries further 
 and further. Europe had just been convulsed by the throes 
 of delivery of the Church of Rome. Twin children had been 
 born by the Reformation to the Church, and the schismatic 
 operations of Luther without gave rise to the crafty strength- 
 ening process of Loyola within the Church. The propa- 
 gandist zeal of Jesuitism at this period put forth her strength 
 to reap the harvest in Japan ; but the bane of the Church of 
 Rome pursued her here, and her desire to make the kingdom 
 of Christ of this world brought to naught all her schemes. 
 The Inquisition was in full operation in Portugal and Spain, 
 where John III. and Philip II. directed the missions of the 
 Church; and the same zeal was carried into India and all 
 their foreign possessions. The whole power, political and 
 ecclesiastical, in the East, was allowed by other nations to
 
 114 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 be in the hands of the King of Portugal : without his per- 
 mission no bishop could be appointed ; no episcopal see cre- 
 ated without his consent; and he retained the right of filling 
 up vacancies in every see. No European missionary could 
 go to the East without his sanction, and with that only in a 
 Portuguese vessel; and no bull or brief from the Holy See 
 was of any effect hi the East until it had received the appro- 
 bation of the King, who in return was supposed to protect 
 and support the Church of Rome. This was known as the 
 Protectorate of the Crown of Portugal, and was annually 
 confirmed by Papal bulls, in which was inserted a clause 
 whereby the Pope annuled beforehand every bull which any 
 one of his successors might issue to the contrary. Such was 
 the epoch at which the Portuguese arrived in Japan. 
 
 1553. Mioshi attacked and killed Hossokawa, the minis- 
 ter of the Shiogoon, and the following year attacked Miako, 
 whence the Shiogoon fled to Tanba. 
 
 1555. Fighting was going on between Mowori moto nari 
 (ancestor of Mowori Daizen no daiboo) and Suyay haru taka, 
 who had killed his lord O-ooji. Mowori was victorious, and 
 gained possession of all the "middle or central provinces" 
 west of Miako laying the foundation of the wealth and 
 power which remain to the family to the present time. An 
 embassy was sent this year to Japan from China, to complain 
 of pirates from the island of Kiusiu who were ravaging the 
 coasts of China. 
 
 1557. The Emperor Gonara died. Nobu nanga put to 
 death his own younger brother Nobu yuki. 
 
 1558. Oki matchi ascended the throne at forty-two years 
 of age. At this time Hideyoshi, better known as Taiko 
 sama, as a young man became an officer in the service of 
 Nobu nanga. 
 
 1559. Etsingo Nangao Kage tora, a large feudal chief, 
 went to Miako from his province of Etsingo to pay his re- 
 spects to the Emperor, and to claim his installation into the 
 office of Kwanrei, when his name and designatior was 
 changed to Ooyay Soongi teru tora.
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 115 
 
 1560. Ima ngawa, lord of Suruga, was one of the chiefs 
 who were competing for power. He had raised a large force 
 and met Nobu nanga, who was not inclined to face him with 
 a small number such as he then had with him; but Hide- 
 yoshi persuaded him to join issue, and by skill and stratagem 
 they defeated and killed Ima ngawa, and Nobu nanga took 
 possession of all his territory. 
 
 1561. lyeyas was infeft by Nobu nanga in the province 
 of Mikawa, and made the castle of Okasaki his residence. 
 
 1562. Mowori moto nari and Owotomo Boongo no kami, 
 or Zo rin (the great patron of the foreigners in Kiusiu), were 
 at war, which was terminated by the interference of the Shio- 
 goon, who sent down a messenger to restore peace, through 
 a matrimonial alliance and enlargement of Owotomo's ter- 
 ritories. 
 
 1563. Fighting was going on in the neighborhood of Yedo 
 between Sattomi, who possessed large territories in Awa and 
 Owota, on the one side, and Hojio of Odawarra on the other. 
 A great battle took place between these chiefs at Kowunodai, 
 near Yedo, in which Sattomi was defeated. The defeat took 
 place upon the 9th of the ninth month, a festival-day all over 
 Japan. Since the defeat, Kanagawa and Kawasaki, then 
 belonging to Sattomi, have held the festival on the 19th. 
 Mowori Motonari this year completely defeated Amako, the 
 lord Idzumo, and absorbed his territories, thus becoming lord 
 of ten provinces. 
 
 1564. Nobu nanga killed his father-in-law Seito Do Sang, 
 the lord of Mino, and seized all his territory, and changed 
 his own residence, which had been hitherto in Nagoya in 
 Owarri, to Gifoo in Mino. 
 
 In 1565 Matza naga hissa hide (Daxandono, or properly 
 Danshio, in "History of the Church") and Mioshi attacked 
 Yoshi teru, Shiogoon, who was surprised, and committed 
 suicide. His younger brother Yoshi aki fled to Oomi, shaved 
 his head, and became a priest. The grandson of Yoshi dzumi 
 aimed at the position of Shiogoon. To oppose the designs of 
 Mioshi, who was attempting to assassinate him, Yoshi aki
 
 116 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 joined Nobu nanga, who put him into the post of Shiogoon 
 in 1568, and they together attacked and defeated Mioshi. 
 
 1569. Nobu nanga found it necessary to begin a crusade 
 against the Buddhist priests, and their wealthy and powerful 
 establishments. He attacked and routed and killed Kita 
 batake, the lord of Isse. He built a palace for the Emperor, 
 but it was so small and shabby that the Emperor would not 
 inhabit it, but lived in the temple of Kammo, near Miako. 
 This year the palace and castle of Nijio was built in Miako, 
 and has since been occupied by the Shiogoons as their metro- 
 politan residence. 
 
 1570. Nobu nanga was fighting with the lord of the 
 province of Etsizen, Asakura, who was defeated, and his 
 territories seized by Nobu nanga. 
 
 At this time Nobu nanga, Hideyoshi, and lyeyas found it 
 their interest to be friends. Hideyoshi had grown up as an 
 officer in Nobu nanga's army, and both are said to have been 
 jealous of lyeyas (known as a young man as "Sing Koong"), 
 probably discerning at this early time superior administrative 
 talents, as well as a reticence which may have displeased 
 them. He is said to have been put forward by them into 
 difficult positions to get rid of him, but the vigor of his char- 
 acter increased by overcoming the obstacles in his path. He 
 went to the province of Oomi at the time Nobu nanga was 
 fighting with the troops of Asayee and Asakura at Anegawa, 
 and by his timely assistance turned the fortune of the day. 
 
 1571. The Buddhist priesthood had at this time arrived 
 at the height of their power. The arrival of the Roman 
 Catholics, and the spread of their doctrines, was probably 
 hailed by many as a relief from the extravagant pretensions 
 and power of the monasteries, and it was hoped that they 
 might in some measure balance the power of the Buddhist 
 priesthood. All over the country these monasteries had be- 
 come very wealthy. The monks, bonzes, or bozans, were 
 very numerous, and their retainers 'and dependents formed 
 an army sufficiently powerful to cope with any single chief. 
 The policy of the Roman Catholics seems to have been from
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 117 
 
 the first of an aggressive character, attacking vehemently 
 the native priests, abusing their characters, and getting up 
 discussions in public, and thus unnecessarily irritating a very 
 powerful body in the kingdom. Nobu nanga was very jeal- 
 ous of the power of these Buddhist monasteries, and hated 
 the priests. He therefore gave his countenance to these 
 new-comers, who were delighted, as thinking it showed a 
 zeal for their mission, while, in truth, it was only to gratify 
 his hatred of the native bozans. He suddenly fell upon the 
 largest of the monasteries, the Hiyaysan, also called by the 
 early writers Freno yama, and Hiyay no yama. The grounds 
 are said to have been of great beauty, near the lake of Oomi, 
 and inclosing thirteen valleys ; and at the time the Jesuits 
 arrived in the country there were said to be 500 temples 
 within the area of the monastery. Nobu nanga burned all 
 the temples and massacred the priests. These latter had 
 been joined by some of Nobu nanga's late opponents, but he 
 defeated them all. 
 
 1572. Takeda Singeng, at Mikatta nga harra in Tooto- 
 mi, was fighting with lyeyas. A great mortality had taken 
 place in the force of the latter, and he was nearly overcome, 
 and in great danger, but finally conquered. 
 
 The same year the Shiogoon Yoshi aki became embroiled 
 with Nobu nanga, who arrested him and put him in prison, 
 thus bringing to a termination the real power of the Ashi- 
 kanga family. 
 
 During the year lyeyas was beaten by Takeda near 
 Mitske; he was obliged to fly, and was pursued across 
 the Tenrio River to a village, Hamamatchi. During the 
 night he heard music, and creeping up with some of his 
 men to listen, they saw Takeda himself sitting enjoying the 
 music, when one of lyeyas's men fired at him with a musket. 
 He was wounded and gave up the pursuit. He lingered a 
 while, but at length died of the injury. 
 
 1574. All over the country Roman Catholic temples were 
 being built, exciting the Buddhist priesthood to wrath. 
 
 1575. At Nanga shino, in Tootomi, there was some smart
 
 118 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 fighting between Katzu yori, son of Takeda Singeng, and 
 lyeyas, as officer of Nobu nanga. Katzu yori was very 
 powerful, and had a large army with him of well-trained 
 soldiers, and Nobu nanga was afraid to fight; but lyeyas 
 declared that if he would not fight he himself would join 
 Katzu yori. 
 
 1576. Hideyoshi was sent by Nobu nanga to Kiusiu and 
 the west provinces. As a whim, he this year made a new 
 name for himself out of the half of the names of two of Nobu 
 nanga' s officers, Shibata and Niwa, and calling himself Has- 
 hiba, a name by which he is frequently spoken of by the 
 Jesuits. 
 
 1576. Nobu nanga built the castle of Azutchi (called 
 Anzuquiama in "History of the Church") in the province 
 of Oomij a castle which now belongs to Ee kamong no 
 Kami. 
 
 1577. Matz nanga hissa hide, known in the "History of 
 the Church" as Daxandono, was killed by Nobu nanga. 
 
 1578. Hashiba hide yoshi was this year fighting with 
 Mowori teru moto, known to the Jesuits as the King of 
 Amanguchi, and the island of Kiusiu was devastated by 
 war between Owotomo, son of the Jesuits' friend, and Shi- 
 madzu of Satsuma, the result being that Owotomo was de- 
 feated, and his territory much diminished. 
 
 1579. The two Buddhist sects, Jodo shiu and Nitchi ren 
 shiu, held a great discussion upon religion before Nobu 
 nanga at Azutchi, known as the "Azutchi rong." 
 
 Akitchi mitzu hide, one of Nobu nanga's best officers, 
 seized the province of Tanba. The Ikko shiu, a Buddhist 
 sect, was very powerful at this time, and had possession of 
 the castle of Osaka, then known as the temple of Hoonganji. 
 Nobu nanga, by one of his generals, had been long besieging 
 it, and had failed in taking it. In 1580 he called in the per- 
 suasive interference of the Emperor, and a compact was 
 finally made, under which the priests consented to give up 
 this strong fortress, which has ever since remained in the 
 hands of the executive power.
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 119 
 
 1581. Hideyoshi this year overran the province of Ha- 
 rima, destroying the castle of Miki, and began to build the 
 chateau of Himeji for himself in that province; while Nobu 
 nanga, assisted by lyeyas and Hojio of Odawarra, com- 
 pletely demolished the power of the Takeda family in Kahi. 
 The war is known as the "Ten moku san" war, from the 
 place where Takeda concealed and destroyed himself. The 
 tie between Nobu nanga and his generals seemed to have 
 been very slight, and he does not appear at any time to 
 have been considered ruler of the country. On more than 
 one occasion lyeyas threatened to leave him and throw his 
 weight into the opposite scale. In a portrait drawn of Nobu 
 nanga in the "History of the Church," he is described as 
 "a prince of large stature, but of a weak and delicate com- 
 plexion, with a heart and soul that supplied all other wants ; 
 ambitious above all mankind ; brave, generous and bold, and 
 not without many excellent moral virtues; inclined to jus- 
 tice, and an enemy to treason. "With a quick and penetrating 
 wit, he seemed cut out for business; excelling in military 
 discipline, he was esteemed the fittest to command an army, 
 manage a siege, fortify a town, or mark out a camp, of any 
 general in Japan, never using any heads but his own : if he 
 asked advice, it was more to know their hearts than to profit 
 by their advice. He sought to see into others and to conceal 
 his own counsel, being very secret in his designs ; he laughed 
 at the worship of the gods, convinced that the bonzes were 
 impostors, abusing the simplicity of the people, and screen- 
 ing their own debauches under the name of religion." 
 
 This is the character given of him by the Jesuits, who 
 considered him a friend to their cause, and had some hopes 
 of him as a convert. It agrees in the main with the pict- 
 ures drawn of him by the Japanese. Hating the Buddhist 
 priests, he patronized the Jesuits as a counterpoise, encour- 
 aging them to build even in the neighborhood of . his own 
 palace at Azutchi. Under the encouragement thus given, 
 the Jesuit priests rose to favor and power at court. The 
 efforts of the fathers to extend their influence were crowned
 
 120 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 with success, and at this date the position of the church is 
 described as follows: "Father A. Valignan, superior of 
 Japan, for convenience of government, divided Japan into 
 three parts. The first and principal is that island where 
 Miako stands. They had there three residences of the So- 
 ciety Meaco, Anzuquiama (Azutchi-yama in Oomi) and 
 Takacu qui. In the residence of Miako were two brothers 
 and two fathers, who preached and celebrated the divine 
 mysteries daily in a very fair church. In Anzuquiama they 
 had two fathers and two brothers; the first of these took 
 care of the church, and of all the Christians round about; 
 the other instructed the young gentlemen in the seminary, 
 teaching them their Catechism, and to read and write in 
 Latin, Portuguese and the language of the country. In 
 Tacucuqui (Itami in Setzu) there was only one father and 
 one brother. Justo Ucondono (Takayama), governor of the 
 place, built in it a very handsome church and house for 
 the fathers, and furnished them with all the necessaries for 
 their families. About three leagues off were the churches 
 of Vocayama, Fort Imori in Kawadsi, and Sanga all de- 
 pendencies of this residence. Two leagues from Sanga, Don 
 Simon Tagandono (Tango no Kami), lord of Yao, had eight 
 hundred subjects, all Christians. There were also great 
 numbers of them in Amangutchi, but without any church, 
 it being expressly against the king's pleasure. 
 
 "The second part of Japan is that which they commonly 
 call Ximo (Kiusiu). There the Christians had most churches, 
 and the Jesuits most houses. In the city of Funay, the me- 
 tropolis of Bungo, there was both a college and a university, 
 where they took degrees of masters of arts and doctors of 
 divinity. There were twenty Jesuits in the college. The 
 uoviceship stood at Vosuqui, where King Francis (i.e., 
 Owotomo Boongo no Kami) resided. Besides, they had 
 two residences one at the valley of Ju, some seven leagues 
 from Funay, and another at Nocen and these four houses 
 furnished the whole country with evangelical missionaries. 
 Moreover, they had a house at Facata, in the kingdom of
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 121 
 
 Chicuzen, that was tributary to Bungo ; but Aquizuqui, hav- 
 ing made himself master of that country, soon beat them 
 out of those quarters. The kingdom of Chicungo, bordering 
 upon Chicuzen, had only one church, which was governed 
 since Riozogi's conquest by a devout Christian, that prince 
 being unwilling to entertain any Jesuits in his states. In 
 the kingdom of Fingo, which Aquizuqui and Riozogi parted 
 betwixt them, there were two houses of the Society one in 
 Amacusa and the other at Fort Fundo ; and these two resi- 
 dences took charge of above twenty other churches in that 
 country. As for the island of Xequi (Ko Siki), which stands 
 upon the confines of Amacusa, they had only one church, 
 with near 5,000 Christians, who were governed by one of 
 the inhabitants; for the lord of the place, though he was to 
 permit the fathers to visit them, would not hear of fixing a 
 residence ; which obliged the Christians, on the more solemn 
 days, to come over to the church of Amacusa. 
 
 "In the kingdom of Goto (the five small islands to the 
 west of Japan), since Don Lewis's death, there was neither 
 church nor house, the uncle and tutor to the young prince 
 being, as was said, a most professed enemy to all religion. 
 The King of Firando, indeed, though a heathen, was con- 
 tent to receive two priests and two others for the benefit 
 of the Christians, and chiefly his uncle and son, Don John 
 and Don Anthony. 
 
 "As for the kingdoms of Omura and Arima, religion 
 flourished there above all other parts, Bungo only excepted. 
 The fathers had three houses in Omura, one in Omura itself, 
 where the King kept his court, another at Nangasak, and a 
 third at Curi, and out of these three churches they visited 
 forty several churches, and had charge of some 50,000 
 Christians that were in that kingdom. In Arima they had 
 three residences : one in the city of Arima, with five Jesuits, 
 whereof two had care of the seminary for educating young 
 nobles, among whom was the King of Fiungas* son, cousin- 
 german to the King of Arima, and the rest, all of them 
 sons to the chief lords in the country; the second at Arie; 
 
 6
 
 122 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 and the third at Cochinozi, a most celebrated port for 
 commerce. 
 
 "In the kingdom of Saxuma, where St. F. Xaverius 
 landed at his first entrance into Japan, there were some 
 few Christians whom the fathers visited by times, being all 
 banished by the bonzes, who acted by the King's authority. 
 They reckoned in the kingdom of Ximo upward of 30,000 
 Christians. 
 
 "The third part of Japan (Sikok) contains only four king- 
 doms, and of these only the King of Tosa received the faith. 
 So Father Alex. Valignan, at the end of his visit, upon his 
 return to the Indies, left 150,000 Christians in Japan, 200 
 churches and 39 religious of his own order, besides several 
 able, young and virtuous Japonians who helped to instruct 
 the new Christians." 
 
 In 1582 Nobu nanga was gradually overruning all Japan. 
 He had given the revenues of the island of Sikok to his son, 
 Nobu taka. "This year he built at Azutchi a splendid tem- 
 ple. In this temple he collected idols of all the gods of Japan, 
 and placed in the midst a statue of himself, calling it Xanthi ; 
 i.e., supreme ruler. He then, like Nebuchadnezzar, issued 
 an edict prohibiting any one from worshiping any other idol, 
 and ordered all to resort to this place on his birthday to wor- 
 ship this representation of himself. The first that adored 
 was his eldest son. The nobility followed, and then the 
 gentry and people in their course." This idol is said to 
 be in existence at the present day. Nobu nanga, after this 
 public adoration of his statue, returned to Miako. Akitchi 
 mitzu hide had been one of his most prominent and success- 
 ful generals, and was at this time in the neighborhood of 
 the capital. Nobu nanga had dispatched a large body of 
 troops to assist Hashiba Hideyoshi in his operations in the 
 west. "Whether Akitchi aspired to the position occupied by 
 Nobu nanga, or was really jealous and hated him, in com- 
 mon with others, as a tyrant, or, as some relate, smarted 
 under the insult of being struck by Nobu nanga over the 
 head with a fan, is doubtful. But "when he saw that the
 
 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE. 123 
 
 guards and forces under the immediate command of Nobu 
 nanga were so diminished in number that he was left nearly 
 unprotected, he took advantage of what seemed to him an 
 opportunity. He had been ordered by Nobu nanga to take 
 a large body of troops under his command to join Hideyoshi. 
 Accordingly, he marched, but instead of taking the route in- 
 dicated, he took aside some of the captains whom he knew 
 to be dissatisfied with the government and discussed to them 
 his design, and gained them over by declaiming against the 
 violence, oppression, and tyranny of Nobu nanga, accusing 
 him of destroying the gods and murdering the priests, and 
 concluding by promises of wealth stored up in the castle of 
 Adzutchi yama. He then suddenly wheeled round upon Mi- 
 ako, surrounding Honnoji, where Nobu nanga was residing, 
 before he was aware of any danger. All the avenues were 
 closed no escape was left for him. He was washing his 
 face when the news came that the troops had invested the 
 place, and opening a window to see what was the matter, 
 they poured in a shower of darts and wounded him between 
 the shoulders. The place was soon in flames, and his body 
 was consumed with the building. Thus died Nobu nanga, 
 at forty-nine years of age, a little after he took upon him- 
 self the title of god, and had made himself be adored by his 
 subjects." 
 
 Nobu nanga was by birth of higher origin than his suc- 
 cessor, Taikosama, and, as the son of a feudal prince, had, 
 at a time when might gave right, some pretension to rule. 
 Descended from Kio mori, he was of the Taira family, that 
 clan which had contested so long with the Minnamoto for 
 the executive power in the empire. No question of family 
 origin entered into his rise or brought about his fall. As 
 an individual, he rose to power through his military talents; 
 and probably from want of administrative ability failed to 
 strengthen himself, or insure the succession of the position 
 to which he had risen to his sons. The period of his rule 
 was signalized by the rise and success of the Jesuits, whom 
 he countenanced, according to their own showing, rather
 
 124 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 from hatred to the Buddhist priests than from love for the 
 doctrines of Christianity, or respect for the Roman Catholic 
 priesthood. When he died, the tide of prosperity turned 
 and ebbed till it gradually swept the whole doctrines, priests, 
 and proselytes from the shores of Japan. 
 
 Akitchi mitsu hide, who had thus removed the master- 
 spirit of Japan, was not the man to take the vacant seat. 
 Apparently an able second, a successful lieutenant, he was 
 wanting in every quality for command. He had gained over 
 the troops placed in his charge by the promise of plunder. 
 He marched them upon the city of Azutchi yama, where 
 Nobu nanga had stored up the treasures he had accumulated 
 during many years, and in three days squandered the whole 
 in largesses to those under his command. 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA 
 
 BY the sudden and unexpected removal of the keystone 
 of the arch, there was left a blank to be filled up. It may 
 be said that on either side was a stone ready for the purpose. 
 On the one side, Hideyoshi, in command of a powerful army, 
 and he himself with a great reputation as a leader, and en- 
 gaged, on the part of Nobu nanga, in a war with Mori, prince 
 of the ten western provinces ; on the other, lyeyas, firmly 
 seated as ruler over eight provinces, and hardly acknowledg- 
 ing any submission to the executive at Miako, also in com- 
 mand of an army and fighting on the side of Nobu nanga 
 against Hojo, lord of Odawarra. Had the succession been 
 left to the son or sons of Nobu nanga, there was every pros- 
 pect of a continuance of the same state of anarchy and war. 
 No one of the three was competent for the post. The eldest, 
 indeed, had perished with his father, leaving a son, a child,
 
 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 125 
 
 San hoshi. The third, Nobu taka, was lord of the island of 
 Sikok and its four provinces. Nobu wo, lord of Owarri, the 
 second son, took part with Hideyoshi. 
 
 lyeyas Mikawa no karni seems, during his career, to have 
 occupied a position apart in the empire. This is attributed 
 by his countrymen to a recognition by Nobu nanga and 
 Hideyoshi of his great talents as a general in command 
 during war, they being always either jealous or afraid of 
 him- He had been nearly uniformly successful in war, even 
 when fighting against great odds. They had put him into 
 dangerous positions hi the hope of getting rid of him, but 
 he had always come out of them with additional credit and 
 invariable success. He was ready to obey and equal to com- 
 mand. Unwilling to thrust himself forward, he could bide 
 his time, and was prepared for any emergency. He was 
 born of a good family, but had cut out for himself a posi- 
 tion ; and, in the general scramble for landed possessions at 
 this period, had laid a solid foundation in the province of 
 Suruga and Mikawa and some portions of other provinces. 
 He had already been advanced to high rank by the Emperor. 
 He resided at Hamamatz, in Towotomi, where he held over 
 the Kwanto supreme sway, with which Taikosama did not 
 think it wise to interfere. 
 
 Hideyoshi, as has been related, was of low origin, and 
 his birth and lineage a matter of obscurity ; but in such esti- 
 mation is some sorts of pedigree held in Japan (as in other 
 places) that he contrived to make it appear that his mother 
 was pregnant with him before she married his reputed father, 
 Kinoshta mago yaymong. According to his own accounts, 
 his mother was daughter of Motchihagee, a Koongay, and 
 during the troubles she was obliged to fly, and, falling into 
 great distress, married Kinoshta. She married a second 
 husband, Tchikoo ami. Before her second marriage, she 
 one night dreamed that she had conceived by the sun, and 
 thence her child was called Hi yoshi maro. He was com- 
 monly called Ko chikoo (small boy). His face was small, 
 and he was like a monkey, whence he got the nickname of
 
 126 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 Sam matz; and, even long afterward, when he was Kwan- 
 bakku, he was called Sam Kwanja, or monkey with a crown. 
 "When a child, he was very cunning and reckless, and lived 
 on the streets. A story is told of him lying asleep on a bridge 
 in Okasaka. Among others who passed was Hiko yay mong, 
 a noted robber from Owarri. He gave the boy a kick, and 
 asked him his name. He said, "Sarumatz. This is the 
 public road, and is as much mine as yours. Who are you?" 
 He said, "I am Hiko yay mong." "Well," says the boy, 
 "Hiko is a thief and a robber, and I have as good a right to 
 be here as he." He long afterward made Hiko a Daimio 
 the family as Hatchiska existing to the present time. He 
 went, when ten years of age, to Hama matz, where his mas- 
 ter, observing the talent in the boy, recommended him to 
 turn a soldier. He afterward entered the service of Nobu 
 nanga, and called himself Kinoshta Tokitchiro. When he 
 rose in military rank, he took the name of Hashiba Hide- 
 yoshi Tchikuzen no kami. In 1583, upon the death of Nobu 
 nanga, he rose rapidly in imperial rank from lieutenant-gen- 
 eral to be Naidaijin and Kwanbakku. As it was unheard-of 
 presumption in any one not of the Fusiwarra family being 
 Kwanbakku, he asked, extorted, or adopted this family name 
 from the Emperor. But he seems never to have used it, and 
 is known by that of Toyo tomi, given him by the Emperor. 
 In no long time after, he rose to be Dai jo dai jin. He was 
 Kwanbakku during seven years, when he retired under the 
 usual title of Taiko, given to that officer on retiring, and was 
 known by the name of Taiko sama, or the Taikosama. After 
 the destruction of Azutchi, the city of Nobu nanga, Hideyoshi 
 fixed upon Fusimi and Osaka as his places of residence, tak- 
 ing possession of the castle of Osaka, which commands the 
 town, adding to its strength by immense fortifications, and 
 building in the center a palace of great magnificence. This 
 castle had formerly belonged to one of the powerful Buddhist 
 sects, and had been wrested from them by Nobu nanga. By 
 command of Taikosama, immense canals were dug, and, by 
 artificial means, smaller rivers were led into that flowing
 
 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 137 
 
 past Osaka, by which the importance of the town as a com- 
 mercial capital, as well as its strength as a fort, was mate- 
 rially increased. In Miako he built another magnificent 
 palace, known as Jui raku; and had another at Fusimi, 
 between Miako and Osaka. He had married, during his 
 youth, a woman of his own rank. He afterward married 
 the daughter of Fusi yee; and, thirdly, the daughter of 
 Gamo Hida no kami. His fourth wife was the daughter 
 of Kio goku; and the fifth, the daughter of Mayedda of 
 Kanga; and, lastly, Yodo hime dono, daughter of Azai 
 Bizen no kami, of whom the Jesuit letters speak as Kita 
 Mandocoro "quae est primaria Taici conjunx carissima erat 
 et conjunctissima. " But notwithstanding this plurality of 
 wives, it was never pretended that he had a son till his old 
 age. He had a stepbrother, Hide nanga, and a stepsister, 
 who married Musasi no kami, and had two sons, Hide- 
 tsoongu (who was adopted by Hideyoshi) and Gifoo sho 
 sho. Another stepsister had a son, Hide toshi, who was 
 adopted by Hidenanga. Hidetsoongu (nephew of Taiko by 
 his stepsister), who was afterward Kwanbakku, was first 
 adopted by Miyoshi Yamashiro no kami, and afterward by 
 Taikosama. Taikosama also adopted HideyuM kingo, son 
 of Kinoshta, the brother of his wife. 
 
 The following account of Taikosama is taken from the 
 letters of the Jesuits: "This man (Faxiba, or Hashiba), who 
 was most certainly immoderately ambitious, seeing his mas- 
 ter dead, and with him his eldest son, who had left only one 
 child not full three years old ; moreover, finding the second 
 son to be but a weak man, and the third destitute both of 
 fortune and strength to make head against him, he believed 
 it would be easy to content him by a donation of some gov- 
 ernment, and so the way was fairly open for himself to step 
 into the throne. To carry on his design, he first sounded all 
 the officers of his army, and finding them tight to his inter- 
 est, for a color of his ambition he took upon him the title of 
 tutor and governor to the young prince and heir to the em- 
 pire, and put him into a fortress witk a train answerable to
 
 128 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 his birth. Nobu nanga's third son soon smelled out his de- 
 sign, and not able to brook one of his father's subjects in the 
 government of his kingdoms, he leagued with several of the 
 lords who were grown jealous of Faxiba's power, and re- 
 solved to make it a trial of skill ; but Faxiba, who was an 
 old experienced captain, and had good troops under him, 
 easily defeated them, and put all to death that durst oppose 
 his designs." This is hardly correct, inasmuch as, though 
 he marched into the province of Mino in pursuit of Nobu 
 taka, third son of Nobu nanga, and defeated him, he was 
 not so successful in his action against Nobu wo, the second 
 son, in the year 1584. This latter, without much talent, had 
 wit enough to ask lyeyas to assist him. He came to his as- 
 sistance, and in the battles of Komaki and Nangakute, with 
 greatly inferior forces numerically, defeated, first, Hide- 
 tsoongu, Taikosama's nephew, and afterward Taikosama 
 himself. Taiko thought it more prudent to make a com- 
 pact, and having done so, retired to Miako, which lyeyas 
 permitted him to do without further action. 
 
 "Among the confederates of Nobutaka was one Shibata 
 dono, brother-in-law to Nobu nanga. He was besieged in 
 the fortress of Shibatta, and seeing no way of escape, he, 
 having dined with his friends, wife, and children, and re- 
 tainers, set fire to the castle, first killing his wife, his chil- 
 dren, and the female servants; and his friends, following 
 his example, afterward committed suicide, 'and lay there 
 wallowing in their blood till the fire kindled and burned 
 them to ashes.' " Some of the arms and clothes which were 
 found unburned are said to be all kept to the present day as 
 they were found after this catastrope. 
 
 "Faxiba, being now in peaceable possession of the Tense 
 (or imperial provinces), and all Nobu nanga's other king- 
 doms, to give color to his usurpation, affected an affable 
 sweetness, which charmed all that ever saw or heard him. 
 None, besides the Christians, could in the least suspect the 
 sincerity of his intentions; and not long after they, too, 
 were quieted of all their fears ; for, knowing very well how
 
 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 129 
 
 respectful they had been to Nobu nanga, either out of real 
 affection, or for that he had no mind to make himself new 
 enemies, he began to caress them, and gave them several 
 particular instances of his favor. He knew the Christians 
 in his service to be famous, both for their piety and their 
 courage; and, above all, he showed a particular respect for 
 Justo Ucondono (properly called Takayama oo konyay no 
 kami), to whom he had been indebted for his good fortune. 
 
 "So when the fathers went to visit him, he treated them 
 after the same manner and with the same ceremony as Nobu 
 nanga had done before him; and for instance of his real in- 
 tentions, he appointed them a place for building a church 
 and seminary (in Osaka), as was done before in Anzuqui- 
 ama. The Queen, his lady, had also several of the Chris- 
 tians among her maids of honor, whom Faxiba particularly 
 respected for their singular modesty and piety. He per- 
 mitted them to assist at mass and sermons, and was pleased 
 to show a liking when any of his subjects became Christians, 
 which emboldened them to preach and exercise their other 
 functions with greater liberty than formerly, to the great 
 increase of the faithful. Faxiba, who was advertised of it, 
 far from being displeased, declared he would embrace the 
 Christian religion himself were it but a little more indulgent 
 to flesh and blood." 
 
 Taikosama was feeling his way in the novel position in 
 which he found himself after Nobu nanga's death. The 
 Jesuits did not know how their position might be affected. 
 They had basked in the sunshine of court favor for some 
 years past ; that might now be clouded over. The bozangs, 
 or native Buddhist priesthood, had been standing in the cold 
 shade for some years ; they had everything to hope for in a 
 change. There was not much to be feared from Sanhoshi, 
 the infant grandson of Nobu nanga, as a claimant to the 
 throne. Mowori in the west was quiet. Tyeyas in the east 
 was occupied in attacking Hojio of Odawarra, who was sup- 
 posed to be in opposition to the government. Hojio was su- 
 perior in the number of his forces, but inferior in the ability
 
 130 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 of his commanders. The proverbial saying of an "Odawarra 
 Hio jio' ' that is, an Odawarra deliberation took its origin 
 in the councils of war of Hojio at this time, which, with su- 
 perior forces, were protracted till lyeyas attacked, defeated 
 him, and took the Castle of Odawarra. 
 
 In the year 1583 the Jesuit fathers prevailed upon the 
 Christian converts Arima and Omura and Owotomo Boongo 
 no kanii to send some young lords on a visit to the Pope. 
 Four were sent, two of them being relatives of these lords, 
 and the other two sons of nobles. They were all four boys 
 of the age of from fifteen to sixteen. They took letters with 
 them to Pope Gregory XIII. Leaving Japan on February 
 22, 1583, they, going by Macao and Goa, reached Lisbon 
 on August 10, 1584, and after an interview with Philip at 
 Madrid, arrived in Rome on March 20, 1585, where they 
 were received by the Pope, and kissed his feet. They re- 
 embarked at Lisbon the last day of April, 1586, with seven- 
 teen religious of the Society, reaching Goa on May 29, 1587, 
 and finally arrived in Japan in 1590, "eight years from their 
 first setting out," bringing with them an Arabian horse, 
 which had been presented to them by the Viceroy of India. 
 
 In 1583 Taikosama finished the fortress of Osaka, a work 
 which consumed a great deal of money and occupied a great 
 number of men, and which, when finished, covered a much 
 larger space of ground than that upon which the castle now 
 stands. During this year the island of Kiusiu was the thea- 
 ter of war. Riozoji held an office, now done away with, as 
 governor of the island. He had formerly been a vassal of 
 the small lordship of Arima, but now had large landed pos- 
 sessions in the island : and being too desirous of extending 
 his own territory at his neighbors' expense, they joined to- 
 gether and rooted him out. 
 
 In 1585 Taikosama received from the Emperor the fam- 
 ily name of Toyotomi. He called himself Fusiwara, and 
 insisted on the Emperor appointing him Kwanbakku. He 
 had now had sufficient time to feel himself settled in his 
 position ; but he thought the native monasteries were still
 
 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 131 
 
 too powerful, notwithstanding the demolition of Hiyayzan, 
 the large monastery near Miako, and the slaughter of great 
 numbers of priests by Nobu nanga, together with the appro- 
 priation as a castle of the large monastery in Osaka. The 
 sect of Negoros [Negroes in the Church of Japan] at Ku- 
 mano, in the province of Kii, occupied a very large monas- 
 tery, to which the whole of the province belonged in terri- 
 torial right, the military retainers of the monastery being 
 noted for prowess and skill in fighting. Taikosama having 
 found or made some cause of quarrel moved against them, 
 defeated them, and destroyed the monastery. Most of these 
 retainers were removed to Yedo, where to this day they form 
 part of the guard of the Shiogoon. 
 
 This year Taikosama sent Nbbuwo to order lyeyas to 
 come to Miako. He refused to come until it was arranged 
 that Taikosama's mother should come to Yedo as a hostage 
 during his absence, when lyeyas went to pay his respects to 
 the Emperor. Mowori, lord of the western provinces, was 
 also ordered to come to Miako to acknowledge Taikosama 
 as his superior, an order which he found it prudent to obey. 
 In 1586 lyeyas married the youngest sister of Taikosama. 
 
 A persecuting spirit showed itself among the Jesuits 
 very soon after the departure of Francis Xavier. "Sumi- 
 tanda," they write, "King of Omura, who had become a 
 Christian in accordance with a promise to that purpose in 
 case his wife should have a child, about the year 1562, or 
 only thirteen years after the first arrival of a missionary in 
 the country, declared open war against the devils. He dis- 
 patched some squadrons through his kingdom to ruin all the 
 idols and temples, without any regard to the bonzes' rage." 
 All this, doubtless, was done by the advice and at the insti- 
 gation of his instructors; and "in 1577 the lord of the island 
 of Amacusa issued his proclamation, by which all his sub- 
 jects whether bonzes, gentlemen, merchants or tradesmen 
 were required either to turn Christians or to leave the 
 country the very next day. They almost all submitted, and 
 received baptism, so that in a short time there were more
 
 132 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 than twenty churches in the kingdom. God wrought mira- 
 cles to confirm the faithful in their belief." 
 
 All this time one of the most zealous as well as influential 
 among the Christian converts was he who was known as 
 Justo Ucondono, or Takayama oo konyay no kami. His seat 
 was Takaski, in the province of Setsu, where "he labored 
 with a zeal truly apostolical to extirpate the idolaters out of 
 his states, where the number was now fallen to 30,000. He 
 sent word that they should either receive the faith or be gone 
 immediately out of his country, for he would acknowledge 
 none for his subjects but such as adored the true God. 
 This declaration obliged them all to accept of instruction, 
 which cut out work enough for all the fathers and mission- 
 aries at Meaco." Taikosama still continued his wonted 
 favors to the Christians, "saying one day, in a familiar 
 way, that he would willingly become a Christian himself if 
 they could dispense with him in polygamy." In this way 
 the Roman Catholics set the example of intolerance, driving 
 those opposed to them in religious belief out of the country. 
 True disciples, and breathing the spirit of the Inquisition, 
 then in full blow in Spain and Portugal, they would not 
 allow within their own states that freedom under which the 
 tree planted by them had taken root and was flourishing. 
 
 Takayama brought over as a convert, among others, the 
 young admiral of Taikosama's fleet Don Austin, as he is 
 known to the Jesuits; Konishi, Setsu no kami, Yuki Naga, 
 as his title is in native history. He and his father and 
 mother were baptized in 1584. 
 
 Taikosama, wishing to keep Takaski, gave Takayama in 
 its stead another estate, Akashi, in Harima; and as "soon 
 as Justo had taken possession of it, his first thoughts were 
 to reduce it under the obedience of Christ. The bonzes, 
 smelling his design, with their idols went to cast them- 
 selves at the Queen's feet. The Queen, touched with an 
 ardent zeal for her religion, spoke to the King in their be- 
 half. But Faxiba, who was no bigot, answered her briskly, 
 that he had absolutely given Justo that place in change of
 
 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 133 
 
 Tacacuqui ; and for the rest, every one was free to dispose 
 of his own. Let the bonzes, if the idols be troublesome, 
 drown them in the sea, or dry them for fuel. Don Justo, 
 much pleased with Faxiba's answer, took then a resolution 
 to oblige all his subjects to become Christians," and thus 
 first taught them a lesson which they afterward practiced 
 upon himself. Justo had the merit, in his religious zeal, of 
 being unconnected with any seaport town. All the other 
 lords who had been brought over to the Roman Church were 
 competing more or less for foreign trade Boongo, Arima, 
 Omura, Firando, Gotto ; and though some of them seem to 
 have been sincere converts, others wavered with the rise 
 and fall of exports and imports. Such, for example, may 
 the King of Boongo be called, when he returned the follow- 
 ing answer to the bozangs: "These good fathers have been 
 thirteen or fourteen years in my kingdom. At their arrival 
 I had only three kingdoms; they are now swelled to five. 
 My treasury was exhausted ; it now exceeds any other prince 
 in all Japan. I had no male issue to succeed me, but now 
 Heaven has blessed me with heirs. Everything has suc- 
 ceeded and prospered since they came among us. What 
 blessing did I ever receive from your gods since I began to 
 serve them? Begone! and never speak ill of those I love 
 and respect." This Boongo no kami on one occasion dur- 
 ing war destroyed a most prodigious and magnificent temple 
 with a colossal statue, burning 3,000 monasteries to ashes. 
 "This ardent zeal of the prince is an evident instance of his 
 faith and charity," says the Jesuit writer. 
 
 This year, upon the occasion of the arrival of the Father 
 Provincial of Japan at Osaka, Justo and Austin demanded 
 an audience for him with Taikosama. "To make the way 
 more easy, he exposed, according to the custom of the coun- 
 try, his presents for the King and Queen. He was intro- 
 duced (his majesty accepting the presents) to Taikosama 
 jeated on a magnificent throne, and was received by him 
 with the most marked kindness and condescension. He 
 commended them for taking so long a voyage to publish
 
 134 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 in those parts the law of their God. He gave them sup- 
 per. After the collation he entertained them with a long 
 discourse about his government, told them he intended to 
 make one-half of Japan embrace the Christian religion, and 
 that he had thoughts of passing into China, not to pillage 
 and plunder the country, but to reduce it under the sweet 
 yoke of his obedience. To this end he intended to put to sea 
 with a fleet of 200 men-of-war. Moreover (and this is the 
 gist of the conversation), he desired to hire upon any terms 
 two stout ships of Portugal, well armed and manned, and 
 by means of the fathers made himself sure of gaining this 
 point. After the conquest of China, he would build temples 
 to the true God in all the cities and towns through his em- 
 pire, and withal oblige his subjects universally by public 
 edict to become Christians. 
 
 "He afterward conducted them through his palace to 
 the ninth story of a pyramidal building, whence they had 
 a beautiful view of the country around Osaka. He then 
 alluded to the famous discussion between F. Froes and the 
 Buddhist high-priest, saying that at the time he was so in- 
 censed at the brute, the insolent bozang, that if he had been 
 in power he would have taken off his head. ' ' 
 
 At this meeting the Provincial put in a petition to Taiko- 
 sama, which he is said by the Jesuits to have granted; viz., 
 "That it should be lawful for them to preach the law of the 
 true God through all his states, and his subjects free to em- 
 brace it. That their houses should be exempt from lodging 
 soldiers. That, as strangers, they should be exempt from 
 all cesses and taxes which the lords do usually lay upon their 
 vassals. And he added to that, that he gave them license 
 to preach, not only in his kingdoms, but through all Japan, 
 as lords and sovereigns of the whole empire." 
 
 Such being the inclinations and views of Taikosama tow- 
 ard the Jesuits in the outset of his reign, by what means, it 
 may be asked, was he brought to a change? The statements 
 of the Jesuits are the sole authority for this part of history ; 
 but they seem to have played their cards badly.
 
 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 135 
 
 "Religion in Japan within this thirty-eight years past, 
 when St. Francis Xaverius sowed the first seeds in that un- 
 cultivated soil, has now grown so fair and nourishing that 
 one might well compare it to an orange tree loaded on all 
 sides with fruits and blossoms. It was a field cultivated by 
 the workmen of the vineyard, and watered with kindly 
 showers from heaven, which gave fair hope of a rich and 
 plentiful harvest. It was a ship under full sail drove by 
 the wind of the Holy Ghost, discovering daily new places 
 and countries. 
 
 "In the year 1587 they reckoned above 200, 000 Christians 
 in Japan, among whom were several persons of distinguished 
 merit kings, princes, generals of armies, principal lords of 
 the court, and, in a word, the flower of the Japonian nobil- 
 ity. Moreover, what by Cambacundono's [Taikosama's] 
 esteem of our religion, and kindness to the missioners that 
 preached it, and what by his contempt of the bonzes, whom 
 he persecuted with fire and sword, burning their temples and 
 pulling down their idols wherever he came what, also, by 
 vesting the Christian lords in the most considerable places 
 of the government, and indulging liberty to all his court 
 to receive baptism, over and above, by erecting so many 
 churches to the true God, and so particularly countenanc- 
 ing the fathers of the Society the number of them daily 
 increased. For, not content with sending frequently for the 
 fathers to his palace, he went one day himself to visit the 
 Provincial on board of his ship, and discoursed him after a 
 familiar way for several hours together. Not that he had 
 any thoughts of religion, for he was so proud that he pre- 
 tended equality with Divinity itself, but by this had a mind 
 to gain a reputation among the princes of Europe. 
 
 "Nevertheless, these fair appearances put several of the 
 principal lords in a humor of being instructed, and the num- 
 ber of the proselytes was so great that the fathers could not 
 rest neither day nor night. They were taken up continually 
 with preaching, baptizing, and instructing such as earnestly 
 desired this sacrament, among whom was Cambacundono's
 
 136 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 own nephew, a prince about nineteen years of age, presump- 
 tive heir to the crown. 
 
 "While the Church was in this profound peace, the devil, 
 foreseeing an entire conversion of the whole empire must fol- 
 low, raised such a furious tempest as drove the ship of the 
 Japonian Church upon the rocks, and split it all to pieces." 
 So writes one of the Jesuit fathers. He then looks about to 
 find a reason for the foundering of the vessel, and finds it 
 anywhere but in the pilots or officers of the ship. The un- 
 lucky merchants, whether the failure be ecclesiastical or 
 political, are sure to be made the first scapegoats. Their 
 lives were so dissolute that the immaculate Taikosama was 
 horrified. This not being completely satisfactory, it was 
 further found that "the scandal was so great that Camba- 
 cundono, who had notice of it, began to conceive an ill 
 opinion of the Christian religion, and concluded the fathers 
 only used it for a sconce to some underhand intrigue of re- 
 ducing the empire of Japan under the obedience of some 
 Christian prince." After these two preliminary reasons, 
 the father goes on to assign other causes. "The first was 
 his pride, which rendered him extremely sensible of the least 
 contradiction." At his interview with the Provincial at 
 Osaka, above narrated, his object was to obtain some large 
 foreign vessels to transport troops to China. Hearing that 
 one had "arrived at Firando, he requested it might be sent 
 round to Facata, in Boongo, that he might see it. The cap- 
 tain said it was impossible, owing to the draught of water 
 of the vessel. Taikosama seemed satisfied, but the same 
 night he sent orders to the fathers to depart from Japan 
 within twenty days, and forbade them to preach the Gospel 
 on pain of death." To justify himself, he gave out that "he 
 did this because the Christian faith was contrary to the re- 
 ceived and established religion of Japan, that he had long 
 since designed to abolish it, and only deferred the execution 
 till he had conquered Ximo [Kiusiu], where the Christians, 
 being so numerous, might have formed a party against him. 
 
 "Besides," says the father, "the main refusal, we discov-
 
 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKO8AMA. 137 
 
 ered afterward two main reasons that put him upon this 
 edict. The first was a design of ranking himself among the 
 gods, by which he hoped to make himself be adored by all 
 his subjects as one of the chief conquerors of Japan. Now 
 knowing that none but Christians would dare to oppose him, 
 he took a resolution of exterminating them forthwith before 
 they could have time to make a party against him. 
 
 "The other cause of his aversion to religion was his own 
 lewd life and conversation. Because some of the Christian 
 ladies of Arima had rejected the proposal made by a bozang 
 of entering his service, he was enraged against the whole 
 religion, and resolved to be revenged on the whole body of 
 Christians." This bozang, Jacunin (or Shiaku), had prob- 
 ably been a resident on the estate of Takayama, or Justo 
 Ucondono, at Takaski, or at Akashi, and had smarted under 
 the severity of the treatment by Justo, in turning out of 
 house and home every one not of his way of thinking. This 
 priest is said to have directed his master's wrath against 
 Takayama. "All the forces in the empire being in his power 
 as general, and he the greatest bigot of the sect, it was well 
 if, under the mask of religion, he did not underhand form 
 a league against the state." The consequence was, that a 
 dispatch was immediately forwarded to Takayama, con- 
 fiscating his estate, depriving him of his offices, and re- 
 ducing him at once to beggary. Takayama on the occasion 
 seems to have displayed great magnanimity, and acted from 
 a deep Christian feeling. He might have temporized and 
 dallied till the wrath of Taikosama had cooled down, or he 
 might have committed suicide, as a native noble would have 
 done, and preserved his name as a hero and his estate to his 
 son. After prayer, the whole family his father and mother, 
 men, women, children, and servants immediately put them- 
 selves on their way, with what little baggage they could 
 carry. They found a retreat in the territory of Setsu no 
 kami, Don Austin. 
 
 At this time Taikosama issued the following proclama- 
 tion: "Being informed by the lords of our Privy Council
 
 138 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 that certain foreign religious were entered into our states, 
 where they preach a law contrary to the established religion 
 of Japan, and impudently presume to ruin the temples of the 
 Caniis and Fotoquis, though this attempt deserve the very 
 utmost severity, yet out of our royal clemency we do only 
 hereby command them upon pain of death to depart from 
 Japan in twenty days, during which time it shall not be 
 lawful for any one to hurt them ; but if afterward any of 
 them shall be found in our states, our will and pleasure is 
 that they be apprehended and punished as in cases of high 
 treason. As for the Portuguese merchants, we give them 
 free leave to traffic and reside in our ports till further order; 
 but withal we do hereby strictly forbid them, on pain of 
 having both their ships and merchandises confiscated, to 
 bring over with them any foreign religious." 
 
 That this change should sooner or later have come is not 
 to be wondered at. That it should have shown itself so sud- 
 denly, is in accordance with Japanese ideas of policy, and 
 the character of the Japanese mind. The empire had been 
 for years, almost ages, torn by internal divisions among 
 small chiefs. The object of Nobu nanga had been to bring 
 them all into one under himself. His lieutenant, Taiko- 
 sama, totally illiterate, though perhaps not more so than 
 those around him, had been imbued with his master's 
 views. The Buddhist monasteries had been hotbeds of 
 sedition and foci of disturbance, being at the same time 
 large political and military powers of perhaps the second 
 rank, and they had made themselves obnoxious on different 
 occasions by marked insolence to the generals, and even to 
 Nobu nanga himself. They had not even the justification 
 of having preserved (as monasteries did of old in Europe) 
 the literature of the country, not one priest being able to 
 read, or teach the rising generation the rudiments of the 
 written character. 
 
 When the Jesuits appeared with meek and lowly appear- 
 ance, Nobu nanga was charmed with the prospect of estab- 
 lishing them as a counterpoise to the haughty and insolent
 
 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 139 
 
 Buddhists. He nourished them, showering favors upon 
 them, and in every way encouraging them, more especially 
 borne, as they were, on the wings of wealth and trade. 
 They found Japan, so far as religions went, a free coun- 
 try, where all religious were tolerated so long as they did 
 not become aggressive. But they did not come from a free 
 country. Their ideas were not those of religious tolerance. 
 By a decree of Gregory XIII., January 28, 1585, all priests 
 and religious whatever except Jesuits were prohibited from 
 going to preach hi Japan. This was confirmed by Clement 
 VIII., March 14, 1597; and Philip II. of Spain wrote soon 
 after to his viceroy in the Indies to see the order punctually 
 obeyed. This monarch was wielding the power as King of 
 Portugal. No priest could come to Japan without his sanc- 
 tion. He had the power of putting his veto on the appoint- 
 ments made by the Pope. The fires of the Inquisition were 
 blazing. The wish of the Jesuits was, that those who dif- 
 fered from them in religious views should be burned as her- 
 etics, to be damned; their hope was that they themselves, 
 holding the true faith, might be burned as martyrs, to be 
 beatified, Doubtless the archives of Simancas could unfold 
 many a letter breathing such thoughts written from Japan, 
 possibly noted by Philip's own hand. 
 
 They had hitherto sailed with a fair wind. It may be 
 believed, without going to the full length of taking every- 
 thing in their letters for truth, or, on the other hand, accept- 
 ing all that is said against them in the work "La Morale 
 pratique des Jesuites," or "L'Esprit de Mons. S. Arnauld," 
 that they had done some good. Many had been won over 
 from a state of brutishness to submission in their daily walk 
 and conversation to the precepts of the Gospel. Some had 
 gone through severe trials and persecutions, and had stood 
 firm to their professions. Each of the lords of Boongo, 
 Arima and Omura had suffered more or less for the faith 
 they professed. Though the fathers themselves give us a 
 weapon to attack their conversions when they at one time 
 assure us that "to win the favor of Taikosama put several
 
 HO HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 of the principal lords in a humor of being instructed, and 
 the number of proselytes was so great that the fathers could 
 not rest day or night preaching, instructing and baptizing 
 such as earnestly desired this sacrament" (among whom 
 was Cambacundono's own nephew, Hidetsoongo), it might 
 be asked, What sort of converts were these? and how could 
 these fathers abuse this sacrament in baptizing persons to 
 win the favor of such a master? 
 
 But these fathers appear to have looked upon the bozangs 
 as their personal enemies. They thought that it was their 
 special mission to root them out. They would not let the 
 tares and the wheat, as they looked upon the respective par- 
 ties, grow together. They attacked these priests wherever 
 they met them. Francis Xavier, at the commencement of 
 his missionary life in Japan, visited these "bonzes, with the 
 design, if it were possible, to convert them to Christ, being 
 persuaded that Christianity would make little progress 
 among the people if they who were generally looked upon 
 as oracles of truth opposed the preaching of the Gospel." 
 He declared himself much astonished that in Japan the 
 people "have a profound respect for the bonzes; for though 
 they be conscious of their hyprocrisy and debaucheries, yet 
 at the same time they worship them like deities, and pay 
 them all imaginable submission." 
 
 One of the first duties of a missionary should be to learn 
 thoroughly the religion of the people of the country to which 
 he is sent. An acquaintance with Buddhism, and its tenets 
 and principles, would have been a very powerful weapon to 
 convince or to condemn these priests, without trying to hold 
 them constantly up to the scorn of their own people and fol- 
 lowers. From the commencement of the Romish missions 
 a continued aggressive action appears to have been kept up 
 against the Buddhist priesthood as individual men. The 
 lives and the morals, or the want of morals, of these men, 
 seem to have been the constant theme of the Jesuit ad- 
 dresses to the people. 
 
 It cannot be wondered at that a body which was politi-
 
 GOVERNMENT OF TA1KO8AMA. 141 
 
 cally strong enough to cause uneasiness to the monarch of a 
 country like Japan should not sit quietly under such attacks. 
 We have no objection to you making converts, they may 
 have said; but when it came to breaking down temples and 
 destroying the images, a spirit of intense opposition was 
 aroused. But when to this a system of persecution was 
 added such as that pursued by Don Justo in his territories, 
 when every one not of his religion was driven out, when the 
 property of the temples was taken from them, and perhaps 
 given to their opponents only one end can be looked for; 
 viz., that one party should be victorious over the other, and 
 that by a war to the knife, a struggle of life and death. 
 The Buddhists were roused. They could live alongside of 
 Confucianism, or of Taouism in the Yamabooshi, or of the 
 different sects among themselves; but with the new sect, 
 this Roman Catholicism, which broke its neighbor's temples 
 down, abused him to his face, and then turned every one out 
 wherever it had the power of doing so the only method with 
 it was to use its own weapons and turn it out to root it out 
 of the country. 
 
 This Inquisition mode of dealing could have ended in no 
 other way. Japan was not Spain, as the Jesuits found out. 
 
 The Buddhists felt that they were worsted on both sides 
 by the military power on the one side, which had defeated 
 their soldiers, burned their monasteries, confiscated their 
 lands, and appropriated their temples; by the Jesuits, who 
 had seduced their people, abused themselves, robbed them 
 of their tithes and offerings, broken down their gods, and 
 burned the temples, and were now attempting to make con- 
 verts in the palace itself, being in such favor as to be re- 
 ceived by Taikosama as he received no other. 
 
 Taikosama was probably a proficient in the Japanese act 
 of dissembling. At first he was doubtful to which party to 
 incline ; but when he had once made sure, after his defeat 
 of the ITegoros and seizure of their territory in Kii, that the 
 Buddhists were thoroughly subdued, there could be little 
 doubt, knowing the man, but that he would not give it to
 
 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 that which was threatening to be the cause of renewed dis- 
 turbance in the empire, and whose emissaries thought they 
 had a right to reprove him whenever it pleased them to do 
 so. But it was Japanese policy to flatter them, to amuse 
 them, to dissemble with them till the moment of making the 
 spring. Inflamed by the Buddhist priests around him, he 
 made up his mind that the new sect must be rooted out. In 
 the year 1586 Nagasaki was taken from the Prince of Omura 
 by Taiko, and made a government port and property. At 
 that time, native history tells us, Satsuma and Owotomo 
 were fighting. To this war Taikosama put an end. Some 
 "battereng," or padres, came to Tsikuzen to see Taiko. He 
 did not like Roman Catholics. He found that two of his 
 own servants were of that faith ; they were speared at the 
 temple of Hatchimang at Hakazaki. The padres were sent 
 away. Thirteen churches were destroyed. At that time 
 the province of Tsikuzen belonged partly to Owotomo and 
 partly to Satsuma. Taikosama took it from both, and gave 
 all Hizen and Tsikuzen to Nabeshima, formerly a servant 
 of Riozoji, and whose descendants hold it to this day. He 
 now fixed that Nagasaki was to be the only place where for- 
 eign trade was to be permitted. 
 
 The proclamation of 1587 caused the greatest dismay in 
 the minds of the Christians. The heads of the church de- 
 termined that they would, at all hazards, keep their posts. 
 They took refuge in the territories of Boongo, Arima, Omura, 
 Firando and Amacusa, alleging that they were waiting until 
 a ship was ready to take them away. When the time ar- 
 rived, and the ship ready, the captain excused himself from 
 carrying the fathers this year, as his ship was already over- 
 laden, sending a letter to Taikosama, which did not reach 
 him for several months. He was very angry, and took 
 down the churches in the neighborhood of Miako. At the 
 same time he ordered Don Austin to exchange his lands 
 near Miako for others in Kiusiu. 
 
 A meeting was held in Firando hi August, 1587, at which 
 the heads of the church decided that the proclamation of
 
 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 143 
 
 Taikosama was not to be obeyed, but that prayers were to 
 be offered up, and that Christians were to keep quiet, in the 
 hope that the storm might blow over. 
 
 The following character of Taikosama is given by one of 
 the Jesuit writers: "He reigned in profound peace, and to 
 conserve it he observed these rules in his government. First, 
 After subduing his enemies, and an act of pardon, he never 
 put any one to death, as Nobu nanga, his predecessor, had 
 done, who never spared any of the great ones, which ren- 
 dered his government odious and cruel ; but Taikosama not 
 only spared their lives, but further assigned them sufficient 
 pensions to live on, which made them easy and well content. 
 
 "Secondly, He forbade all quarrels and private heats, on 
 grievous penalties, and whoever were found transgressing in 
 this kind were punished with death. If any of these fled, 
 they punished the relations in his place; and in default of 
 relations, his domestics; and in default of these his next 
 neighbors, who were all crucified for not preventing the 
 disorder. No doubt great injustice was committed by this 
 means, and several innocent people suffered. But yet the 
 fear of death made all zealous and careful to stifle these 
 animosities and heats in their very birth, and forced them 
 to live quiet. 
 
 "Thirdly, Though he was a tyrant, he would have jus- 
 tice done immediately on all criminals, without regard to 
 birth, quality, services or any alliance whatever; and the 
 party, upon the first conviction of his crime, was put to 
 death out of hand, though he was one of his own relations, 
 and of the very blood-royal itself. He was most lewdly ad- 
 dicted to women, nevertheless he pretended that none had a 
 right to use these debauches but himself, and expressly for- 
 bade any of his subjects to keep a concubine. 
 
 "Another means of preventing troubles was to keep both 
 soldiers and gentry busy employed ; for he put them upon 
 building palaces, raising fortresses, etc., knowing very well 
 that the humor of the great ones is always restless and un- 
 quiet if their thoughts are not taken up about other business.
 
 144 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 As for the soldiers, lest idleness should effeminate them, he 
 kept them always employed about his works. 
 
 "Moreover, besides the pensions allowed them for life, he 
 also maintained them in the field, which kept them hi sub- 
 mission and dependence. As for kings, lords and governors, 
 he made frequent alterations and changes to break their 
 measures, and hinder them from growing popular. Above 
 all, he studied the humor and genius of his subjects; and if 
 any were found to be of a turbulent nature, he secured them, 
 and by that put them out of the possibility of revolt in his 
 absence. 
 
 "In fine, what rendered his government so peaceable, 
 was his immense treasures ; for by these riches he bound all 
 his subjects tight to his interest, keeping all in hopes, though 
 he never intended them any favors. These were his principal 
 ways and means of maintaining peace in his governments." 
 
 A very little consideration of the position in which Taiko- 
 sama, as ruler of Japan, was standing to these foreigners, 
 must lead to the conclusion that he could take no other step 
 than that which he had taken. They had come to the coun- 
 try uninvited. They had found the country in the posses- 
 sion, so to speak, of a religion which had never shown a 
 persecuting spirit. They had come in their own vessels. 
 From the very outset they had displayed a hard, persecut- 
 ing spirit, with a tendency to re-embroil the country in war, 
 out of which it was only now emerging. They had insisted 
 on every one coming into subjection to them, with the alter- 
 native of leaving house and home hi case of refusal. They 
 were, as usual, now calling in the assistance of the temporal 
 power to force the yoke of their priestly supremacy on the 
 people of Japan. Had Taikosama been able to send them 
 away in vessels of the country, he would no doubt have done 
 so. But having no vessels, he gave them the alternative of 
 living peaceably in the country, or of leaving it. They 
 forced the ruling powers of Japan, by their encroachments 
 and persecuting system, to retaliate upon themselves, and 
 then gloried in considering themselves martyrs. They were,
 
 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 145 
 
 in short, constituting themselves and their flocks, over whom 
 they, as priests, had no political authority, an imperium in 
 imperio. They were teaching them to be rebels to their 
 own government, and the priests themselves were obliged 
 to end in the spirit in which they ought to have commenced 
 a spirit of meekness among their enemies. It would seem, 
 from old as well as from recent experience, that, for Chris- 
 tians to live among heathens, it is necessary to have an "ex- 
 territoriality" power; but that is equivalent to saying sim- 
 ply that the Christian power is the strongest, and it means 
 to enforce what it thinks right. 
 
 According to the resolutions of the meeting at Firando, 
 the Roman Catholics kept quiet and in retirement in the 
 several provinces in which they were settled. 
 
 The first of the line of Owotomo began as personal ser- 
 vant of Yoritomo; and a portion of Satsuma's territory was 
 given to him, after which the family rose to greatness dur- 
 ing the wars between the Emperors of the North and South. 
 About 1374 they acquired a large territory in the north- 
 east of the island of Kiusiu, covering the whole of Boongo 
 and parts of Boozen and the adjoining provinces Tsikugo 
 and Tsikuzen. In the middle of the sixteenth century this 
 territory included nearly one-half of the island. The family 
 was ruined in the persecution of the Roman Catholics. The 
 principality of Arima covered, at one time, the greater part 
 of the province of Fizen. The territory, as was often the 
 case with small proprietors in feudal times, was at different 
 times enlarged and contracted. Latterly, it seems to have 
 included only the peninsula on which the town of Simabarra 
 stands, and but little more. 
 
 Omura is the name of a town which stands on the land- 
 locked bay of the same name, in the province of Fizen, 
 about twenty miles from Nagasaki; and the territory held 
 by the lord of that name included a strip of ground round 
 the city, and the greater part of the peninsula on which 
 Nagasaki stands. The family seems to have been an off- 
 shoot from Arna, and never to have been of any great 
 
 7
 
 146 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 power until the rise of Nagasaki, which no sooner became 
 of any value than it was taken from the lord by Taikosama, 
 and has ever since remained government property. 
 
 The lord of Boongo, who had patronized the Jesuit 
 priests ("our Maecenas," as they call him), and afterward 
 had been converted and baptized, had died in the year 1587. 
 He had abdicated in favor of his son, but at one time re- 
 sumed the reins ; but before his death had the pain of wit- 
 nessing the diminution of the family estates by powerful 
 and rapacious neighbors. His son, after losing part of his 
 estates and the favor of Taikosama, thought to regain both 
 by showing some activity in acting up to the recent procla- 
 mation. He was the first to commence the persecution of 
 his father's friends. Meantime, Taikosama returned to 
 Miako, and seems to have forgotten his edict and the 
 Christians altogether. Probably the truth is, that during 
 all this time, though he was annoyed by the Jesuits and 
 their proceedings, he was working out in his own mind 
 the means of making an attack upon China. He saw in 
 the foreign ships easy means of transport, and, knowing the 
 influence the priests exerted over the merchants, his hopes 
 lay in keeping in with the former to obtain the assistance of 
 the latter in his design. Some time after the promulgation 
 of the edict, he received most graciously Father Valignan, 
 Provincial of Japan and the Indies, as embassador from the 
 Viceroy of India, and as associate with the four young em- 
 bassadors who had returned from Europe. 
 
 The annexation of Nagasaki by government in 1590 was 
 a great blow to the Jesuits, inasmuch as it had been a source 
 of wealth, through the lord of Omura, who was a Christian ; 
 and also, inasmuch as hitherto the governor had always been 
 a Christian, and he was now exchanged for two heathens. 
 The place had increased rapidly from the time the Jesuits 
 first went there, probably about 1575, when there were only 
 500 houses in the place, till 1590, when there were 5,000 fam- 
 ilies resident, besides merchants and tradesmen who came 
 there in June from all parts on the arrival of the fleets.
 
 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 147 
 
 In the year 1592, Taikosama carried out the project he 
 had long been thinking on, viz., the invasion of Corea and 
 thence of China, called in the letters "a foolish and temera- 
 rious enterprise, infinitely hazardous, if not morally imprac- 
 ticable." It is difficult to see what motive existed for this 
 invasion. Being a man of war from his youth, and know- 
 ing nothing else, he perhaps longed for new conquests. The 
 Jesuit writers attribute it to a wish to use up the Christians 
 in the island of Kiusiu, as well as to get rid of Uriah-like 
 some of the best generals of his army, who were believers 
 in the new doctrines. Another reason they give was his 
 wish to rival the greatest hero of the empire, now wor- 
 shiped as the god of war Hatchimang who had con- 
 quered Corea through his mother. He made great prep- 
 arations, giving out that he was going to lead the army 
 himself. He handed over the power he held in Japan to 
 his nephew, Hidetsoongu, giving him, through the Em- 
 peror, the title of Kwanbakku. He appointed four generals 
 of the army, two of whom were Christians, Don Austin and 
 Kahi no kami, son of Don Simon; the two other generals 
 were Toronosuqui and Aki no kami. Under the two former 
 were several Christian lords, Arima, Omura, Amacusa, 
 Boongo, Tsussima, Don Austin's son-in-law, and others, 
 with an army of 40,000 men. The total number of men 
 collected, including seamen and tradesmen, was said to have 
 been 300,000, a large number to supply with food, and only 
 possible with an army fed nearly wholly upon rice. One- 
 half of the army, after a council of war, set sail from Nan- 
 goya in Fizen, and was landed at Fusancay or Fkusan, at 
 the southern extremity of Corea. Don Austin commanded 
 this division. In no long time he repeatedly defeated the 
 Corean army and captured several fortresses. Taikosama 
 ordered Toronosuqui and his half of the army to follow into 
 Corea without delay. He came up to the support of Don 
 Austin, but, according to the Jesuits' account, treacherously 
 held back his men that Don Austin might be defeated before 
 he came to his support. The Coreans seem to have shown
 
 148 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 no capacity for war, and in no long time nearly the whole 
 fortresses of the kingdom were in possession of the Japanese. 
 
 Taikosama, according to the Roman Catholic authorities, 
 still jealous of the body of Christians, especially after Don 
 Austin's success, collected 150,000 men out of Kiusiu, and 
 sent them over to Corea, ordering the commander-in-chief 
 to return the vessels immediately in order that he might 
 follow in the spring. This is said to have been a ruse to 
 shut off their return. 
 
 Meantime the large force in Corea was being neglected ; 
 they were left without provisions or ammunition. Their 
 men, deserting, were taken and killed, and at length Don 
 Austin was forced to fall back, and, after several engage- 
 ments, signed an agreement with the Coreans by which the 
 latter were to send two embassadors to Taikosama, and the 
 Japanese were to retire, and only to occupy twelve forts on 
 the sea-coast. The Japanese army was computed to have 
 lost 150,000 men. A truce was concluded, and embassadors 
 accompanied Don Austin to Japan. The following demands 
 were made: 1. That eight provinces of Corea be handed 
 over to Japan; 2. That the Emperor of China give one of 
 his daughters to Taikosama; 3. That there should be a free 
 trade between the two countries, and that China and Corea 
 should pay Japan a yearly tribute. 
 
 In 1592, Lupus di Liano, a Spanish envoy, was dis- 
 patched from Manila to lay complaints against the Portu- 
 guese before Taikosama. He was lost on his return with 
 the vessel in which he sailed. 
 
 In 1593 the governor of the Philippines sent over another 
 envoy. He took over with him four religious Recollects of 
 St. Francis. These were the first arrivals in Japan of any 
 other order not of the Jesuit, with the exception of one 
 Dominican, who accompanied the previous Spanish envoy. 
 Among the presents was a Spanish horse richly harnessed. 
 Among the presents brought by Father Valignan had been 
 an Arab horse. The blood of these presents has probably 
 influenced the breed in Japan.
 
 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 149 
 
 At an interview with Taikosama these Franciscans asked 
 to see his palace. "With all my heart, provided you do not 
 preach in my states." The religious, being leeolved not to 
 obey him, gave no promise, but made a low reverence. 
 Shortly after, the governor of Miako sent to the Jesuit fa- 
 thers to tell them to go on with their work of piety, but 
 with privacy and prudence. In consequence of this they 
 hired a house and met privately, none appearing in public 
 except two, "But the fathers of St. Francis thought not 
 themselves obliged to such condescendence. Their ardent 
 zeal made them believe that such deference to the order of 
 the sovereign was contrary to the liberty of the Gospel, and 
 that they ought to preach the faith despite of all laws to the 
 contrary." They went to Taikosama and asked for some 
 place away from secular people to build a little house for 
 their own private convenience. He did not carry his edict 
 into -execution against them, but referred them to the 
 governor of Miako, who assigned "them a very sweet seat 
 without the walls of Miako, commanding that they should 
 neither preach nor hold assemblies of Christians, according 
 to Taikosama's orders. But the fathers, without regard to 
 either the governor's advice or Taikosama's orders, built 
 immediately both a church and a convent with a wall about 
 it. Even the wise and more prudent among the Christians 
 advised them to be seriously careful of what they were doing. 
 The governor, hearing of it, sent and requested them to shut 
 up their church." He was obliged to inform Taikosama, 
 saying, "He feared that these religious, who call themselves 
 embassadors from the Philippines, intend to preach like the 
 rest." "They won't," replied he, in a passion, "if they be 
 wise; for if they do, I'll teach them to laugh at me." 
 
 These Franciscans, thinking they were most successful, 
 wrote to Manila for others to come over to assist them. 
 They opened a church at Osaka, and designed to erect a 
 third at Nagasaki. To this end they desired the governor 
 would obtain leave of Taikosama for two sick to change air. 
 The governor said in case of health they were free to go
 
 150 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 where they pleased. Upon this two went to Nagasaki, and 
 began to say mass and preach publicly without any regard 
 to the Emperor's mandates. 
 
 The Jesuits were much surprised that these Franciscan 
 fathers should fix a residence in their jurisdiction without 
 their consent; while the lieutenant-governor, having re- 
 ceived strict orders not to permit any service in the town, 
 was in doubts what to do. He referred to the governor, 
 and he, being alarmed for himself, ordered a note to be 
 taken of every one who disobeyed the law, but said he 
 would apply for further instructions to Taikosama himself. 
 Hearing from Miako that these men had asked and received 
 permission to go to Nagasaki on the plea of sickness only, he 
 ordered them out of his jurisdiction, which seems to be a 
 very lenient course of treatment, considering the trouble 
 that had already arisen out of this preaching. 
 
 The success of Konishi (Don Austin) in Corea seems at 
 first to have operated in his favor. Taikosama was de- 
 lighted; but as soon as this first feeling was over, alarm 
 at thinking he was a Christian, and as such could com- 
 mand the services of a very large body of his countrymen 
 at a word from the Jesuit priests, seems to have been the 
 most prominent feeling in his mind. He knew by experi- 
 ence that the Buddhist priests had been able to keep the 
 armies of Nobu nanga at bay for several years. He there- 
 fore dissembled, and in the mean time he recalled Justo to 
 court, and gave him a large pension. 
 
 At this time, however, another circumstance occurred 
 which occupied his mind for a time. Hidetsoongu, his 
 nephew, had been acknowledged as heir, and power was 
 delegated to him as regent while Taiko should be away in 
 Corea. Of this young man a somewhat extraordinary ac- 
 count is given in the Jesuit letters. In 1587, when Taiko 
 chose to make a great show of favor to the Roman Catho- 
 lics and the missionaries, the fathers were taken up contin- 
 ually with preaching, baptizing and instructing such of the 
 principal lords as desired earnestly this sacrament, among
 
 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 151 
 
 whom was Taiko's own nephew, and presumptive heir to 
 the crown. 
 
 "Hidetsoongu was a young man of three-and-thirty years 
 of age, endowed with all the qualifications that can be de- 
 sired in a young prince. He had a quick and penetrating 
 wit, and excellent judgment, and withal a most courteous 
 and obliging behavior. He was wise, prudent and discreet. 
 He abhorred the vices of his country and loved learning, and 
 took pleasure in it. For this reason he was delighted in the 
 company of the fathers, and knowing that our religion set 
 value on virtue and good manners, he took a particular 
 affection to it. 
 
 "But all these good qualities were quite obscured by a 
 strange and most inhuman vice. He took a strange kind of 
 pleasure and diversion in killing men, insomuch that when 
 any one was condemned to die, he chose to be executioner 
 himself. He walled in a place near his palace, and set in 
 the middle a sort of table for the criminal to lie on till he 
 hewed him to pieces. Sometimes, also, he took them stand- 
 ing, and split them in two. But his greatest satisfaction 
 was to cut them off limb by limb, which he did as exactly 
 as one can take off the leg or wing of a fowl. Sometimes, 
 also, he set them up for a mark, and shot at them with pis- 
 tols and arrows. But what is most horrid of all, he used to 
 rip up women with child to see how the infants lay in their 
 mother's womb. Father Froes, who had seen and conversed 
 with him, describes him as you have seen." This account is 
 corroborated by native history. 
 
 For many years Hidetsoongu had been looked upon as 
 his uncle's heir. He had three children; but about this time 
 one of Taiko's wives had a son, who was thought by many 
 to be supposititious. "Be it as it will," write the fathers, 
 "he made great rejoicing for it all over Japan, and insisted 
 on his nephew adopting the child as his son." 
 
 The consequence was that uncle and nephew became 
 jealous and distrustful each of the other. In the "History 
 of the Church" a full account is given of their meetings in
 
 152 HIS1VRY OF JAPAN. 
 
 Miako. "Taikosama sent to his nephew to say he would 
 invest him with full power. Hidetsoongu prepared a mag- 
 nificent feast. The day was settled, but the uncle was 
 afraid to trust himself within the palace of Juraku, where 
 the nephew was waiting for him. At last he was per- 
 suaded to go, and went with great magnificence in a tri- 
 umphal chariot (a closed box) all laid with gold, drawn by 
 two large oxen with gilt horns. The procession lasted from 
 morning till two in the afternoon. All this time Taiko 
 minded more the security of his own person than all the 
 entertainments. He placed guards all about his apartments, 
 and advised his nephew to lodge in another palace. The 
 nobility generally believed that Hidetsoongu would never 
 let slip so fair an opportunity of avenging the injuries he 
 had received, and therefore every one took care of himself. 
 But no attempt was made on Taiko's life. Appearances 
 were kept up for some days; but the nephew, disgusted 
 with his uncle's treatment, secretly began to make the prep- 
 arations which had been expected of him long before. ' ' But 
 he was betrayed by the first of the nobles to whom he ap- 
 plied probably Mowori (known as Choshiu), who gave 
 Taiko information. In no long time Taiko brought the 
 matter to a point by asking explicit answers to plain ques- 
 tions, and in the meantime collected troops about Miako. 
 When he thought he was safe, he sent to his nephew and 
 ordered him off instanter to his father's territory. He was 
 then ordered to enter the monastery of Koga, used as a re- 
 treat by exiled nobles. He marched, accordingly, all night. 
 The prisoner was treated as badly as possible; and in Au- 
 gust, 1795, an order came from his uncle that he and his 
 servants should rip themselves up. Hidetsoongu paid the 
 last attention one friend can pay to another in Japan, and 
 cut their heads off after they had stabbed themselves. He 
 himself repeatedly stabbed himself, and one of his esquires 
 took his master's saber and cut off his head, and then stab- 
 bing himself, fell on his body. Father Froes seems to have 
 been on the spot at the time.
 
 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 153 
 
 Taikosama, in the whole of this affair, showed a spirit of 
 extreme cruelty and vindictiveness. He, not satisfied with 
 the life of his nephew, put to death all his friends, and then, 
 collecting his family, sent his wives and children, the eldest 
 five years of age, his own grand-nephews and nieces, to exe- 
 cution ; with savage atrocity sending for his nephew's head 
 that it might be shown to them at the scaffold. They were 
 all beheaded to the number of thirty-one ladies and three 
 children, and their bodies thrown into a hole in Sanjio Street, 
 over which a sort of erection or tomb was built, and on it the 
 inscription, Tchikushozuka, "The tomb of bitches," which 
 remains to this day. A temple has been built close by, and 
 is named Tchikushozuka no dera. 
 
 Taikosama had long set his heart upon the hope of pre- 
 vailing upon the Emperor of China to send an embassy to 
 Japan, and, to his own surprise, his ambition was gratified. 
 Don Austin, according to Jesuit accounts, by working upon 
 the fears of the officers of the Celestial court, induced them 
 to send two men to Corea, who were ordered to pass over 
 into China. Taikosama made preparations to receive this 
 embassy with great magnificence, but in the end treated the 
 envoy with marked insolence and rudeness. 
 
 In August of 1596 a comet was visible for fifteen days in 
 Japan, and on the 30th of the same month a frightful earth- 
 quake is recorded to have occurred. By this the greater part 
 of the buildings recently erected at great expense at Osaka 
 and Fusimi were completely demolished. Recurring at mid- 
 night of the 1st of September with awful violence, all the 
 magnificent buildings raised by the Taiko were in a moment 
 thrown down two lofty eight-storied buildings, visited by 
 the fathers, being destroyed. Stones, each of which had re- 
 quired the united efforts of 1, 500 men to put in their places, 
 were hurled out. The heavy roofs of temples and buildings, 
 subsiding en masse, buried many under them, and, as usual 
 in Japan, the fires which arose carried death to those buried 
 under the wood. The occasion is used by one of the fathers, 
 in his letter, to indulge in a sneer against the Buddhist priest-
 
 154 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 hood. In doing so, he gives some insight into the tenets in- 
 culcated in their sermons by these Buddhist priests. "He 
 was preaching on the evening prior to the earthquake with 
 such a torrent of eloquence as to bear all before him, and 
 the main drift of his discourse was the mercy and bounty of 
 his god toward his clients, particularly at the hour of death. 
 He enlarged upon his charity to mankind, showing that he 
 would have all men to be saved, without distinction or ex- 
 ception of persons, exhorting them to cast themselves on his 
 mercy. So soon as he had made an end of speaking, the 
 people cried out with a general voice, 'Our god be merciful 
 to us!' But Amida was probably asleep, for that very night 
 the temple fell to the ground, the idol was broken, and the 
 preacher narrowly escaped with his life." By this convul- 
 sion the immense copper figure of Buddha at Miako was 
 broken. The Jesuit accounts state that seventy women 
 about the palace at Fusimi were killed, the Taiko himself 
 narrowly escaping to a mountain top, where he dwelt in a 
 reed hut, for fear of being swallowed up in the chasms of 
 the earth. Saccay, the richest and most voluptuous city of 
 Japan, suffered, at the same time, greatly from one of those 
 fearful incursions of the sea consequent upon a temporary 
 depression or bending downward of the crust of the earth. 
 In the meanwhile Taikosama's passion began to cool, and 
 the fathers "had grounds to hope that religion would be re- 
 established, as he was rather pleased at their obeying his 
 edict, and keeping quiet in deference to his wishes." He 
 still took pleasure in occasionally receiving the bishop, and 
 winked at the fathers remaining in the capital. But when 
 everything was again promising of fair wind, another storm 
 arose, and again the origin is attributed by the Jesuits, not 
 to the Japanese, but to the same Franciscan fathers who 
 had recently arrived from Manila. The Jesuits' letters say, 
 ''The Recollects of the regular observance of St. Francis, 
 who were lately settled at Miako, being now conversant in 
 the language of the country, began to preach publicly in the 
 churches, to hear confessions and baptize the infidels, with-
 
 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 155 
 
 out any regard to the Emperor's orders. Had religion been 
 on the same footing as heretofore, the zeal and labor of these 
 holy men would have wrought wonders, but the design was 
 so ill-concerted at this juncture, that, instead of reaping any 
 advantage by it, as was expected, it drew a bloody persecu- 
 tion both upon themselves and the other Christians. For 
 being newly established in Japan, little acquainted with the 
 genius of the people, and less with Taikosama's designs, 
 they gave full scope to their zeal without regard to the Em- 
 peror's threats, or even to the advice of their friends, who 
 counseled them all along to act in concert with the other 
 religious, who by their prudence and wise conduct had 
 counted so many thousands of souls in this mission. But 
 nothing was able to stop this torrent of zeal. Designing 
 well, they believed themselves obliged to overlook all human 
 respects, and this persuasion made them jealous of friends' 
 advice as savoring of jealousy and envy. The Christians, 
 not at all satisfied with their conduct, begged of them to 
 moderate their zeal ; but being men that undervalued their 
 lives, and in a persuasion that the Emperor would never 
 offer any rudeness to persons of their character that bore 
 the name of embassadors from one of the greatest monarchs 
 of the world, they continued their functions with new fervor 
 and zeal. The natives said, 'These men neither regard our 
 counsel nor the Emperor's orders, but one day they'll 
 repent it.' ' 
 
 But still, notwithstanding these infractions of the recently 
 published edict, there was no ill-will shown to these men. 
 Four new governors of state had been appointed. These 
 governors, hearing of the friars' rashness, sent to them pri- 
 vately to admonish them of their danger, telling them that 
 if it came to Taiko's ears he would certainly put them all to 
 death. This information only added new life and vigor to 
 their zeal, so desirous were they of suffering martyrdom for 
 Christ. The viceroy sent for two of these friars to the pal- 
 ace, and reprimanded them severely for slighting the Em- 
 peror's desires. This notwithstanding, they went on with
 
 156 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 their functions. The superior of the Jesuits, F. Organtin, 
 hearing of those complaints by the governor, as well as the 
 Christians and heathens, sent to Friar Baptist to lay before 
 him the danger himself and his family, as well as the whole 
 Church of Japan, was in if he did not (so far as reason, con- 
 science and zeal of God's glory would permit) study to give 
 the governor satisfaction, and yield a little to the times. 
 "I do not find," says the writer, "what answer was given, 
 but this is certain, they both preached and administered the 
 sacraments after that more publicly than before." 
 
 These men, under the quality of embassadors, had come 
 to the country, and under the same name were remaining in 
 Japan to insult the supreme power, and to irritate the gov- 
 ernment into taking the only means in its power of support- 
 ing its own dignity; viz., putting them out of the way. 
 "Guenifoin" (probably Kio no kami, or governor of Miako), 
 "who had all along favored the Christians, foreseeing the 
 ill-consequences of this refractory humor, suspended still 
 the execution of his threats, and did not so much as hint at 
 it either to the court. However, the business was discov- 
 ered at last, and the friars were betrayed by their friend 
 Faranda, the person who invited them over from the Philip- 
 pines." They intrigued with this man, who seems to have 
 used his knowledge of the Spanish language and his ac- 
 quaintance with the Roman fathers of the church for his 
 own advancement. "At first they had some difficulty in 
 accepting his invitation (in the name of Taikosama) to visit 
 Japan, as contrary to the decree of Gregory XIII. forbid- 
 ding all priests (the Society excepted) to preach in Japan. 
 All the able men whom they consulted agreed that embas- 
 sadors were not included in this decree ; and Sextus Quintus 
 having given leave to the religious of St. Francis to preach 
 the Gospel through the West Indies, the islands of Japan 
 fell in course as part of the whole." 
 
 The conduct of these men would in any country have ex- 
 posed them to the notice of the government. There is little 
 need for drawing into the question of the treatment of these
 
 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 157 
 
 embassadorial fathers the conduct of the captain of a rich 
 Spanish galleon wrecked upon the southern coast of Sikok. 
 This man lost his ship, and the treasures were seized by 
 Taikosama. "Upon being examined, he pointed out on a 
 map the territories belonging to the King of Spain, and 
 added that the way in which he obtained such extensive 
 possessions was by first sending missionaries; and so soon 
 as they had gained a sufficient number of proselytes, the 
 King followed with his troops, and, joining the new con- 
 verts, made a conquest of the kingdoms." 
 
 Upon the conduct of these Franciscan fathers being 
 brought to the notice of Taikosama, he at once ordered 
 them to be executed. At first the Jesuits thought that all 
 Christians were included in this order; but the Giboo no 
 sho wrote to Nagasaki to the governor, in the name of Tai- 
 kosama, to see that no affront was offered to the Jesuits, 
 whom he was pleased to have reside there on condition that 
 they did not preach, or baptize, or hold assemblies. 
 
 The Father Provincial of the Jesuits, considering this con- 
 dition opposed to the law of God, resolved to take no notice 
 of it, but wrote to those under him to extend the empire of 
 Christ, but still by such ways and means as might not give 
 the Emperor cause of complaint. These five Franciscans 
 were sent down from Miako to Nagasaki to be there exe- 
 cuted, under the following sentence: 
 
 ' ' Seeing that these men have come from the Philippine 
 Islands in the quality of embassadors, yet have continued 
 residing at Miako to spread the Christian law, which I some 
 years ago prohibited, I command that all of them, together 
 with those Japanese who have enrolled themselves under 
 this law, be arrested, and let the whole twenty-four undergo 
 the punishment of the cross at Nagasaki. And once more 
 I prohibit the foresaid doctrine in tune to come. Let all 
 know this, and, further, that it be carried into execution. 
 But if any one will not obey my edict, he, with all his fam- 
 ily, shall be punished." 
 
 The punishment of the cross is inflicted by tying the crim-
 
 158 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 inal to a cross and transfixing the lungs and heart with two 
 sharp spears. The twenty-four were thus executed at Na- 
 gasaki on February 5, 1597. The religious of St. Francis, 
 together with the three Jesuits, were all place^ in the Cata- 
 logue of Saints by Urban VIII., in the year 1627. 
 
 These men were punished by the Taiko not on account 
 of their religion, but as contumelious persons, defying his 
 laws. He appreciated the benefits of foreign trade, he valued 
 the presents brought to him, and he admired the learning of 
 the Jesuits ; but he now saw a new doctrine being adopted 
 by his subjects which would tolerate no other near it. The 
 followers of this doctrine were becoming a great political 
 power in the state, and more particularly in Simo or Kiusiu. 
 Several of his principal military officers adhered to this new 
 sect. Some of the highest nobles in the land had, according 
 to the accounts of the Jesuits, favored it. The bishop, to 
 whom no doubt extraordinary external reverence would be 
 shown by the Roman Catholics, was an occasional visitor at 
 Taikosama's court. F. Rodriguez was apparently in con- 
 stant attendance as interpreter. The desire to continue to 
 participate in the advantages of foreign trade was being 
 counterbalanced by the probable dangers of the ascendency 
 of such a power in the state, and Taikosama was becoming 
 alarmed. There was a strong party opposed to the Roman 
 Catholics those who had been expelled from their lands, or 
 who had been obliged to conform to retain them ; those who 
 were envious or jealous of the rise of such men as Konishi 
 from a comparatively low position to a high military com- 
 mand ; the priests, whose flocks were being withdrawn, and 
 their incomes thereby diminished; and all that numerous 
 class whose interests are on the side of things remaining as 
 they are all these were pressing that something should be 
 done to overthrow the political structure which these foreign- 
 ers were attempting to raise. 
 
 During the life of Taikosama these men, with their native 
 associates, were the only sufferers for disobedience to his edict. 
 
 While Taikosama seemed every day becoming more timid
 
 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 159 
 
 and afraid of what steps might be taken by the Christian 
 party, an embassy arrived from Manila, to whose demand 
 he replied that "he put y to death the Franciscans because 
 they preached the Christian religion in his empire contrary 
 to his express command." But he did not pursue his harsh 
 measures any further. He wished to get rid of such disturb- 
 ers of the empire; and "hearing that Spain and Portugal 
 were now under one prince, he became jealous to the last 
 degree that the Jesuits of these two nations concerted to- 
 gether, under the color of religion, to bring Japan under the 
 same yoke. ' ' He determined, therefore, while all the Chris- 
 tian princes were in Corea, to send away by ship all the for- 
 eign priests. But still he allowed a few to remain in Na- 
 gasaki, on condition that they did not stir out of town, nor 
 preach. 
 
 He ordered Terasawa, governor of Nagasaki, to assemble 
 all the Jesuits and ship them off by the first convenience to 
 China. This, in truth, seems to have been the only resource 
 left to him if he wished to retain the government of the coun- 
 try, or to preserve it from once more undergoing all the hor- 
 rors of a civil war. If he had heard of the doings of Philip 
 II. in the Netherlands during the few years since the first 
 arrival of these foreign priests in Japan, he might have 
 learned lessons of more decided measures for refractory sub- 
 jects, and have carried out his wishes in ridding Japan of 
 them by a more summary method of persecution. 
 
 During the summer of 1598 Taikosama was attacked by 
 dysentery, and was so ill that his life was despaired of. His 
 son (real or supposed) was then about six years of age. He 
 saw that, in all probability, the power, after leaving his own 
 hands, would fall into those of lyeyas, now ruler of the eight 
 provinces around Yedo. He therefore determined to strike 
 up a family alliance between his son and the granddaughter 
 of lyeyas, thinking he would thereby induce the latter to 
 throw his whole weight into the scale on behalf of his own 
 grandchild and her husband, and that thus the power would 
 descend to his own family. The marriage was immediately
 
 160 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 celebrated ; and lyeyas swore that he would turn the govern- 
 ment over to -Taiko's son so soon as he was able to rule by 
 himself. Still further to strengthen the party of his son, he 
 appointed five governors of the country (as Gotairo), and 
 four others, to be about the boy, with instructions to obey 
 lyeyas, to acknowledge his son as sovereign so soon as he 
 came of age, to continue all the lords in their places as he 
 had appointed, and to oppose all innovations on the laws 
 now established. To strengthen the position of his son still 
 further, he appointed boards of officers, Tchiuro and Go- 
 boonyo, or five rulers. 
 
 On his deathbed, such little animosity as he may have 
 had toward the foreign priests seems to have been miti- 
 gated, as he sent for, or allowed, Father Rodriguez to visit 
 him, when he thanked the father for the trouble he had taken 
 in visiting him in health as well as in sickness. 
 
 A temporary amendment enabled him to rouse himself, 
 when his chief thoughts ran upon strengthening the citadel 
 of Osaka, where 17,000 houses were pulled down to build the 
 wall, which was a league in circuit. He only survived a few 
 days, dying upon September 15, 1598; all his nobility, ac- 
 cording to the fathers, "being much better pleased to see 
 him on the list of dead gods than in the land of living men." 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS 
 
 WITH the removal of Taikosama, the hopes of the Roman 
 Catholic party revived. 
 
 Once more the keystone of the arch was removed, and 
 the ordinary institutions of the country were found unequal 
 to the crisis. 
 
 The deceased ruler had foreseen this, and had made such 
 arrangements as he could to strengthen the position of his
 
 GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 161 
 
 young son. He foresaw that lyeyas was the man of the 
 future ; the man most fitted by talent, military capacity, and 
 position, to take the reins. He therefore tried to bind him 
 by ties of marriage, as well as by oaths, to support the youth- 
 ful inheritor of power. He had, as one of his methods of 
 governing, induced or compelled the nobles to lavish large 
 sums of money in presents to himself, in keeping up large 
 retinues, in making expensive journeys between their coun- 
 try residences and the capital, and in building palaces in the 
 two cities of Osaka and Fusimi. By these means the nobles 
 were impoverished. They could not afford to keep many 
 armed followers. Mowori of Nagato had been lately com- 
 pelled to give up some of his territories, and to pay his re- 
 spects at the court. Satsuma had suffered during the recent 
 wars in Kiusiu. lyeyas alone had kept aloof from Taiko- 
 sama. He had kept his court and established himself at 
 Yedo, where he was allowed to remain undisturbed, an object 
 of jealousy as well as of fear. Still he seems to have been 
 occasionally about the court of Taikosama, as he is men- 
 tioned in one of the letters as being present at the meeting 
 of Taiko and his nephew. He perhaps kept Taikosama's 
 mother still as a hostage in Yedo. Each of these potentates, 
 in all probability, knew and read the other's thoughts each 
 thinking that the territories and the position of both would 
 fall into the hands of the longest liver. The most dissem- 
 bling are often the most credulous, and Taikosama was catch- 
 ing at a straw when he summoned lyeyas to his deathbed, 
 lyeyas had refused to visit him on a former occasion with- 
 out a hostage in the person of his mother. On this occasion 
 he came, but, no doubt, with sufficient precautions. He saw 
 that a political crisis was impending, and he knew that the 
 fruit he had long waited for was falling into his hands. 
 There was little reason now why he should not seize it. 
 The only persons who seem not to have descried the 
 change that was at hand were the Roman Catholic fathers. 
 By their own letters they do not appear to have paid any 
 court to the sun rising in the east. No missions are men-
 
 162 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 tioned to Yedo, or in the Kwanto; no interpreter is sent to 
 the court of lyeyas ; no conversions are spoken of there as 
 in Miako and the west; and no priests were located there, 
 who might have been acceptable if they had been able to 
 speak in the dialect of the eastern provinces. The Jesuit 
 fathers, up to this time, had rarely mentioned any of the 
 provinces east of Mino or Owarri. 
 
 The Taiko had put to death his nephew, who was of an 
 age fit to have held the reins after his departure. He left, 
 as successor, Hideyori, a child of six years of age. The gen- 
 eral belief was that this child was not the son of Taiko, but 
 he himself appears to have firmly regarded him as such. 
 Recollecting his own origin and rise to the pinnacle of power, 
 and knowing the turbulent spirits among the lords, his coun- 
 trymen, whom he had all his life long been trying to curb, 
 it is little wonder that he felt uneasy at the prospect opening 
 up to this child. 
 
 The Jesuits of this time write: "As to religion, there was 
 all the grounds in the world to believe it in a fair way of 
 being established in Japan. So many potent kings and gen- 
 eral officers being all Christians at the head of a victorious 
 army, and masters of Simo (Kiusiu), where the inhabitants 
 had all embraced the faith, it was only prudence in the re- 
 gents (the Gotairo), who were divided among themselves, 
 to keep fair with them. Above all, Samburandono (San- 
 hoshi), grandson and heir of Nobu nanga, having lately 
 professed himself a Christian, it was probable the Christians 
 and malcontents would join in these divisions, put him in 
 possession of his ancient rights, which the late Taikosama 
 had unjustly usurped. The faithful began to breathe after 
 the tyrant's death." 
 
 Probably the conversion of Sanhoshi (if true) to the Chris- 
 tian side blinded these fathers to the weakness of his claims, 
 and to the weight, power, and talents of lyeyas. The claims 
 of Sanhoshi and Hideyori were equally weak. Both were 
 the heirs of men who had risen from comparatively low rank 
 and seized the coveted position, which had been hereditary
 
 GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 163 
 
 in the families of their predecessors, but which, having been 
 held by these men, their fathers, respectively one after the 
 other, could not be said to be in their families hereditary. 
 
 The first step taken by the Gotairo, or five governors ap- 
 pointed by Taikosama before his death, and who now assumed 
 the power in the name of Hideyori, was the recall of the army 
 from Corea, showing how much the whole expedition de- 
 pended upon the will of the one man, and with how little 
 favor it was regarded by the people of Japan. This brought 
 back to the island of Kiusiu a strong re-enforcement of Chris- 
 tians with Don Austin at their head ; and his bitter foe, Toro- 
 nosuqui, the strong opponent of the Roman Catholic party. 
 
 In the letters written by the Jesuits at this period, the 
 Taiko had generally been spoken of as the Emperor, and 
 very rarely is any notice taken of the real Emperor, then 
 living at Miako. Still less notice is accorded to the Shio- 
 goon, Yoshitaru, who was then living at Miako, and holding 
 the highest hereditary office that could be held by a subject. 
 He was of the Ashikanga family, and, so long as he lived, 
 neither Nobu nanga nor Taikosama could hold this office. 
 In 1597 he died, and the office, which in the family had be- 
 come an empty title, was not conferred on any of his rela- 
 tions. The family is still represented by individuals at Miako, 
 who, though receiving some privileges, live in poverty and 
 obscurity. The death of this man, and the cessation of the 
 hereditary claim to the office, opportunely opened to lyeyas 
 the prospect of combining once more the chief power with 
 the highest hereditary office in the state. 
 
 The year 1599 is given, in the native annals, as the first 
 year in which the English and Dutch ships visited Japan 
 (they are said to have come to the town of Saccai, near 
 Osaka). Dutch pilots had been navigating those seas dur- 
 ing several years past; some of the accounts given by 
 Linschoten being the results of observations by Dutch- 
 men. William Adams, the English pilot of the Dutch 
 fleet of five sail, which left the Texel on June 24, 1598, 
 did not reach Boongo till April, 1600, with only nine or ten
 
 164 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 men surviving out of the crew, and these nearly worn out 
 with scurvy and privations. He was taken to Osaka, where 
 he had an interview with lyeyas, who was much pleased 
 with him ; but the jealousy of the Portuguese was roused, 
 and they tried to instill into the ears of those to whom they 
 had access malicious reports against these newcomers. 
 
 Meantime, it was impossible that affairs should continue 
 long peaceably on the present critical footing. The Jesuits, 
 however, were elated with the appearance of things. " (Giei- 
 aso) lyeyas ko,* now called Daifusama" (another name for 
 Nai dai jin), "spoke favorably of religion, giving them leave 
 to exercise their religion at Nagasaki, so that every one 
 thought the Society re-established in the exercise of her 
 functions. 
 
 "However, it was not long before the governors fell at 
 variance among themselves Jiboo no sho and Asano dan jo 
 in the first place. The grudge between them was of an early 
 date, but the office now held by both induced them to come to 
 a kind of agreement. A like dissension happened among the 
 lieutenant-generals in Corea about the late treaty of peace, 
 and the differences ran so high that each took opposite sides 
 on their return home Don Austin and his followers with 
 Jiboo no sho, and the* rest with Asano dan jo. Several of 
 the lords and Daifusama himself labored hard to compose 
 the difference, and at last sentence was given in favor of 
 Jiboo no sho and his party. Asano resolved to right himself 
 by the sword, and in a short time many lords came over to 
 his party. Don Austin, with Arima, Omura, Satsuma, 
 Tchikugo, and Terazawa, stuck close to the interest of 
 Jiboo no sho. But what set the whole kingdom in a flame 
 was a misunderstanding between Jiboo no sho and Daifu- 
 sama, the regent of the empire. The former charged lyeyas 
 with assuming an air of authority, and with secret practices, 
 as if he intended to make himself master of the imperial do- 
 
 * Ko, coming after a name, has the meaning of "a high 
 personage, ' ' a title of honor.
 
 GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 165 
 
 main. lyeyas answered these complaints of the governors 
 with a great deal of modesty and calmness, and, in the main, 
 gave a fair account of his conduct. But finding that his op- 
 ponents were levying troops, he gathered an army of 30,000 
 men out of his own states to prevent a surprise. 
 
 "The nobility were then all at court, part at Fusimi and 
 part at Osaka, about the young prince. But seeing war de- 
 clared between Jiboo no sho and the regent, every one armed 
 himself and his followers, until they reckoned in the two 
 towns 200,000 combatants, besides inhabitants. The streets 
 swarmed with soldiers, and nothing was looked for but a 
 grand massacre. But it being enacted that whoever first 
 broke the peace should be declared an enemy to the state, 
 it was each one's business to keep from hostilities. In this 
 manner they continued for some months in the same town, 
 and not a stroke on either side. At last Daifusama being 
 much superior to his adversary (whom most deserted to serve 
 the regent), he sent to him to rip up his belly for the public 
 good. 
 
 "Don Austin, who joined interest with Jiboo no sho (oth- 
 erwise Ishida mitzu nari), knew very well that would not 
 serve Daif usama's turn, unless, at the same time, he could 
 involve the rest of his party in the same ruin. In the mean- 
 time, Daifusama seized on the castle of Osaka with the young 
 prince so suddenly that neither the garrison, nor Jiboo no 
 sho, who lived hard by, had time to put themselves in a 
 posture of defense. This was a thunderbolt to the latter, 
 who fled to Fusimi, to the governors, where he was joined 
 by Don Austin. Daifusama pursued them, and a tempo- 
 rary peace was struck up, on condition that Jiboo no sho 
 gave up his commission and retired to his residence in the 
 province of Omi. He took a son of Daifusama's with him 
 as hostage." 
 
 After this, lyeyas was supreme, the governors continu- 
 ing to retain their empty titles. The Roman Catholics ap- 
 plied to lyeyas, who received them so kindly that they were 
 generally of a persuasion that he intended to restore the
 
 16G HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 churches and permit the fathers to preach the Gospel, "so 
 very easy are we to believe what we have a mind should 
 happen. ' ' 
 
 However, at this moment they were annoyed by the lord 
 of Firado showing symptoms of intolerance, for in one night 
 six hundred Christians left the island and came to Nagasaki, 
 contrary to the laws and edicts of Taikosama. The province 
 of Higo, in the island of Kiusiu, was now under the rule of 
 Don Austin, and by his orders the inhabitants were being 
 converted or coerced into Christianity. 
 
 At this juncture the Emperor was a mere shadow. The 
 power had fallen nominally into the hands of a boy. The 
 scepter, or seat of power, was at the disposal of the most 
 powerful. The respect for, or fears of, the lately deceased 
 ruler had not died out ; and the carrying out of his wishes, 
 and the establishment of this boy in his place, was the al- 
 leged intention of each of the contending parties. The one 
 party was made up of those chiefs or lords who had been 
 about Taikosama during his life, and had been appointed to 
 high offices under him, such as the five governors or regents 
 for his son. To these were added those who had been en- 
 gaged as commanders in the Corean wars, of whom Satsuma 
 and Konishi were the ablest and most powerful, the latter 
 being looked upon as the greatest soldier of his day. 
 
 On the other side, lyeyas had evidently determined that 
 the boy, now his grandson by marriage, should not stand in 
 the way of his own advancement to power and position, and 
 that he should be made the ladder by which he might reach 
 his object. 
 
 The empire again resounded with the preparations for 
 war. "Daifusama was grown so absolute since the late 
 troubles at Osaka and Menco that he acted and did all by 
 himself, none daring so much as dispute his commands. 
 This sore perplexed the governors and mortified them to 
 the quick ; however, as soon as Jiboo no sho was retired [to 
 his castle of Sawoyama, by orders of lyeyas], they all re- 
 turned back to Osaka and Fusimi, Cangeraf u only excepted,
 
 GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 167 
 
 who pretended a grant from Taikosama to live three years 
 in his own states." This was probably Ooyay soongi kange 
 katzu of Etsingo, one of the wealthiest and most powerful 
 of the lords, and to him lyeyas sent orders to repair imme- 
 diately to the young prince on pain of being prosecuted as 
 an enemy to the state. The confederates were trying to 
 divide the forces of their opponent, and to gain by stratagem 
 what he was beginning to feel himself able to obtain by the 
 open assertion and display of power. He had possession of 
 the castle of Osaka and of the town of Fusimi. In the latter 
 he left his son with a garrison. The confederate lords hoped 
 to seize those places so soon as lyeyas left them. Letters 
 were dispatched to Jiboo no sho and to Konishi, who imme- 
 diately joined the league, "having no other intention but to 
 keep their promise with Taikosama, and to preserve the crown 
 for the young prince." They tried to draw over the head 
 officers of "Daifusama's army; and all things being in readi- 
 ness, they wheeled round upon Osaka, and so secured most 
 of the nobility to their party. The governors, flushed with 
 their success, sent a manifesto to Daifusama, with heavy 
 complaints of his conduct. They commanded him to return 
 to Quanto, and positively forbade him the court." 
 
 The governors at the same time ordered all persons in his 
 army to return to their posts or homes on the penalty of pun- 
 ishment falling on their relatives and property. This order 
 brought about the death of a Christian lady, Grace, wife of 
 Itowo Tango no kami, one of the commanders in the army 
 of lyeyas, of whom the Jesuits speak as a miracle of beauty 
 and piety. Her husband having joined the army of lyeyas, 
 left command with his servants that, in case of any such 
 order being issued and put in force, they were to cut off his 
 wife's head. His orders were obeyed. His chief servant 
 informed his mistress, with tears in his eyes, of his master's 
 orders. He, falling on his knees, begged pardon for what 
 he was about to do, promising to revenge her by his and his 
 fellow-servants' suicide. With one blow he cut off her head, 
 and, thinking it indecent to die in the same room as their
 
 1G8 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 mistress, they retired to another, where they cut open their 
 bellies, while one of them set fire to the powder, and blew 
 up the part of the palace in which they were lying. 
 
 The army of the league now numbered 100,000 men. The 
 chiefs determined to attack the citadel of Fusimi. They con- 
 trived to set it on fire, and in a few hours was consumed "this 
 splendid and last monument of Taikosama's greatness, the 
 richest and noblest palace in all Japan." After this they 
 felt themselves strong enough to take the field, and hazard 
 a battle, if necessary, which should decide the fate of par- 
 ties. "There was this difference betwixt the regents' and 
 the governors' troops : The first, being under one supreme 
 head, acted vigorously and with unanimous consent ; whereas 
 the other, depending on several masters, and having each 
 separate interests, the whole time was spent in marches and 
 countermarches to no manner of purpose." 
 
 lyeyas laid siege to Gifoo, the fortress of Hide nobu or 
 Saburo dono, the nephew of Nobu nanga, in the province 
 of Mino. By a stratagem and ambuscade he routed the 
 army, completely destroying it, and entered and seized the 
 castle, taking prisoner Hide nobu. He then turned back 
 westward to meet the army of the governors, which was 
 lying on the west of the plain and village of Sekingaharra. 
 The army of his opponents had been re-enforced by the 
 troops of Satsuma and of Konishi. This plain is to the east 
 side of the hills which form the east wall of the Lake of 
 Owomi. One hill of this ridge, Ee buki yama, is still noted 
 for the foreign plants which grow upon its sides, the result 
 or remains of the labors of the Portuguese missionaries who 
 had a residence upon the hill. From this hill flows to the 
 east the waters of the Kiaso gawa. One of the main roads 
 of Japan, the Naka sen do, passes through this plain from 
 east to west, and at the village of Sekingaharra another road 
 crosses the former from the northwest. Here on this plain 
 the two armies met ; but before the most decisive battle in 
 Japanese history was fought they lay thirty days facing one 
 another, "and durst not strike a stroke."
 
 GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 169 
 
 The army of the league numbered 80,000 men, while that 
 of lyeyas could only muster 50,000. Each party had been 
 engaged in trying to gain over some of their opponents be- 
 fore trusting to the fate of war. lyeyas had been delayed 
 by his enemies in the eastern provinces ; but hearing of the 
 position of affairs at Sekingaharra, he marched rapidly up, 
 and in October, 1600, joined his army with a considerable 
 re-enforcement of troops. His motions were so rapid and 
 so secret that his opponents were not aware of his being in 
 the province. The following day he commenced an attack 
 upon the army of the governors, commanded by Jiboo no 
 sho and Don Austin. "No sooner had the armies begun 
 to move than several of the general officers, with the troops 
 under their command, marched straight over to the side of 
 lyeyas, which put the rest of the army in such consternation 
 that, instead of fighting, they turned tail and fled without 
 looking behind them. Daifusama, perceiving them in dis- 
 order, gave word for his men to advance ; and making his 
 way through the lines, which made very little opposition, 
 gained a complete victory almost without the trouble of 
 striking one stroke for it. None besides the general officers 
 and some of the leading men had the courage to face the 
 enemy at the first onset. These partly dispatched them- 
 selves, partly were killed by the enemy, and partly were 
 taken prisoners. Among these latter was the celebrated 
 Don Austin. This great hero, seeing his men in a rout, 
 and no possibility of rallying again, threw himself into the 
 midst of the enemy's troops, slaying on every side, and bear- 
 ing all down before him, till, wounded from head to foot, 
 and overpowered by numbers, he was forced to yield to fate 
 and surrender himself prisoner, together with Jiboo 110 sho, 
 who had not the heart (as he confessed himself afterward) 
 to open his belly after the example of the worthies above 
 mentioned. 
 
 "As for Don Austin, nothing but conscience could possi- 
 bly have hindered him from such an attempt ; and therefore 
 choosing, as he did, to pass for heartless and a coward, and
 
 170 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 to expose himself to an ignominious death rather than offend 
 God, was an action of the first rate, worthy to be found upon 
 the roll in the history of his other heroical exploits." The 
 native account would make out that Don Austin attempted 
 to escape from the field of battle, taking the road leading to 
 the residence of the Roman Catholic priests on the hill of 
 Ee buki yama, but was taken prisoner before reaching a 
 place of safety. 
 
 The immediate result of this very decisive victory was 
 to blow to the winds the rope of sand which his enemies had 
 been endeavoring to coil round lyeyas. His opponents were 
 scattered and then' hands paralyzed. lyeyas was master of 
 the situation. He lost no time in marching westward to 
 gain possession of Osaka. He seized Sawoyama, a castle 
 then belonging to Jiboo no sho, and now known as Hiko- 
 nay, the residence of Ee kamong no kami. The brother of 
 the proprietor was in command of the place. He put to 
 death all the women and children, and set fire to the house, 
 to take from the enemy the honor of leading him in triumph. 
 Mowori was in command at Osaka, and, as ruler over ten 
 provinces, he was now the only chief who was likely to dis- 
 pute with lyeyas the position of regent. But he was panic- 
 struck, and, though at the head of 40,000 men, gave up the 
 place and surrendered to the conqueror, who immediately 
 entered the town in a kind of triumph, and soon after all 
 Japan submitted to his government. He was, in truth, now 
 the monarch of Japan. The Emperor was in existence, but 
 this was only known near Miako by the titles which he occa- 
 sionally conferred on those about his court. 
 
 Hideyori, the boy representative of Taikosama, was only 
 seven years of age, and had no very strong claim to be con- 
 sidered that potentate's successor, a position which he could 
 not hold without the assistance of lyeyas, his wife's grand- 
 father, lyeyas had felt that the peace of the state was de- 
 pending upon him, and that, from the position which the 
 regents had taken up, either he or they must yield, and 
 neither would give way without an appeal to arms. The
 
 GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 171 
 
 Jesuits seem all along to have shown a want of foresight in 
 omitting to see that he was the coming man, and made a 
 mistake in placing their trust in Don Austin, whose position 
 was now to them a source of great anxiety. 
 
 Into the late war there does not seem to have entered 
 any religious element of discord, as Christians of rank were 
 found upon both sides. The lords of Arima and Omura and 
 Kahi no kami (who is frequently mentioned by the Jesuit 
 writers) were in the army of lyeyas, while Don Austin 
 and others took the opposite side. 
 
 Ishida, Jiboo no sho, being now a prisoner, was not 
 likely to receive much mercy at the hands of lyeyas. Let- 
 ters had passed between them which reduced their position 
 to a personal quarrel. He had already been once spared by 
 his foe, and had retired on parole to his castle of Sawoyama. 
 Thinking that an opportunity for revenge had arrived, he 
 put himself at the head of the army of the confederates. He 
 had again failed, and now found himself a prisoner in an 
 ignominious and dishonorable position. But Konishi Setsu, 
 or Tsu no kami, also a prisoner, ran the risk of losing his 
 life, more probably from jealousy of his military capacity 
 than from any other reason. He was the son of a drug 
 merchant in Sakkai. The eulogiums pronounced upon him 
 by the Christian writers may pass for what each values 
 them at ; but he had been trusted in a very responsible posi- 
 tion by Taikosama in Corea. He had subsequently been 
 degraded at the instigation of his rivals, and afterward re- 
 instated for the accomplishment of schemes requiring the 
 utmost acuteness in diplomacy, as well as for the execu- 
 tion of plans requiring military skill and prowess. He had 
 shown himself capable of both. As an evidence of the posi- 
 tion to which he had raised himself was the marriage of his 
 son to the granddaughter of lyeyas himself. He had been 
 appointed to the office then known as viceroy of the island of 
 Kiusiu, and was at the same time commander-in-chief both 
 of the naval and military forces in the Corean war. Had 
 lyeyas acted with his ordinary clemency and judgment, he
 
 172 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 would after his victory have pardoned such a rival and fam- 
 ily connection; but there were hungry wolves who person- 
 ally hated Don Austin, who gloated over his downfall, and 
 cast longing eyes on his territories, about to be confiscated. 
 Chief of these was Toronosuqui, "Vir ter execrandus," as the 
 Jesuits style him, one of the coarsest men of Japanese his- 
 tory, but since his death canonized as a saint in the Japanese 
 calendar as Say sho go sama of the Nitchi ren sect of Bud- 
 dhists. Hitherto known by this name of Toronosuqui, he 
 figures in the subsequent letters of the Jesuits as Canzuge 
 dono, or properly, as the title now is, Kazuyay no kami. 
 
 After his capture Konishi seems to have been treated 
 with great rigor not being allowed to see any of his rela- 
 tives or any foreign priest and was beheaded, along with 
 the Jiboo no sho, at Awata ngootchi, the common execution 
 ground at Miako. His young son was shortly afterward 
 inveigled and murdered by Mowori, who thought to please 
 lyeyas and save himself, after his mean surrender of himself 
 and his position, by sending the head of Don Austin's child 
 to his wife's grandfather; but lyeyas was disgusted, and 
 Mowori in the end was stripped of the greater part of his 
 possessions. 
 
 Native writers agree with the Jesuit accounts in giving 
 lyeyas credit for great moderation and sagacity in the use 
 of the power which had fallen into his hands. Thinking 
 himself firmly seated, he tried to make all know that he 
 wished the past to be forgotten that he was not angry 
 with those who had been in arms against him, but that he 
 was grieved that it had been necessary that so much blood 
 should have been shed. He granted an amnesty to all who 
 would accept of it ; and even some such as Tatchibanna 
 who were not very influential, and who would neither accept 
 of it nor submit to him, he left quietly alone to allow time 
 to work. The great secret of his power seems to have been, 
 that when he once made a promise he never broke it, and 
 the most perfect reliance was placed upon his word. "In 
 effect, Daifusama, being naturally of a meek and oasy tern-
 
 GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 173 
 
 per, took quite different methods from Taikosama, who had 
 rendered himself extremely odious by his cruel and severe 
 oppressions. He proposed to himself to govern more by 
 love than fear; and therefore, contrary to the maxims of his 
 predecessor, pardoned several of the lords that bore arms 
 against him. Moreover, he sent a pardon to Don Austin's 
 lady and daughter (who expected, according to law, to have 
 shared his fate), as also to his brethren and their children; 
 and, what is more, he did not show any resentment to the 
 fathers for being constant to the interests of Don Austin, or 
 for harboring his lady at the time of her retreat at Nanga 
 saki." The only unsettled portion of the empire was the 
 island of Kiusiu. The territory of Don Austin in the prov- 
 ince of Higo was handed over to Katto Kiomassa, or Toro- 
 nosuqui, who, as has been said, was a virulent opponent of 
 the Christian religion. While Don Austin held this terri- 
 tory, by the advice of his spiritual superiors, every one had 
 been compelled to be baptized and turn Christian, or to leave 
 the territory. It was now the turn of the opposite party to 
 use the same tactics, and most mercilessly they followed the 
 example set by these Spanish priests both in Japan and in 
 Europe. 
 
 Satsuma, who had escaped from the field of Sekinga- 
 harra, expected that the weight of the victor's wrath would 
 shortly fall upon him, and he prepared for it. The subjec- 
 tion of Kiusiu was intrusted to Kuroda Kahi no kami and 
 Terasawa Sima no kami, with the lesser lords who had ter- 
 ritories in the island. Satsuma was obliged to yield, and 
 submitted to lyeyas, receiving back from him the greater 
 part of the territory then held by him. 
 
 The part of the island of Nippon east of the barrier of 
 Hakonay, in the province of Segami, is commonly called 
 Kwanto; and the Hasshiu, or eight provinces beyond the 
 boundary toward the east part of the island, had more or 
 less for many years been under the entire rule of lyeyas. 
 Kamakura, which had at one period been a rival to Miako 
 as a second capital, had fallen into decay. Odawarra, the
 
 174 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 castle of the Hojio family, at the head of the same bay, had 
 never risen to any position as a central city. The Nishi 
 maro, a part of the castle of Yedo, had formerly been built 
 and occupied by Owota do kwang, whose memory is to this 
 day cherished in Japan, and his name and writings are still 
 extant on some parts of his castle or shiro. On a summer 
 house in the garden of the castle is a couplet in poetry which 
 is looked upon as a prophecy of coming events with refer- 
 ence to its accomplishment in the present age: 
 
 "From this window I look upon Fusiyama, 
 With its snow of a thousand years. 
 To my gate ships will come from the far East 
 Ten thousand miles. ' ' 
 
 Considering the associations which hung around Miako and 
 Narra and Osaka as the capitals, imperial, ecclesiastical and 
 commercial of the empire, it might be deemed a great stretch 
 of power and firm confidence in himself and the stability 
 of his system of government, that lyeyas should think of 
 removing the location of the executive to Yedo. He had 
 doubtless pondered long and deeply over the best system 
 of government for the country. He had seen the anarchy 
 which preceded the rise of Nobu nanga to power; he had 
 seen the want of system by which the structure of govern- 
 ment at that time had crumbled down with the fall of the 
 one man upon whose shoulders it had been supported; he 
 had all the experience since that time to be gained from rul- 
 ing an extensive territory of his own, combined with what 
 observations he might make upon the system of Taikosama. 
 In the settling of that system, doubtless, he had a large 
 share ; but he went further than Taikosama, and, disregard- 
 ing the old associations connected with Miako, he removed 
 the seat of the executive to his own provinces and to his own 
 court in the city of Yedo, in what was considered a remote 
 part of the empire, the inhabitants of which were looked 
 upon as rude and unpolished, and regarded with contempt 
 as savages of the east "Azuma yebis." The city, when
 
 GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 175 
 
 lyeyas first took possession of the shiro, consisted only of 
 one street, known then and now as Koji matchi. It had 
 increased very much in size under his care, and through 
 the residence of the court, the Daimios, and their wives 
 and families, and in no long time became a city of commer- 
 cial importance. Although Yoritomo, and the Shiogoons 
 and Kwanreis who succeeded him, held court at Kamakura 
 and in the Kwanto, no one had ever called upon the great 
 feudal lords, or Daimios, as we may now call them, to reside 
 or keep up establishments there ; but lyeyas seemed to think 
 that in an empire like Japan, without external foes, strength 
 would be gained by a division of the empire. All his plans 
 seem to have had regard to the welfare and peace of the 
 country rather than the gratification of ambition, which he 
 never allowed to master his judgment. 
 
 This year (1600) and the following lyeyas devoted to in- 
 ternal improvements, especially in the highways of the em- 
 pire. The road between the two capitals, Yedo and Miako, 
 was greatly improved. He arranged the stations (tsoongi, 
 or shooku), to the number of fifty-three, at nearly equal dis- 
 tances along the road, for the accommodation of Daimios 
 and others traveling on official business. The Do chioo, or 
 laws of the roads, were laid down, regulating the traffic, but 
 more especially the movements and service of these lords 
 when traveling. 
 
 In the year 1603 to lyeyas was given the hereditary title 
 and power of Se i dai shiogoon, or tranquilizer of barbarians 
 and commander-in-chief . The last who had held this office 
 was Y"oshikanga Yoshiteru, who died in 1597. Hideyori 
 was made Naidaijori.
 
 176 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 HISTORY TO THE EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY 
 
 THIS termination of the sixteenth century was in Japan 
 one of the most notable time-marks in the history of the em- 
 pire. It was an era at which a long series of intestine broils 
 and of civil war came to an end, and gave way to an unex- 
 ampled period of peace and happiness. Indirectly, Japan 
 was affected by changes of greater ultimate results which 
 had commenced long before at the opposite side of the world. 
 
 Portugal, in the zenith of its maritime glory and power, 
 had hitherto retained in her own hands the navigation and 
 the trade of the East. Bold as these early navigators were, 
 the accounts given of their proceedings show them to have 
 conjoined, in strange recklessness, religion with war, trade 
 with piracy "the sweet yoke" of their own ideas of govern- 
 ment with ferocious cruelty to every one opposed to them. 
 Perhaps this was to some extent necessary, when the health 
 and prowess of a few men, not easily replaced in case of loss, 
 were opposed to the climate and weight of numbers whose 
 losses could easily be recruited by others equally useless and 
 contemptible as foes. Grotius says of Englishmen of that 
 time, that they obey like slaves and govern like tyrants. 
 Toward the latter part of the century, the bigotry of Philip 
 II. was raising powers against him in Europe, before which 
 the then colossal but unwieldy empire under his rule was 
 destined to crumble to pieces. The same intolerant policy 
 which his emissaries in Japan were pursuing was being car- 
 ried out by the old man, in the conscientious belief that he 
 was furthering and hastening the kingdom of heaven, by
 
 TO THE EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 177 
 
 fierce persecution and diabolical atrocities. The dreams 
 which led men to undertake long voyages to America in 
 the pursuit of a Utopia, infused a new spirit of boldness 
 and adventure into the navigators of maritime countries. 
 At the same time, the Ref ormation and the changes in the 
 religious ideas among the people of Europe, and especially 
 in Holland, England, and for a time in France, tended to 
 throw contempt on the concessions and grants and privileges 
 given by the Pope to Portugal, and by which their trade to 
 the East was up to that time hedged in. 
 
 In 1577 Sir Francis Drake broke in upon this monopoly; 
 and the Spaniards complained of the English infringing their 
 rights, granted by the Pope, by sailing in the Eastern seas. 
 
 The Portuguese vessels which traded with the East had 
 hitherto carried their produce to Lisbon or Cadiz, and thence 
 it was carried to the coasts of Europe by the Dutch and 
 English. But when war broke out between these countries, 
 Philip, thinking to clip the wings of his enemies, interdicted 
 this trade. This compelled them to take a longer flight, and 
 seek Eastern commodities at the fountain-head. The navies 
 of the Dutch and Portuguese came into collision on the East- 
 ern seas, and the former were victorious, and one after an- 
 other of the large Portuguese carracks fell to the English 
 and Dutch privateers. 
 
 In 1599 the East India Company of England was set on 
 foot, and commenced operations, after being nearly arrested 
 by the English government to please the Spaniards, by ac- 
 knowledging their rights in the Eastern seas; and in 1598 
 the Dutch fleet sailed, of which William Adams of Gilling- 
 hana was pilot. 
 
 According to native accounts, in the sixth year of Kay 
 cho English vessels came to Ike no oora; but one of these 
 was wrecked during a gale in the Sea of Segami. A mes- 
 sage was dispatched from Yedo to order the crew to be sent 
 there. Among them was Adams. He remained in Yedo, 
 but the others returned. 
 
 The vessels belonging to the East India Company sailed
 
 178 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 from England upon the eighth voyage, under the command 
 of Captain Saris, in 1611, with the intention of opening a 
 trade with Japan. There seemed at this time every pros- 
 pect of the Portuguese monopoly being broken up, and of 
 the trade of this distant country being thrown open to the 
 Western world. Amid the broils and quarrels with which 
 Japan was torn, whether among the lords, or between the 
 Buddhists and Roman Catholics, or the natives and Port- 
 uguese merchants, or the Portuguese and Dutch and En- 
 glish, it is curious to see the practical and sound good sense 
 of one man, putting him into a position of eminence and 
 trust, when all around him was deceit and jealousy. Ris- 
 ing, after five years of obscurity and hardship, on the ground 
 of his simple strength of character and practical training, 
 William Adams seems to have become the trusted confidant 
 and referee of lyeyas on foreign questions. Residing in 
 Yedo, at the southwest corner of the Nihon bashi, or bridge 
 of Japan, the street where he lived retains to this day the 
 distinguishing name of "The Pilot's," or Anjin. He seems 
 to have afterward removed to the street Yaiyossu, in close 
 proximity to the castle moat. Both Anjin and Yaiyossu 
 may be corruptions of the name Adams. In Cantonese dia- 
 lect, an cham is a word for a compass, and "Adams" might 
 be written with these characters. Here his knowledge of 
 geometry, navigation and mathematics, with some acquaint- 
 ance with shipbuilding, brought him under the notice of 
 lyeyas, by whom he seems to have been employed as inter- 
 preter, shipbuilder, and general confidant on foreign affairs. 
 He was ultimately raised to the position of a small Hatta- 
 moto, or lesser baron, with ground equal to the support of 
 eighty or ninety families, besides his own rental. This estate 
 is said, in one of the letters from Japan, to be in Segami, 
 and to have been named Fibi, and situated in the neighbor- 
 hood of Ooraga, the port of Yedo, and must certainly be 
 known to the Japanese government as having belonged to 
 the English officer. 
 
 Doubtless, by all these changes, the position of the Port-
 
 TO THE EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 179 
 
 uguese and of the Roman Catholic priests was changed hi 
 Japan. The converts of Nagasaki would see foreigners com- 
 ing who paid no respect to the priests and bishops whom 
 they had been taught to reverence. The powers in the 
 country would begin to see that the profits of the trade 
 could be enjoyed without winking at the coercion of their 
 own people to a foreign religion, and which placed them at 
 the disposal of a power exterior to the state. The English 
 and Dutch tried to loosen the hold which their rivals had in 
 the good opinion of their customers; and the eyes of the 
 Japanese were thus opened to the evils of admitting for- 
 eigners to their shores, who were likely to prove centers of 
 disaffection and to instill ideas of freedom and lawlessness 
 among the subjects of the empire. 
 
 The letters of the Jesuits throw their own light upon the 
 state of the Roman Catholic Church in Japan at the differ- 
 ent points where churches or seminaries had been erected, 
 and it may thence be gathered in what manner they treated 
 their neighbors, or those over whom they could pretend to 
 assume any power. On the other hand, from the narratives 
 given by Cocks and Saris, some idea of the position of the 
 seafaring communities at Firado and Nagasaki, and other 
 ports, may be obtained. These seaports seem to have been 
 too often the resorts of the lowest class of adventurers. The 
 result was uproars, broils and murders among the foreign- 
 ers, requiring ever and anon the intervention of the native 
 authorities. 
 
 lyeyas was in all probability ignorant of all these circum- 
 stances, which were effecting an indirect change upon those 
 resorting to the country. At the Roman Catholic party he 
 had aimed an effectual blow by putting the leading man of 
 the party, Don Austin, out of the way on grounds totally 
 unconnected with his religion. And the foreign priests do 
 not seem to have given him personally much concern at this 
 time. In the neighborhood of Miako they did not dare of 
 late to make any public displays. In 1604 there were of the 
 Jesuits 120 in Japan. They flattered themselves that "as
 
 180 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 for religion, it flourished everywhere, and made vast prog- 
 ress through all the kingdoms under so easy and peaceable 
 a government. Notwithstanding, two obstacles still existed 
 the one Taikosama's edict, and the other the vices of the 
 people. But what gave our religion most reputation was 
 the gracious reception the Cubo himself [lyeyas] was pleased 
 to give the fathers of the Society. " The Jesuits had recently 
 extended their mission to the extreme north of Japan, and 
 even into the islands of Yezo and Sado. 
 
 During this and the previous year the Jesuits were un- 
 fortunate, inasmuch as the vessels bringing the yearly sup- 
 plies, as well as the large annual carrack from Macao to 
 Japan, were taken by the Dutch privateers; but lyeyas, 
 hearing of their loss, presented a donation to the Society, 
 by which means they "made a tolerable shift for the rest 
 of this year." 
 
 Terasawa, Sima no kami, who had been governor of 
 Nagasaki, irritated by the influence brought to bear against 
 him by the Roman Catholic party at Miako, turned the 
 weapons they had taught him to use against themselves, 
 and tried to force his subjects to renounce the new doctrines. 
 Part of the estates of Don Austin had fallen to his share. 
 Another part had fallen under the rule of Toronosuqui, who 
 in the year 1602 "ravaged the vineyard of the Lord like a 
 wild boar that thirsts after nothing but blood. He began 
 like a fox and ended like a lion." Thus it was in the part 
 of the empire in which most intolerance had been shown by 
 Don Austin (under the instruction of foreign priests) to his 
 countrymen, and where they were obliged either to adopt 
 the Roman Catholic doctrines or leave the country, that the 
 plan was retaliated upon themselves. 
 
 Native accounts tell: "In 1606 a Dutch ship came to 
 Hirado and asked that Adams might be sent down from 
 Yedo. He was sent. lyeyas wrote under the red seal that 
 the English and Dutch might trade in any part of Japan. 
 Hide tada also allowed them to trade; but the padre sect 
 were not allowed to come to Japan. But the English traders
 
 TO THE EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 181 
 
 said that there was no profit to be made out of the trade as 
 it was obliged to be conducted, and said they could not come 
 back; therefore the Dutch only remained." 
 
 About this time lyeyas directed his attention to the in- 
 ternal economy of the empire improving the public roads, 
 placing inns upon them, and strengthening his castles at 
 Yedo, Suraga, Miako, Osaka, and Kofu. He was aided in 
 this by the discovery of valuable gold-deposits in the island 
 of Sado, and the coin the koban was for the first time put 
 into circulation. During the year 1609 Shimadzu yoshi 
 hissa, a relative of the Prince of Satsuma, set out from 
 Satsuma with a force of vessels and troops to bring the King 
 of the Lioo Kioo Islands more completely under the power 
 of Japan, and succeeded in his object, receiving the islands 
 he had conquered as a gift from the hands of lyeyas. 
 
 The designs of lyeyas against Hideyori began to develop 
 themselves. Upon the occasion of the investiture of his son 
 with the title of Shiogoon, he expressed the thought that 
 Hideyori ought to pay him a visit to compliment him ; but 
 his mother refused to allow Hideyori to do so, protesting she 
 would rather cut his belly open with her own hand than 
 allow him to go, thus showing the extreme suspicion she had 
 of the intentions of lyeyas. 
 
 At this time the Christians enjoyed a profound peace, 
 which was attributed in the Jesuit letters rather to the fear 
 of this party joining Hideyori than to any love for the doc- 
 trines promulgated. But at the same time there were men 
 in power not unfavorable to them, and they were always 
 able to keep anything obnoxious out of view. Such were 
 Kowotsuki no kami, the favorite of lyeyas (called by the 
 letters Coxuquendono), and Itakura, governor of Miako. 
 
 In the year 1606 the Portuguese bishop, Cerqueria, visited 
 lyeyas at Miako, and was received by him with the honors 
 given to one of their own bishops of royal blood. However, 
 this favor did not seem to last long. The mother of Hide- 
 yori, incensed at some of her ladies having declared them- 
 selves Christians, appealed to lyeyas. This was an oppor-
 
 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 tunity of pleasing her not to be missed, and he issued forth- 
 with the following proclamation : 
 
 "The Cubosama hearing that several of his subjects, con- 
 trary to the late edict, have embraced the Christian religion, 
 is highly offended. Wherefore let all officers of his court be 
 careful to see his orders observed. Moreover, he thinks it 
 necessary, for the good of the state, that none should em- 
 brace that new doctrine ; and for such as have already done 
 so, let them change immediately upon notice hereof. 24th 
 of the 4th moon" (1606). 
 
 No immediate action appears to have been taken upon 
 this proclamation. 
 
 In the year 1607, lyeyas expressed a desire to see the 
 Father Provincial. He accordingly set out for Kofu, a castle 
 in the province of Kahi, where lyeyas was residing, and here 
 he was received with much kindness. In their notice of 
 Yedo the fathers say that lyeyas employed during the . pre- 
 vious year above 300,000 hands in the works about the castle 
 of Yedo. The towers of the castle were nine stories high 
 and gilt at the top, together with delicious gardens, terraces, 
 galleries, courts, and magnificent works. By these fathers 
 the mountain Pusiyama is mentioned as an active volcano, 
 "a mountain of fire, famed for its beauty, height, and whirl- 
 ing flames." Even at this time it is to be noticed that all 
 the "kings of Japan" had their palaces there. 
 
 In this tour a slight notice is given to Kamakura (Cuma- 
 mura, as it is called by the fathers), "where the Cubos and 
 Xogoones formerly kept their courts. It is currently re- 
 ported that there were upward of 200,000 houses in that 
 town alone; but when these fathers went that way they 
 were reduced to near 500." 
 
 Notwithstanding these slight appearances of returning 
 favor to the Jesuit fathers, the opposition to conversion in- 
 creased as the profits from trade decreased. The ruling 
 powers in the island of Kiusiu were now more or less against 
 the Romish priests, who inculcated a line of conduct which 
 was incompatible with living at peace with a neighbor, if
 
 TO THE EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 183 
 
 holding a different view of religion. Nagasaki was in 1607 
 said to be entirely converted to the Christian religion. It 
 was divided into five parishes. "There were two confra- 
 ternities a house of mercy and a hospital which diffused 
 a sweet odor of sanctity all over Japan." But this odor did 
 not extend to the Portuguese who. frequented the port, and, 
 in consequence of some act of misconduct, lyeyas ordered 
 Arima (Don Protase, as he is called by the Roman Catholic 
 writers) to burn a large Portuguese vessel then lying in the 
 harbor. The consequence was that the captain left the place. 
 He was pursued by an overwhelming force, and, overtaken 
 during a calm, was forced to blow up his ship. 
 
 During the year 1611, lyeyas seems to have made up his 
 mind that, to settle the country upon a sure basis, some 
 definite understanding must be come to with Hideyori and 
 his mother. Of what his designs really were there are prob- 
 ably no proofs, as he was not generally communicative before 
 action. He marched from Soonpu to Miako at the head of 
 upward of 70,000 men. The general suspicions of his coun- 
 trymen pointed to Hideyori as the cause of a movement on 
 so large a scale. Arrived at Miako, he insisted upon an 
 interview with the young man, then twenty-three years 
 of age. After much delay and show of suspicion, this was 
 agreed to, and he arrived at the capital with a splendid 
 retinue. Here he was received with the utmost deference 
 and kindness by lyeyas, who shed tears over the remem- 
 brance of his father's kindness. The -visit was returned in 
 a few days, presents were interchanged, and the prince re- 
 turned to his mother at Osaka overjoyed with his recep- 
 tion. 
 
 The Jesuit writers notice that during the same year died 
 Canzugedono, King of Fingo (Toronosuqui), the persecutor 
 of the Christians; "and, as Heaven would have it, he was 
 seized with an apoplexy on the very day he was intending 
 to renew the persecution against the faithful." Native ac- 
 counts attribute his death to poison administered by order 
 of lyeyas at Fusimi. He had thrown out some seditious
 
 184 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 and rebellious threats against lyeyas. Among other things 
 stated against him, he refused, when ordered, to shave off 
 his whiskers at court. He was, as has been stated above, 
 canonized in the Japanese calendar by the title of Say sho 
 go sama probably on account of his opposition to foreign- 
 ers, and the zeal with which he tried to root out Christian- 
 ity. To this day the mark of his hand upon paper is used 
 as a charm placed over the door to drive away evil spirits. 
 Since the admission of foreigners in 1858, his character as 
 a saint worthy of worship has risen in national estimation, 
 and his temples have been rebuilt. One in Yokohama is 
 more largely patronized than any other temple in the place. 
 Processions in his honor are among the most prominent in- 
 dications of religious feeling, and the sect to which he be- 
 longed, the Nitchi ren shioo, has profited largely by excite- 
 ment and enthusiasm. 
 
 During the year, at Nagasaki, notwithstanding the proc- 
 lamations which had been issued by government against such 
 exhibitions, upon the beatification of St. Ignatius of Loyola, 
 the Society of Jesuits made a solemn procession through the 
 streets, when forty priests assisted in copes, besides religious 
 of St. Francis, St. Dominic, and St. Austin, who then re- 
 sided in the town. The next day the bishop officiated in 
 pontificalibus, and the ceremony concluded with illumina- 
 tions of joy. The same order was observed at Arima. 
 
 During the following year the Shiogoon Hide tada, the 
 son of lyeyas, married the sister of Kita Mandocoro, wife of 
 Taikosama, mother of Hideyori, and niece of Nobu nanga. 
 
 Hideyori had still many adherents, who were attached to 
 him and to his father's memory. lyeyas had been afraid 
 of acting against the Christians so severely as to compel 
 them to throw their weight into the opposite scale ; but he 
 began to see that he could keep all the advantages of trade 
 through the Dutch, and get rid of the political dangers which 
 threatened Japan through the foreign priesthood. The Jes- 
 uits allege that the Dutch encouraged him in these views, 
 explaining how the Society had been driven out of their coun-
 
 TO THE EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 185 
 
 tries by the princes of Germany and Holland as disturbers 
 of the public peace. 
 
 In 1612 he determined to get rid of these ever-disquieting 
 agents, the more excited thereto by finding himself in the 
 meshes of a net out of which he could only break his way 
 by force. He found that the Prince of Arima, one of the 
 warmest and most devoted to the cause of Christianity 
 (whose son had married the granddaughter of lyeyas), had 
 been intriguing with the officers at court, to win their good 
 offices by bribery, in gaining for him large additions to his 
 territory. He now, for the first time, acted with severity 
 against some of the native Christians about the court. Four- 
 teen were condemned to death, but the sentence was com- 
 muted to perpetual banishment and confiscation of their 
 estates. This action on the part of lyeyas himself at once 
 brought out into bolder relief the two parties. Those officers 
 who had hitherto winked at the Christians, and had per- 
 mitted them to carry on their worship and preaching un- 
 disturbed, now saw which way the wind was blowing, and 
 acted accordingly. This severity was carried into the heart 
 of the court one of the concubines of lyeyas being confined, 
 and banished to the island of Oshima, and thence to the 
 smaller island of Nishima, and thence to a rock, Cozu shima, 
 upon which seven or eight fishermen lived in straw huts, 
 subsisting on what they caught ; and these men were ordered 
 to keep this lady. 
 
 Shortly after this, Don Protase of Arima suffered. His 
 son Michael, who had been brought up as a Christian, fear- 
 ing to lose possession of his father's dominions, informed 
 against him, accusing him of crimes, and suborning wit- 
 nesses against him. Upon the proof offered he was be- 
 headed. This Christian's son Michael, who had divorced 
 a Christian lady to marry the granddaughter of lyeyas, then 
 turned apostate, and began a persecution within his territo- 
 ries of all who professed Christianity. He began, in order 
 to please lyeyas, by putting to death two boys, his own 
 nephews. Here again, where the Jesuits had been most
 
 186 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 intolerant, the tables were turned upon them. In the prov- 
 ince of Boongo, at one time the stronghold of the Roman 
 Catholics, the same action was being taken ; and about this 
 time, in Yedo, the Shiogoon, on the representation of in- 
 formers, put to death some natives who had built a new 
 church, and banished the father out of the country. 
 
 In 1613, Don Michael of Arima was pressed by his wife 
 and others to renew his severities, and eight Christians were 
 burned near his castle by slow fires. 
 
 In 1614, lyeyas was stimulated by the opponents of Chris- 
 tianity to take action against those who professed it. "With 
 the advice of his council he issued orders that all religious, 
 European and Japanese, should be sent out of the country, 
 that the churches should be pulled down, and the Christian 
 members be forced to renounce their faith. To carry out 
 these orders, all foreign priests and natives, members of the 
 Jesuit Society, were ordered to leave Miako, Osaka and Fu- 
 simi, and retire to Nagasaki. Hojo Segami no kamijwas or- 
 dered to see that this order was executed; but he was chosen, 
 perhaps, from a desire to remove him out of the way,, as 
 well as to take the opportunity of seizing his estate. Accord- 
 ingly, while he was so engaged, he was accused of some 
 crime, and his estates confiscated. The native Christians 
 were banished to Tsoongaru, at the northern extremity of 
 the island. At Kanesawa, in Kanga, Justo Ookon dono 
 Takayama was ordered to leave with the others. Still 
 further to make sure of the success of his projects, lyeyas 
 dispatched to the island of Kiusiu upward of 10,000 men, 
 under three leaders, for the purpose of overawing the Chris- 
 tians and putting down any attempts to rise in that quarter. 
 In Kiusiu the new doctrines had first taken root, and had 
 flourished with greater luxuriance than on the main island 
 of Nippon. The lordships were smaller, and therefore the 
 advantages of trade were proportionably greater in the eyes 
 of the proprietors. But as in the outset these lesser lords 
 had favored what seemed to them a source of revenue, when 
 things turned against the religion they distinguished them-
 
 TO THE EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 187 
 
 selves by zeal in putting down what in the end threatened 
 to deprive them of everything. In them the government 
 found the most active and zealous assistants. Many of these 
 lords or their parents had been baptized. The Jesuits had 
 there most sway, and had used it with the most intolerance ; 
 and lyeyas determined, before striking a blow at Hideyori 
 in Osaka, to remove any chance of a diversion being made 
 in his favor on the part of the Christians in this distant part 
 of the empire. But if we believe the letters of the fathers, 
 the fortitude and courage with which martyrdom was en- 
 dured by professing natives must be looked on with admira- 
 tion. The better classes lost everything lands, position, 
 comforts, in many cases their wives and children, and, last 
 of all, their lives in the cause of their faith. The poorer 
 gave up their lives, all they had to give, with zeal, fortitude, 
 and even joy. 
 
 In the other parts of Kiusiu, in Tsikuzen and Figo, and 
 in the remote islands of Xequi or Kossiki, the same spirit 
 was shown toward the Christians; and upon October 25, 
 1614, three hundred persons in a word, all the Jesuits, ex- 
 cept eighteen fathers and nine brothers, with a few cathe- 
 chists (who lay hid in the country for the help of the faith- 
 ful) were shipped off out of the country by a Portuguese 
 vessel. This mode of dealing with persons in the position 
 assumed by these foreigners and their adherents seems to 
 have been at once lenient, yet determined, and mercenary 
 without being severe. The party had assumed a political 
 aspect threatening to the state. The very ladies of his 
 household had been supported by these foreigners in oppo- 
 sition to the Kubosama himself. And as it was intended 
 to be a final political step, and not a religious persecution, 
 any foreigner found thereafter spreading such intolerant 
 doctrines would be treated as a political partisan. Justo 
 was put on board a Chinese vessel with some Spanish priests 
 and some Japonian clerks, and set sail for Manila, where he 
 died shortly after his arrival. 
 
 The step of removing from the capital and its neighbor-
 
 188 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 hood all the foreign fathers was, in its results, of the utmost 
 importance to the cause of religion. During the rule of 
 Nobu nanga and Taikosama, Father Rodriguez, the inter- 
 preter, a man evidently well acquainted with the language 
 and with the court, was invited or allowed to remain in the 
 capital. From the accounts sent thence it is evident that by 
 tact and judgment Father Rodriguez had maintained his 
 place, that he was in communication with the highest offi- 
 cers at court, and exercised an unseen but potent power in 
 behalf of his brethren. With such a person at court, oppo- 
 sition cannot so easily gain head. Evil reports are warded 
 off, occasional words in favor can be thrown in ; but with 
 the withdrawal of such a power from the court the foreign 
 cause becomes powerless. Every one is ready to abuse, and 
 to chime in to please his superior. There is no possibility of 
 warding off the blows aimed. It is impossible to know 
 whether the highest power knows anything of the edicts 
 put out in his name. The Buddhists, a powerful body, 
 would be ready to press down upon and thrust out opponents 
 who had borne themselves so proudly in the day of their 
 prosperity. Their own tactics recoiled upon the fathers; 
 and when they were turned out of court, without friends 
 or advocates, their cause became hopeless, and with their 
 downfall the position of all other foreigners in the country 
 was involved. 
 
 It is, perhaps, not a good defense of the policy adopted 
 in Japan, to remember that it was nearly identical with that 
 which England was compelled to adopt at the same time, 
 and under similar circumstances. In both countries the 
 change was conducted by the government, and in both the 
 spirit of the people rose against the interference of a foreign 
 priesthood with the national concerns. The truth is, that 
 the doctrine of the Papal supremacy is an "exterritoriality 
 clause" of itself, which, operating in a country professing 
 another faith, creates an imperium in imperio, which be- 
 comes very embarrassing to a government, whether it be 
 Japan or England. The confiscation of abbey-lands in Eng-
 
 TO THE EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 189 
 
 land may be compared with, or was analogous to, the con- 
 fiscation of the lands of the lords of Japan, while informers 
 in each were rewarded by a gift of the property belonging 
 to offenders of less note. The difficulty with which Japan 
 had to cope was, that there was no mode of escape from 
 persecution by going into exile into other countries until 
 the storm had blown over. 
 
 In 1615, after getting rid of these politically dangerous 
 persons, lyeyas seemed to think that he might push things 
 to extremities with Hideyori and his mother. He ordered 
 up all the troops in Kiusiu to Osaka, and thither he repaired 
 with a large force. He had endeavored for some time to 
 make Hideyori spend his revenues so freely as to impoverish 
 his exchequer. He had induced him to rebuild the large 
 temple of Buddha in Miako, and the day was fixed for the 
 consecration ; but the suspicions of the mother were roused, 
 and the solemnity was postponed. The young man had pre- 
 sented a large bell to the temple, upon which, it is said, that 
 a wish was engraved that Yedo might be destroyed. This 
 bell is never struck. This was made a pretext for a quarrel, 
 and as the deserters from the castle reported that it was un- 
 provided, it was forthwith invested, and war entered upon. 
 There were many able commanders in the party of Hideyori, 
 and the castle of Osaka was defended so well that after some 
 time lyeyas was obliged to retire and raise the siege, as he 
 was losing prestige by delay, and men by desertion. An 
 armistice was agreed upon at the desire of lyeyas ; but it 
 seems to have been demanded only to give time. The sur- 
 rounding country was desolated, and before long hostilities 
 were renewed; and as a part of the army of Hideyori was 
 encamped outside, a general battle ensued on June 3, 1615. 
 In the account of the Jesuits, two of whom were present, 
 the army of lyeyas was on the point of defeat, when, prob- 
 ably through treachery, the castle was set on fire, the troops 
 of Hideyori became panicstruck, and a total rout and gen- 
 eral slaughter ensued. In the relation by Trigautius it is 
 stated that in no battle in Japanese history did so much
 
 190 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 slaughter take place as in this. The populous neighborhood, 
 the density of the city, the lawlessness of the troops, all com- 
 bined to produce a fearful carnage. No certain information 
 was ever got of the death of Hideyori or his mother. In all 
 probability they committed suicide, and their bodies were 
 destroyed in the conflagration. Reports were circulated of 
 their having fled some said to Koya, others to Satsuma; 
 but as diligent search was made for six months after, and 
 no trace of them was discovered with certainty either then 
 or in after years, the common report is likely to be correct. 
 His natural son was taken and beheaded. After this de- 
 cisive battle, lyeyas, having satisfied himself that he had 
 made all things sure about Miako and Osaka, returned to 
 Soonpu, and his son to Yedo. However, lyeyas did not 
 live long to gather the fruits of his sowing, or witness the 
 success of his schemes in the working of his laws. He died 
 on March 8, 1616, at Soonpu, advising his sons to be kind 
 to the nobles, and, above all, to govern their subjects in the 
 spirit of tenderness and affection. He died not without sus- 
 picion of his having been poisoned by his second son, Hideyas, 
 the elder brother of Hidetada, the Shiogoon. He was buried 
 in the hills of Nikko, a short distance north of Yedo, with 
 great splendor. His posthumous title or name and rank is 
 To sho, Dai Gongen mia (Tung chau, Ta K'iuen hien kung) 
 d'zo jo itchi-i, Dai jo dai jin The Eastern Light, the Illus- 
 trious Gem (a Buddhist title for a deified being) of the first 
 rank, Prime Minister. He is often spoken of as To sho goo 
 and Gongen sama, but this latter is a generic term, and not 
 specially applicable to any individual. 
 
 The East India Company endeavored, shortly before the 
 death of lyeyas, to open a trade with Japan, and the letters 
 of Captain Saris, Cocks, and others, give an interesting ac- 
 count of the country at the time. In answer to a letter from 
 the King of Great Britain, lyeyas granted to his majesty's 
 subjects certain privileges of trade, and the settling of a fac- 
 tory in Japan, and confirmed these under his broad seal for 
 the better determining thereof. This document, a fac-simile
 
 TO THE EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 191 
 
 of the original, is to be seen in Purchas. For sufficient rea- 
 sons, the factory was in no long time withdrawn, and the 
 trade entirely ceased in 1621. 
 
 In 1619 some notice of the persecutions carried on against 
 Christians is given in Mr. Cocks' letter, which corroborates 
 the accounts received through the Roman Catholic channels, 
 and is worthy of note as being written by one who evidently 
 bore no great goodwill to that form of the Christian religion, 
 and will render it unnecessary to allude further to the fear- 
 ful particulars detailed by Trigautius and others : 
 
 "The persecution in this country, which before proceeded 
 no further than banishment and loss of civil and religious 
 liberties, has since (as this letter tells us) run up to all the 
 severities of corporal punishment. The Christians suffered 
 as many sorts of deaths and torments as those in the primi- 
 tive persecutions ; and such was they- constancy that their 
 adversaries were sooner weary of inflicting punishments than 
 they of enduring the effects of their rage. Very few, if any 
 at all, renounced their profession; the most hideous forms 
 in which death appeared (by the contrivance of their adver- 
 saries) would not scare them, nor all the terrors of a solemn 
 execution overpower that strength of mind with which they 
 seemed to go through their sufferings. They made their 
 very children martyrs with them, and carried them in their 
 arms to the stake, choosing rather to resign them to the 
 flames than leave them to the bonzes to be educated in the 
 pagan religion. All the churches which the last storm left 
 standing, this had entirely blown down and demolished, 
 and heathen pagodas were erected upon their ruins." 
 
 Edict after edict emanated, or at least were said to ema- 
 nate, from the Shiogoon, ordering more and more severe 
 action to be taken against the Christians. There remained 
 no power of verifying these edicts, no one to speak a word 
 at court for the unfortunate creatures ; while they were sur- 
 rounded by hungry wolves, who might invent edicts in order 
 to profit by the confiscation of property, whose interest it 
 was that the infant heir should be destroyed with his father,
 
 102 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 and who were further incited by the priests, or bozangs, who 
 gnashed their teeth in the hour of victory over enemies who 
 had lorded it so proudly over them in the short days of their 
 prosperity. By such ferocity, combined with a strict watch 
 kept up on foreign vessels, the Christian religion was nearly 
 extirpated ; but in the district of Arima, nearly the whole 
 of the inhabitants, having all their lives professed Christian- 
 ity, at last in desperation resolved rather to fight than sub- 
 mit to such a system of persecution. 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE LAWS OP IYEYA8 
 
 IYEYAS had shown himself an able commander, and an 
 astute, if a somewhat unscrupulous, diplomatist. He is 
 known to this day as a legislator. Hitherto the country 
 seems to have been governed by the laws of Tankaiko, and 
 these are still in force. But lyeyas thought it necessary to 
 lay down rules for those who formed his own court the 
 military chiefs (with their two-sworded followers), whom ke 
 intended to act as the executive throughout the empire. He, 
 to this end, issued one hundred rules or directions as his tes- 
 tament, to be bequeathed to his descendants in power, as a 
 guide to them in the office which he hoped would be heredi- 
 tary in his family. It is said that lyeyas was assisted in 
 drawing up this code by Nrjio dono, Kon chi eeng, Tenkai 
 sojo and Kanga. The originals are now kept at the temple 
 of Koo no san, and it is intended that no one but the minis- 
 ters of state shall ever see them. These rules are commonly 
 called "Bookay hiak kadjo" the hundred lines or rules for 
 the military class. The title is Go yu i jowo or Yu i geng 
 or gong the last testament of Tosho goo, in one hundred 
 sections.
 
 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 193 
 
 The following translation of these rules is to be looked 
 upon as a mere sketch, or such defective information as a 
 Japanese who understood little English could convey to the 
 author, who understood little Japanese, and the division into 
 100 sections is difficult to ascertain in the original. 
 
 * No one is to act simply for the gratification of his own 
 desires, but he is to strive to do what may be opposed to his 
 desires i.e., to exercise self-control in order that every one 
 may be ready for whatever he may be called upon by his 
 superiors to do. 
 
 * The aged, whether widowers or widows, and orphans, 
 and persons without relatives, every one should assist with 
 kindness and liberality, for justice to these four is the root 
 of good government. 
 
 * Respect the gods, keep the heart pure, and be diligent 
 in business during the whole life. 
 
 * If the Kubosama (or Shiogoon) should die childless, 
 then Ee, Honda, Sakakibarra, and Sakai,* together with the 
 older and most able servants of the Kubosama, are to meet 
 together, and, no matter whether he be distantly or nearly 
 related, they are to fix upon the man most worthy, and of 
 most merit, as successor. 
 
 * Upon whomsoever the Mikado may confer the title of 
 Se i shio goon, it is ordained that the customs shall continue 
 as in the time of Kamakura dono (Yoritomo). 
 
 * All the rice produce (cheegio) of the empire (at my dis- 
 posal) amounts to 28,900,000 koku. Of this, I arrange that 
 20,000,000 is to be divided among the Daimios and Shomios 
 or Hattamoto, and the remaining 8,900,000 koku shall be- 
 long to the Kubosama. 
 
 * It is the duty of the Kubosama to guard from danger 
 the Emperor and his palace, and to preserve peace and tran- 
 quillity in the empire in every direction. 
 
 * These four are the highest of the official or Fudai class 
 of Daimio, and are commonly known as the Si Ten wo, or 
 "four heavenly emperors" a Buddhist title. 
 
 9
 
 194 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 * All the Bookay i.e., military officers are to take care 
 that the laws of the empire are not lightly changed ; but as 
 sometimes necessity may arise for a change, they may yield 
 on special occasions. 
 
 * All Daimios and Hattamotos who adhered to me and 
 my cause up to the time of the war at Osaka (with Hideyori) 
 are to be Fudai. Those who since that time have given in 
 their adhesion, and have remained steadfast, are Tozamma 
 (Ch., ngoy yeong), outside lords. Of Tozamma there are 
 eighty-six, of Fudai eight thousand and twenty-three, and 
 of Kammong, or relations of my family, thirteen. Of vis- 
 itors (lords who visit lyeyas on equal terms, called Okiak- 
 sama or Hin re-i), five, who are: 
 
 1. Kitsure gawa dono, ) , .. ,, 
 
 > descendants of Yoritomo. 
 
 2. Iwa matz manjiro, ) 
 
 3. Matzdarra Tajima no kami, who was the seventh son 
 of Hideyas (elder brother of Hidetada), and so grandson of 
 lyeyas. He was adopted by Taikosama, but was returned 
 to his father on the birth of Hideyori, and was afterward 
 adopted by YuM. 
 
 4. Tatchibanna hida no kami of a very old, illustrious 
 family. He was military teacher of lyaymitz ko, third Ku- 
 bosama, and would not acknowledge lyeyas as his superior, 
 but had not much power, and was not disturbed by lyeyas. 
 
 5. Tokungawa Mantokuji was a very old branch of the 
 Tokungawa line. 
 
 * Ko fhoo jo nai (a name of the shiro or castle of Yedo ; 
 the Chinese characters are different from the Ko fu of the 
 province of Kahi, where the Shiogoon has a castle) presents 
 on the left side the shape of a dragon, on the right, that 
 of an (washi) eagle ; to the northwest lies the second, Kuko 
 or Maro ; to the north lies the third ; to the west, the fourth ; 
 to the southwest, the fifth. 
 
 The O ban goomi, or large guard of the Kubosama, con- 
 sisting of twelve companies, may be likened to the twelve 
 gods (the Yakushi riorai). The Sho eeng bang the lesser 
 guard of ten companies are like the ten stars. The Dzeng
 
 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 195 
 
 koo or Sakitay (who lead the van in war) are thirty-three 
 companies, like the thirty-three heavens. The Mochizutzu, 
 musqueteers (who fire balls of five momays weight), are 
 seven companies, like the Stchi wo or seven lights the sun, 
 moon and planets. The Sho ban gashira, numbering twenty- 
 eight, are similar to the twenty-eight stars. The Ho shing 
 i.e., old servants (acting as the Gorogiu or cabinet) are 
 as the four heavens. Over them, and higher, is placed the 
 Shiogoon. These are all so arranged to suit well-known and 
 easily remembered arrangements in the Buddhist books of 
 religion. 
 
 * There are many Fudai, but of this class the Mikawa, 
 or old Fudai, are to rank the highest. Of these there are 
 fourteen: 1, Tori yee; 2, Itakura; 3, Owokubo; 4, Todda; 
 5, Honda; 6, Ogassawara; 7, Akimoto; 8, Sakakibarra; 9, 
 Sakkye; 10, Ishikawa; 11, Kooze; 12, Katto; 13, Abbe; 
 
 14, . Of these families, if able men can be found 
 
 among them, the Gorogiu or cabinet is to be chosen. To- 
 zamma Daimios, however able they may be, cannot have 
 seats in the Gorogiu, or take any part in government. 
 
 * The families and names of all Daimios, large and 
 small, who have acted with me in my wars, shall con- 
 tinue (i.e., shall not be removed from the peerage), how- 
 ever badly they conduct themselves, unless they turn rebels 
 or traitors. 
 
 * In regard to the Koku shiu, Rio shiu, Joshu (classes of 
 Daimios the first, lord of a province; the second, lord of a 
 district; the third, lord of a castle), Tozamma and Fudai, if 
 they break the laws and oppress the people, no matter how 
 old the line or how large their territory, I will use my power 
 and forces to brush them away from both territory and cas- 
 tle. This is the duty of the Shiogoon alone. 
 
 * Among officers the different ranks are to be observed, 
 each according to his rank or his official income ; but if they 
 are equal in both, the eldest in years shall take precedence. 
 
 * The President of the Hio jo sho [a deliberative court 
 in Yedo with judicial powers] must be selected as being a
 
 196 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 man of the clearest mind and best disposition; and once 
 every month it shall be the duty of the Shiogoon to go to the 
 meeting, without giving previous notice of the day, when he 
 himself must decide on the questions brought before him. 
 
 * Each province is divided into kowori, sho, inura, and 
 sato districts, parishes, villages, and hamlets. In the mura 
 and sato, should there be any family of old standing among 
 the lower classes, even though the head of it may be very 
 poor, he ought to be appointed officer; and if a rich man 
 settles in the village, he is not to be made an officer. This 
 is to be the law in all territories, whether of a Koku shiu, 
 Rio shiu, Jo shu, or Ji to wo (ground-head, i.e., landed pro- 
 prietor, not eligible to office). 
 
 * All Daimios and Hattamotos not in office (i.e., not 
 residing at Yedo), whether Tozamma or Fudai, are com- 
 manded not to be unjust toward me. My business is to 
 guard the Emperor and his court and the whole empire of 
 Japan, and I command you to assist me in repairing and 
 keeping up all the imperial castles, roads, rivers, and guards. 
 
 * The repairing the Shiogoon's residence, the keeping 
 in repair public roads, keeping up ferries, etc., is Fushin; 
 Daimios are sometimes called shokowo ; when they are act- 
 ing as guards, as in Kanagawa, they are "Katamme"; and 
 in keeping up these guards, the whole expense is borne by 
 the Daimios. 
 
 * Irayzumi, the marking a criminal with ink or gun- 
 powder ; Go ku mong, putting a decapitated head in a box 
 for exposure; Haritske, spearing on a cross; Ushizaki, tying 
 four oxen's tails to a man's limbs, and starting them off by 
 fire to tear off the limbs ; Kumma iri, boiling a criminal in 
 hot water. These are old punishments for criminals. The 
 officers are to try to discover who are worthy men, and they 
 are to be rewarded wiUh territory, titles, and rank. Crimi- 
 nals are to be punished by branding (or marking), or beat- 
 ing, or tying-up, and, in capital cases, by spearing or decapi- 
 tation; but the old punishments of tearing to pieces and 
 boiling to death are not to be used.
 
 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 197 
 
 * When I was young I determined to fight and punish 
 all my own and my ancestors' enemies, and I did punish 
 them; but afterward, by deep consideration, I found that 
 the way of heaven was to help the people, and not to punish 
 them. Let my successors follow out this policy, or they are 
 not of my line. In this lies the strength of the nation. 
 
 * In regard to filling in new ground, if there are no ob- 
 jections, it may be done according to the laws in force in the 
 time of Yoritomo ; but if objections are made (by neighbors 
 or others), it is not to be carried out. 
 
 * In case also of wishing to make new canals (hori), or 
 lakes (Ikay), reservoirs of water, old precedents are to guide 
 the officers. 
 
 * If there be a lawsuit as to a property or a road, if it is 
 shown to have existed fifty years, the question cannot after- 
 ward be reopened. 
 
 * Among officers outside and inside there are at times 
 unseemly brawls as to rank, but these are all to be settled 
 now, and I settle them accordingly in the following order: 
 
 Tad ro sin, Orussuee, Tai ro jiu (now Gorojiu), Soshi, 
 Osaka jio dai, Soonpu riobang, Waka doshi yori, Soba yo 
 nin, Kokay, Sosha, Jeesha boonyo, Oku toshi yori (obsolete), 
 Nishi maro russui, Owo metske, Kotai yori yai, Hira toshi 
 yori (obsolete), Kan jo boonyo, Matchi boonyo, Oku ko sho 
 ngashira, Naka oku ko sho, Sho eeng ban gashira, O ban 
 gashira, Shin ban gashira, Onando kashira, Ko nando 
 kashira, Kiri no ma tsu may bang, Gan no ma tsu may 
 bang, Fuvo no ma yakunin, Tskyebang, Ki roku sho yaku- 
 nin and Hio moku no mono, Ten shoo bang, Hozo bang, 
 Hatta boonyo, Katana ban gashira, Motchi yumi ngashira, 
 Motchi tsudzu gashira, Sakitay gashira, Yari boonyo, Kooshi 
 boonyo, Ma ya betto, Funatay ngashira, Makanai gashira, 
 Jusba, Eeshi, Fushing boonyo, Tan sz boonyo, Do bo ngash- 
 ira, Zashiki bang, Hi no ban gashira, Katchi metske gashira, 
 Kobito gashira, Iga no kashira, Kurokwa kashira, Tayshi 
 gashira. And below this rank, all the captains or officers 
 of companies will settle the ranks. When the official income
 
 198 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 is above 10,000 koku, the Roshing or Gorogiu shall settle, 
 below this the Waka toshi yori. The highest of all is the 
 So to rio, the Tai ro shin, or Go tai ro, or Sosai; i.e., the 
 Regent. 
 
 * There are men who always say Yes (i.e., agree with 
 me), and there are others who sometimes say No (i.e., ex- 
 press a different opinion from me). Now, the former I wish 
 to put away from me, and the latter I wish to be near me. 
 The elders of the Gorogiu are to examine and see that men 
 do not do such business only as is agreeable to them, and 
 avoid all that is the reverse. I wish to have about me all 
 opinions of men, both those who differ from me and those 
 who agree with me. 
 
 * If some man should say such a one deserves to be put 
 to death, the officers must not act upon his wish alone ; but 
 if all the people say such a one should be put to death, the 
 officers must examine into the case ; and if all the people say 
 such a one should be rewarded, I myself must examine, or 
 the country will be lost. 
 
 * As to cormorant-fishing and hawking, some men used 
 to say that these amusements were useless and expensive, 
 and they were in consequence interdicted. But I do not 
 prohibit them. They strengthen the body, and with riding, 
 archery, hunting, and shooting, are not to be forgotten or 
 omitted in time of peace by the military classes in the empire. 
 
 * Singing, dancing, and music are not strictly military 
 occupations, and soldiers ought not to devote themselves to 
 these accomplishments ; but at times the mind is oppressed, 
 and the heart is heavy, and requires relaxation and mirth, 
 and therefore these are not to be altogether prohibited. 
 
 * I am descended from the Emperor Saywa Ten wo,* but 
 
 * Saywa made the laws as to the Shin wo and royal fami- 
 lies. His sixth son was Sadadzumi Sinwo. On Momidji 
 yama (a little hill within the grounds of the Yedo castle) is 
 a small temple. On the altar are tablets with the names of 
 men of six generations: 1, Sadadzumi; 2, of his son Tsune
 
 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 199 
 
 my family had lost all its property through the power of our 
 enemies, and had sunk down to Matzdaira [a small village 
 in Mikawa, from which the family of lyeyas takes its name] ; 
 but through the kindness of the Emperor I have, relying 
 upon documents and history, changed (or traced) the name 
 of my family to Seratta, and Nitta, and Tokungawa, and in 
 all time coming this last is to remain the name of the family. 
 
 * I have fought ninety battle, and narrowly escaped with 
 my life eighteen times. Having so escaped, I therefore out 
 of gratitude erected eighteen temples, and I wish my sons 
 and descendants to adhere to the lodo sect (of Buddhists). 
 
 * In Booffoo (the military office; i.e., Yedo) I built the 
 temple of To yay san, and requested the Mikado to install 
 as chief -priest a Sin wo i.e., of the royal family of the first 
 rank (he is now known as Oo yay no mia, and is the most 
 illustrious personage in Yedo in point of birth and honors 
 acceded to him : he lives in To yay zan, a residence formerly 
 the property of Toda, Idzumi no kami) to pray that the evil 
 influences of the devil may be warded off, and that peace 
 and prosperity may prevail over Japan. And also in order 
 that if the Mikado should be induced to side with traitors or 
 foreigners, and these concert with or gain possession of the 
 person of the Mikado, then the Dai Shiogoon shall instate 
 the Oo yay no mia as Mikado, and punish the rebels. 
 
 * From ancient times there have been different sects of 
 religion other than the Jashiu (Crooked sect; i.e., Chris- 
 tians). Now any one of the people can adhere to which he 
 pleases (except the Christian) ; and there must be no wran- 
 gling among sects, to the disturbance of the peace of the 
 empire. 
 
 moto (who first took the name of Minna moto) ; 3, of his son 
 Mitz naka (a soldier of note) ; 4, of his son Yori nobu; 5, of 
 his son Yori Yoshi ; 6, of his son Yoshiyay (otherwise called 
 Hatchimang taro), and of his son Yoshi Kooni (whose de- 
 scendants divided into the Nitta and Ashikanga lines). The 
 temple was erected for the reception of those tablets, to which 
 worship is offered every morning.
 
 200 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 * The families of Minna moto, Taira, Fusiwara, Tatchi- 
 banna, Soongawara, Oway, Ariwara, and Kiowara, are all 
 direct descendants of Mikados. Out of these families the 
 head of the military must be chosen. If there be among 
 these families men of good character, but uneducated, cow- 
 ardly, and ignorant of the way of holiness, such are not to 
 be selected for this office. Therefore it is necessary that 
 all the members of these families should be diligent in 
 study. 
 
 * To insure the empire peace, the foundation must be laid 
 in the ways of holiness and religion ; and if men think they 
 can be educated, and will not remember this, it is as if a 
 man were to go to a forest to catch fish, or thought he could 
 draw water out of fire. They must follow the ways of 
 holiness. 
 
 * All men are liable to sickness. If doctors become rich 
 they grow indolent, therefore it is improper that they should 
 acquire territory or landed property, but they are to be paid 
 by every one, high and low, according to the visits paid. 
 
 * Those who study the stars, and the higher orders of 
 Sinto priests, formerly spread the idea that they were worthy 
 of equal reverence with the gods. If in future they presume 
 to do so, they are to be punished. 
 
 * In former times, when high-priests and ministers of the 
 Buddhist religion committed crimes, and were liable to pun- 
 ishment, the people thought that to punish them was the 
 same as punishing the gods. They are to think so no more, 
 but the military officers are to punish such offenders without 
 fear. 
 
 * Booffoo, Osaggi, Booggi, Itchiko Meeko, Nobooshi, 
 Yamabooshi, Gozay [these are different kinds of impostors, 
 fortune-tellers, diviners, fox magicians, mesmerizers, clair- 
 voyants, etc.], Maykura, and vagabonds who go about with- 
 out regular business and breaking the laws, raising quarrels, 
 must all be punished. 
 
 * Let every gentleman with the right to wear a long 
 sword remember that his sword is to be as his soul, and that
 
 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 201 
 
 he is not to part from it but with his life. If he forget his 
 sword he must be punished. 
 
 * In the Nengo of Boon ro ku, 1592-96, the two offi- 
 cers Ogochi and Assano surveyed all Japan. They made a 
 report, which was laid before the Emperor. A survey of 
 the provinces, counties, districts, and parishes was made, 
 together with the forests, mountains, rivers, and a calcula- 
 tion was made of the value. If a man possess land yielding 
 1,000 koku, he is to provide five horsemen. If 10,000, 50 
 horsemen. If 50,000, 250 horsemen. If 100,000 koku, 1,000 
 horsemen. This is one "goon" or regiment. 3,000 horse- 
 men make one battalion, over which is placed one general or 
 Jo sho. Over 2,000 is placed a Lieutenant-general, or Chiu 
 sho. Over 1,000 is placed a Kasho, or Major-general [all 
 this is altered now]. But I have a regard for old customs 
 and long service, therefore the house of Ee shall be over all 
 the generals. Ee man chiu was my general, therefore I pre- 
 sented him with a gold Sai hae [a baton like a fan, used by 
 high military officers] ; and I made Honda "Kasho," and 
 gave him a paper Sai hae. The above arrangement all mili- 
 tary officers are to make themselves acquainted with. 
 
 * If disputes arise as to the boundaries of the territories 
 (Rioboong of Daimios or of Hattamoto), these are to be re- 
 ferred to an Owometske and the Kanjo boonyo, the head of 
 the Treasury. But if the disputants refuse to abide by the 
 decision, and fighting ensues, the ground in dispute shall be 
 confiscated by the Shiogoon. 
 
 * Byshings (Ch., Peichin) i.e., large retainers of Dai- 
 mios even if they have large landed possessions, and are 
 equal in wealth to Daimios, are not on the same footing with 
 Jiki shing (i.e., retainers of the Shiogoon), and are always 
 inferior to the latter in rank, even though superior in wealth. 
 
 * In fights among the common people, even if two or 
 three are killed on one side, both parties are to be looked 
 upon as criminal, and to be punished, but not so severely 
 as if a man out of forethought murders another, and does 
 not act on the heat of the moment.
 
 202 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 * If a man employs another to commit a murder, if a 
 man poisons, and wishes to make profit or advantage to 
 himself out of a murder, or if a thief murders to steal, such 
 men must be discovered, even if the grass of all Japan is 
 looked through. 
 
 * Of the four employments in Japan the Samurai, two- 
 sworded gentlemen; the Hyaksho, the farmer; Shokonini, 
 artisan ; and the Akindo, merchant the Samurai is the first 
 in rank. If one of the other three are rude in conduct to a 
 Samurai, he himself can punish him. But among Samurai 
 there are different ranks, some being Jiki shing, others By- 
 shing, retainers of the Shiogoon and retainers of Daimios, 
 and others servants of Byshiugs, who also are Kimi and 
 Shing, master and servant. If among any of these an infe- 
 rior is rude or impolite or insolent, then he is to be treated 
 as if he were an Akindo; i.e., a merchant. 
 
 * That one man and one woman should live together is 
 a great law of nature, therefore at the age of sixteen all men 
 and women ought to be married. But no man is allowed to 
 marry a woman of the same surname with himself, but ex- 
 amination must be made as to the parentage and line of de- 
 scent of the betrothed, and thus the way of heaven will be 
 adhered to. 
 
 * If a man have no son he may adopt one, but the father 
 must be fifteen years of age before he adopts a son. If a 
 Daimio or Hattamoto have no son or adopted son, the line 
 becomes extinct. But if the last heir of a Daimio's family 
 be very delicate and sickly, he may, even if young, adopt 
 a child to keep up the line of the house. This is the way of 
 Confucius. 
 
 * (In old times the Mikado went round the provinces.) 
 Hereafter an officer must go round all the provinces once 
 every five or seven years, and make a report to the Shiogoon. 
 (This is now obsolete.) 
 
 * As to the old Kokoshu, I will not interfere with their 
 provinces ; but in the case of recently-made Kokoshu and 
 Daimios, if they keep the same territory for a very long
 
 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 203 
 
 time, they become proud, and oppress the people, therefore 
 in the case of these latter it is well to change them occa- 
 sionally from one territory to another. 
 
 * Among Hyaksho, Shokonin, and Akindo i.e., farm- 
 ers, artisans, and merchants if their wives secretly commit 
 adultery, the law of nature is broken ; and whether the hus- 
 band report the matter to the officers or not is of no conse- 
 quence, both parties must be punished ; but if the husband 
 is a proper spirited man, and puts the adulterer to death, he 
 is not to be punished. But if he should wish to pardon both 
 the wife and her paramour, it may be done. The judge is 
 not to be hasty. 
 
 * If the same thing take place in the family of a Samurai, 
 the judge must be very severe and strict in punishing. 
 
 * In Japan there is an old saying that the same heaven 
 cannot cover a man and the enemy (murderer?) of his father 
 or mother or master or elder brother. Now, if a man seek 
 to put to death such an enemy, he must first inform the Kets 
 dan sho [this is a department which takes cognizance of 
 criminal matters] office at the Hio jo sho, and say in how 
 many days or months he can carry out his intention. This 
 is to be entered in the book of the office. If he kills this 
 enemy without such previous intimation, he is to be consid- 
 ered as a murderer. 
 
 * If a servant kills his master, he is to be considered as 
 the same as the Emperor's enemy, and his relations are all 
 likewise to be considered in the same light, and must be ex- 
 tirpated root and branch. If a servant has made the attempt, 
 even if unsuccessful, the family is to be extirpated. Kando 
 is to take the name of a family out of the book of Japan. 
 
 * In regard to wives and concubines, the law and cus- 
 toms are the same as between master and servant. The 
 Mikado is allowed twelve concubines. Daimios and Hatta- 
 motos are allowed to have eight. Tei fu i.e., men with 
 titles and Sho daibu are allowed five. Officers and Samurai 
 are allowed two concubines. This is to be found in the old 
 holy books of the Rai ki rites and ceremonies (Lei, king of
 
 204 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 China). At times very foolish and bad men have made the 
 way of the Rai ki dark, and have addicted themselves to 
 numerous concubines, and so broken the laws of nature. In 
 former times, whenever Daimios or officers have lost their 
 territories and castles, it may in nearly all cases be traced 
 to this cause. Hence the man is not upright who is much 
 given to women. 
 
 [It is a common error with writers upon Japan to allege 
 that the Japanese are indifferent to the respectability of their 
 wives; and, indeed, that they rather prefer to take one from 
 among the public courtesans; and, further, to convey the 
 impression that nearly all the women of the country go 
 through some such course before marriage. Such an idea 
 is contrary to common sense as well as to propriety; and the 
 common belief that the spirits take a warm interest and per- 
 form an important part in the marriage of every pair in 
 Japan, shows that the rite itself is looked upon as a very 
 important institution, requiring Divine sanction and bless- 
 ing, and not to be lightly entered upon for the gratification 
 of temporary or transient feelings. On the other hand, in- 
 tercourse between parties not married is looked upon as dis- 
 reputable, or at least an attempt is made to convey such an 
 impression to young persons. All such connections are called 
 "damass koto"; i.e., a false, a sham affair; and it is said of 
 such persons that the fox i.e., the devil has tied the yeng 
 or knot. It is a common saying by youths, "I know that it 
 is damass koto ; but the fox always brings us together again, 
 and I cannot cut the thread." As their idea of the yeng is 
 taken from the Chinese, it shows that polygamy is not, with 
 that large portion of the human race, looked on with ap- 
 proval. In China the first wife is the only wife ; the others 
 who may be taken afterward are concubines. In these coun- 
 tries the position of a prostitute is different from what it is 
 in Christian communities, as they are forced to the life, and 
 educated to it from childhood; and tha education and mixing 
 with the world in conversation gives them often a cleverness 
 and power of pleasing which are often wanting in the ladies
 
 THE LAWS OF ITEYAS. 205 
 
 brought up in the quiet and seclusion of a Chinese family. 
 Besides, they go to the same churches and worship the same 
 gods, going through their devotions as religiously as the rest 
 of the community.] 
 
 * The relations of the husband are with external things, 
 those of the wife with internal. The observance of this leads 
 to the peace or smooth- working of the empire. If these re- 
 lations are changed, folly ensues, the house is deranged, and 
 it is as if a hen were to crow in the morning. All men are 
 to take care to avoid the beginning of this evil. 
 
 * At IwatsM, and at Kawagoi in Musashi, and at Sakura 
 and Seki yado and Koga in Simosa, and at Takasaki and 
 Oossuee in Kowotsuki, and at Ootsu no mia in Shimo tsuki, 
 and at Odawarra in Segami, nine places are to be castles, 
 which are as the guards or outposts of Yedo. The Daimios 
 in possession of these castles are to act in unison with Yedo 
 as a center. 
 
 * At the castles of Soonpu and Kunowo there must be 
 placed able commanders, as these places are the keys of 
 Yedo ; to Osaka in Setsu and Fushimi in Yamashiro, officers 
 of the fourth rank must be sent, and an able Fudai Daimio, 
 besides twelve captains. If war begins, Osaka and Fusimi 
 are the keys of the country. 
 
 * To the Nijio castle of the Kubosama at Miako one of 
 the principal Fudai must be sent, who must be a general, 
 because he is the head of the executive at Miako, and has 
 the direction of the San jiu san koku; i.e., the thirty-three 
 provinces west of Miako. 
 
 * In the provinces round Yedo there are sixteen gates 
 where travelers are examined. At each of these gates a 
 Fudai must be stationed, to see that the laws are observed, 
 and that not a spear the size of a needle passes toward Yedo, 
 but pack-horses and carriages may pass. 
 
 * The office of Kiusiu Tandai (the Viceroy of the island 
 of Kiusiu) was formerly held by the Owotomo family. Since 
 this family has been destroyed, the office has been in abey- 
 ance. I now command Shim adzu and Nabeshima (Satsuma
 
 206 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 and Fizen) each to act as Viceroy in alternate years, and 
 will not permit any other to fill the office. 
 
 * Within the castle of Yedo are twenty-eight places or 
 gates (Bansho or Mitskay), with guards; without there are 
 twenty-eight. Those within the castle are to be kept by 
 Fudai, those outside by Tozamma. 
 
 * In regard to San kin [those who are officially on duty 
 in Yedo] officers, care must be taken to note such as are dili- 
 gent and such as are indolent, and they are to be rewarded 
 or punished accordingly. Those who are rich are to be put 
 into situations entailing expense, and those who are poor into 
 the less expensive. 
 
 * All the Daimios on duty in Yedo are not to be employed 
 simultaneously, as some may be suddenly required for ex- 
 traordinary service. 
 
 * Foreign ships are allowed to come to Nagasaki. Old 
 and trustworthy officers are to be sent there. The Mmbang 
 or guards are to be four captains, whose official income shall 
 be more than 3,000 kokus each. There are to be both foot 
 and horse soldiers. As the expenses are great there, the 
 Yakunins or officers must receive yaku rio; i.e., additional 
 money according to their business. 
 
 * As by convulsions of nature, such as earthquakes, the 
 courses of rivers are changed, lakes are made or dried up, 
 and mountains overthrown, the expense of repairing these 
 ravages and paying the laborers is to be borne by all Daimios 
 in proportion to their revenues. 
 
 * In all the empire the main roads are to be six keng wide 
 (or about sixty feet*). Cross-roads are to be three mats 
 wide, or eighteen feet; Yoko mitchi, or bridle-paths, two 
 mats; Katchi mitchi, walking paths, one mat or six feet; 
 Sakuba mitchi or tchika mitchi, less than three feet. On 
 
 * There are two keng, one used at Miako, known as 
 Miako no keng, or Kioma, or Homma, the longer of the two. 
 The other is the Inaka keng, or Inakama, shorter by three 
 or four inches. Taikosama introduced the second.
 
 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 207 
 
 either side of a ferry landing, ground is to be left to the 
 width of sixty mats, or 360 feet, so that when many persons 
 may collect care may be taken. This is the custom as to 
 ferries ever since the time of my ancestor, Nitta, Oee no 
 skay, Yoshi shige, Nioo do, called "Josay dono." 
 
 * All the revenues arising from rates levied at ferries, 
 lakes, hills, etc., are not to be used by the military depart- 
 ment, but are reserved for the Mikado's treasury. 
 
 * It is not allowed to any one to build a house in the mid- 
 dle of wheat or rice fields, as the shadow of the house and 
 trees spoils the surrounding ground, and renders it unpro- 
 ductive. If any dare so to build, all the building is to be 
 swept away, and he is to be confined for 100 days. 
 
 * For the settlement of what is old plantation and what 
 is new, it is decided that Furui yama, or old trees, are those 
 which at the level of the eye are three feet or more in cir- 
 cumference. Atarashi yama, or new plantations, are trees 
 which are less than three feet at the level of the eye. At 
 one time this was a source of great trouble in Japan. 
 
 * If a large tree overshadows a neighbor's house or dry- 
 ing-floor, so that rice, grain or wheat cannot be exposed to 
 the sun, when necessary the branches may be cut off. 
 
 * Every year the Kanjo sho is to send in a report of bad 
 bridges, roads, etc., in need of repair. 
 
 * In the good old-fashioned times the relations of master 
 and servant were like those of water and fish, but now, in 
 these times, people are apt to become proud and to dislike 
 their work ; but every one is to do faithfully the work as- 
 signed to him, and not to throw his work or duties on an- 
 other. This is very important to be remembered, and is not 
 difficult to be learned. The result is like water flowing 
 down encircling the country, at which all the people rejoice. 
 
 * Honcho, or Japan, is the (Shin koku) country of spirits. 
 Therefore we have among us the Jiu (Confucianism), Shaku 
 (Buddhist), Sen (Ch., Tseen), Do (Taouist), and other sects. 
 If we leave our gods (Shin), it is like refusing the wages of 
 our master and taking them from another. Therefore a
 
 208 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 watch is to be kept as to this. But as to Itchiko (divina- 
 tion) and Buddhistic practices, the workers are not to be 
 driven away, but the people are not to follow them. 
 
 * In regard to dancing- women, prostitutes, brothels, night 
 work, and all other improper employments, all these are like 
 caterpillars or locusts in the country. Good men and writers 
 in all times have written against them. But as it is a law 
 of nature that man should desire the society of woman, it is 
 enacted that these people and places shall not be tolerated; 
 but as it would, if the laws were rigidly carried out, be a 
 perpetual punishing and nothing else, they are not to be 
 administered severely, but out of a regard for the uneducated 
 and the nature of mankind these offenses are to be lightly 
 passed over. 
 
 * It has been the wont of my ancestors ever to follow out 
 the thread of the customs of (Yoritomo) Kamakura dono, 
 and no other customs are to be observed. But the heart 
 and goodness of Hige mori (Komatzu dono, eldest son of Kio 
 mori) is never to be forgotten. This refers to the steady 
 opposition made by him to the "mauvais desseins" of his 
 father, Kio mori, against the family of Yoritomo in 1170-80 
 A.D. He is called in the " Annales des Empereurs" "homme 
 habile, vertueux, et juste." He was extremely distressed at 
 hearing of the treachery of his father in inviting the regent 
 to a conference, and then ordering him to be cut to pieces. 
 After his death, Kio mori, seeing ne one to oppose him, re- 
 gardless of everything, acted according to his own pleasure. 
 
 ' When a master dies, his servants think it their duty to 
 commit suicide. This is an old custom, but it is quite un- 
 reasonable, and nothing can justify a man in so acting. 
 Sometimes, instead of committing suicide, there is a cus- 
 tom of putting into the grave figures representing servants. 
 This is more unreasonable than the other. Such persons are 
 not upright, and those who in future do these things must be 
 severely punished. 
 
 * If war arise, the (Taisho) commander-in-chief has no 
 other business but to mold men to his use. The master of
 
 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 209 
 
 men must know what each is useful for. Men are like in- 
 struments one cannot do the work of a chisel with a ham- 
 mer ; one cannot make a small hole with a saw, but a gimlet 
 must be used. The principle is the same as to men. Men 
 with brains are to be used for work requiring brains; men 
 of strong frame for work requiring strength ; men of strong 
 heart for work requiring courage. Weak men are to be put 
 into poor places. Every man in his proper place. There are 
 places for weak men and places for fools. All this must be 
 regulated by the head and brains of the Taisho. Soldiers 
 are to be chosen on these principles, so that with a thousand 
 men in one body, the whole may act together, and the em- 
 pire have peace. This is always to be kept in memory. 
 
 * If one man rises to be full of, or puffed up with, mili- 
 tary power (Boo i ippai), he will try to make himself equal 
 with or superior to the highest, the Mikado. This is a very 
 serious error ; there is always a tendency to it. But when it 
 happens, it is natural that he should become proud, and not 
 respect the Mikado. The land of spirits i.e., Japan will 
 be lost. The judgment of Heaven will assuredly fall upon 
 him. This is intended for his successors, the Shiogoons, who 
 might be puffed up with their position. 
 
 * The Sinwo kay and Mia gata i.e., the families of 
 those of the royal blood are the supporters of the Mikado. 
 All the high ranks of the Mikado's court, the Koongyo and 
 the Koongays, are not to alter the old laws of the empire, 
 but are to pay the highest respect to the Mikado, and are 
 not to be rude or insolent. 
 
 * As to the Hinrei Skiaku [the descendants of old Shio- 
 goons, s.uch as Ashikanga, Hojio and others, to whom rank 
 and territory have been assigned], their history and pedigree 
 are to be inscribed in a book. What their customs may be 
 is of no consequence to me, but if they interfere with the 
 laws or the government established by me, or even if they 
 become very proud and oppress the people, I will punish 
 them. 
 
 * As to Nagoya, Wakayama and Mito [known now as
 
 210 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 Owarri, Kii and Mito, the San kay, or "three families," 
 sons of lyeyas], and the fifteen Kammong, the heir must 
 always be the eldest son, and the territory of each cannot 
 be divided among two or three sons. 
 
 * Diamios with incomes of 100,000 koku, and the Roshin 
 or Gorojiu, and officers upon outside business, and all cap- 
 tains of the guards, are to be of the same rank as Kokushu. 
 
 * In regard to Fudai and Tozamma, and wealthy retain- 
 ers of Daimios (Byshings and Karo), in going from and re- 
 turning to Yedo they must observe the laws of the road, and 
 they are not to make their trains very splendid or very poor 
 i.e., a man of large income is not to go with a very splen- 
 did train, neither is a man with small income to go with a 
 very meager retinue; and they are not, as if they were 
 puffed up, and to show their military power, to give trouble 
 to the hotels, or oppress the coolies and porters on the road. 
 This is to be notified to Daimios each time they come to 
 Yedo. 
 
 * As to ships, the sea, rivers, roads, porters, horses, the 
 rates are now all settled for greater or shorter distances, and 
 also as to weights to be carried ; but all government carriage 
 is to be done with the greatest expedition, regardless of 
 expense. 
 
 * All San kin (those Daimios officially resident in Yedo) 
 are to make a present (or rather pay a tax) to the Gorogiu, 
 and to the under officers of state. Those whose incomes ex- 
 ceed 10,000 koku are to give gold, or kin badai i.e., gold 
 instead of a horse; if below 10,000 koku, they give silver 
 (gin ba dai) to each of the high officers. Wealthy Daimios, 
 with large official incomes, are to give much, those with 
 small incomes are to give little. This money the Gorogiu 
 is to appropriate to the expenses of the office. 
 
 * Among the servants of the Shiogoon are those who 
 have much ability and influence, and those who have little 
 of either; they are to act together, and mutually to assist 
 one another. By this means the government will work 
 smoothly. Men must be divided according to their abil-
 
 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 211 
 
 ities and dispositions, but they must be rewarded or pun- 
 ished according to their actions. 
 
 * When I built the Danring (eighteen temples) before 
 mentioned, I put, or I made them, San mong (hill-doors). 
 [The San mong temple of Hiyay san near Miako is a copy 
 of the Tien Tai shan of China.] The Ten dai no zass (head 
 of the Buddhists) asked me why I had built these San mong 
 or hill-doors, saying that he was the same as the center of 
 heaven, and had his seat upon the three stars (San tai say, 
 three sets of stars). I returned no answer. Now it is my 
 wish that long life may be given to the Mikado (10,000 
 years) ; therefore in the sixty-six provinces I built seventy- 
 three. I have written in a book the names and numbers of 
 these temples, and have sent this to the temple of Ten dai 
 san (in Miako), therefore be it known that no other San 
 mong temple is to be built. This San mong must allude to 
 some kind of Buddhist temples of that name. 
 
 * AH oo rin kay (military) officers and others under the 
 Shiogoon have since the time of Kamakura dono (Yoritomo) 
 received a commission from the Mikado. All these are under 
 the commands of the Shiogoon. The business is the same 
 as that of the Jin nee kang, office of the gods in old time. 
 Therefore, when a death occurs in my palace, or among 
 those who come to my residence (i.e., Yedo), the customs 
 of the Jin nee kang are to be observed. The custom is to 
 consider, when a death takes place in a house, all connected 
 with it as temporarily unclean. In the Emperor's family 
 women at certain times move to another house; when a 
 child is born, the father and mother are considered unclean 
 for a time, and cannot go to office or to a temple ; when a 
 death takes place, persons entering a house either do not 
 take off their shoes, or put on others for the purpose, and 
 there should be neither smoking, eating, nor drinking in the 
 house for three days. 
 
 * If a man neglects his duties and gives himself up to 
 gambling and drinking, and thinks that because he is of 
 rank he may do so, and so seduce others beneath him to the
 
 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 same practices; if such a one has not been taught that such 
 conduct is wrong by his teacher, it shall be considered the 
 teacher's crime ; but if he has been taught, he himself shall 
 be considered the offender, and dealt with accordingly ; but 
 in these offenses there are great differences in degree, and 
 some are to be punished severely, others lightly. 
 
 * Men are prone to become indolent and lazy at work, 
 and in consequence become thieves, breaking the laws and 
 occasioning trouble : all these must be severely punished by 
 death ; and if any one sets houses on fire, forges seals or sig- 
 natures, poisons, coins false money such shall be either 
 burned alive or be speared on a cross. 
 
 * A government can easily gather information as to 
 what men do in their business, but as to what they think 
 in their hearts it is more difficult. Kamakura dono, in ref- 
 erence to this, followed the customs of the Tong dynasty of 
 China, and had recourse to informers, offering rewards to 
 such as should give information as to evil-disposed persons. 
 
 * In regard to the Go koku, or five grains i.e., grain of 
 every kind if these are not abundant, the way of the gov- 
 ernment of the Emperor is obscure. If crime abounds, the 
 Shiogoon shows himself destitute of executive energy. He 
 himself must be active and diligent in his own duties. 
 
 * The higher men (? nobility) make the laws, and the 
 lower classes follow and obey ; but it is sometimes difficult 
 to act up to the rules laid down, therefore men of rank are 
 not to order one thing and do another themselves, but are to 
 take care that they carry out what they profess, and observe 
 the laws which they lay down. 
 
 * In regard to Kokushu (territorial princes, or lords of a 
 province) and Joshiu (larger Daimios), if they act in such 
 a way as if not to amount to crime, still may be deserving 
 of censure, they cannot be punished personally, but they are 
 to be ordered to carry out some expensive undertaking for 
 the benefit of the country. Such as making a fort; that at 
 Kanagawa was thus made by Oki no kami. 
 
 * Upon the death of the Kinri (the Emperor), or Sento
 
 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 213 
 
 (retired Emperor), or the Emperor's wife or near relative, 
 all music and shows of pleasure are to cease for a time. If 
 one of the San ko (either the Oo- or Sa- or Nai-daijin) dies, 
 or the Dai shiogoon, notice shall be given of how many days 
 this cessation shall be. Mourning for the Emperor lasts for 
 thirteen months. 
 
 * When a new Emperor ascends the throne, the expenses 
 are all to be undertaken by me, the Shiogoon, and in these I 
 must be liberal. 
 
 * If any representative of a foreign nation comes to the 
 country, the officers must take care that everything is in 
 good order that horses and horse-furniture be good, the 
 houses and roads clean. If they are dirty, it can be seen at 
 a glance whether the nation is prosperous or the reverse. 
 
 * If a foreign vessel should be wrecked on the shore of 
 Japan, the officers of government are to be immediately in- 
 formed, and an interpreter is to be sent to ask what they 
 require. Sometimes the officers may require to be strict and 
 severe, at other times hospitable and kind. The vessel is to 
 be watched, and no trading allowed. 
 
 * It is said that the Mikado, looking down on his people, 
 loves them as a mother does her children. The same may 
 be said of me and of my government. This benevolence of 
 mind is called Jin. This Jin may be said to consist of five 
 parts; these are humanity, integrity, courtesy, wisdom and 
 truth. Therefore I have divided the government into To- 
 zamma, Fudai, Shing and Sso. This mode of government 
 is according to the way of heaven. This I have done to 
 show that I am impartial, and am not assisting my own 
 relations and friends only. Between the Shing and Sso it 
 is improper that there should be any communications, and 
 therefore they are not to be in correspondence with each other. 
 
 * If punishments and rewards are distributed unjustly, 
 upright men will disappear. The people will become timid 
 and niggardly. Therefore it is of the utmost importance 
 that there be not the smallest act of injustice committed by 
 government officers.
 
 214 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 These laws have not been made recently by me, but have 
 existed from generation to generation in the Minnamoto 
 family. What I have written is like a reflection in a mirror. 
 The arrow, if it does not pierce the bull's-eye, will perhaps 
 strike the target. 
 
 Old customs must, when found good on examination, be 
 retained. 
 
 The principles and sentiments, and at times the very 
 words of these laws, seem to be taken from the writings of 
 the old sages of China, Confucius and Mencius. Confucius, 
 in the Chung yung, seems to have been the model after 
 which the code was drawn up. It is founded upon the five 
 duties of universal obligation that of a sovereign and min- 
 ister, of a father and son, of husband and wife, of elder and 
 younger brothers, and between friends ; and upon the prin- 
 ciple that the administration of government lies in getting 
 proper men, and that such are to be obtained by means of 
 the ruler's own character. 
 
 The idea of turning to look inward and examine one's 
 self is prominent in the writings of Mencius. 
 
 Mencius said people have this common saying "The 
 empire, the state, the family. The root of the empire is the 
 state the root of the state is in the family the root of 
 the family is in the person of its head." And lyeyas seems 
 to have recognized these principles as the foundation of his 
 rule, believing that when too much weight is given to the 
 state, despotism ensues; when the family preponderates, 
 oligarchy of an aristocracy prevails ; and where the interests 
 of the individual man become paramount, democracy rears 
 its head. 
 
 Those who framed the code were in all probability ac- 
 quainted with the writings of the Chinese sages and their 
 commentators, and perhaps they refer, in the allusions to 
 Kamakura dono or Yoritomo, to some laws laid down by 
 him or his officers, who had more opportunity of studying 
 the Chinese writings than could fall to the lot of men who
 
 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 215 
 
 had been brought up in the troublous times when lyeyas 
 was a youth. 
 
 The consideration of such laws laid down by lyeyas, and 
 which are more or less still in force, leads to a comparison 
 with the condition of Europe during the time when feudal 
 institutions were in force, the genius of these laws being in 
 many respects the counterpart of that which was in force 
 in Europe in feudal times. The constitution of all warlike 
 nations in early times has tended to this condition. The 
 discoveries of gunpowder and printing have been the great 
 means of breaking down this system ; and in our day steam 
 is rapidly breaking up what these had left. 
 
 The man to whom had been given the most capacity for 
 dealing with men and for conducting war, was selected to 
 take the command of those who saw these qualities in him, 
 and confided in his ability to prosecute any undertaking to a 
 successful termination. Of necessity such a man must be 
 a soldier. He must have the capacity to govern as well as 
 to fight; to make laws as well as to lead in battle; to con- 
 ciliate men as well as to control them. He divides the spoils 
 among his followers, allowing to each a proportion according 
 to his merit. 
 
 A larger portion was retained by the chief, because, inde- 
 pendently of being able to appropriate it, he was to rule over 
 all, and to incur expenses on behalf of all in the general con- 
 trol of the acquired territory. 
 
 This chief generally retained in his own hand certain 
 privileges, such as a more or less controlling voice in the 
 legislature, power of life and death, and of making peace or 
 war and treaties of commerce, coinage of money, right 
 of property in mines of gold and silver, and other rights. 
 He had the power of conferring some of these on the barons 
 holding land from him and under him as superior. By sub- 
 division a feudal kingdom was cut up into many small but 
 semi-independent baronies. The execution of legal decisions 
 became difficult, offenders escaping to other jurisdictions. 
 
 Through the greater expenses falling upon the king, his
 
 216 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 power often waned, while that of the barons waxed greater; 
 and to render their independence perpetual, and at the same 
 time to assure a support to the chief, the system of entail 
 was fallen upon. 
 
 The barons were ever and again adding to their property 
 and power by marriages, by successions, by purchase, or by 
 force and might. Honors and even offices became hereditary. 
 
 So long as weapons of war were in each man's possession, 
 and every one was in proportion to his personal strength and 
 activity a soldier, no great expense fell upon the chief. His 
 followers could be summoned at an hour's notice. 
 
 But when the introduction of gunpowder rendered per- 
 sonal strength and activity of comparatively small value, it 
 increased the expense falling upon the leader. Trained skill 
 required time, and education was necessary. Large guns, 
 requiring expensive ammunition, called for a more expen- 
 sive system of fortification. The lesser barons could not 
 undertake these. The expenses of war fell entirely upon the 
 king. Trained soldiers required a standing army. "When 
 there is any coast to defend, a navy is required. 
 
 In the practical working of the system of lyeyas, there 
 was the difference between Japan and European countries, 
 that, until the use of steam, she had no neighbors to dread 
 as foes or to covet as vassals. There was always an attempt 
 to compensate for the want of this external pressure in the 
 duality or separation of interests between the Mikado, the 
 fountain of honors, and the executive, by whatever name 
 the head officer might be called, whether Kwanrei or Shio- 
 goon. 
 
 Security was sought for by the laws of lyeyas, not against 
 external foes, but against the decadence of the dynasty from 
 internal weakness, or from the power of those who ought to 
 be supporters becoming overwhelming. There was in Japan 
 no call for great expenses, either in keeping up fortifica- 
 tions, armaments, or a standing army or navy. No embas- 
 sadors were dispatched to foreign courts, to consume the 
 revenues of the empire. Against the tendency to the ag-
 
 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 217 
 
 grandizement of the barons, and their increase in wealth and 
 power by marriage and other means, lyeyas fixed the amount 
 of territory which each lord was to possess. Land which 
 produced of rice annually a certain quantity was allotted to 
 each baron, according to his rank or rights. But one great 
 difference between this system and that of entails in Europe 
 lay in this, that the estate granted to each baron could not 
 be added to or diminished, either by marriage or by purchase 
 or by might, except by express permission and grant from 
 the Shiogoon, the superior of all. This law tended to pre- 
 vent the enormous accumulation of land in a few hands. 
 This land they might lease or grant to their retainers, some 
 of whom were very wealthy ; but so long as such a one was 
 a retainer of a Daimio, whatever his wealth might be, there 
 was little chance of his rising to honors in the state. 
 
 The barons in Japan are bound to bring a certain num- 
 ber of men to assist the lord superior in war. Each of these 
 followers is paid by the baron by so much land producing a 
 certain quantity of rice. 
 
 Succession to these lands is hereditary, but not strictly to 
 the eldest son, while the custom so common over the East 
 of adoption is allowed, and all the rights of a son are con- 
 ferred upon the adopted one. Many of the present Daimios 
 are adopted children frequently no relative whatever of 
 the person who so adopts. But while lyeyas declared that 
 these fiefs should be hereditary, he at the same time laid it 
 down as a principle that it was good that these lesser lords 
 should not remain too long in one place, but that, when 
 occasion seemed to require it, it was well to change them 
 from one barony to another. He would no doubt have gladly 
 laid down a similar principle as to the Kokushu, or lords of 
 provinces, but their power and influence were too great to be 
 lightly interfered with. This power has been frequently put 
 forth down to the present time. A Daimio with an income 
 of 10,000 koku is ordered to remove to the territory of an- 
 other with the same revenue; or perhaps, if there be some 
 cause for reproof, a Daimio will be transferred to a territory 
 
 10
 
 218 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 in the far north, such as Tanagura, and the baron then living 
 there, who may be the son of one who had been similarly 
 deported, is removed to the better locality. 
 
 lyeyas provided for the payment of stated presents on 
 arrival at Yedo. At other times gifts are made to the Shio- 
 goon; and, as under the feudal system, presents are to be 
 offered on other occasions, such as marriage or becoming 
 of age. 
 
 The civil authority of the Shiogoon was liable to much 
 limitation, and this lyeyas seems to have expected. At firs* 
 an officer was deputed by the Shiogoon to reside in the terri- 
 tories of the greater barons, and to report to Yedo when he 
 saw anything taking place worthy of animadversion. But 
 this has been done away with, and the Kokushu are virtu- 
 ally in full possession of power, each in his own provincial 
 territory. 
 
 Under the laws above recited the men of the country are 
 divided into four classes the gentry, agriculturists, artisans, 
 and merchants. The gentry are separated from the other 
 classes by the distinctive badge of wearing a long sword, 
 which they are warned never to forget. By this sword the 
 class is distinguished over the whole empire. But the class 
 is again subdivided by the respective badges, shields or coats- 
 of-arms of the chiefs, worn prominently on some part of the 
 dress generally on the back and on each breast. 
 
 The right of wearing two swords brings with it privileges 
 which may be looked upon as means of paying the class 
 somewhat as purveyance under the feudal laws of England 
 conveyed privileges, which were gained generally at the ex- 
 pense of the agricultural class along the highroads. Under 
 these laws all two-sworded men are allowed to demand car- 
 riage for themselves and goods along the highway at a much 
 lower rate than others, and this naturally ends in paying 
 nothing. Their goods are permitted to enter towns free of 
 customs, or at much-reduced rates. Such privileges become 
 in time very irksome to the class which has to pay for them. 
 
 While a Daimio is not permitted to add to his territories
 
 THE LAWS OF IYEYA3. 219 
 
 by purchase or marriage, these may be increased at the will 
 and by the favor of the Shiogoon, or they may be diminished 
 by his fiat. While, if any officer has been thought deserving 
 of a little punishment, he may be desired to build a fort or a 
 bridge, or make a road, or do something which shall benefit 
 the country, and at the same tune act as a pecuniary fine 
 upon the person upon whom the honor is conferred. The 
 fort at Kanagawa was built in this way. 
 
 One of the strongest measures of control used by the 
 Shiogoon toward the barons is put forward when they have 
 been known to be intriguing against their superiors. This 
 is sometimes carried out without trial or previous step of any 
 kind, and consists in the intimation to the lord that he is to 
 divest himself of the insignia of rank, hand over the power 
 which he holds as a Daimio to some other individual (gen- 
 erally a near relative and a minor), and confine himself to 
 one room until further orders. Such an intimation would 
 probably not be given unless the government were sure of its 
 ground. But the power consists in the position in which his 
 own retainers stand toward their lord. If he, upon receiving 
 such a notice, obeys it at once, no other changes take place; 
 the individual is simply removed out of the way, and the 
 offices are transferred to his successor. The wealthy and 
 powerful vassals remain, with their property, unaffected by 
 the step. But should he presume to offer resistance, and 
 rise in rebellion, all the retainers suffer with him. They 
 will all be, in case of the failure of the rebellion, deprived 
 of their territories, which will be taken from them and given 
 to others. It is therefore the interest of all those about a 
 Daimio that he should obey a sentence which they all have 
 an idea he more or less deserved. All those about him, 
 therefore, insist upon his abdication; and he, feeling him- 
 self alone and forsaken, is obliged quietly to yield, and thus 
 trouble to the whole province is averted. But in the case 
 where iho retainers believe that the cause of their master is 
 a right one, and that he has the power as well as the ability 
 to defend himself, they will rally round him, and defy even
 
 220 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 the highest government. This took place in the case of 
 Choshiu against the Shiogoou ; while the cases of Satsuma, 
 Owarri, and others, who were deposed by the regent in 
 1858, show how the power is at times exercised. 
 
 As a further means of warding off intrigue and plotting 
 among these powerful and wealthy barons, the plan was 
 adopted by which all were brought to the court of the Shio- 
 goon, as inferiors or vassals, to pay homage. The custom 
 among these vassals of paying their respects once a year had 
 been long in use in an unsettled and desultory way at Miako, 
 but henceforth lyeyas insisted upon each Daimio visiting his 
 capital of Yedo at certain periods, fixed in proportion to the 
 distance of his territory. And he further insisted that his 
 court should be looked upon as the natural residence of these 
 lords, by their having their wives and families always resi- 
 dent hi Yedo. And it was this law which rendered such 
 stringent measures to be taken at Hakonay and other gates 
 to prevent the passage outward of females. By this con- 
 stant moving of the Daimios to and fro between Yedo and 
 the provinces, money was circulated; large sums were spent 
 in Yedo on the establishments they kept up there, and large 
 sums were spent on the way and at the residence of each in 
 his own province. 
 
 lyeyas seems further to have been jealous of any inter- 
 course being carried on between these Daimios one with an- 
 other, and in these laws measures are taken to prevent this 
 as much as possible. The different classes of Daimios met 
 in different rooms in his castle, and one of one class is not 
 allowed to go into the meeting-room of another. 
 
 All these compulsory measures of vassalage in Yedo have 
 tended to keep up in the Daimios a feeling of inferiority to 
 the family in power, and are liable, when the influence of 
 this family wanes, to become very irksome. 
 
 The general features of the country help with these aids 
 to keep the power in the hands of one man or family. The 
 number of islands, and the length and narrowness of the 
 island of Nippon, divided as it is by a mountainous ridge,
 
 THE LAWS OF IYETAS. 221 
 
 prevent intercommunication being kept up or leagues being 
 formed between contiguous proprietors. 
 
 It is the duty of one set of officers at the court of Yedo to 
 inform each Daimio when he is to come to the capital, and 
 it is probably their care to see that the owners of contiguous 
 properties shall not be at the same time at their respective 
 country-seats. 
 
 Many of these customs had been in use in the empire 
 during the rule of those who had preceded lyeyas ; but he 
 seems to have gathered what he thought good, and strength- 
 ened what seemed weak, so as to provide a firm basis on 
 which to place his dynasty, and inclose it with safeguards 
 that should resist attacks from the restless and warlike men 
 upon whose shoulders his seat had been raised. 
 
 With the wish natural to a great administrator, lyeyas 
 settled all the offices about his court for the good govern- 
 ment of the empire. These are mentioned above; but as 
 these offices require a more minute mention, they are given 
 more in detail below. These rules run over a large ground 
 in their dealings with or allusions to all ranks and relations. 
 
 Except in the cases of high treason or open rebellion, the 
 families of the feudal barons were not to be attainted. Pri- 
 mogeniture and male succession were encouraged as much 
 as possible, and adoption of heirs sanctioned even during 
 early youth, and sons so adopted can be returned. 
 
 The higher Daimios were not allowed to take office or to 
 have any part in the government, except by giving their 
 opinion when asked. 
 
 The Board or Parliament, where all officers on duty in 
 Yedo met for discussion and consultation on general busi- 
 ness (the Hio josho), was settled. 
 
 The punishment of crimes was modified, and the old cruel 
 modes of death done away with. Clemency toward enemies 
 was urged as the proper method of gaining them over. 
 
 Recreations for all men were allowed and approved of as 
 useful both to body and spirit. 
 
 Reverence toward the Emperor was inculcated by the
 
 222 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 example of the Shiogoon, and by advice to the high officers 
 about the court. 
 
 The high-priest at Yedo was to be appointed from a near 
 relative of the Emperor, in order that, if there should be a 
 party siding with the Emperor, the Shiogoon might have a 
 rival of the family in his own hands and interest. 
 
 The exemption from civil and criminal jurisdiction claimed 
 by the priesthood, and in which they were strongly backed 
 up by the Roman Catholic priests, was abolished. A ten- 
 dency to the idea that the priesthood, and priests as indi- 
 viduals, were hedged in by a divinity, which gave them a 
 license for the committal and an immunity from the pun- 
 ishment of crimes, was pointed out as an evil to be guarded 
 against. 
 
 Gentlemen having the right to wear two swords were 
 to consider such an honorable responsibility. 
 
 The empire was surveyed and good maps were made of 
 every district. 
 
 The power of judging of what was insolence from an in- 
 ferior to a superior, and the power of punishing it, were 
 given, in a rather unguarded way, to individuals. 
 
 Marriage was encouraged, and placed upon the footing 
 of its being the way of heaven that one man should have 
 one wife. 
 
 The reverence to be shown toward father, mother, elder 
 brothers, and teachers, is put forth upon the old Chinese 
 views, and the relations of master and servant are in like 
 manner treated of. 
 
 The military position of the country, the passes through 
 the hills, and dangers, are all alluded to. The strategical 
 positions about Yedo are noticed. 
 
 Roads come under regulation, and the building of farm- 
 houses. 
 
 The government is considered as bound to do its best to 
 provide cheap food for the people. Mourning for the Em- 
 peror, religious sects, foreigners, prostitution, suicide all 
 come in for recognition in the Bookay Hiak Kadjo.
 
 POSITION AND COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 THE POSITION AND COURT OF THE SHIOGOON 
 
 IN the above code lyeyas laid down the order of rank in 
 which the officers about him or under him should move. 
 The offices were probably more or less settled and in exist- 
 ence during the rule of Taikosama and of Nobu nanga, and 
 of the ministers who had filled a somewhat analogous office 
 during many generations at Kamakura. 
 
 The head of this Yedo system, as it may be called, is the 
 Shiogoon, the commander-in-chief or head of the military 
 department of the empire, under which is included the police 
 and financial departments. 
 
 From the account of the court of the Mikado, as given in 
 a previous chapter, it is to be gathered that the Mikado is the 
 chief ruler over the empire. To him the whole empire looks 
 up with reverence ; from him flows the stream of honors con- 
 ferred upon subjects all equally his servants. 
 
 After the royal family (the Shinwo), the highest subject 
 is the Kwanbakku, who is at the head of the five highest 
 families of Koongays. After these follow the other Koongay 
 families in order, down to the lowest and poorest enrolled in 
 the peerage of the empire. 
 
 Beneath all this court, and standing upon a lower plat- 
 form, is the court of the Shiogoon, at the head of which is the 
 Shiogoon, the commander-in-chief of the army, and around 
 him the Kami or Daimio class, who receive and hold their 
 territory from him as viceroy for the Emperor. The words 
 Shio goon were derived in early times from the Chinese. 
 Tsiang kiun is the title of the general commanding one of
 
 224 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 the divisions of the army in China. In ancient times in 
 Japan the title of the commander-in-chief was Mono none. 
 
 The past history of the empire has shown that the Em- 
 peror himself was originally the leader or commandor-in- 
 chief of his own armies, but that in course of time the office 
 was conferred upon one of the younger members of the im- 
 perial family. It was afterward transferred to the mail who 
 in a lawless revolutionary period showed himself capable of 
 seizing and holding the command of the army. Thus Yori- 
 tomo held it, and so it afterward became hereditary in the 
 Ashikanga family, until the last of these died out a few 
 years before lyeyas achieved the object of his ambition. 
 
 In any consideration of the government of Japan and HL 
 relations, it is necessary to have clear ideas of the position in 
 which the Emperor and the Shiogoon stand to one another. 
 A reference to the history of the country, as given above, 
 may in some measure explain these; but it may not be with- 
 out use to state briefly what is the position of the Shiogoon. 
 
 The Japanese generally are imbued with the idea that 
 their land is a real Shin koku, a Kami no kooni; that is, the 
 land of spiritual beings or kingdom of spirits. They are led 
 to think that the Emperor rules over all, and that among 
 other subordinate powers he rules over the spirits of the 
 country. He rules over men, and is to them the fountain 
 of honor ; and this is not confined to honors in this world, but 
 is extended to the other, where they are advanced from rank 
 to rank by the orders of the Emperor. The doctrine of the 
 divine right is carried perhaps further than it ever was in 
 England, though, after all, he is probably only regarded as 
 "that sanctified person who, under God, is the author of our 
 true happiness." He confers rank upon the officers of the 
 empire, and from him Nobu nanga, Taikosama and lyeyas 
 received whatever rank each held in the empire. By the 
 death of the last of the Ashikanga Shiogoons the opportu- 
 nity presented itself of giving the title to one who had earned 
 it, and it was given to lyeyas. 
 
 The name by which the Shiogoon of the present day is
 
 POSITION AND COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 225 
 
 known to foreigners is that of Tycoon; there is, however, 
 no such title as Tycoon in the language of Japan. The two 
 words Tai kiun are Chinese, signifying "the great prince, 
 sovereign, or exalted ruler," implying that the bearer of the 
 title is the great sovereign or ruler of Japan. Such a title 
 conveys an idea of superiority over all in the empire which 
 is not conveyed by any of the native titles given to or as- 
 sumed by the Shiogoon. The title is of foreign growth, and 
 the assumption has been looked upon with great jealousy by 
 the Mikado. 
 
 By the old Jesuit writers the head of the executive was 
 frequently spoken of as the Emperor, the Kubosama, and 
 the Xogune, etc. There was, indeed, in their case, some 
 difficulty, as of the three lyeyas alone was Shiogoon, and 
 that toward the end of his life. Kubosama, as has been 
 stated elsewhere, was a title of respect given by the Emperor 
 to the first Ashikanga. It was given to him after he had 
 given up the title of Shiogoon, and it is somewhat inconsist- 
 ent to use them together. 
 
 The title used by the Mikado to the Shiogoon is Tai jiu, 
 "the large tree"; and this is probably the best name that 
 could be used by foreigners in speaking of him, or in ad- 
 dressing him officially. That used by the Daimios in address- 
 ing him is Rioo ay, or "the green tent." 
 
 The son and heir of the Tai jiu, whether his father be 
 alive or not, till he is fifteen years of age, goes by the name 
 of Takke cheoo, two Chinese words meaning a bamboo shoot 
 of a thousand years. He generally assumes the toga virilis 
 (the ceremony known as Gembuku) when he is about fifteen; 
 but if he is called to the succession as a child, this may take 
 place at an earlier period, or about eight or ten, when he has 
 his head shaved as a man and takes his man-name, by which 
 he is thenceforth known. 
 
 There is a civil title which the present dynasty has been 
 proud to assume as patrons of learning; namely, the head 
 or rector of the two principal colleges of the empire, June 
 wa and Shoongaku drio in no bettowo, implying that he is
 
 226 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 the principal patron or rector of the two colleges of June wa 
 and Shoongaku. This title is assumed as his being the ' ' Gen ji 
 no choja"; i.e., the head of the Gen or Minnamoto family. 
 He may be spoken of as Minnamoto no choja as such he 
 considers himself as the first of all the military families of 
 the empire. These titles he assumes, and they may be called 
 family and literary honors. So soon as he has passed the 
 ceremony of Gembuku, the Emperor confers rank and title 
 upon him ; these are civil and military, and also of rank or 
 position. The lowest civil rank given to him is probably 
 Dai nagoon, from which he is raised to Naidaijin, Oodaijin, 
 and Sadaijin, and may be raised to the highest, Daijodaijin ; 
 but this is generally reserved for the Kwanbakku. xhe mili- 
 tary rank given him is Shiogoon, to which the prefix Dai, 
 "great," may or may not be added. The Dai Shiogoon is 
 the commander-in-chief of the army, and, being to a certain 
 extent looked upon as hereditary, is only an honorary title. 
 To this title is sometimes added the two words Se i (Ching 
 i of the Chinese), the chastizer or tranquilizer of the barba- 
 rians or of foreigners; i.e., outside people at a distance from 
 court. This title was originally given with reference to the 
 conquest of the Ai nos in the north of Japan and Yezo ; but 
 it has lately been applied to foreigners by the Mikado in his 
 dispatches, as when he says, "I have given you the title of 
 Se i ; why do you not fulfill the expectations which I had 
 of you?" Se i fhoo, the office of the pacificer of barbarians, 
 is one of the names applied to the castle of Yedo. 
 
 Over and above these the Mikado denotes his place in the 
 ranks of the nobility, as that he is of the second grade, first 
 or second class. 
 
 The titles of lyeyas were Jin itchi-i, first of the second 
 grade. Oodaijin, the great minister of the right. Se i dai 
 Shiogoon, tranquilizer of foreigners and great commander- 
 in-chief. June wa, Shoongaku drio in no bettowo, principal 
 of the two colleges of June wa and Shoongaku. Genji no 
 choja, the head of the Gen clan. Minnamoto no lyeyas. 
 
 The name of Daifusama, by which the Jesuits spoke of
 
 POSITION AND COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 227 
 
 lyeyas, is a corruption of Naidaijin, as Nai foo sama, or, 
 according to the subsequent use of sama, lord of the inner 
 office. 
 
 The Shiogoon adopts a crest or coat-of-arms differing 
 from that in use by the Mikado. It is called awui, or a 
 representation of three leaves of a species of mallow, "awui," 
 joined at the points and inclosed in a circle. This is used in 
 all official matters issuing from the office. No one is allowed 
 to use it but those who are relatives of the Shiogoon, or upon 
 business emanating from the office. 
 
 lyeyas took up his residence at Yedo, in the castle which 
 had been built at a former period by Owota do kwang, and 
 which was formerly known by the name Tchi oda, and is at 
 times still so called. Large sums of money were expended 
 upon this residence. It was increased greatly in size. A 
 deep trench or moat was dug round it, cutting it off from 
 communication, except by the gates, with the town. This 
 trench or moat was and is kept filled by a canal drawn off 
 from the Rokungo kawa, near the village of Omaro, about 
 nine miles from Yedo. At Miako the castle of Nijio Maro 
 is his residence. 
 
 At Osaka, the large castle, formerly the temple of Hoon- 
 ganji, and the residence of Buddhist priesthood, afterward 
 converted into a castle or fort by Taikosama, is in possession 
 of the Shiogoon. 
 
 At Surunga, the castle formerly belonging to Imagawa 
 is kept up at his expense. 
 
 In Kahi, the castle of Kofu, formerly the property of Ta- 
 keda, is another residence, while in different provinces there 
 are minor seats or residences occupied by retainers and officers. 
 
 lyeyas was buried at Nikko san, where a magnificent tem- 
 ple was reared in his honor, to which repair at certain times 
 his descendants and the officers of the dynasty to pay rever- 
 ence to his names, to commemorate his greatness, or in the 
 way of official duty.
 
 228 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 / 
 
 THE DAIMIOS 
 
 IN the above laws lyeyas speaks of Daimios and Shomios, 
 among whom the territories at his disposal were to be divided. 
 The division was made in the ratio of twenty millions to the 
 Daimios to eight millions which he reserved to himself. 
 "Daimio" is compounded of two Chinese words, signify- 
 ing "great name"; "Shomio" is "little name." The latter 
 title has fallen into disuse, and is generally replaced by 
 Hattamoto, meaning "the root or foundation of the flag." 
 The Daimio class may be considered to include every officer 
 who holds directly of the Shiogoon, and has an official in- 
 come from land held of the Shiogoon of the annual value of 
 10,000 koku of rice and upward. The real value of a koku 
 is difficult to ascertain, as it varies much at different times, 
 whether it be looked upon as a measure of rice or as a coin 
 a kobang, as it is commonly reckoned. Of 4 kobangs as- 
 sayed by the United States mint the variation was from 3 
 dollars 57 cents to 5 dollars 95 cents, or from 15s. to 24s. 
 10,000 koku are considered equal to 25,000 piculs of rice, or 
 nearly 4,000,000 pounds. There are many men whose in- 
 comes are upward of 10,000 koku, but who do not hold their 
 land of the Shiogoon, but of some Daimio. Such are not 
 Daimios, but servants or retainers of a Diamio, known some- 
 times as "By shing." 
 
 The offices and officers of the court of the Shiogoon have 
 continued, with but little change, from the time of lyeyas 
 down to the opening of the country in 1858. The order 
 in which these officers took rank was settled by lyeyas; but
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 229 
 
 the offices seem to have been more or less in use during the 
 time of his predecessor Taikosama, and had probably ex- 
 isted for many years. lyeyas in his laws did not for a 
 moment contemplate any interference with the court of the 
 Emperor. That was above him. The lowest Koongay of 
 that court was above him until the Emperor should have 
 conferred upon himself some title of rank. 
 
 The nobility of the Emperor's court are all Koongay. 
 Their names are enrolled in the Great Book of the Empire 
 as enjoying patents of nobility, while the names of Daimios 
 as such are not so enrolled. As Daimios they are not nobles 
 of the empire. Daimios (literally Ta meng), or feudal lords 
 (Chu haou), are, in contradistinction to Koongay, called Jee 
 ngay (Ti hia). The former means "noble families," the 
 latter meaning low, on a level with the earth. The Shiogoon 
 himself is Jee ngay until he has been ennobled by the Em- 
 peror. Till recently, Daimios, except the few whose pres- 
 ence was required upon duty, were not permitted to visit 
 Miako. Even when they received rank and title from the 
 Emperor, a relative was sent to pay homage. 
 
 lyeyas, as head of the executive, dealt with these Daimios 
 and Hattamoto, or lesser barons, only. Among them there 
 are recognized four classes ; viz. , Koku shiu, Ka mong, To 
 sama, and Fudai. The highest class Koku shiu (Kwoh 
 chu) "province lords," were those whose ancestors had been 
 in possession of large territories, and who in several cases 
 opposed lyeyas in arms, yet whom he thought it safer to 
 conciliate than to irritate, looking upon them as more on 
 an equality with himself than the others. About the time of 
 lyeyas there were seventeen of these province lords, to which 
 number four have since been added. The second class Ka 
 mong (Kia mun), family doors or gates consisted of rela- 
 tives of his family who had assisted him in his rise to power, 
 and upon whom he conferred territory. If the "San kay," 
 or three families of his own line, be included, there were ten 
 Ka mong. The third class To sama (Wai yang) were 
 those who, being no relatives or connections, were possessed
 
 230 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 of considerable landed property, and who sided with lyeyas 
 during his struggle for power. The fourth the Fudai (P'u 
 tai) includes the officers, retainers, captains of his army, or 
 those who in civil capacities, but subordinate, assisted him. 
 Of this Daimio class there are about 200. Fudai are the 
 only Daimios who are eligible for office, or who aie allowed 
 to take a part in official business. In rare cases To sama 
 have given up their rank and privileges in order to partici-. 
 pate and take an active part in official politics. 
 
 The being a Daimio or Kooni kami implies that the officer 
 belongs to one of these four classes, and has an annual in- 
 come from land, as has been said, of 10,000 koku of rice. 
 
 The standing of Daimios as a distinct nobility is not rec- 
 ognized at Miako, and it is therefore an object of ambition 
 to them to obtain imperial honors at the hand of the Em- 
 peror, such honors being looked upon as much higher than 
 the names by which they are known at the court of the 
 Shiogoon, and which are conferred by him. These latter 
 are invariably the name of a province, of which each is 
 styled "kami." There are three provinces from which titles 
 as kami are never taken by Daimios : Kadsusa, Fitatsi, and 
 Kowotsuki; these provinces as a title being reserved for the 
 relatives of the Emperor. This gives rise, as mentioned be- 
 fore, to the distinction between titles as Kooni kami and 
 those known as Kio kwang. These latter titles are much 
 coveted, and a great deal of money is expended and interest 
 employed in endeavoring to obtain a title from the Emperor. 
 If an officer has both descriptions of titles, the Kio kwang 
 always takes precedence, as in the case of Satsuma : he is a 
 Koku shiu and a Kooni kami, as such he has the title of 
 Ohosumi, or Satsuma no kami ; but he is rarely so spoken 
 of. Holding the imperial title of Shuri no dai bu, he is 
 known by this added to his family name, Shimadzu, Shuri 
 no dai bu i.e., Shimadzu, head of the ecclesiastical carpen- 
 ters' office. In addition to these designations from provinces 
 by which Daimios are generally known, the Shiogoon has 
 thought to confer higher honor upon some, and to attach
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 231 
 
 them more to his family and its interests, by giving them 
 permission to use his family name. The name of the parent 
 stock is Tokungawa, but the branch to which lyeyas be- 
 longed was known as Matzdaira (a village in Mikawa). 
 When the ruling officer is powerful, these lords are proud 
 to use this name ; when he is insignificant, they avoid it. 
 Thus the lord of the western provinces of Nippon uses at 
 times the family name of Mowori, at other times he is Matz- 
 daira, Daizen no dai bu. 
 
 The higher class of the lords (the Koku shiu), who gen- 
 erally rule over one or more provinces, are frequently called 
 by the name of one of the provinces as spoken according to 
 the Chinese pronunciation of the character. Thus Mowori 
 is ruler over the province of Nagato; i.e., long gate or en- 
 trance in Chinese, Chang mun, Japanized into Cho mong. 
 The latter word is dropped, and instead of it "shiu," or prov- 
 ince, is added whence Cho shiu, the name by which he is 
 frequently spoken of. Satsuma is thus Sas shiu, Owarri, 
 Bishiu, etc. 
 
 One difficulty in completely understanding the use of the 
 various titles in Japan arises from a confusion in the appli- 
 cation of the word "kami." As a title, this word is con- 
 ferred by the Emperor and the Shiogoon. The word, when 
 conferred by the Shiogoon, is the Chinese character "shau," 
 with the meaning of keeper, or to take charge of. Used in 
 this way, the name of a province is invariably prefixed, as 
 Yamato no kami. And as the names of the provinces are 
 known as our counties are with us, the title is at once un- 
 derstood by a native. But this is quite a different word from 
 that found in the title of Ee Kamong no kami. This is an 
 imperial title. The Chinese character representing this word 
 is that of "tau," or head, and implies that he is the head of 
 a department ; viz. , that which takes charge of the verandas 
 and outside pathways about the palace. Again, the word 
 occurs in military titles, as Sa yay mong no kami. In such 
 a title the Chinese character "tuh," meaning to keep, to 
 lead, or a general, is employed, implying that he is com-
 
 232 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 mander of the guards of the left gate. In a fourth instance 
 the Chinese character is "ching" correct, to govern, or to 
 see that things are correct; and the word is found in such 
 titles as Gone me no kami, Gone me being the department 
 of the female officers about the palace. It is therefore evi- 
 dent that the office must be known before the title can be 
 translated, and that the word prince will not give a correct 
 translation of "kami" when connected with suoh an office 
 as Gengba, which is the office for foreign affairs. 
 
 The term "tono" is still frequently applied to Daimios 
 by the common people, and is often conjoined with "sama," 
 as Tonosama. It is the Chinese word "tien," a palace or 
 hall, and was originally conferred upon the crown-prince of 
 China, and thence transferred to the son of the Kwaubakku. 
 The Portuguese writers frequently use "dono." "Sama" is 
 the Chinese "yang," and was at first conferred upon Ashi- 
 kanga yoshi haru when the Emperor for the first time gave 
 him the title of Kubosama. From this it passed as a title 
 of respect to other high officers, but has now become as com- 
 mon as esquire in England. "Tono" in the same way is 
 now used by Hattamoto. "Yakatta" (Ch., kwan), a word 
 sometimes used by the Jesuits for Daimios, is properly re- 
 stricted to the castle of a Daimio, and is used only for the 
 more or less fortified residences of the more powerful of the 
 class. 
 
 The five hereditary orders of peerage used in China are 
 not known in Japan except by name (Ko, Ko, Haku, Shi, 
 and Dan). Of the Daimio class the Shiogoon is the head. 
 
 Of the present dynasty, if such it can be called, lyeyas 
 was the first. He derived his descent, in his officially pub- 
 lished pedigree, from the Emperor Say wa, one of whose 
 descendants was lyo no kami, Yori yoshi. His son was 
 Hatchimang Taro, Mootz no kami, Yoshi lyay. He was 
 known in history as a great warrior, fighting in the province 
 of Mootz for twelve years. His third son was Siki bu no 
 Ta yu, Yoshi kooni, the founder of the families of Nitta and 
 Ashikanga. His son was Nitta, Gee no ske, Yisho shigay,
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 233 
 
 commonly called Dai ko een (great light). His fourth son 
 was Yoshi Suyay, called Tokungawa shiro (i.e., fourth son), 
 from whom was descended Minnamoto no Hirotada, the 
 father of lyeyas, who was the eldest son. lyeyas claimed to 
 be descended from the Nitta family. His grandfather was 
 adopted by Matzdaira Tarozayaymon, then a farmer in 
 Mikawa, at the village Matzdira. 
 
 I. lyeyas had twelve children: 1. A daughter, married 
 Okudaira Mimasaka no kami. 2. A son, Nobu yas. His 
 father suspected him of intriguing against him and was said 
 to have killed him in Mikawa. In one of Mr. Cocks's letters 
 he says, "It is said that the eldest son was disinherited on 
 account of his having lost his nose by disease." 3. Etsizen 
 chiu nangoong, Hideyas. As a boy he was given to Taiko- 
 sama, and was adopted by him. After Taiko had a son, he 
 gave Hideyas in marriage to the heiress of the family of 
 Yuki, in Kadsusa, an old family ; and after all the territory 
 was overrun and despoiled, his father gave to him the prov- 
 ince of Etsizen. 4. Hidetada ko married a daughter of 
 Taiko, and succeeded his father as Shiogoon. 5. Tada yoshi 
 ko, commonly called Matzdaira Satsuma no kami. He got 
 Kioss, in Owarri, a place formerly belonging to Nobu nanga. 
 6. Nobu noshi. 7. A daughter, married to Hojo Sagami no 
 kami. 8. A daughter, married first to Gamo Hida no kami 
 and secondly to Assano Tajima no kami. 9. Etsigo, Kadsusa 
 no ske Tadateru. 10. Owarri, Hioyay no kami, Yoshi nawo, 
 the founder of the line of Owarri one of the "three fami- 
 lies." 11. Kii, Dainagoon, Hitatsi no ske, Yori yoshi, was 
 first of the Kii or Kiisiu line one of the "three families." 
 12. Mito, Chiunagoon, Sayaymong no kami, Yori fhoossa, 
 the first of the Mito line one of the "three families." 
 
 II. Hidetada, appointed Shiogoon in 1605, married the 
 daughter of Taikosama. He had nine children : 1. A daugh- 
 ter, married Hideyori, the son of Taikosama. 2. A daughter, 
 married Komatzu. 3. A daughter, married the son of Etsi- 
 zen, the third son of lyeyas. 4. A daughter, married Kio- 
 goku. 5. A son, died in infancy. 6. lyaymitz ko, the third
 
 234 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 Sbiogoon. 7. Tada naga. He intrigued to kill his brother 
 lyaymitz, and, being detected, was confined to his room for 
 life. 8. A daughter, who married the Emperor Go midzuno. 
 9. Hoshima, Higo no kami, Massa yuki, founder of the fam- 
 ily now known as "Aidzu." 
 
 II. lyaymitz ko, appointed Shiogoon in 1623. He had 
 five children, of whom: 1. A daughter, married Owarri. 
 2. lyaytsuna ko, the fourth Shiogoon of the dynasty. 3. 
 Kofu, Sama no Kami, Szna Shigay, 
 
 IV. lyaytsuna ko, appointed Shiogoon in 1650. He was 
 said to have been killed by his wife, who was the daughter 
 of a vegetable seller, and had been employed as a servant 
 about the palace. Her father was given the wealth and 
 rank of a Daimio, as Matzdaira Hoki no kami. The family 
 crest was (in reference to the father's occupation), and is 
 to this day, two Japanese turnips crossed. He left no 
 family. 
 
 V. Tsna yoshi ko, appointed 1680, was son of Kofu Sama 
 no Kami. He had three children of whom : The second, a 
 daughter, married Kii, Tsunatoshi. 3. lyay nobu ko, suc- 
 ceeded as Shiogoon. 
 
 VI. lyay nobu, appointed in 1710. He had three chil- 
 dren : 1st and 3d were sons, who died young. The young- 
 est of the three was lyay tsoongo ko, who was the seventh 
 Shiogoon. 
 
 VII. lyay tsoongo, 1713. He had no children, and was 
 succeeded by a son of Kii Tsna toshi, who married the 
 daughter of the fifth Shiogoon. 
 
 VIII. Yoshi mone, 1716. During ten years of his youth 
 a regent held the reins. He is regarded as one of the most 
 able of the successors of lyeyas. Is called, from his family, 
 Kiishiu Kubosama. He abdicated in 1745, and died in 1751. 
 He had four children, of whom: 1. lyay shigay was the 
 ninth Shiogoon. 2. Moone taka was the founder of the Go 
 san kio family of Ta yass. 4. Moone kori kio. He is the 
 first of the Go san kio family of Stots bashi. 
 
 IX. lyay shigay ko, 1745. He had two sons; 1. lyay
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 235 
 
 haru ko, the tenth Shiogoon. 2. Shigay yoshi kio. He is 
 the first of the Go san kio family of Saymidzu. 
 
 X. lyay haru ko, 1762. He had six children, of whom: 
 A daughter, died young. Another daughter married Owarri. 
 lyay motu ko, who was called "half Shiogoon." It is gen- 
 erally believed that he was poisoned by his brother lyay 
 nari. lyay nari ko, who married a daughter of Satsuma. 
 And the sixth, a daughter, married Kii. 
 
 XI. lyay nari ko, 1787. He had fifty-one children ; but 
 as he was subject to epileptic fits, and weakly in mind and 
 body, he is not generally believed to have been the father of 
 many of them. Of his children : The 2d, a daughter, mar- 
 ried Owarri. The 3d was lyay yoshi ko, the twelfth Shio- 
 goon of his line. The llth, a daughter, married Mito. The 
 13th, a son, became Kii, Dainagoong. His son, lyay muschi 
 ko, was Shiogoon in 1858 to 1866. The 17th, Asahime, mar- 
 ried Maizdaira, Etsizen no kami. The 26th, Ta yass, after- 
 ward became Daimio of Owarri. The 28th, a daughter, 
 married to Matzdaira, Hizen no kami (Nabeshima). The 
 32d, a daughter, married to Kanga. The 34th, a son, Mi- 
 kawa no kami, known afterward as Kakudo sama. He 
 was adopted by Matzdaira Etsigo no kami, and was con- 
 sidered a very able and judicious man, much respected. 
 A party wished, in 1858, to make him Shiogoon, but 
 he declined. He republished, for Japanese use, Kanghi's 
 "Dictionary of the Chinese Language." The 39th, a daugh- 
 ter, married to Matzdaira, Aki no kami. The 41st, a daugh- 
 ter, married Sakai, Oota no kami. The 42d, a daughter, 
 married Tokungawa, Mimboo kio. The 43d, a son, adopted 
 by Owarri. The 45th, a son adopted by Kiishiu, and after- 
 ward became Kii, Dainagoong. The 46th, a son, adopted 
 by Etsizen no kami. The 47th, a son, adopted by Awa no 
 kami. The 49th, Okura no tayu, adopted by Yamato no 
 kami. The 50th, Hiogo no tayu, adopted by Sahio yay 
 no kami. The other thirty-four children died in infancy 
 or childhood. 
 
 XII. lyay yoshi ko, 1837. He had twenty-five children,
 
 236 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 of whom : The first six died in infancy. The 7th, lyay sada 
 ko, succeeded him. The 9th, Tokungawa, Mimboo kio, was 
 adopted by Stots bashi, one of the Go san kio, and he him- 
 self afterward adopted a son of Mito, which eon was, until 
 his abdication in 1867, the last Shiogoon of the dynasty. 
 The 21st, a daughter, married Arima, Naka tskasa no tayu. 
 The 25th married Mito. The rest all died in infancy. 
 
 XIII. lyay sada ko, appointed in 1853. He had no sons. 
 
 XIV. lyay mutchi ko, 1858, formerly Ham taka, son of 
 Kii, thirteenth child of the eleventh Shiogoon, succeeded to 
 the office. The death of lyay sada without an heir was the 
 origin of much intrigue and trouble in the empire during 
 the year 1858. There were two claimants to the succession; 
 the one was the son of Mito, who had been adopted by To- 
 kungawa, Mimboo kio, the ninth son of the twelfth Shio- 
 goon ; the other was the eldest surviving son of the eleventh 
 Shiogoon, and who had been adopted by Kiishiu. It be- 
 came, therefore, a struggle between the two houses of Mito 
 and Kiishiu, and the regent sided with the latter. It was a 
 question between a son adopted out of the line and a youth 
 who had been adopted into the line. lyay mutchi died in 
 1867, and was succeeded by Stots bashi as Yoshi hissa, who 
 in his turn abdicated in 1868, and so the dynasty of Tokun- 
 gawa terminated. 
 
 It has been stated above that the offices about the court 
 of Yedo were all settled by lyeyas. In his testamentary 
 rules he laid down the rank and order in which they were 
 to stand in the court. These may be here more particularly 
 described. 
 
 In the family of the Shiogoon, as given above, mention is 
 made of the San kay and of the San kio. The former name 
 means the three families, the latter the three princes of the 
 blood. 
 
 The "three families" referred to are the descendants of 
 the three youngest sons of lyeyas to the one of whom was 
 given the lordship of Owarri, to the other that of Kii, and to 
 the third that of Mito, a town and district in the province of
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 237 
 
 Hitatsi. The heirs of these nobles stand at the top of the list 
 of Daimios, and from out of these families is chosen, in case 
 of vacancy, a successor to fill the seat of Shiogoon. 
 
 The San kio (three princes of the blood) were sons of the 
 eighth and ninth Shiogoons, and having in view the possible 
 extinction of the direct line of lyeyas at the time, these 
 young men and their families seem to have been set apart, 
 in imitation of the Sin wo, or imperial families at Miako. 
 They were assigned residences within the palace enceinte at 
 Yedo, but take no regular part in public business. They are 
 paid a yearly income by the Shiogoon, each having a sepa- 
 rate little court. The three princes are respectively called 
 Ta yass, Stots bashi, and Say midzu. The last, the house 
 of Say midzu, is, so to speak, at present extinct, and the 
 residence unoccupied, and though it is in the power of the 
 Shiogoon to reappoint a member of his family, it is not 
 likely soon to be filled up. The Go San kio are not styled 
 Daimios. 
 
 The Go tai ro, or Regent. In a hereditary jurisdiction, 
 such as that of the Shiogoon, provision must be made for the 
 contingency of the youth or incapacity of the heir upon his 
 succession. Under this name, which means the great or 
 illustrious elder, a regency an office similar to that of the 
 Sessio at Miako is provided. It is an office which is only 
 filled when necessity calls for such an appointment; and 
 there are only certain men eligible for the office. He must 
 be a Fudai Daimio, and, if possible, one of the four known 
 as the Si Ten wo. These are Eeyee or Ee, Sakakibarra, 
 Sakkai, and Honda. Of these the first, Ee Kamong no kami, 
 is called the Do dai, or foundation-stone of the power of the 
 dynasty, the ancestor of the family, Ee nawo massa, having 
 been lieutenant-general and right-hand man to lyeyas. 
 
 So long as things go smoothly, and the wheels of govern- 
 ment revolve, such rules may be carried out ; but when any 
 country begins to ferment, the ablest or the least scrupulous 
 man comes to the surface. Previous to the accession of the 
 thirteenth Shiogoon, lyay sada, Ee had gradually crept into
 
 238 HISTORY OF JAPAX. 
 
 a position of power (to which he may have been more or less 
 entitled) through the mental infirmity of the reigning Shio- 
 goon. He assumed or was voted into the office of regent. 
 Intrigues were rife in Yedo and Miako, and in consequence 
 of his leaning toward foreigners, or for other reasons, he 
 was assassinated. 
 
 It seems to have been the custom that the Fudai and 
 Kammong Daimios settled who was to be regent without 
 any reference to the Emperor; but since the opening up of 
 the country the Emperor has risen in importance, and at 
 present he or his officers settle who is to be the highest 
 officer when necessary. A common or vulgar name for the 
 Gotairo is Koken, or Oshiru me i.e., looker back or behind. 
 They have seldom held office long, and have too often come 
 to an untimely end. 
 
 The Go ro chiu, or Toshi yori (the senior central officers, 
 or the "Cabinet," as they may be called), consists generally 
 of four or five Fudai Daimios appointed to the office by the 
 Shiogoon. All Fudai aspire to the office, but the members 
 are in quiet times chosen from the thirteen families men- 
 tioned in the laws of lyeyas as head Fudai. Among the 
 members of the Cabinet one is generally looked upon as 
 Prime Minister; but they all take duty in monthly rotation. 
 It is considered a great honor to have been ten years in office, 
 and the Shiogoon in such a case raises the territorial income 
 of such officer. This is the most responsible office, and too 
 often in times past has entailed upon its possessors the mis- 
 taken duty of retrieving an error by the cowardly retreat of 
 suicide. They are responsible for the whole acts of govern- 
 ment, which are supposed either to have originated with 
 them or to have been carried out with their cognizance. 
 The Go ro chiu meets daily at 10 A.M. in the Go yo shta be 
 ya, a room in the palace. They preside in the Hio jo sho, or 
 deliberative assembly of acting officers, when the Shiogoon 
 is not present. But it is natural to suppose that when great 
 international questions come before the country, as the open- 
 ing up of trade with foreigners, the larger Daimios and Koku
 
 THE DAIM10S. 239 
 
 shiu should have a voice, and should take a share in changes 
 of such magnitude. Consequently of late the Go ro chiu has 
 been rather set aside as things move toward Miako, where 
 before long the power and responsibility will fall to the cor- 
 responding office at the imperial court. 
 
 The Japanese have a saying, that a wealthy man should 
 have little power in the state, but that comparatively poor 
 men should have the power. This seems to be one of their 
 principles of government. 
 
 Soba yo min is an office which is only occasionally filled, 
 as when the Shiogoon is young. He seems to be an officer 
 of communication between the Go ro chiu and the other de- 
 partments. This is the highest office filled by Hattamoto. 
 
 "Waka toshi yori literally, the younger elders or sena- 
 tors. They are generally five in number, a second Cabinet, 
 or Under-Secretaries of State. They are Fudai Daimios, or 
 Hattamato. They are frequently promoted to vacancies in 
 the Go ro chiu. 
 
 Sosha are generally Fudai, in number about thirty. 
 Their duty seems to be attending to officers arriving at 
 the palace. It is an office of little power and considerable 
 expense. They rise in ordinary times to be Jee sha, temple 
 lords, and other offices of authority. 
 
 The Kokay, or Kowokay, can hardly be called officers of 
 state. The name means high families (Ch., Kau kia), and 
 includes the male representative lines of some of the families 
 of distinction in ancient times, such as Nobu nanga, Ashi- 
 kango, Yoritomo, Arima, etc. It seems a matter of policy 
 to keep them under the eye of the court, giving each an 
 allowance from the state of territory from 500 to 1,000 koku 
 per annum. They are looked upon as men of high rank but 
 little power, being neither Daimios nor Koongays, but be- 
 tween the two. They are occasionally employed to act as 
 proxies for the Shiogoon in state visits to the temples of 
 Nikko or Isse, and have attempted of late to assert their 
 right to act as embassadors to foreign countries. There are 
 about eighteen Kowokay at present.
 
 240 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 O Tsu may shiu are Fudai Daimios who act as guards to 
 the apartments of the Shiogoon. From the room in which 
 they meet in the palace they are spoken of as Gan no ma 
 Daimios. The room being painted with representations of 
 wild geese. 
 
 Jee sha (Ch., Sz shie) boonio, temple governors. These 
 are described by Kaempfer as "imperial commissioners, in- 
 spectors, protectors and judges of all the temples and the 
 monks belonging thereunto. This employment is, after the 
 Emperor's Council of State (i.e., the Go ro chiu), one of 
 the best in the empire, and the persons invested with it are 
 very much considered at court. They hold their court at 
 Yedo. All civil affairs relating to the clergy such as law- 
 suits, disputes arising about the limits or revenues of their 
 lands, prosecutions for wrongs or damages received, and 
 the like are brought daily in great number to be decided 
 in this court. Again, all criminal cases as rebellion, dis- 
 regard of the imperial proclamations and commands, and 
 in general all capital crimes committed by the ecclesiastics 
 are tried before them, and, in case of conviction, punished 
 with death, though these criminals are much more indulged 
 than other people and cannot be executed without the consent 
 of and a warrant signed by the general at Miako. Another 
 branch of the business of these Dsisia Bugjo is to take care 
 of the maintenance of the clergy, to keep the temples in re- 
 pair, and otherwise, in all cases where the secular power 
 and authority is wanted, to assist them." 
 
 Every Japanese is registered (or is supposed to be regis- 
 tered) in some temple, and whenever he removes his resi- 
 dence, the Nanushi, or head man of the temple, gives a cer- 
 tificate. The books of each temple are sent to Yedo, to the 
 office of the Jee sha, where they are copied. These officers 
 act as judges in disputes between priests of one temple with 
 those of another ; between Daimios in disputes about bound- 
 aries; between Samurai and Hattamoto, but not between 
 merchants or farmers. The prison under their charge is 
 better kept and under milder restrictions than other pris-
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 241 
 
 ons. They have under them numerous Do sin, or runners 
 of a higher class, to seize criminals. As they have to keep 
 up the prisons under their charge, the office is looked upon 
 as one of expenditure and not of profit. The numerous in- 
 terests with graduated degrees of ruling power in Japan 
 render great tact necessary in disputes between these inter- 
 ests. The monasteries and priesthood are still very power- 
 ful, the Daimios become jealous of interference, and the 
 interests of those holding of the Shiogoon, as well as of 
 those holding land of the Emperor in the Go ki nai, must 
 be considered; so that it is absolutely necessary, not only 
 that distinct laws should be laid down, but also that it 
 should be established who are to be the judges between 
 rival claimants. 
 
 One temple lord sits on the bench in the Hio jo sho every 
 month in rotation, and he is thence spoken of as Tski ban. 
 
 O Russui are Hattamoto officers, but rank as Daimios, 
 who have charge of the apartments of the Shiogoon, and 
 of the women of the palace when he is absent. They are 
 all old men. All young persons entering or leaving the 
 private quarter of the palace are examined as to sex. In 
 the office there is a female examiner. These officers give 
 passes to females on visits of business or ceremony. There 
 are generally eight officers, who have each under them ten 
 Yoriki and fifty Do sin. The income of each is 15,000 koku. 
 
 Owo ban kashira. These are the captains of the great 
 guards of the castle of Yedo. There are twelve, seven Dai- 
 mios and five Hattamoto. Their duties are entirely military. 
 Under these twelve are one hundred Owo ban, who are all 
 Hattamoto. 
 
 Sho eeng ban kashira is also a military office, apparently 
 the bodyguard of the Shiogoon. There are ten commanding 
 officers. 
 
 Okosho ban kashira. These seem to be lords-in-waiting 
 upon the Shiogoon, of whom there are ten. They are Hat- 
 tamoto, each having thirty men under him. 
 
 Owo metsuki literally, great or senior attached eye. 
 
 ii
 
 242 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 Of these there are five head men. Beneath these are the 
 Metsuki, and an inferior body of men called Katchi metsuki. 
 
 This is a very important department of the government 
 of Japan. The title is frequently translated "spy," and the 
 duties seem in some cases to corroborate this view. But the 
 idea of espionage by no means conveys an accurate under- 
 standing of the subjects under the care or control of these 
 officers. 
 
 One of the principal objects of the superintendence of this 
 department is the eight roads of Japan, and the regulations 
 of the laws of these roads. Another is the manners and cus- 
 toms of officers in reference to state dress, their intended 
 marriages, going and coming to Yedo, and visiting else- 
 where; death and mourning of officers; receiving reports 
 sent in by the branches of the office in the provinces as to 
 the military equipment of Daimios, the uniforms, devices, 
 flags, which they use; in regard to religion, and especially 
 the Roman Catholic ; as to the Yakunins, or inferior officers 
 of the Shiogoon's government, their number and duties, and 
 the census of Japan. Such are some of the different kinds 
 of business which come before this office. 
 
 The laws of the roads are regulated hi a separate branch 
 of the office, under the Do chiu boonio. The book of laws 
 or orders is the -Do chiu boonio kokoroee, and, in its present 
 form, seems to have been published about 1840. 
 
 There were formerly five highways, afterward two were 
 added, and by the addition of the road to the temple of 
 Nikko, there are now eight. The office issues rules for 
 Daimios and Hattamoto passing along these roads, and for 
 merchants and farmers when traveling. In every village or 
 town along the road these rules are affixed in the To iya 
 or government office, for all the villages upon these high- 
 roads are to a certain extent under the control of the gov- 
 ernment, even when the road passes through the territories of 
 Daimios. The following are headings of these regulations : 
 
 As to providing two-sworded men with lodgings on the 
 road, and cangos or chairs to travel in.
 
 THE DAIM10S. 243 
 
 As to children traveling, two in one cango, or mother 
 and child. 
 
 As to members of the Gorochiu when traveling. 
 
 As to different customs, if such officer be traveling on 
 private or public account. 
 
 As to giving a passport to a traveler (SaM buray) ; as to 
 where he is to sleep, and at what hotels he is to stop on the 
 road. 
 
 As to traveling during the night, if it be necessary. 
 
 Rules as to sleeping at towns. 
 
 Rules as to (tcha tatte onna) servant- women, and other 
 descriptions of women, in inns. 
 
 To keep accounts in each town of the number of coolies 
 and horses used on the road each day. 
 
 As to Buddhist priests when traveling on the road. 
 
 As to affixing in six public places in Yedo the (Kosatsu) 
 laws of roads. 
 
 As to the rates for carrying goods. 
 
 As to the officers who examine the weights of goods. 
 
 Laws as to the porters on the road. 
 
 Rules as to going into and leaving hotels on the road. 
 
 Rules as to government goods carried upon the roads. 
 
 As to officers who travel at government expense as the 
 Tenso, Emperor's messengers, etc. 
 
 As to how many porters each Daimio is entitled to, and 
 the rate of payment. If he wants more, he must pay at a 
 higher rate. 
 
 If one of his servants travels by himself, he is not to be 
 provided for. 
 
 Rules as to tenants of government lands when they come 
 to Yedo. 
 
 Rules as to the dress and payment of meshi mori onna 
 that is, servant- women who occasionally act in both capaci- 
 ties in inns. By law two women only are allowed in each 
 inn, but more are kept, and fines paid for keeping them. 
 The strictness and minute care with which the Japanese 
 government watches over its people is shown in the regula-
 
 244 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 tions laid down for public women, known as Joro. This 
 name is only applied to those who are kept in government 
 establishments in the larger towns, as Yedo, Osaka, Miako, 
 Nagasaki, where a place in the town is set apart for their 
 residence. The laws for the regulation of the morals are 
 very different in different parts of the empire. In the ter- 
 ritories of some Daimios, as Tosa and Kanga, public prosti- 
 tutes are not permitted, indecent songs are interdicted, and 
 the inns and bathing-houses regulated ; but the government 
 of the Shiogoon considers these things to be necessary evils, 
 and takes them under its own charge. The finest women in 
 Japan are said to be in Etsizen and Idzumo, where they 
 are famed for the fineness of their complexions and smooth- 
 ness of skin, with higher noses and little or 110 smallpox. 
 It is said that men cannot leave Neegata, where the public 
 women are called Hak piak ya gokay, or 808 widows. This 
 name arose after one of the desolating battles in old times, 
 in which that number of husbands was slain and the widows 
 obliged to seek for wherewithal to live. In one night in 1860 
 the officers in Yokohama seized 108 young women who were 
 suspected of leading immoral lives without a license from 
 government. The most beautiful public women of Yedo 
 annually take a prominent part in the processions, or mat- 
 suri, and their portraits are sold and hung up about the 
 large temples and places of resort. 
 
 Laws as to thieves and robbers on the highway. 
 
 As to fires breaking out in villages on the road. 
 
 As to the duties of Daimios on such occasions. 
 
 As to rivers, and crossing them. Crossing rivers is often 
 very dangerous, and the porters are made responsible for 
 knowing where the path of safety lies, and when it is un- 
 safe to attempt passage. 
 
 As to giving public notice at a hotel before a Daimio 
 arrives. 
 
 As to harai kata (sweeping and cleaning the road before 
 a Daimio arrives). 
 
 As to things lost on the road.
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 245 
 
 When a Daimio's servants are lodged in a separate inn 
 from their master. 
 
 If a man become insane upon the road. 
 
 As to fighting among gentlemen's servants. 
 
 As to deaths by killing in such quarrels. 
 
 As to Daimios falling sick on the road. 
 
 As to Daimios returning to Yedo on account of sickness. 
 
 As to rivers when impassable from high floods, what 
 Daimios are to do. 
 
 As to obstructions from unexpected convulsions of nature, 
 such as an earthquake, flood, etc. 
 
 As to servants of Daimios who have died upon the road. 
 
 As to behavior of Daimios when meeting the Tenso or 
 Koongays upon the road. 
 
 As to the rates for carrying Daimios' luggage. 
 
 As to occasionally examining goods contained in boxes. 
 
 As to government packages having the go shu een, or 
 red seal, upon them. 
 
 As to government packages passing through Yedo. 
 
 As to the porters of Yedo. 
 
 As to persons wishing to travel very quickly. 
 
 As to Owo ban kashira, captains of the guard of Yedo, 
 when traveling. 
 
 As to porters who have become sick, or who may have 
 run away. 
 
 "When sometimes a passport has not been previously given 
 on the road, the Daimio to give to the keeper of the govern- 
 ment inn his seal and a paper to this effect. 
 
 Some officers travel free on the road, and their expenses 
 become a tax upon the people living in villages along the 
 road, and who are supposed to benefit by the travelers. Of 
 such are Daimios coming to pay respects to a new Shiogoon 
 upon his accession. In 1861 the Ooyay no mia, or High- 
 priest of Yedo, traveled with 250 followers. He was about 
 nineteen years of age. The walls of the inns at which he 
 stopped were newly papered, and new clean mats put on the 
 floors. For this the villages paid, he paying one boo i.e.,
 
 246 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 Is. 6d. ; and on leaving, his servants tore the paper off and 
 cut the mats, that they might not be used again. 
 
 As to the Shoshidai, or envoy of the Shiogoon, when 
 traveling. 
 
 As to the governors of the castles of Osaka, Soonpu, or 
 Miako, or the guards of these castles. Governors of places 
 held of the Shiogoon, but at great distances from Yedo, as 
 Nagasaki and Hakodadi. 
 
 As to Koongays and such high officers when traveling. 
 
 As to Ray kayshi, or messengers sent annually to Nikko 
 by the Emperor. 
 
 As to carriage of ingredients for making gunpowder. 
 
 The Daikwangs, who look after the government farms 
 and woods. All of their men and goods are carried along 
 the public roads at the expense of the villages. 
 
 By this office the ceremonial due to high officers upon the 
 road is arranged. 
 
 If a Daimio in his norimono meet a high Koongay one 
 of the Sekkay or Monzekke his porters must not walk on, 
 but must stop till the high officer has passed, but he need not 
 get out. 
 
 The same respect is to be paid to the otchatsubo, or jars 
 containing the tea for the use of the Shiogoon. 
 
 A Byshing i.e., one of the higher retinue of a Daimio 
 must leave his norimono and kneel down, taking off 
 his hat. 
 
 The same respect is to be shown by these Daimios and 
 Byshings to anything bearing the red seal of the Shiogoon, 
 to the great guards bringing up muskets, to the governors 
 of the castles at Miako, Soonpu, and Osaka, and to the 
 Shoshidai. 
 
 When a Daimio meets the Tenso, his norimono is to be 
 carried slowly, and on one side of the road. 
 
 A Byshing must kneel and take off his hat. 
 
 Porters can be obtained from 4 A.M. to 8 P.M., but not at 
 any later hour. 
 
 Koongay and Monzekke are to be provided at the public
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 247 
 
 expense with 35 horses and 50 porters. If they require more, 
 they must defray the expense themselves. 
 
 The "three families," and higher Daimios and Emperor's 
 messengers, are allowed 100 horses and 100 porters; lower 
 Daimios, 50 horses and men. Some Daimios are not allowed 
 to travel on the tokaido. 
 
 It is enjoined that members of the Gorochiu, the envoy 
 and governors of Osaka castle, when they meet a Daimio 
 upon the highway, ought to speak to him; but if they do 
 not wish to speak, they may say that they are not well. 
 
 If they meet in the same hotel at night, the Daimio is to 
 ask them if the Shiogoon requires his assistance in any way. 
 
 When they meet on the road, the Daimio must open the 
 door of his norimono and act as if he were going to get out, 
 but the other must request him not to do so. 
 
 Otchatsubo, or jars containing tea for the use of the 
 Shiogoon, are treated with great respect. If a captain of 
 a guard meets these jars carried by porters, he makes his 
 bearers go to one side, and his followers kneel and take off 
 their hats. The porters call out as they go along the roads, 
 and all the common people kneel down. This custom was 
 begun by lyeyas. Recently there have been slights and in- 
 sults offered to these jars, to show personal feeling on the 
 part of some of those opposed to the present state of things, 
 as Satsuma. 
 
 Byshing entitled to carry a spear, upon meeting a mem- 
 ber of the Gorochiu, or the Shoshidai, or tea- jars, etc., must 
 wait till such dignitary is past. Byshing not entitled to a 
 spear are- -mder the same customs as common people. 
 
 Two-sworded men singly meeting the tea-jars, Gorochiu, 
 etc., stop and take off the hat only, but do not kneel down. 
 
 All common people must kneel down and take off their 
 hats to Koongays, Shoshidai, Gorochiu, Oban kashira; and, 
 though there be no law for it, a Daimio often takes it into 
 his own hands and punishes or kills a man or woman who 
 does not kneel down while he is passing. Such was the case 
 with Shimadzu Saburo and Mr. Richardson in 1862; but
 
 248 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 Shimadzu was not even a Daimio, but the father of the 
 young Daimio. On one occasion a Byshing of Kiogoku, 
 Nagato no kami, killed a man of Matzdaira, Sanuki no kami, 
 for turning aside upon the road and making water while 
 his norimono was passing; while another ordered a woman 
 to be cut down for standing and looking at him. 
 
 A Daimio with an income of 200,000 koku, witu 20 horse- 
 men and 120 footmen in his retinue, is allowed 300 porters. 
 One of 100,000 koku, with 10 horsemen and 80 footmen, is 
 allowed 150 porters. One with 50,000 koku, with 7 horse- 
 men and 60 footmen, is allowed 100 porters; and so down- 
 ward in proportion. 
 
 When a Daimio meets a Gomiodai, or envoy from the 
 Shiogoon, he is to give him half the road, and to stop his 
 norimono while the envoy is passing. 
 
 The same respect is to be shown to envoys from the 
 Emperor (Chokoo shi), the royal family, the Tenso, and 
 other high officers. 
 
 In the case where one Daimio has taken possession of 
 an inn on the road, and another comes from an opposite 
 direction and wishes accommodation, this is sometimes the 
 cause of serious fighting. 
 
 If a Byshing be in the retinue of his superior lord, and a 
 government official with the red seal be met, he must not 
 get out of his norimono or off his horse; but if alone, he 
 must do so. 
 
 If a Daimio meet an imperial envoy (Chokoo shi) or 
 Eenshi, or a member of the royal family, a relative of the 
 Emperor, or a high Koongay, he may, if he wishes, turn off 
 the road up a by-road till the great man shall have passed, 
 to save himself from getting out of his norimono and kneel- 
 ing down, or, if he be riding on horseback, from dis- 
 mounting. 
 
 To lower Koongays the Daimio must give half the road. 
 
 If a Byshing or Hattamoto is on government business 
 with the red seal, he is to be treated as a Daimio. 
 
 To one of the "three families" a Daimio is to get out of
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 249 
 
 his norimono and propose to kneel, but is to be requested 
 not to do so. As a general rule, to men of the third rank 
 and above, Daimios must kneel ; to men of the fourth rank 
 and below, no ceremonial is required, 
 
 These headings may give some idea of what the duties of 
 the road department of the Owo metski office are. 
 
 It is further the duty of the office to see that the roads 
 and bridges are kept in repair. 
 
 From these rules it is evident that great exactness must 
 be insisted upon in traveling along the highroads as to the 
 days when officers are to leave each place, and the houses 
 at which they are to stop, in order that there may be no 
 confusion in official arrangements, and to avoid unpleasant 
 collisions which might happen on the road. The office must 
 even at times take into consideration the private feelings of 
 individuals. At one time the young Eeyee Kamong no 
 kami was coming up to Yedo with a large retinue, and 
 Shimadzu Saburo of Satsuma was going down to Miako. 
 In two days they were to meet on the tokaido, when the 
 whole country expected to see a fight, for which both parties 
 were prepared. But the office hearing of it, sent peremptory 
 orders to Eeyee to go round by another road. 
 
 The Owo metski office must be consulted previous to the 
 betrothal or marriage of a Daimio or his eldest son, and also 
 previous to the adoption of a son by a Daimio. Marriages 
 and adoptions are generally made in their own class, and 
 frequently among relatives; but some of the Daimios are 
 married to the daughters of the highest Koongays. 
 
 The members of this office appear to act as reporters in 
 all government meetings. Indeed, whenever two or three 
 persons meet together in Japan, there seems to be some 
 member of this silently observant office present. Reports of 
 everything that goes on throughout the empire are sent in 
 to this office for the information of government, and these 
 reports are recorded for reference. Men acting nominally 
 as horseboys and servants in the foreign consulates have 
 been emissaries from this department.
 
 250 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 By law every innkeeper is obliged to keep a book (Yado 
 cho), in which every traveler is noted down, and what he 
 may do or say that may be thought worth reporting. Simi- 
 lar books (Gio koo cho) are kept in public brothels, in which 
 are noted the names of men frequenting them (if the names 
 can be got), or marks upon their bodies ; how much money 
 they spend, the saki they drink, etc. These are all for the 
 use of this office. 
 
 The prevention of the spread of the Roman Catholic or 
 Jashiu mong sect is one of the cares of Dai Kwang depart- 
 ment of the Owo metski office. The names, with the gene- 
 alogy, of all the families among which there were known 
 to be Roman Catholic converts, are carefully kept. Boards, 
 called Christang hatto kaki, on which are printed a prohibi- 
 tion of the Christian religion, are put up in every large tem- 
 ple. Individuals belonging to the families under observation 
 are not allowed to move their place of residence without per- 
 mission of this office. If one dies, intimation must be given 
 to the office, when an officer is sent to view the body, and all 
 the relatives sign a certificate. Or if at a distance, it must 
 be preserved in salt. The Dai Kwang office superintended 
 the Yay boomi, or trampling on the cross, once a year at 
 Nagasaki. It is the duty of the office to examine for Chris- 
 tians all over the western provinces once in three years. 
 "Whenever a child is born in a family formerly Christian, 
 notice must be given to the office. Marriages must be re- 
 ported ; and also the intended adoption of a son. Adopted 
 sons are sometimes thrown back again by the adopting par- 
 ents, but Christians are not allowed to do this. A register 
 for the same purpose is kept by the governor of Miako. 
 These forms are kept up to the great-grandchildren of the 
 original Roman Catholics, but have of late fallen into desue- 
 tude; but it may hereafter prove the means of stirring up 
 dying embers of faith among the descendants in the recol- 
 lections of their ancestors. The members of this depart- 
 ment, while sitting with others, report, but have neither a 
 voice nor a vote.
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 251 
 
 Match! boonio. The street governors, or, as they may 
 be called, governors or mayors of Yedo. (The Shiogoon 
 himself is considered governor of Yedo, and Mito is heredi- 
 tary Fuko Shiogoon or Vice-Shiogoon, and ought as such to 
 reside constantly in Yedo.) Of these there are two; the one 
 over the east, the other over the west part. The authority 
 of these officers is chiefly over the mercantile class. They 
 have little or no power over the Samurai, or two-sworded 
 gentry. Their duties are with the streets and police of Yedo. 
 They sit as judges alternately, and take cognizance of all 
 questions and quarrels among the mercantile class. Upon a 
 Daimio coming to stay at Yedo each alternate year, he is to 
 call on and pay his respects to the Gorochiu, Wakatoshiyori, 
 Owo metski, and Matchi boonio, before he goes to his own 
 house. 
 
 Go Kanjo boonio may be called the head of the exchequer. 
 These are two officers who keep the accounts of the empire; 
 they also act as judges in all cases between persons of the 
 agricultural class. They have great power. Of the Do chiu 
 boonio, or governors of the roads, one is always Kanjo 
 boonio, and one is Owo metski. The mint and coinage of 
 money come under this department. Under them they have 
 five men as seconds or assistants, Kanjo gim maku, besides 
 two men who upon alternate days keep the accounts of the 
 expenses in the Shiogoon's palace. 
 
 Sakushi boonio are two Hattamoto officers, superintend- 
 ents of the carpenters of the Shiogoon, and under them are 
 four men, Daiko kashira. As mentioned before, the trade 
 of a carpenter is looked upon in Japan as a very honorable 
 occupation. 
 
 Besides these, there are Shta boonio and Fusim boonio, 
 who superintend the carpenters of the offices and women's 
 apartments, the wells in the castle, providing tables, boxes, 
 mats, etc. 
 
 Goong Kan. The naval department has two governors 
 Goong Kan boonio. These may be called Lords of the 
 Admiralty, but until recently the office was one of com-
 
 253 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 paratively minor consideration. There were four naval in- 
 structors under these governors who had picked up some 
 little knowledge from the Dutch and from Dutch works on 
 naval affairs. Latterly, the office has become one of much 
 greater importance. Great attention is being paid to naval 
 matters and to steam, and the office has consequently been 
 remodeled. The government has invested largely in steam 
 vessels, and has erected steam works for making and repair- 
 ing all sorts of machinery, and is making every attempt to 
 obtain a well-educated set of men, who shall be thoroughly 
 instructed in all the branches requisite for naval officers. 
 At Nagasaki the Japanese government has one large set of 
 works, and another in the vicinity of Yedo. A dry dock has 
 been excavated for the cleaning and repair of the vessels of 
 government. Until lately the Japanese government seems 
 to have paid no attention to keeping any vessels of war. 
 Fast-rowing boats were kept near Nagasaki, and one at 
 Uraga, in the bay of Yedo, and at other stations ordinary 
 boats were kept. These, however, were generally noted 
 for speed rather than strength, and rarely put to sea, but 
 watched vessels coming to land and overhauled them on 
 the part of the custom house. 
 
 Ko bo shin shi hai. This seems to bo an office for young 
 unemployed Hattamoto officers, where records are kept of 
 what each excels in, for the information of government. 
 
 Shin ban kashira. School for teaching young officers 
 about the court riding, rifle-shooting, etc. 
 
 Okosho is a general name for officers waiting on the 
 person of the Shiogoon. 
 
 Naka oku go ban shiu. Some of the private guards of 
 the Shiogoon. 
 
 Hoko nando. Men who look after the dresses and clothes 
 of the Shiogoon ; and others are in the flag office or the spear 
 office. 
 
 Hiaku nin Kumi no kashira. These are guards. They 
 were originally Yamabooshi priests, called Negoro and Nen- 
 goro, or, as the translator of the letters writes it, Negroes, in
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 253 
 
 the large monastery of Kumano, in the province of Kii ; and 
 after their buildings were burned down by Taikosama, and 
 their lands confiscated, they joined the army in a body, 
 and lyeyas attached them to himself as guards. 
 
 There are departments for superintending the manufact- 
 ure of bows and arrows, and muskets, rifles and cannon. 
 
 Another office has the charge of balls, shells, powder, 
 etc. ; and another has the charge of the armory, containing 
 bows and arrows, rifles and coats of mail. 
 
 Hon maro russui ban. The Hon maro is the name of 
 that part of the castle or shiro of Yedo occupied by the Shio- 
 goon. Six officers keep it when he leaves it temporarily. 
 
 Ni no maro russui ban. Keepers of the part assigned to 
 the son or concubines of the Shiogoon. 
 
 Hikeshi. These are fire-brigades in the service of the 
 Shiogoon in Yedo, of which there are twelve, one to a dis- 
 trict; each under the charge of a Daimio. 
 
 These guard against fires in the castle, the government 
 godowns in the town, and the large temples where the tombs 
 of the Shiogoons are. Each brigade has a leader, who holds 
 on the end of a long pole a mattoyay, or white solid device, 
 easily seen at night. The duty of this leader seems to be to 
 stand as near the fire, and as long as he possibly can ; and in 
 fulfilling this duty they appear to rival the fabulous sala- 
 mander. Each brigade has overcoats with distinguishing 
 marks, and masks the better to stand the heat. However, 
 in wooden buildings their organization seems of little use. 
 The fires generally wear out of themselves, the inhabitants 
 carrying off their money, clothes, mats and windows to 
 places of safety. There are other fire-engines and fire-bri- 
 gades in Yedo under the Matchi boonio. The town is divided 
 into forty-eight districts, corresponding to the letters of the 
 alphabet I, Ro, Ha, to each district, and there is a brigade. 
 If a fire breaks out in the Ro district, all the men of the Ro 
 brigade go to it. The rest of the town unburned pays each 
 man of the brigade employed four tenpos, or about 6d., after 
 the fire.
 
 254 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 Daimios keep men of their own as firemen, generally men 
 in some small disgrace, whose names have been erased from 
 the town books or dismissed from employment. 
 
 At one time tires occurred so frequently in Yedo that a 
 notification was issued that the proprietor of the first house 
 in which a fire should thereafter originate should be trans- 
 ported to the islands. The first offender was Mito. It would 
 not do to transport him, so he fell upon the plan of borrow- 
 ing, through the priesthood, on payment of a large sum, 
 30,000 days from eternity, beyond which time he had little 
 prospect of living. This has frequently since been found 
 to be an ingenious plan for men of wealth escaping 
 punishments. 
 
 Metski are lower officers of the Owo metski department, 
 and seem to act as judges in civil cases. There are fourteen 
 Metski. 
 
 Tskybang are messengers, attendants in war or during 
 fires to the Shiogoon. 
 
 Taka jo. Keepers of the Shiogoon's hawks. 
 
 Katchi ngashira. The officer who superintends the men 
 lining the streets when the Shiogoon goes out a ceremony, 
 however, which has been done away with. 
 
 Jiu ri si ho meaning "ten miles in four directions." 
 Men whose duty it is to take care that no one shoots within 
 ten ri i.e., twenty-five miles of the castle. Even within 
 this distance there are places in which native sportsmen are 
 allowed to shoot, for which permission is given upon appli- 
 cation. An infraction of this law was the reason given for 
 the seizure of an Englishman in 1859 one of the causes 
 celebres in the early history of Great Britain's relations 
 with Japan. This is a sub-branch of the Owo metski office. 
 
 Shiu mong aratame is the branch of the same office which 
 examines into the religion of individuals, especially with the 
 object of restraining the spread of Christianity. 
 
 Do chiu boonio is the officer who has charge of the high- 
 roads, bridges, etc. , under the Owo metski. 
 
 To zoku (Tau tsih catch thief) Hi tske is the same as
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 255 
 
 Kai yaku i.e., reforming officers. This is, in its subordi- 
 nate offices, a very wide department aiming at thorough 
 espionage, secrecy in detection, and surveillance, as well as 
 overpowering strength in carrying out the wishes of govern- 
 ment. The whole of society in Japan is permeated by offi- 
 cers of this department. All public places are full of them. 
 Inns are kept by them ; they reside as priests in temples, or 
 wherever the general public resorts. The keepers of these 
 inns and farmers in the country are frequently in the employ 
 of the police. There is a saying in Japan, "Dorobo oi zen" 
 implying that it is better to put money on a thief's back 
 than to apply to the police. The police runners have means 
 at the stations for constantly strengthening themselves by 
 gymnastic exercises, and are taught to tie up criminals in a 
 variety of ways, from so lightly as to lie like a net, to so 
 tightly that before long the victim is strangled. They are 
 always provided with a short iron baton, with which, in 
 case of resistance, they strike their man over the head to 
 stun him. 
 
 Ko boo shio boonio. The military school where drill ex- 
 ercise, the use of weapons of war, fortification and military 
 tactics generally, are taught to young officers. There are 
 three officers over the establishment, but many teachers of 
 the different branches. The school is in Owo ngawa matchi 
 or street in Yedo. Artillery is taught near the garden of 
 the Shiogoon at Hama go teng. Sword-practice with sticks 
 (kenjits) is a favorite amusement with young officers. They 
 have sticks with basket guards, with which they practice. 
 Before beginning, each puts on an iron wire grating over 
 the head, a bamboo-and-leather belt around the chest, and 
 bamboo guards for the arms with gloves. Yet with all this 
 one is sometimes severely handled. The sword is long, two- 
 handed, sharp on one edge and at the point, and for about 
 two inches from the point on the back ; so that they either 
 cut or thrust, and aim at cutting the neck with a back cut. 
 They are very dexterous at the use of this weapon, whether 
 against a sword or a bayonet or spear. Practice with the
 
 256 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 rifle is also very common in the government schools, and in 
 tho grounds of Daimios about Yedo. There is a large pa- 
 rade ground or open country to the back of Yedo for the use 
 of the military, called Hiro. 
 
 Naka kawa bansho. An office for the examination of 
 boats coming from and passing to the interior by the com- 
 municating branch of the river the Naka gawa. Upon this 
 stream boats can go to the provinces on the northwest, north 
 and east of Yedo. Besides these there are officers who have 
 charge of the Shiogoon's barges and boats. 
 
 There are officials whose duty is to examine into alleged 
 encroachments by Daimios in Yedo upon the roads, streets, 
 rivers, or sea. The superficial quantity of land as gardens 
 that an officer may hold in Yedo is regulated by his official 
 income. (One tsubo equals thirty-six square feet. ) An in- 
 come of from 300 to 900 koku may have 500 tsubo, 18,000 
 square feet; 1,000 to 1,900 koku may have 700 tsubo, 25,200 
 square feet; 2,900 koku may have 1,000 tsubo, 36,000 square 
 feet; 4,000 koku may have 1,500 tsubo, 54,000 square feet. 
 And so on up to 150,000, whose allotment is 7,000 tsubo, or 
 about 500 feet square. 
 
 There are sword-keepers of the Shiogoon, and also keep- 
 ers of the books or library, and a keeper of the presents, 
 gifts, or tribute paid by each Daimio. Gifts as tribute are 
 being received daily, and are regulated by order. But fre- 
 quently handsome presents are voluntarily made by Daimios, 
 perhaps in some cases for favors to come. For instance, 
 Owarri is ordered to present to the Shiogoon upon the first 
 month, third day, congratulatory cakes. 
 
 Upon the third and seventh months a large noshi sym- 
 bol of a present with a piece of dried fish with paper and 
 two tubs of wine. 
 
 On the 18th of the fourth month, fish; and again in the 
 same month, A-i, a fresh-water fish, considered a deli- 
 cacy. 
 
 On the fourth and eighth months, the same fish preserved 
 in vinegar.
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 257 
 
 On the sixth month, the first day, ice. It is a custom in 
 Japan to use ice upon that day. 
 
 On the sixth and seventh months, muskmelon. 
 
 In hot weather, in summer, anything he thinks may 
 
 On the sixth day of the ninth month, one obang (a large 
 gold coin, worth above 6) or more. 
 
 During the ninth and tenth months, persimmons the 
 best come from Mino. 
 
 During the eleventh month, tea, cakes, fish, saki and 
 Owarri radishes, which are very large and fine. 
 
 During the twelfth month, fish, persimmons, storks, 
 which are supposed to be a royal bird, and only for the 
 table of the Shiogoon; but many people eat them. 
 
 A present from an inferior to a superior, as from a Dai- 
 mio to the Shiogoon, is "Kenjio"; the reverse is "Hyrio." 
 The Shiogoon is said to have called in proclamation the 
 steamer " Emperor," presented to him by her majesty the 
 Queen of England, "Kenjio." 
 
 The Shiogoon has also four secretaries for private busi- 
 ness, and others for government business. 
 
 There are professors or teachers of the works and writ- 
 ings of Confucius. There is a school or college for the 
 study of foreign books; but the school was lately entirely 
 remodeled, and greater encouragement given to the study 
 of foreign languages, books and arts and sciences. 
 
 There is an observatory, with astronomers, compilers of 
 the almanac, etc. 
 
 Nineteen physicians attend upon the Shiogoon, five of 
 whom practice after the European system, and fourteen 
 after the Chinese. There are five surgeons, of whom one 
 practices according to the European system, and medical 
 officers for treatment by acupuncture i.e., by insertion of 
 fine needles. These are fine flexible wires, not so strong as 
 those used in imitation of them in Europe, but requiring a 
 tube to be used for their insertion to prevent the needles 
 bending. There are also dentists and oculists and medical
 
 258 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 men for attending officers on duty at the castle, and others 
 for attending officers who are outside the castle. There is 
 one medical man for vaccination, together with consulting 
 physicians ; and also doctors to look after the sick poor and 
 destitute. There is or was a public hospital at Koishikawa. 
 
 There is an officer who may be called poet-laureate. 
 
 There are musicians to the court, and teachers of the 
 Sinto religion ; also teachers of a game, a kind of chess, as 
 well as chess itself. 
 
 After these are the keepers of the wicket-gate by which 
 females go out or come in, and men to look out from a lofty 
 platform. Such are always raised in Daimio's houses, to 
 enable the watchmen to look down upon the surrounding 
 streets by day, and to look out for fires by night. 
 
 There are keepers of the jewels belonging to the Shiogoon. 
 
 There is one officer who looks after the food for the Shio- 
 goon, and keeps the accounts of the expenditure of the table, 
 as well as inspectors of rice for the use of the Shiogoon 
 himself. 
 
 The head-cook superintends the kitchen, and there are 
 also cooks for guests. 
 
 Hama goteng boonio. The governor of the Hama goteng, 
 a garden on the seaside beneath the castle in Yedo. This is 
 a large piece of ground cut off by a canal, and formerly kept 
 as a private garden for the recreation of the Shiogoon on the 
 seaside. It is one of the places offered to the foreign minis- 
 ters for residences in Yedo, and refused by them upon, pos- 
 sibly, good grounds. It has since that time been converted 
 into a ground for artillery practice. There were three head 
 gardeners. 
 
 There are men to look after the garden for medicinal 
 herbs, and officers who have charge of the curtains used for 
 concealment or privacy. These "macu" have been some- 
 times thought by foreigners to be intended to represent forts ; 
 but they are constantly used in Japan by pleasure parties 
 and others wishing to be in the open air, and yet to enjoy 
 a little privacy ; and it is considered rude to look over the
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 259 
 
 edge of one at the party inclosed. They may be used also 
 in war to conceal the numbers of a host. The "mong," or 
 crest of the owner, is generally stamped upon the curtain, 
 which has at a distance, perhaps, given the idea of loop- 
 holes. 
 
 Kane boonio. Four officers who pay out and receive 
 payments on account of the Shiogoon. Payments are made 
 on the 6th, 14th and 26th days of the month. Money is 
 received on the 1st, 10th, 18th and 24th. 
 
 There is an office for the exchange of notes or orders for 
 officers. Banks and Daimios issue paper money, called 
 tayngata, and also gin sats (silver card), kin satz (golden 
 card). They are much used by the merchants in Osaka in 
 business transactions. 
 
 Koora boonio. Officers in charge of the rice storehouses 
 belonging to government. These storehouses of rice are very 
 large, as a great part of the pay of officers is given in rice. 
 It is considered degrading to speak of paying money in sal- 
 ary. Even presents of money among the lower classes are 
 always wrapped up in red paper neatly folded. A man is 
 hired as servant for so much rice, known as footchi i.e., 
 rice given on hire; footchi is always given in addition to 
 money, and it is proper to speak of footchi, not of money- 
 hire. In Taikosama's time one footchi was 10 ngo of rice; 
 now it is only 5 ngo, or about 2 pounds. In speaking of a 
 man's income, if pioh (or piculs) are mentioned, rice is 
 meant; but if koku, ground to the valued extent of pro- 
 duction. Retainers are paid 30 piculs a year, and half a 
 sho (1% pounds of rice) per diem. In government pay- 
 ments the rice is measured in boxes, not weighed. The 
 Chinese picul is equal to 133 pounds, but the Japanese was 
 generally larger, and ranged from about 150 to 160 pounds. 
 The koku, therefore, would be 450 to 500 pounds. Accord- 
 ing to Williams, it contains 5.13 bushels. 
 
 There are officers in charge of the oil and lacquer, and 
 others over the working carpenters and masons. Others are 
 over the government forests and trees, for superintending
 
 260 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 planting, cutting, etc. Special officers have charge of the 
 Shiogoon's pleasure barges on the river. A tax or license is 
 imposed upon all boats plying on the river at Yedo, collected 
 by another officer. 
 
 Tattame boonio. Officer to look after the mats about the 
 palace. The whole floor of the rooms of the palace is exactly 
 covered by mats, each six feet long by three broad. These 
 mats are two inches in thickness, and are made of straw 
 tightly tied together by string. This is covered by a woven 
 web of fine, long, strong, dried grass from the seacoast. In 
 the houses of all classes in Japan these mats are used, but in 
 those of the wealthier classes they are very beautifully made, 
 soft and pleasant to walk on for persons wearing stockings 
 only, as is the custom. The reception room in the palace is 
 called the Hall of a Thousand Mats. If there be such a 
 room it would be 150 feet long by 120 wide; but as the par- 
 tition walls in Japanese houses are, between many of the 
 apartments, only light sliding screens, movable at pleasure, 
 it may be easy to throw open a very large room in an exten- 
 sive building such as the palace is. 
 
 There is a jeweler to the court, and auditors of accounts, 
 who are also assayers or examiners of gold and silver. 
 
 There are teachers of riding to the Shiogoon, and veteri- 
 nary surgeons and horsebreakers. 
 
 Katchi me tski. -A low class of spies. These are kept 
 secretly by government, and are employed in nominal em- 
 ployments, in houses, shops, or wherever information is 
 likely to be obtained. They are frequently grooms, as in 
 this capacity they accompany their masters wherever they 
 go. They write down whatever they hear or see that is sus- 
 picious : the thin paper partitions of the rooms give facility 
 for this, as they have only to put the tongue against the 
 paper and then push the finger through, when a hole suffi- 
 ciently large is made, through which both to see and hear. 
 If these men allow themselves to be detected by Samurais, 
 or officers, no mercy is shown to them. If they have, as is 
 generally the case, a sort of written commission, and this is
 
 THE D AIM JOS. 261 
 
 found upon them, they are put to death and the paper is sent 
 to the government. No notice is afterward taken of such a 
 deed. It is looked upon as a dangerous profession, and they 
 know the risk, but they are generally well paid. Daimios 
 use them also. Mito had a man in 1862 in the employ of 
 Ikeda, then governor of Yedo. He watched his master 
 intriguing against his lord, and assassinated him. An offi- 
 cer was long in the employ of the British consulate at 
 Yokohama who was in constant communication with the 
 government. 
 
 There are officers, keepers of the stairs of the castle, and 
 others who look after the fires and fireplaces. 
 
 Bowozu are young men who act as servants to guests or 
 officers residing in the castle. It is not permitted to Daimios 
 to bring their servants into the palace. They are waited on 
 by the Bowozu. These men are said to be open to giving up 
 to any one copies of any or all documents passing through 
 the government offices on payment of a small sum 30 to 
 50 itzaboos per annum. 
 
 Officers are appointed for keeping the time by striking a 
 large drum, and there are men who give signals by blowing 
 a shell, such as is used generally for directing movements in 
 warlike operations. 
 
 Yoshiba boonio. Yoshiba is the name of a penal estab- 
 lishment on the island of Tsukudajima, at the mouth of the 
 Yedo River, to which certain criminals are sent, to prepare 
 oil and charcoal. 
 
 The above list comprises all the officers engaged in the 
 service of the Shiogoon, and who may be considered govern- 
 ment officials conducting the business of their departments in 
 offices in Yedo. But as the office of Shiogoon is in abeyance 
 it remains to be seen in what manner the government is to be 
 hereafter carried on ; and whether the court of Miako, which 
 is now temporarily removed to Yedo, will return to the older 
 titles and offices as known at Miako, or will adopt the forms 
 and offices which have been in use at the court of the Shio- 
 goon in Yedo.
 
 262 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 The Hio jo shio The Board of Deliberation. This is a 
 large place of meeting for deliberation in Yedo, outside of 
 the palace-moat, and close to the residences of the Gorochiu. 
 On fixed days of every month certain officers sit here for 
 the discharge of their duties. These seem to be to receive 
 complaints against officers, and to decide cases brought be- 
 fore them for judgment. Upon other fixed days, all Daimios 
 or Hattamoto upon duty in Yedo seem to have the right, or 
 are called upon as a duty, to meet for the discussion of polit- 
 ical matters laid before them. Hio jo means to deliberate or 
 hold a consultation ; and at these times the Gorochiu, Waka- 
 doshi yori, Owo me tski, and other officers, meet here for 
 deliberation upon affairs affecting the government. 
 
 Within the palace Daimios meet in rooms according to 
 their rank, and the class of Daimios is often spoken of by 
 the name of the room in the palace in which it meets as 
 the Obee ro ma, the Tomari no ma, the Yanangi no ma, the 
 Gan no ma, the Kiri no ma, the Tay kan no ma, the Fuyo 
 no ma, or the Goyobeya, or the Siro jo in (or Kuro jo in), 
 in which last all classes seem on occasions to meet. But it 
 is only in rare cases that all are called together; such an oc- 
 casion was the proposal brought before them by Commodore 
 Perry to overturn the old laws and throw open the country. 
 It has been seen that lyeyas in his laws thought the meeting 
 of this assembly, the Hio jo sho, very important, and he said 
 that the president must be a man of the clearest intellect and 
 best disposition, and that once in every month it should be 
 the duty of the Shiogoon to go to the assembly without pre- 
 vious intimation, and there act as judge. 
 
 Immediately in front of the building stands a box, known 
 as the Mayassu hako. Into this box anj r one may put a 
 paper of complaint upon any subject which he wishes to 
 bring before the assembly. These papers, ''Mayassu," are 
 taken out and examined, and those which are signed are dis- 
 cussed, those which have no signature are burned. There 
 are similar boxes at Miako and Osaka. 
 
 The following may be taken as a sketch, or very im-
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 263 
 
 perfect translation, of the matters which come under the 
 cognizance of the assembly as instructions to officers : 
 
 1. When a complaint is made with reference to ground 
 in a street in front of, and generally belonging to, a temple, 
 and which is frequently let as shops, etc. ; or in reference 
 to Go rio, ground belonging to the Shiogoon; or Shi rio, 
 ground belonging to Daimios these complaints are not to 
 be taken up by the board, but are to be referred to the 
 Tskiban (the temple lord who is sitting for the month). 
 
 2. All quarrels and complaints between and against Yedo 
 street people, citizens of Yedo, are to be referred to the gov- 
 ernor of Yedo. 
 
 3. In the Kwang hasshiu, or eight provinces immediately 
 around Yedo Awa, Kadsusa, Simosa, Hitatse, Simoisuki, 
 Kowotsuki, Segami and Musasi disputes between the ten- 
 ants of the Shiogoon and those of Daimios or Dai kangs are 
 to be referred to the treasury governor. These three gov- 
 ernors are known as the "San boonio." 
 
 4. Proceedings as to disputes between Daimios as to 
 ground. 
 
 5. Between brothers as to succession to the father's 
 property. 
 
 6. In the case of a demand for a new trial after a de- 
 cision has been given. 
 
 7. In regard to petitions from friends to let a prisoner 
 out of confinement on the ground of his innocence, must 
 have good reasons shown. 
 
 8. If the people want an alteration or change of a law. 
 
 9. What is to be done with papers, Hakko so, put into 
 the box. 
 
 10. If people complain of officers. 
 
 11. In a complaint of an improper judgment in a case 
 (perhaps in another court). 
 
 12. Business in the Hio jo shio. The 2d, llth and 21st 
 days of the month are "Siki jits," or days when public polit- 
 ical business is discussed. The 4th, 13th and 25th, "Tatchi 
 yeibi," the officers meet as judges to decide cases. On the
 
 264 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 6th, 18th and 27th, "Uchi yori yeibi," secret meeting days, 
 the officers meet to examine and discuss secret political mat- 
 ters among themselves. 
 
 13. The form to be followed when a case has been for a 
 long time before the Hio jo shio and is referred to another 
 judge, as the street governor; and what is to be done in ref- 
 erence to complaints against the Gorochiu, Wakatoshiyori, 
 or Owometski. 
 
 14. Complaints against Yakunins, or officers on duty out- 
 side of Yedo, are to be referred to the Shiogoon. 
 
 15. Disputes as to water for irrigation, and embankments 
 of rice fields, which are sources of frequent quarrels, are to 
 be taken up by the Hio jo shio. 
 
 16. In disputes as to boundaries of property, the old titles 
 in the hands of the disputants are to be examined, and com- 
 pared with the "Midzu cho" (water book, or register), kept 
 in the Daikang office for the registration of boundaries and 
 property. 
 
 17. In disputes as to land, to apply to the proper office to 
 have surveys made. 
 
 18. What is to be done in cases of forgery of title-deeds 
 of lands, or of maps of villages, islands, etc., which is a 
 common offense. 
 
 19. As to disputes between Kanushi, heads of temples 
 and of government temples. 
 
 20. In cases where application is made by the friends of 
 a criminal to have him pardoned, such is not to be enter- 
 tained in cases of arson, theft, murder, either as principal or 
 accomplice, striker of father or mother or master, gamblers, 
 head men of villages convicted of extorting money, mikassa 
 (literally three hats),* and men who have bought young 
 girls secretly. These crimes are not to be pardoned. 
 
 * A gambling game analogous to the "white-pigeon card" 
 of China (Pak kop piu), at which much money is lost by 
 families. A head office issues papers upon which the eighty 
 first characters of the "Thousand Characters Classic" are
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 265 
 
 21. As to arbitrations ordered by officers, only a certain 
 number of days to be allowed to make such arbitration the 
 office to settle .how many. 
 
 22. When a petition has been presented by one party and 
 the other does not appear, what is to be the proceeding. 
 
 23. Accusations of theft and fire-raising are not to be 
 brought before the Hio jo shio, but before the officer in 
 whose jurisdiction the offense is committed. 
 
 24. In cases of discovery of a long antecedently com- 
 mitted murder. 
 
 25. If a man destroys a summons issued by the office, 
 and refuses to obey it. 
 
 26. Cases of persons trying to pass the barriers at Hako- 
 nay and Arai, without the knowledge of the officers sta- 
 tioned at the barriers. 
 
 27. In a case of firing a pistol or gun at another without 
 killing, the punishment is "chiu tsui ho" i.e., the culprit is 
 not allowed to enter a town or village. If a man wishes to 
 shoot or sport near Yedo, he must get a license from the 
 Yakunins to do so within the ten ri between Hatch ogee 
 and Kanagawa upon the Tama River. Native sportsmen 
 frequently shoot. 
 
 28. How persons are to be dealt with for snaring birds, 
 or ferce naturae, on the hunting-lands of the Shiogoon. 
 
 29. In towns, if a man have committed a small offense, 
 the Yakunins may order his door to be shut upon him, and 
 him to be confined in his own house. 
 
 30. Cases of embezzlement of money by village head men. 
 
 31. Punishment for a man who has failed to enroll his 
 name in the official register. 
 
 32. If a man offer a bribe to an officer he is to be se- 
 
 printed in rows. These may be purchased for any price the 
 purchaser chooses to lay upon them. During the night ten 
 characters are marked by the office. The purchaser marks 
 ten, and speculates upon his hitting some or all of the same 
 as were marked at the office. 
 
 12
 
 266 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 verely punished ; the officer, if he accepts it, is lightly dealt 
 with. 
 
 33. All the property of a person convicted of theft or 
 robbery is to be confiscated. 
 
 34. If the people on a Daimio's territory send a remon- 
 strance against his oppression to the Hio ko shio, what is to 
 be done with it. 
 
 35. All the goods belonging to a debtor may be sold to 
 pay his debts, except his wearing apparel. 
 
 36. If persons try to bring wild ground into cultivation, 
 and call it their own without informing the officers, what 
 proceedings are to be taken. 
 
 37. Cases of litigation as to rented ground. 
 
 38. When persons are unable, from poverty, to pay gov- 
 ernment taxes upon ground occupied by them. 
 
 39. In regard to loans of money, of which twenty differ- 
 ent kinds are alluded to to a friend, to a temple, etc. 
 
 40. If the whole of a loan cannot be repaid, and it is 
 referred to the officers, they are to settle the interest to be 
 paid. Upon large amounts the interest is placed low, upon 
 small amounts it is high. Upon 10,000 cobangs the rate 
 will be 80 cobangs per month, or nearly 10 per cent per 
 annum. Upon one boo it may be one tenpo a month, or 75 
 per cent per annum. 
 
 41. In borrowing money, the interest is to vary with the 
 security. If the security is land, the interest is to be low ; 
 with any other securities the interest should be high. 
 
 42. In disputes as to money : If no witnesses are brought 
 forward ; if partners in business quarrel ; if persons in thea- 
 ters quarrel ; if a collector uses subscriptions to temples for 
 his own purposes; if the evidence depends upon a paper 
 without a date; if no rate of interest is mentioned then 
 these cases are not to be taken up. 
 
 43. If it is alleged that a Daimio has borrowed money 
 from some town or body of people, and they do not bring 
 forward a receipt, such is to be dismissed. 
 
 44. If one creditor refuses to have a composition.
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 267 
 
 45. The officers may settle the time to be allowed to pay 
 off a debt, after which the securities may be taken. For 
 1,000 cobangs, 12 months to be allowed; for 30 cobangs, 40 
 days. 
 
 46. When property already mortgaged is given in se- 
 curity. 
 
 47. In cases where the cargo of a ship is secretly sold 
 upon her passage, and a story of bad weather is told. 
 
 48. When a father has sealed a draft of his intended will, 
 and has not written it out, what is the position of the heirs. 
 
 49. When false witnesses are suborned. 
 
 50. Houses or ground are sometimes sold by relatives 
 when the heir is young. It is therefore criminal to buy 
 ground without giving intimation to the proper officer. 
 
 51. It is the custom to have guarantees for servants, to 
 whom wages are generally paid in advance. If the servant 
 runs away with his wages, his surety must pay for him. 
 
 52. Half-yearly engagements with servants at the third 
 and ninth month are usual. If a servant runs away before 
 his time is out, his surety is responsible. 
 
 53. If it is another servant that is surety, he is re- 
 sponsible. 
 
 54. When a Daimio's servant runs away, what is to be 
 done. 
 
 55. It is usual to have ten sureties how this is to be 
 settled. Not more than ten to be allowed. 
 
 56. If a runaway servant steals from his master. 
 
 57. If a man stays away from his wife for ten months she 
 may marry again. When he returns he is to be punished. 
 
 58. If a poor man secretly marries and has a child, and 
 exposes it on the street, or if another man buys it and ex- 
 poses it, either shall be speared or beheaded. The head man 
 of the street is to be fined and deported from Yedo, and the 
 Gonin gumi or police guard of the street are to be punished. 
 
 The headman of a village or block of streets is Nanushi; 
 under him is lyaynushi. The Go nin gumi are five police 
 in every street, who are appointed and paid by the streets.
 
 '268 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 Nanushi often have much power and become wealthy, 
 lyeyas in his laws tried to prevent this, as it is in too 
 many cases the result of oppression and bribery. In Yedo 
 and Osaka the government appoints the Nanushi ; in Miako 
 the people appoint them. The Nanushi of a village is gen- 
 erally a hereditary office. 
 
 59. If a man shall have adopted a daughter and then 
 sells her to the government stews (Yosiwara), he is to be 
 punished. The punishment is to vary according to the 
 wealth and the ability of the offender to support the child. 
 
 60. If any one secretly sells girls for prostitution to any 
 one but the Yosiwara, he is liable to punishment. 
 
 61. If a man sells his wife to the Yosiwara without rea- 
 son, he is to be beheaded. But if the wife agrees to be so 
 sold, and they are very poor, they may make such an ar- 
 rangement. It was formerly the custom to kill a wife if she 
 was unfaithful, but of late the custom has been to dispose of 
 her to the Yosiwara. 
 
 62. The crime of adultery is to be punished with death 
 (? in the case of the wife only). 
 
 63. Men and women who commit suicide together are 
 not to receive burial like men, but like dogs. If they at- 
 tempt and do not succeed, they are to be exposed on the 
 Nihon bas (bridge) for three days, and then made beggars. 
 
 64. If a bozan or priest commit adultery, he shall be 
 beheaded. In cases of fornication, if it be the head priest, 
 he-shall be transported to the islands; if a young priest, he 
 shall be exposed on the Nihon bas for three days. (Some 
 years ago one hundred and seventy young priests were thus 
 exposed on the bridge at one time by Midzu no Idzumi no 
 kami.) 
 
 65. In cases of persons professing San cho ha (three birds) 
 Foosjiu (not take), Foossay (not give), they are to be trans- 
 ported. What these may mean it is difficult to find out ; but 
 possibly they are names for some form of religion, either 
 Christianity or Mohammedanism. 
 
 66. No one is allowed to introduce new forms of religion
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 269 
 
 or new gods into the country. If they do so, they are to be 
 banished from villages. 
 
 67. In cases of suicide the officers must be informed. If 
 they are privately buried with Buddhist burial, both priests 
 and friends shall be punished. 
 
 68. Mikassa, Bakuji and Mujing, different kinds of gam- 
 bling, are to be severely punished. 
 
 69. Slight cases of theft are to be punished by flogging 
 and banishment from towns and villages. In more serious 
 cases of theft, the criminals are first to be carried through 
 Yedo publicly, and then are to be beheaded. 
 
 70. In reference to buyers and receivers of stolen 
 goods. 
 
 71. As to those who engage in a trade without belonging 
 to one of the guilds. 
 
 72. As to informers. 
 
 73. "What steps are to be taken as to persons falling down 
 dead in the streets. 
 
 74. As to things lost. 
 
 75. As to accomplices, or persons who indirectly assist 
 criminals to escape. 
 
 76. Forgers are to be beheaded. 
 
 77. As to putters-up of seditious placards on the walls. 
 
 78. What is to be done with a man who (as is sometimes 
 done in Yedo), on meeting a respectable man, suddenly ac- 
 cuses him of striking him, or says he is married to his daugh- 
 ter, or gets up some story to extort money from him. 
 
 79. In cases when a man is the indirect cause of loss to 
 another as by coming too late, and so loss is sustained. 
 This is a crime, though the loss may be small. 
 
 80. Men who give false statements to officers. 
 
 81. As to false money, poison, false medicines, and false 
 weights. 
 
 82. As to setting a house on fire by mistake. 
 
 83. An incendiary is to be burned to death. 
 
 84. A reward to be given to the man who detects him. 
 
 85. As to murder of different kinds. In cases of acci-
 
 270 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 dental death, a fine is to be levied on the homicide. It is 
 said to be a common custom in Japan to compound for crime 
 by paying relatives and bribing officers. 
 
 86. When a man kills another in self-defense. 
 
 87. If a man kill another by accident, as by a rifle-ball, 
 he is to be transported; but if it is done in a military school, 
 he is not punished. If a working man kills another by acci- 
 dent, he is banished from towns and villages. 
 
 88. If a man is angry with another for marrying a girl 
 he is in love with, and breaks in the door and causes a dis- 
 turbance. 
 
 89. If a man is drunk and angry, and breaks some article 
 of value, the punishment is to be light ; but if several are 
 together, they are to be punished severely. 
 
 90. If, when drunk, he kills a man by accident, he is not 
 to be severely punished. 
 
 91. If a man recovers from sickness and refuses to pay 
 his doctor. 
 
 92. As to offenses committed by mad persons. 
 
 93. If a person under fifteen years of age commit murder, 
 transportation is the punishment. 
 
 94. As to concealing criminals. 
 
 95. As to proclamations about offenders. 
 
 96. The officers cannot command a son to inform on or 
 to give up his father or mother, or a servant his master, 
 or a younger brother his elder. 
 
 97. In some cases the relatives of a criminal may be ar- 
 rested and confined, but this Chinese plan is not commonly 
 used in Japan. 
 
 98. Gowo mong examination by torture, as striking, or 
 pouring water down the throat. 
 
 99. As to escaping from banishment on the islands, or 
 crimes committed during banishment. 
 
 100. As to escaping from prison. 
 
 101. As to men who free themselves from their irons. 
 
 102. The higher rank a man is of, the more serious is his 
 crime.
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 271 
 
 103. And, vice versa, a crime is to be considered lighter 
 in a man of low degree. 
 
 104. As to criminals who have been banished from towns 
 and villages, if they try to return. 
 
 105. If he is ejected a second time he is marked, and if 
 he returns a third time he is beheaded. These marks are 
 broad black bands across the arm. The different towns 
 (Yedo, Miako, Osaka, and Nagasaki) have different ways 
 of marking. 
 
 106. If any one shall secretly make weights. All the 
 weights are made and issued by government in Japan. 
 
 107. In regard to the keepers of the street gates in Yedo, 
 if one shall find any money or article of value and keep it. 
 
 108. In Yedo it is the custom to take out a drunken man, 
 or a man that has died on the street, and lay him in another. 
 This is to be punished. 
 
 109. If a man accused of a serious crime should die, his 
 body is to be preserved in salt. 
 
 110. In reference to criminals and prisoners in bad health. 
 There are four hospitals for criminals in Yedo. 
 
 111. A criminal whose time is expired, and who has 
 neither home nor friends, is to be put to work in Tsukuda- 
 jima for one thousand days, and at the end of that time the 
 profits of his labor are to be given him, and he may get a 
 street gate to keep. 
 
 112. If a man forces a girl to marry him, he shall be 
 beheaded. 
 
 113. Rules as to pawning and pawn-shops. Pawn-shops 
 charge very high interest about ten per cent a month , 
 
 114. If a man be taken ill upon the Tokaido, he is not to 
 be sent from one village to another, but is to be kept, and 
 a doctor sent for to attend him. 
 
 115. If a man who has no right to do so shall wear two 
 swords. 
 
 116. "What is to be done to squatters upon wild ground, 
 who have not given notice to the officers of their having 
 done so.
 
 272 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 117. If a man tries to conceal or prevent the confiscation 
 of his ground. 
 
 118. When the son of a criminal of high rank wishes to 
 shave his head and become a priest, in some measure to save 
 the reputation of his family, he is to inform the officers, and 
 make arrangements with them. 
 
 119. In reference to the children of a criminal, a differ- 
 ence is made between the children of an officer and a common 
 person. 
 
 120. All villages have registers and plans of the ground 
 belonging to each, and to the families of the villagers. These 
 are sealed and kept by the head man of the village (nanushi), 
 and he is bound to let any one inspect the registers. If he 
 refuse, and complaint is made, he is to be punished. 
 
 121. What is to be done upon their liberation with crimi- 
 nals who have been confined for slight offenses. 
 
 122. Different kinds of punishment for different offenses. 
 Of these there are specified forty-six. 
 
 In case of disputes between persons belonging to the four 
 provinces round Miako, Yamashiro, Yamato, Tanba, and 
 Owomi, they are brought before the street governor of 
 Miako; but if a dispute arises between a person living in 
 one of these provinces and an outsider, the case is brought 
 to Yedo. Litigation arising in the provinces of Idzumi, 
 Kawatchi, Setsu, and Harima, is brought before the gov- 
 ernor of Osaka. 
 
 No taxes are paid in Miako. 
 
 If a murder or arson be committed within the territory 
 of a Daimio, it is not necessary to bring the case to Yedo. 
 
 If the servants of a Daimio kill the servant of another 
 Daimio the case must be brought before the Gorochiu. 
 
 If a Daimio has no island or place fit for transportation, 
 the criminal's relatives are bound to keep him in confinement. 
 
 The above is a sketch of the cases which may come before 
 the criminal department of the Hio jo sho. 
 
 Hio jio shio russui are four officers who have charge of 
 the building when not used.
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 273 
 
 Ro ban. Keeper of the prison (roya). The execution- 
 ground is at the southeast corner of the prison, under a wil- 
 low-tree in front of the back gate. The office of executioner 
 seems to be hereditary. Kubikiri Asayaymon is at present 
 the executioner, and it is said that his son at fourteen could 
 cut off a head at a blow. The prison is surrounded by a 
 high embankment, to prevent fires reaching it. If a fire 
 occurs within the building the prisoners are all liberated, 
 and those who return have their punishment mitigated. 
 
 Jowo ro sama. These are female officers. They are 
 twelve daughters of Koongays in Miakp, who reside in the 
 palace at Yedo to superintend all the females, servants, etc., 
 and to look after their manners and morals. They are al- 
 ways unmarried while in office, but sometimes marry Dai- 
 mios. They generally come to the palace young, and are 
 instructed there in their duties. They have the opportunity 
 of having great power, being at liberty to write to Miako 
 about anything they may deem improper either in the con- 
 duct of the ladies, women, or men of the court of Yedo, or 
 of the Shiogoon himself. 
 
 Officers employed in situations at a distance from Yedo. 
 There are six main roads or entrances to Miako ; over each 
 of these the Shiogoon places a guard under a Daimio, main- 
 taining in addition a guard in the city itself. With the Sho 
 shi dai there are nine Daimios resident in Miako. 
 
 Shoshidai. This is the representative of the Shiogoon at 
 the court of Miako. It is an office requiring much tact and 
 independence of character. Formerly it was held by one of 
 the more powerful Daimios, but it was found that the tend- 
 ency to be won over to the party of the Emperor was great, 
 and it is now generally intrusted to a Fudai. His duty is 
 to act as a go-between or embassador to the imperial court, 
 and at the same time report to Yedo all changes. He does 
 not address himself personally to the Emperor, or even to 
 the Kwanbakku, but to the Tenso, the officer deputed for 
 that purpose, and who in turn is at times sent to Yedo as 
 envoy from the Emperor. The office is one which entails
 
 274 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 great expenditure, but it is one in which personal influence 
 may be largely used for the furtherance of intrigue and the 
 acquisition of power. When Sakai was made Shoshidai, 
 the Shiogoon gave him an addition to his income of 10,000 
 koku per annum. He fell into disgrace with the Emperor, 
 and committed suicide in 1862. The Emperor accused him 
 of telling him falsehoods, while Sakai did not know that the 
 accounts furnished him were not true. Had he not com- 
 mitted suicide, his property would have been taken from 
 his son. His father committed suicide also as Shoshidai 
 at Miako in the time of Kokaku, grandfather of the present 
 Emperor. 
 
 Miako matchi boonio. Two officers, governors of Miako, 
 under the Shiogoon, whose duties are similar to those of the 
 governor of Yedo. 
 
 Kinri tsuki. Two officers who act as messengers between 
 the imperial officers and the Shoshidai. 
 
 Nijio dzei ban. The castle of the Shiogoon hi Miako is 
 called Nijio. Two Daimios, and men under them, are ap- 
 pointed guards or governors of the castle. 
 
 There is a keeper of the storehouses in Miako belonging 
 to the Shiogoon ; also a keeper of the weapons of war, guns, 
 great and small, and an officer who superintends the boats 
 on the Yodongawa, the river running past Miako, to give 
 out licenses and receive the payment. 
 
 Fushimi boonio. A Daimio, governor of the town of 
 Fushimi, near Miako. Here Taikosama resided, and built 
 the costly palace which was destroyed by an earthquake. 
 All Daimios have or had residences at Fushimi. 
 
 Osaka jiodai. Governor of the town of Osaka. 
 
 Jiobang. Keeper or warden of the castle of Osaka, built 
 by Taikosama. 
 
 Dzeibang. Captains of the guards in that castle. Two 
 Daimios take this duty. 
 
 Kabang. Four Daimios. These three last officers are 
 all together keepers of the castle of Osaka. 
 
 Osaka matchi boonio is street governor of Osaka.
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 275 
 
 Funate is head officer over the boats and boatmen. 
 
 Kohoo, or Kofu. The capital town of Kahi province, or 
 Koshiu, where the Shiogoon has a large castle, built by Ta- 
 keda Singeng. Hattamoto that have fallen into the black 
 books of the government for vicious conduct, or immorality, 
 drinking, etc., are sent to this castle. Sometimes as many 
 as 500 Hattamoto are there in a sort of arrest, under surveil- 
 lance before being again employed. 
 
 Nagasaki boonio. Governors of Nagasaki, of whom there 
 are two, and two Daikangs to look after the lands belonging 
 to the Shiogoon. Nagasaki and the land in the vicinity and 
 the island of Amakusa belong to the Shiogoon. 
 
 Narra boonio. Governor of Narra, the ancient and eccle- 
 siastical capital of Japan, a short distance from Miako. 
 
 Soonpu (Suruga no fu) is the castle of Suruga, built by 
 Imangawa, and occupied by lyeyas some years before his 
 death, and afterward occupied by the ex-Shiogoon, Yoshi 
 hissa. There is a governor of the town and castle. At one 
 time the treasury of the Shiogoon was kept at Soonpu. 
 
 Suruga kabang. One military Daimio. One of the 
 Shiogoon's physic gardens for medicinal herbs is at Soonpu, 
 in charge of an officer. 
 
 Kowo no san. Tombs of some of the early predecessors 
 of the Shiogoon. lyeyas was buried at Nikko, in Simotsuki, 
 a day's journey north of Yedo. There is an officer in charge 
 of the tombs at both places ; where there are also, as officers, 
 a keeper of accounts and a gatekeeper. In the province of 
 Isse, at the great temple there, the Shiogoon is represented 
 by an officer, Yamada boonio. Over the town of Sakkai, 
 near Osaka, is a governor. 
 
 Ooraga boonio. The "gate" 'or seaport of Yedo below 
 Kanagawa, in the bay of Yedo, has two governors. At 
 Ooraga all junks and boats are examined by custom-house 
 officials. 
 
 Sado boonio. Two governors of the island of Sado, 
 where are the gold mines. 
 
 Neegata boonio. One governor of the town. This port
 
 276 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 formerly belonged to a Daimio, Makino Bizen no kami, but 
 about the year 1840 the Shiogoon displaced him, and gave 
 him Nangaoka, in Etsingo, in place of Neegata. It was 
 alleged that an illicit trade was being carried on between 
 Corea and this port, and also with the Dutch. It is said to 
 be a fine harbor, and was one of the ports opened to foreign 
 trade by treaty; but the harbor was found, or supposed to 
 be, too shallow for large ships. It has fallen off consid- 
 erably in trade and wealth since government took posses- 
 sion of it. 
 
 Nikko boonio. At Nikko Hill is buried To sho goo, or 
 lyeyas, the first of the dynasty, and a fine temple (Chiu 
 senji) is erected near the tomb. The actual tombs of heroes 
 and great men in Japan, as has been said, seem to be gen- 
 erally very modest and unassuming memorials. From the 
 roof of the temple at Nikko is hung a large chandelier pre- 
 sented by the Dutch. The Shiogoons after lyeyas are buried, 
 some at the Shibba, a temple in Yedo, some at Ooyayno 
 or Toyay san, another large temple in Yedo; others at 
 Kowono san ; and at Zozoji, in Yedo. 
 
 Gai koku boonio. Ministers for foreign nations. These 
 officers were appointed in consequence of the opening of the 
 country, and their duty is to communicate with the consuls 
 or ministers of foreign nations on international questions, 
 or matters connected with trade. They are Hattamoto of 
 rental varying from 150 to 3,000 koku per annum. 
 
 Kanagawa boonio. There are two Hattamoto, govern- 
 ors of this village, now risen into importance. The one is 
 a man of 5,000 koku, the other of 1,200. 
 
 Seki sho. In the different provinces of Japan there are 
 passes upon the roads, wherfe, by reason of the surrounding 
 hills, the road may be easily defended by a small force. 
 These are considered the keys of the country, and at each 
 place barriers (seki) are erected and guards appointed. 
 These are important from a military point of view. 
 
 In the province of Segami there are six seki or barriers. 
 Okubo kanga no kami, Daimio at Odawarra, has charge of
 
 THE DAIMIOS. 277 
 
 them. They are Hakonay upon the Tokaido, Neboo kawa, 
 Yangura sawa, Sengo ku bara, Kawa mura, Tanega mura. 
 
 In the province of Towotomi there are three gates 
 Imangiri, Aral and Kenga. 
 
 In Kowotsuki are fourteen barriers Fkushima, Go shina, 
 Owo watari and another, Oossui, Yoko-ngawa, Koori, Ka- 
 wa mata, Sarunga harra, Owo sassa, Dai-ito, Kari jigu, 
 Minami maki, Tokura. 
 
 In Etsingo province are five barriers Itchi foori, Hatch! 
 dzaki, Seki ngawa, Mooshi kawa, Yama ngootchi. 
 
 In the province of Sinano six Kiu oochi ji, Nami ai, Obi 
 kawa, Ono ngawa, Fkushima, Ni engawa. 
 
 In the province of Simosa four Seki yado, Matsudo, 
 Fusa kawa, Nakatta. 
 
 In the province of Musashi four Kobo toki, Ko iwa, 
 Itchi kawa, Kana matchi. 
 
 In the province of Owomi three Yama naka, Yana 
 ngassay, and another. 
 
 At these barriers no woman is allowed to pass without a 
 passport from the governor of Yedo. No Daimio is allowed 
 to bring cannon or muskets past a barrier without permis- 
 sion. Guards are stationed at each, to examine every young 
 person as to their sex. This is done in order to keep the 
 wives and families of Daimios at Yedo. 
 
 In Sinano province there are large forests, the property 
 of government, on the Kisso hills, under charge of a Hatta- 
 inoto. 
 
 Koondai (Kiun tai) is an officer who has the superintend- 
 ence of all the Shiogoon's land in the different provinces in 
 which it lies. One officer has generally the lands in two or 
 more provinces under his care. 
 
 Dai kwan are smaller and lower offices, with duties simi- 
 lar to and under the Koondai. They look after the ground 
 and crops on the ground belonging to government. They 
 calculate the amount payable by rice-fields. To ascertain 
 this they frequently cut a tsubo (six feet square) dry, and 
 thrash it, and calculate the product of the whole field there-
 
 278 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 from. They receive the rents, make leases, and act as fac- 
 tors on government lands. There are thirty-seven Dai kwan. 
 
 The Officers of the Mint. The mint in Yedo is in Drio 
 ngai tcho. It is under the superintendence of the treasury 
 governor. There is the Kinsa, or the department where gold 
 is coined ; and the ginsa, the mint for silver coins. Deposits 
 of silver and gold are found in several parts of Japan, but 
 the most of the gold used by government comes from the 
 island of Sado; the silver is brought from Ikoo no gin sa 
 in Tajima, and from Iwami province. In some of the terri- 
 tories of Daimios there are large quantities extracted, as in 
 the lands of Satsuma and Sendai. The latter has the right 
 of coining money, but the coin seems to circulate only within 
 his own territory. Silver and gold, as bullion, are much 
 cheaper relatively to coin than in almost any other country : 
 this arises probably from that peculiarity in the laws and 
 customs of Japan the Tokusayay, previously mentioned 
 which prevents the natives using either metal as ornaments, 
 or in any useful way. A good deal of gold must be used in 
 the manufacture and ornamentation of the lacquer-ware, 
 which is sometimes profusely covered with gold ; but, except 
 for this purpose, there is little or none used, as the ladies do 
 not wear jewelry of any kind neither earrings, nor rings, 
 nor brooches. No plate is used at their dinners. Owing to 
 this, no one can put the precious metals, if they have any in 
 their possession, to any use, and the owner, in order to real- 
 ize their value, must take them to iihe only market, which is 
 government. The government thus has the power of declar- 
 ing what value it will put upon these precious metals, and 
 pays accordingly for silver bullion thirty per cent below the 
 value which is afterward put upon the coin. 
 
 Lastly, among the establishments kept up by the Shio- 
 goon is the Nishi maro, literally the west round, the oldest 
 part of the shiro of Yedo. It was built by Owota do Kwang, 
 as mentioned before. The castle is surrounded by a broad 
 moat filled with water. On the inner side a fine steep bank 
 of grass slopes up from the water's edge to such a height as
 
 THE DAIMIO CLASS. 279 
 
 entirely to conceal the interior. The water is brought from a 
 considerable distance from the Tama ngawa River being 
 led in a canal known as Tama ngawa jo sui. This was made 
 by lyay Mitzko, the second after lyeyas, and is under the care 
 of the Owometski and Kanjo office. The Nishi maro is in- 
 tended for the occupation of the child or children of the 
 Shiogoon, or for his father if he have abdicated. It is there- 
 fore frequently empty, and in that case officers have charge 
 of the building, who are known as Nishi maro russui. 
 
 "Within the circuit of the castle grounds are the residences 
 of the Gosankioh the three princes, Stotsbashi, Tayass, and 
 Saymidzu. 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 THE DAIMIO CLASS 
 
 IN the official list of Daimios published at Yedo the pedi- 
 gree of each is given; the family name and descent; the 
 period when the title commenced ; the sons and daughters, 
 with the names of their wives and husbands; where his 
 residence in Yedo is situated, and likewise his houses in 
 Miako, Osaka and Fusimi; the date of his accession to the 
 title; who his wife is; his coats of arms, of which each 
 Daimio has two or more ; the presents he is to make to the 
 Shiogoon both during the year when he resides in Yedo and 
 during that when he resides at his provincial residence; the 
 presents the Shiogoon makes to him on his coming to Yedo ; 
 how his communications are to be carried on with the Shio- 
 goon and Gorochiu ; the shape and color of the leather cov- 
 ering of his official spears carried before him, as the spear- 
 points are always carried covered with leather ; the uniform 
 or livery of his retainers ; the title of his eldest son ; the 
 names and titles of his large retainers, or Byshing ; the mat- 
 toyay or solid ensign carried in his train, the flag he car-
 
 280 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 ries on his ships, and the large mark upon his sails; the 
 amount of his territorial income; the provinces in which 
 his property lies; the distance of his residence from Yedo; 
 the room in the palace of the Shiogoon to which he goes ; the 
 temple in which he is buried. 
 
 In the official list the Daimios are classed by families 
 (Kay), from many of which families there are cadets or 
 offshoots. 
 
 At the head of the Daimios stand the San Kay, "three 
 families," Owarri, Kii, and Mito. lyeyas in his laws calls 
 the two first from their cities, Nagoya and Wakayama. 
 There are four provinces from which two Daimios at one 
 time are not permitted to take a title Mootz, Mikawa, Mu- 
 sashi and Etsigo. No Daimio is allowed to take his title 
 of Kami from any of the three provinces, Kadsusa, Hitatsi, 
 or Kowotsuki they are reserved for the imperial family. 
 
 Of these Daimios, three are generally known as greater 
 Kokushu; viz., 1, Kanga; 2, Satsuma; and, 3, Sendai. 
 Fourteen are called lesser Kokushu: 4, Hosokawa; 5, Ku- 
 roda; 6, AM; 7, Nagato Mowori; 8, Hizen Nabeshima; 9, 
 Inaba Ikeda; 10, Bizen Ikeda; 11, Isse no Tzu, Towodo; 
 12, Awa, Hatchiska; 13, Tosa Yamano ootchi; 14, Sataki; 
 15, Arimain Tsikugo; 16, Nambu; 17, Ooyay Soongi. Four 
 are new Kokushu: 18, Etsizen; 19, Tsuyama; 20, Idzumo; 
 21, Aidzu. 
 
 This list comprehends all those who are supposed to be 
 capable of taking an active share in the government of Yedo, 
 or in ruling their own districts in the interest of the present 
 dynasty of Shiogoons.* When from any cause, such as age 
 or infirmity, a Daimio is incapacitated from attending to his 
 duties at Yedo, or when he becomes tired of the trammels of 
 State to which he is subjected, he may abdicate, and hand 
 over the dignities or the more irksome part of the duties 
 
 * The dynasty having been recently set aside, the country 
 is in a transition state, and the position of these Daimios in 
 the future remains to be worked out.
 
 THE DAIMIO CLASS. 281 
 
 of office to his son. If he be suspected of intriguing against 
 the powers of the State, he may be displaced, and the title 
 taken from him and given to some relative, or any one to 
 whom the Shiogoon may be pleased to give it. It seems but 
 rarely that any steps are taken against the person of a 
 Daimio, further than ordering him into arrest in his own 
 house, which his successor is often too glad to carry into 
 effect. In the case of a Daimio being accused or convicted 
 of any great crime, he may offer to shave his head and 
 become a Buddhist priest, and so avoid any further conse- 
 quences. The difficulty of seizing a man of rank in his own 
 territory has probably led to these compromises. Therefore 
 the government tries to act through the interest of the re- 
 tainers to obtain submission to its decrees. And it is only 
 when a man is powerful enough and wealthy enough (with 
 personal ability to boot, as in the case of Choshiu in 1866) to 
 carry on war, that it becomes necessary to take up arms, and 
 then nothing short of civil war can be the result. 
 
 As a consequence of this state of things, there is a large 
 number of persons in Japan who have been Daimios, but who 
 are in a position, real or nominal, of retirement from the 
 world and its cares. These are the fathers or brothers or rel- 
 atives of those who now hold the title, and who have probably 
 been put in to fill the position on account of their tender age. 
 Many no doubt thus retire of their own free will; but the 
 disturbances consequent upon Ee Kamong no kami's vigor- 
 ous action in 1857 forced others to give up the title and 
 place in order to save them for their family. Others have, 
 for the same object, committed suicide. 
 
 Daimios who have thus retired into private life are called 
 Inkio (Chin., "Yin ku") i.e., retired into privacy. He is 
 thenceforth known generally by the name of his castle or 
 province, with the word for "late" or "formerly," saki no, 
 prefixed to the highest title which he bore. 
 
 In 1862 there were 104 of these Inkio Daimios, whose 
 names are given at the end of the peerage, and of whom the 
 following are most prominent :
 
 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 1. Owarri, saki no Chiunagoong. This is the Daimio 
 who was degraded by the regent. 
 
 2. Mimasaka, saki no Chiujo. This is the thirty-fourth 
 child of the eleventh Shiogoon, and known as Kakudo. 
 
 3. Akashi, saki no Shosho, is also a son of the Shiogoon, 
 and was adopted by Matzdaira Hiobu no tayu. 
 
 4. Ooajima, saki no Shosho. His son is also on the re- 
 tired list. 
 
 5. Etsizen, saki no Chiujo Shoongaku. He was degraded 
 by the regent, but was restored, and afterward became re- 
 gent or Sosai. 
 
 A Buddhist name is at times adopted when he does not 
 wish to continue to bear a title. 
 
 When he has shaved his head and becomes a priest, he 
 is called Niudo; i.e., entered the path of Buddha. 
 
 Keng, Sei, Ang, and Eeng are Buddhist titles taken by 
 those who have retired from the world. 
 
 The Hattamoto literally, "the root or foundation of the 
 flag or army." This rank was formerly called Shiomio, 
 " small names," in contradistinction to Daimio, "great 
 names." The Hattamoto are officers of the Shiogoon's 
 government, who in rank and emoluments come next to 
 the Daimios. Hattamoto are eligible to fill all the offices 
 in the different departments of the Yedo government under 
 the Gorochiu (to which Daimios alone are appointed). When 
 it is wished to put a Hattamoto into the Cabinet, he is first 
 given by the Shiogoon territory equivalent to 10,000 koku 
 per annum. A Hattamoto may be described as an officer 
 of the government in the possession of land valued from 500 
 to 9,999 koku. Officers with less than 500 koku are below 
 Hattamoto, and known as Go kennin; and beneath them 
 are Ko jiu nin. Lower still are the account-keepers; Oto 
 torimi, bird-keepers; Okatchi, spies and men about the 
 kitchen; and Yoriki and Do sin. Hattamoto are generally 
 of the fifth rank, or Shodaibu, and never of the fourth. Some 
 Hattamoto have titles from the Emperor, others have titles 
 of provinces, as Daimios have, but those who have any titles
 
 THE DAIM1O CLASS. 283 
 
 are a small minority of the whole number. Some Hattamoto 
 receive titles for one generation only, known as Itchi dai 
 Yoriai. The class is divided into large and small the for- 
 mer having from 3,000 to under 10,000 koku of land; the 
 latter from 500 to 3,000. They are divided into 
 
 1. Kotai Hattamoto, or those who go to Yedo on alternate 
 years. 
 
 2. Yoriai. 
 
 3. Ogo bang. These live in or have charge of a castle, 
 such as Kofu, Soonpu, etc. 
 
 4. Shingo bang. These act as guards to the Shiogoon 
 in Yedo. 
 
 5. O niwa bang. These are keepers of the gardens, and 
 are generally spies, and consequently avoided by other officers. 
 
 Some of the principal families of Hattamoto are the 
 following : 
 
 Soonga numa, with 7,000 koku, at Shinshiro, in Mikawa 
 province. An old family, proud of the family name. 
 
 Matzdaira Hissamatz is a relative of Matzdaira Oki no 
 kami, related to the Shiogoon 's family, and uses the Awoee 
 or crest of the Shiogoon, with 6,000 koku; lives at Izassa in 
 Shimosa. 
 
 Takanoya Matzdaira is the lineal descendant of the Nitta 
 family, with 4,500 koku; lives at Nishingori in Mikawa. 
 
 Ikoma Tokutaro was, in the time of Taikosama, a power- 
 ful Daimio, is now a Hattamoto with 8,000 koku, living at 
 Yajima in Dewa. 
 
 Yamano Mondo no ske, also a descendant of the Nitta 
 family; was, in the time of Ashikanga, powerful, with 6,700 
 koku ; resides at Mura oka in Tajima, is considered a good 
 family, and, as related to the Shiogoon, has special privileges. 
 
 Hirano. His ancestor, H. Gonpe, was a noted warrior 
 in Taikosama's time. The family is much respected, has 
 5,000 koku, and lives at Sawara moto in Yamato. 
 
 Kinoshta. Calls himself of the line of Taikosama, with 
 5,000 koku. His castle is Tateishi in Boongo. 
 
 Yamazaki. Formerly a powerful family, now with 5,000
 
 284 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 koku, resides at Nariwoo in Bitsjiu; is descended from the 
 third brother of Hatchimang taro. 
 
 Mongami, lineally descended from Ashikanga, is looked 
 upon as a Kokushiu ; resides at Owomori in Owomi, with a 
 revenue of 5,000 koku. 
 
 Kowotsuki, at Kowotsuki in Owomi, with 4,700 koku, 
 is the lineal male descendant of the Ooda Genji line. 
 
 Besides these Hattamoto, there are Kotai Yoriai, who 
 are landed proprietors of very old families, but who are as 
 Tozama, and take no part in affairs, such as 
 
 Nassu, a very old family in Shimotsuki. 
 
 Mikawa shiu, the line of lyeyas's family. 
 
 Nakajima Mayra was found in the Mayra district in 
 Kiusiu. 
 
 There are, besides these, Hattamoto, styled Hira Yoriai, 
 with revenues from below 10,000 koku downward, such as 
 
 Minagawa, with 9,000 koku. 
 
 Seigo, and others. 
 
 Kondo nobori no ske, with 5,400 koku, who is looked 
 upon as first Hattamoto, not by rank, but because he re- 
 fused to take the rank of Daimio from lyeyab when offered 
 to him. 
 
 Koozai, Foonayoshi. These two are very wealthy. They 
 . were formerly engaged in trade with the Portuguese in the 
 sixteenth century. And many others, with incomes grad- 
 ually decreasing to 500 koku per annum. 
 
 Hattamoto officers have generally been employed on in- 
 terviews with foreign embassadors, or as embassadors to 
 foreign courts on the conclusion of treaties. 
 
 Those who negotiated the treaty with Lord Elgin in 1858 
 were Midzuno Tsikugo no kami, a low Hattamoto. He 
 was afterward disgraced, but in 1862 was appointed gov- 
 ernor of Hakodadi, and looked upon as a shrewd, wily man. 
 Nagai Genba no kami was also a low Hattamoto. He 
 was also disgraced in the changes which followed, but in 
 September, 1862, was appointed Sa kio, or street governor 
 of Miako. Inooyay Sinano no kami was the minister for
 
 THE DAIMIO CLASS. 285 
 
 naval affairs was of low origin, the son of a Gokennin. He 
 negotiated the treaty with Mr. Harris, United States Minis- 
 ter. He was in 1862 made a governor for foreign affairs. 
 Hori Oribay no kami was considered an upright man and 
 just in his dealings. After the part he took in signing the 
 treaty, he got into difficulties with Ando and Koozay in the 
 Gorochiu, and committed suicide. Iwase Higo no kami, 
 a low Hattamoto, a very cunning man, since dead. Isuda 
 Hanzaburo was an obscure Gokennin. 
 
 The Dutch treaty was signed by Nagai Genba no kami ; 
 Okabay Suruga no kami, a low Hattamoto ; and Iwase Higo 
 no kami. 
 
 The Portuguese treaty was signed in 1860 by Misono- 
 gootchi Sanuki no kami, a high Hattamoto he was ap- 
 pointed in 1862 general in command of the castle of Osaka; 
 Sakkai oki no kami, a Hattamoto with 2,000 koku he is 
 now governor of the exchequer in Yedo; and Matzdaira 
 Djirobe had office in 1862 in the castle Kofu. 
 
 The embassadors who visited Europe were of the rank 
 of Hattamoto: Take no ootchi, Simotski no kami, and oth- 
 ers. The embassies were accompanied by agents from the 
 more powerful Daimios, such as Satsuma, Choshiu, and 
 others, who reported their observations to their own mas- 
 ters. 
 
 The Kokay, or Kowokay, as has been before stated, is a 
 class which is looked upon as intermediate in rank between 
 Daimios and Koongays. They are not permitted to take 
 part in the affairs of government. They are the representa- 
 tives of old families, and receive pay from government. The 
 class is divided into Kimo iri kokay and Omotte Kokay. 
 
 Among the former are Hatake yama. His ancestor was 
 a partisan of Yoritomo; his tomb is at Kamakura. Toki, 
 a general of Ashikanga's time. Yura, a powerful family 
 in the time of Ashikanga. Otta, the lineal descendant of 
 Nobu nanga. Rokaku; in the time of Yoritomo known as 
 Sassaki. Arima, related to Arima, the Roman Catholic. 
 Imagawa, formerly lord of Surunga, and builder of Soonpu
 
 286 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 castle; defeated by lyeyas. Takeda, of the family of T. 
 Singeng, who fought against lyeyas. And others. 
 
 Of the Omotte Kokay There are Owotomo, of the fam- 
 ily of Owotomo Boongo no kami, the great patron of the 
 Jesuits in the sixteenth century. At one time a very pow 
 erful family, possessing the greater portion of the island of 
 Kiusiu, before the power of Satsuma rose to a height. The 
 fortunes of the family fell with those of the Jesuits; and to 
 the league formed against these foreigners, the confiscation 
 of the extensive property of Owotomo was the stimulus to 
 energy and the reward of victory. Ooyay sungi was very 
 powerful in the province of Etsingo, and the family for long 
 held the office of Kwanrei at Kamakura. The direct de- 
 scendant of the Nitta line was Jera matz manjiro. He was 
 naturally a proud man, and refused to come to Yedo when 
 lyeyas invited him, and, in consequence, he lost his posi- 
 tion; but the other Daimios, who trace their origin to the 
 same source the Nitta family support him in a position 
 equal to themselves. 
 
 The class of officers next below the Hattamoto is the 
 Gokennin. The highest income they receive from govern- 
 ment is less than 500 koku per annum. 
 
 Beneath the Gokennin, officers come under the general 
 classification of Yakunins or officials literally, "business 
 men." This name is applied to the lower officers employed 
 by the Shiogoon such as Kumi gashira, Shirabbe yaku, 
 Jo yaku, and Shtabang. There are no Yakunins in Miako; 
 there the Emperor's sub-officials are called Kwannin. 
 
 Every Yakunin is supposed to swear that he will do what- 
 ever, right or wrong, he is ordered to do by his government. 
 
 It is not permitted to Gokennin, or to officials of lower 
 rank, to ride in Yedo or upon the highroads ; they must walk. 
 
 Such being the details of the officers under the Shiogoon, 
 the government is so well regulated as to have worked with 
 comparative smoothness for 250 years. The safeguards and 
 checks which were devised by lyeyas have been in operation 
 up to recent times. The setting apart of three families from
 
 THE DAIMIO CLASS. 287 
 
 the members of which the Shiogoon might be chosen, gives 
 a powerful support to the reigning family. The designation 
 of four families, from out of which a regent might be ap- 
 pointed, and the further naming of thirteen families from 
 out of which the Cabinet was advised to be formed, out of 
 the broader basis of 135 Fudai or working Daimios, who 
 were generally comparatively poor, gave to all the higher 
 classes a consistency of interest in the existing state of things. 
 Power over the person of the individual, and over his per- 
 sonal power of mischief, in regard to the more powerful 
 princes, was sought to be obtained by the detention of the 
 wives and families in Yedo, and by visiting the sins of an 
 intriguing prince, not upon his family or retainers, but upon 
 himself alone. It would appear that when the Shiogoon is 
 of age, and of sufficient capacity, he will appoint his own 
 ministers out of the different families named by lyeyas to 
 this end. It is to the interest of the State as well as of the 
 Kokushiu that they should continue unmolested in the pos- 
 session of their extensive territories and jurisdiction; and 
 intrigues are prevented as far as possible by no one being 
 allowed to visit another within his territories. While the 
 power which the government held over the persons and 
 property of these powerful princes, by having the wives 
 and families as hostages at Yedo, was promoted by the 
 wish for their welfare on the part of the husbands or par- 
 ents, it was kept in force by the strange custom of these 
 powerful lords coming up to the court at Yedo every alter- 
 nate year, or, in some cases, every six months. Perhaps 
 this was aided by the dullness of their country quarters com- 
 pared with the gayety of the capital. If the Shiogoon be 
 a minor, or incapable of holding the reins of power, the 
 ablest or the least scrupulous of those who have any claim 
 to the situation becomes regent, and he rules the empire for 
 the time being. A regency, however, has not been fre- 
 quently necessary during the rule of the present family, 
 but the appointment has never been held by one man for 
 more than three years, and the tenure, it is said, has gen-
 
 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 erally been terminated by assassination. The regent re- 
 moves his political foes, and appoints in their place men 
 holding his own views. He carries himself as a ruler over 
 men who are his superiors in wealth and rank the Ko- 
 kushiu. These men are still obliged to repair to Yedo, 
 where they find, in place of an acknowledged superior, a 
 haughty inferior, to whom they must pay court. This is 
 one weak point of the system, and that upon which it threat- 
 ened to break up. This forms the last chapter of the history 
 of the empire. 
 
 The above is a sketch of the court of the Shiogoon, with 
 which one must be acquainted before the past history or the 
 current events in the empire can be thoroughly understood. 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE CONTINUED 
 
 THE history of Japan, during the two and a half centuries 
 after the death of lyeyas, presents a continuous narrative of 
 tranquillity and peace when contrasted with the stormy times 
 which preceded that era. The laws which lyeyas made, and 
 the steps which he took, seem to have brought about the end 
 which he had in view ; namely, establishing his own family 
 as de facto rulers of the empire, and placing them upon a 
 seat which should be too strong for any rival to overthrow. 
 
 The peace which was so happily granted to the empire 
 was so perfect and of such duration that in the year 1806 a 
 great national festival was held, when the nobles and people 
 congratulated the Emperor upon what was an unprecedented 
 fact in the history of Japan, and indeed it may be said of 
 any nation, an unbroken peace of nearly two hundred years. 
 
 The only subject of discord left behind him by lyeyas at 
 his death was the question of the treatment of the foreigner
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 289 
 
 in his twofold capacity of trader and missionary. The for- 
 eigner as a trader lyeyas wished to retain at his ports, in 
 order that he himself might enjoy the benefits of trade, and 
 keep himself acquainted with what was going on in the world 
 around him. The foreigners as proselytizing missionaries 
 bringing professions of peace and goodwill, but who seemed 
 to be in reality preachers of sedition and organizers of rebel- 
 lion, were not to be tolerated ; and he came to the conclusion 
 that if any real peace was to be obtained for the country, it 
 must be at the expense of the former. "Perish trade," he 
 said, "that my country may have the greater blessing of 
 peace." With the view of carrying out his plans, another 
 edict was, in the year 1616, promulgated against the Roman 
 Catholic religion, about which time the evidence of these 
 fathers would lead to the belief that, "from Taikosama's 
 death, 1598, to the year 1614, the fathers of the Society bap- 
 tized upward of 104,000; and what is more, in the three first 
 years of the persecution, when the very pillars themselves 
 began to shake, they converted 15,000 more. By this time 
 the Jesuits had traversed the whole empire, and claimed 
 converts, not only in Yedo, but in Oshiu (or Mootz) and 
 Dewa to the extreme north. The province of Oshiu is sep- 
 arated from Dewa by a long chain of high mountains all 
 covered with snow, and here it was that the poor exiled 
 Christians lived, destitute of all human assistance. One of 
 the Jesuits, moved with compassion at their misfortune, took 
 a journey into that country, climbing up the hills over hide- 
 ous precipices in deep snow. He visited privately the Chris- 
 tians that wrought in the mines, and confessed and com- 
 municated them. The same he did at the hospital of lepers, 
 which happened to be at that time full of Christians." This 
 was, as we are told, done quietly, and by the assistance of 
 converts; but, as heretofore, while some of the different 
 orders of the Roman Church were disposed to keep quiet 
 till better times should dawn, and carry on their ministra- 
 tions in secret, as it were, others were still inclined to show 
 a zeal without knowledge, and thus kept up the ardor of 
 
 13
 
 290 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 their enemies about the court. During the year 1626 Midzu 
 no and Take naka were sent down to Nagasaki to examine 
 into and report upon the state of the Christian religion; and 
 the government, knowing that the Cross was the symbol of 
 the faith, and an object of the highest reverence among the 
 Christians, resolved to make the question of such reverence 
 the shibboleth or test of the individual strength of faith. In 
 1636 orders were issued by government that every one in 
 Nagasaki was to assemble each month for the purpose of 
 standing upon, with the object of desecrating, a copper "ita," 
 or plate, with an engraven representation of the Christian 
 criminal God i.e., of our Saviour. This order was strictly 
 carried out at Nagasaki, while another such plate was (and 
 is) kept at Osaka for the purpose of testing suspected per- 
 sons. This act of desecration is known as " Yayboomi," and 
 was carried out till the recent conclusion of treaties with 
 Christian nations. 
 
 This last device of the government appears to have been 
 successful in separating the Christian element from the 
 heathen; but it terminated in a way which was, perhaps, 
 not expected by the authorities ; namely, in driving the poor 
 Christians of the island of Kiusiu to band together, and ulti- 
 mately in desperation to take up arms in their own defense. 
 Had the Christians resorted to this ultima ratio at first, 
 instead of leaving it as the last card they had to play, the 
 result of the game might have been different from what it 
 turned out to be. Refusing to perform such an act of irrev- 
 erence and desecration, they were obliged to fly to the hills 
 and band together for the common object of protection. The 
 numbers increased until they amounted to upward of 40,000 
 men. The most prominent leader among them appears to 
 have been Massida shiro, fourth son of Jimbe, in Kobemura, 
 in Hizen province; and he was assisted by two brothers, 
 Oyano Kozayaymon and O. Kemmootz. These are prob- 
 ably the two brothers to whom Tavernier, the great East 
 era traveler, alludes in an appendix to his work, when he 
 mentions, on the authority of one Father Barr, who seems
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 291 
 
 to have been in Japan at the time, that "none were more 
 zealous or faithful to the Christians than the two lords of 
 Ximo, Francis and Charles, sons of the lord of Buzen." 
 
 The Roman Catholics who had been recently forced out 
 of the city of Nagasaki and the town adjacent gathered 
 themselves together under the command of Massida, and 
 resolved to make a final stand in the island of Amacusa, 
 at that time belonging to Terasawa, formerly governor of 
 Nagasaki, and under the charge of his retainer Miako tobe. 
 The first move of this Christian army was to seize the cas- 
 tle of Tomioka. This put them in possession of the island, 
 after which the army crossed over to occupy the castle 
 of Simabara, situated about twenty miles from Nagasaki, 
 and meditated an attack upon that town. The movements 
 of both parties seem to have been slow, as, after a delay of 
 twelve months, the government issued orders to the Daimios 
 of the island of Kiusiu to collect, equip and send forward an 
 army under the command of Itakura Suwo no kami to besiege 
 the castle and town of Simabara. Itakura, probably acting 
 upon the advice of his augurs, the Buddhist priesthood, at- 
 tacked the city upon the first day of the year, and was killed 
 in the attempt, when the command devolved upon Matzdaira 
 Idzu no kami, with Toda san mong and Matzdaira Sin saburo. 
 After sustaining a siege of two months, and repelling several 
 attacks, the Christians were at last overcome and the castle 
 was taken. The whole of the persons found in the city 
 men, women, and children were massacred, to the number 
 of 31,000. The three leaders were taken, together with a 
 woman, beheaded, and the heads put up on the gate of the 
 Dutch factor's house at Hirado. After the affair was over, 
 the native accounts say that "the guns from Nagasaki were 
 of great use, therefore he presented money." The factor at 
 the time appears to have been named Koekkebekker, and the 
 statement that money was presented implies in the native 
 account that it was given to the Dutch for the assistance 
 derived from their cannon, which are said to have fired from 
 a ship and a battery on shore 426 balls. A great deal has
 
 292 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 been made of this against the Dutch, as using their influ- 
 ence to extirpate Christianity from the empire ; but when 
 the guns were demanded by the Japanese, the Dutch factor 
 was powerless to refuse. 
 
 A few native vessels were at this time permitted to trade 
 with China, -Hainan, Formosa, and Tonquin; and there 
 must have been a considerable number of Japanese collected 
 in Macao and its neighborhood, some probably traders or 
 runaway sailors, others as refugees on account of religion, 
 or as being educated for the priesthood. Up to a recent 
 period the remains of a large building with a garden-wall 
 were visible on the Lappa, opposite Macao, which was 
 known to the Chinese as the "Yut pone lao," or Japanese 
 hall, now better known as the "Fan kwei lao," or hall of 
 the outer devils. 
 
 According to native history, in the year 1640 some of the 
 "Jashiu mong" (one of the names by which the Roman 
 Catholic sect was known in Japan) came to Kagosima in 
 Satsuma. Orders were given to the inhabitants not to speak 
 to and not to listen to these foreigners. Two officers, Kan- 
 gatsume from Miako and Baba saburo from Nagasaki, were 
 ordered to investigate and communicate the result. They 
 found that ' ' there were in one ship seventy-three men of this 
 sect ; of this number sixty were beheaded, and the remainder 
 were sent to the islands." This is the way in which native 
 authors put the arrival and treatment of four Portuguese 
 gentlemen who were sent as embassadors to Japan from 
 Macao in order to endeavor if possible by a last stroke to 
 reopen the trade which had been lost. The four gentle- 
 men, with their suite and the crews of the vessels to the 
 number of sixty men, were beheaded at Nagasaki, while 
 the remaining thirteen were sent back to Macao to inform 
 the authorities there of the treatment they had received. 
 In the Cathedral of Macao may be seen a painting of the 
 execution of these embassadors. 
 
 Deeply regretting the loss of the trade of Japan, and 
 nothing daunted by the fate of these envoys, King John,
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 293 
 
 upon ascending the throne of Portugal after the separation 
 of the kingdom from the dominion of Spain, thought it a 
 good opportunity to attempt to reopen negotiations; and 
 with this view Don Gonzalo de Sequeyra was dispatched 
 with two vessels and numerous presents to pave the way. 
 He was, though more fortunate, not more successful than 
 those envoys sent from Macao. By the accounts of native 
 historians, "two black ships came to the island of Iwoga 
 sima, south ol Satsuma. They said they were all Nanbang 
 men, and that there was not one Roman Catholic [priest?] 
 among them. The captain said, 'My country's king is now 
 changed. I have a dispatch from the new king, and I wish 
 it to be forwarded as soon as convenient to Yedo. ' ' Inoo- 
 yay and Yamagaki were sent from Yedo to make inquiries. 
 They demanded that the powder and guns should first of all 
 be given up, and then they would hear what the envoys had 
 to say. The captain replied, " 'Trading is a matter which 
 concerns all countries. If Japan does not choose to trade 
 with us, that is her affair, but the guns and powder cannot 
 be given up.' Thereupon all the Daimios in the island of 
 Kiusiu were ordered to hold themselves in readiness with 
 men and boats. The name of the envoy was Koni sa aru," 
 etc., in which an attempt was made to write his name in 
 Japanese sounds. He said he was a relative of the King of 
 Portugal. Answer was sent down from Yedo to the effect 
 that these ships had committed a serious offense, but that 
 they should be dealt leniently with, and were to be ordered 
 to leave the shores and not to return. After staying in all 
 forty-three days, the two vessels departed. They had two 
 captains and 400 men. The one was 156 feet long by 42 
 broad; the other was 144 feet long by 36 broad. Each ves- 
 sel had 20 large guns. After this visit orders were given to 
 the Kiusiu Daimios to have always in readiness a force of 
 55,000 men and 997 guard-boats for the protection of the 
 coasts. In the year 1666 another edict was issued against 
 the Roman Catholics, so that it would appear that some 
 sparks of the faith were still lingering here and there,
 
 294 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 which the government feared might at a moment be 
 fanned into flame. 
 
 In the year 1709, Abbe Sidotti, an Italian priest of good 
 family, determined to devote himself to the cause, and to 
 make another attempt to regain Japan to the Church of 
 Rome. "With difficulty he found a captain of a vessel trad- 
 ing at Manila, who agreed to put him ashore on some point 
 of the coast, and there to leave him to his own resources. 
 When off the coast of Satsuma a boat was lowered, and the 
 abbe, with a few small coins in his pocket, was put on shore. 
 The boat returned, and the ship sailed away. After a long 
 interval, a report reached the Dutch factory, through Chi- 
 nese, that the abbe had been taken and immured between 
 two walls, and allowed to perish of hunger. But this has 
 lately been disproved by the discovery of a full account of 
 his arrest and examination, and detention about Yedo until 
 his death, which does not appear to have taken place for 
 many years. This was the last effort made by the Church 
 of Rome to regain the footing she had lost. 
 
 Hidetada, the son and successor of lyeyas, would seem 
 not to have possessed the talents or firmness of his father, 
 but he had the advantage of his father's advice and assist- 
 ance during the greater part of his rule. His son, lyaymitz, 
 when he was capable of ruling, and had come to the office 
 of Shiogoon, found that the spirit of the Daimios had been 
 softened by the long peace. The yoke of the Tokungawa 
 family did not gall their necks, and they preferred peace 
 and ease in the assured possession of their estates, to the 
 risk and violence of wars and constant disturbance in the 
 empire. lyaymitz on more than one occasion visited the Em- 
 peror in Miako with great pomp, but a real or suspected 
 attempt to assassinate him seems to have put a stop to these 
 visits. 
 
 The year 1634 is given as the date at which the custom 
 of the Daimios visiting Yedo on alternate years commenced. 
 The Daimios coming to Yedo and returning from it are 
 spoken of as Sankin and Kotai. The custom seems to have
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 295 
 
 been long in use in Miako, but in a more temporary way, 
 and simply as being a duty of each lord to visit and pay his 
 respects at the imperial court once a year when they offered 
 presents. This visit was by lyeyas transferred to his court 
 at Yedo and Soonpu; but it appears to have fallen into des- 
 uetude and irregularity during the life of Hidetada. But 
 lyaymitz, who was an able, proud, and precise ruler, found 
 that his father had not been much respected by the Daimios, 
 who still retained the recollection of the wars and prowess 
 of lyeyas ; but in course of time these men were succeeded 
 by their sons, who were of a more effeminate spirit, and had 
 no such associations. lyaymitz, taking advantage of this 
 change, invited all the Daimios to visit him in Yedo, when 
 he proposed rules for their visiting and residing at his court, 
 to which they all agreed, swearing fealty, and signing the 
 deed each with his own blood drawn from above the nail of 
 the finger. A hall had been built on the Goteng yama, a 
 rising-ground near Yedo, in which the Shiogoon was to meet 
 the Daimios on their arrival ; but under lyaymitz the custom 
 was discontinued and the ground made public. 
 
 During the same year, the "Court of Deliberation," the 
 Hio jo sho, was established in Yedo, with the view at the 
 outset of investigating charges brought against Daimios. 
 The Mayassu hako, or box for complaints, now standing 
 in front of the Hio jo sho, was not placed there till the year 
 1721. 
 
 One Shiogoon after another succeeded to the throne, not 
 always without suspicion of unfair means being used to 
 hasten the conclusion of the reign. It is generally believed 
 that Tsuna yoshi was killed by his wife when he was on the 
 eve of proclaiming the son of Yanangi sawa, one of his min- 
 isters, his successor. The heir was lyay nobuko, the son of 
 the eldest son of lyaymitz, the father, when a young man, 
 having been sent to the castle of Kof oo under arrest on ac- 
 count of irregularity of conduct. In the year 1716, on the 
 death of the infant Shiogoon, lyay tsoongu, a difficulty oc- 
 curred as to the succession, when Yoshi mone, who was of
 
 296 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 the royal house of Kii shiu, was selected by the Kokushu, 
 on the recommendation of Eeyee kamong no kami, then 
 Regent. Having abdicated in 1745, he died in 1751, and is 
 reputed as one of the ablest and wisest of the Shiogoons of 
 the dynasty. The next Shiogoon was lyay hige; and dur- 
 ing the rule of his successor, lyay haru, about 1765, a com- 
 mon foot-soldier, Tanuma, rose to be chief minister, a posi- 
 tion and power which he used not only to gratify his own 
 evil propensities, but to disseminate the same corruption 
 over the empire. Preventing all communications with the 
 Shiogoon, he did what was right in his own eyes ; forbade 
 all persons to study ; changed the laws ; and devoted himself 
 and the empire to debauchery. He was made a Daimio, and 
 placed at the head of the Cabinet. A conspiracy formed 
 against him failed, and the principal conspirators were be- 
 headed ; but he was at length put down by Matzdaira Etsjiu 
 no kami, who published at this time the ' ' Tenka hatto, mikka 
 hatto," or three days' proclamation over the empire. 
 
 The Japanese are proud of and delight in the beautiful 
 scenery of their country; and every one who has opportu- 
 nity, including nearly all the inhabitants, male and female, 
 makes a walking tour at some period of his life over the 
 country, visiting the more remarkable temples, which are 
 generally placed in favorable sites amid woods, and sur- 
 rounded by fine forest-trees, the immediate precincts being 
 kept with the most scrupulous care and nicety of gardening. 
 Nowhere are the temples more magnificent or the scenery 
 finer than about Miako ; and it had been for long the custom 
 for the Emperor to go out and visit some one of the temples 
 in the neighborhood of Miako, and offer worship. In the 
 year 1722 a day was set apart in spring, and again in 
 autumn, on which the whole court should annually go out 
 on a sort of gigantic picnic the Emperor drawn in a car 
 by oxen, and accompanied by all the Koongays when *hey 
 visit some of the temples most renowned for their sanctity 
 or for the beauty of the grounds. This procession is called 
 Miyuki or Gokowo. There are two gardens adjoining the
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 297 
 
 palace in Miako, Shoongakuji and Katsura, which are said 
 to be most exquisitely laid out and kept in beautiful order. 
 The gardeners who have the charge of these gardens belong 
 to a class or sect known as Gayra, a people who live apart 
 by themselves in a few villages in the neighborhood of the 
 capital. They are said to have kept themselves apart in 
 customs and religion for many generations. In religion, 
 they say there is but one God, and that all men below the 
 Emperor are equal. They, as Quakers with us, will not use 
 terms of respect to other men, such as "kudasare," or call 
 men by titles, as "sama," similar to "esquire"; saying that 
 they only adhere to old customs in so doing. They are 
 themselves respected as being of old and pure descent, and 
 their children are often selected by Koongays for adoption. 
 They principally follow the occupation of gardeners, or that 
 of breeders of horses. 
 
 In the year 1639, the Portuguese and Spaniards having 
 been expelled, and the Dutch factory alone left at Hirado, 
 the commissioner was ordered to remove his people and 
 offices to the small factory on Desima, "the Outer Island," 
 at the head of the inlet of Nagasaki, and trade was prohib- 
 ited at all other places in Japan, and to any other nation, 
 with the exception of the Chinese. 
 
 In connection with the Dutch and their position on these 
 seas, the pirate commonly known as Coxinga is worthy of 
 notice. Koku seng ya, as he is known in Japanese history, 
 was the son of a Chinese, Ching tsing lung (Tayshi rio in 
 Japanese), by a Japanese woman. The father was for many 
 years, as pirate and admiral, the terror of the Chinese seas. 
 His son succeeded him in his former capacity, and reduced 
 the coasts of China to such a state of terror and devasta- 
 tion, that an order was given, as a desperate remedy, that 
 every person should remove into the interior to a distance of 
 twelve miles from the shore, leaving the cities to decay and 
 the fields to waste. In 1647 Coxinga went over to Japan, 
 and offered his services to, or asked the assistance of, the 
 government in an attack he meditated upon China ; but his
 
 298 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 application was refused. He seems to have again applied to 
 the government in 1658, when he turned his attention to the 
 island of Formosa. A large number of Japanese converts 
 had fled to this island, and the Dutch had built one or two 
 forts with the view of protecting a trade which they hoped 
 might grow up with China. In 1662 Coxinga attacked and 
 captured the fort Zelandia, putting to death nearly all the 
 Dutch soldiers, missionaries, and their wives and families. 
 Only a few men and some of the young women were not 
 killed. A curious but melancholy sigh is wafted over from 
 this long-forgotten remnant of Dutch Christianity and civili- 
 zation in a letter which was brought to Japan about the year 
 1711 by the captain of an English vessel who had touched at 
 Formosa on his way out ; and as the letter comes through a 
 Japanese channel, there is no reason to doubt its authentic- 
 ity. The captain, in answer to interrogations, says, "There 
 is no war in Tonay [Formosa] now, and we have no trade 
 there. The Dutch head man asked me to give the following 
 letter to the Dutch commissioners in Nagasaki: 'Please ask 
 Japan to help us; we are now shut up as hi a prison, and 
 every day we weep. The names of the Dutch in Tonay are 
 [here the names are given in Japanese]. I hear that this 
 English vessel is going hence to Japan; therefore we take 
 the opportunity of sending this letter to you. The Tonay 
 country was seized many years ago; but we are still alive, 
 but we are in a most miserable state. Please help us to 
 return to our country. We pray you to speak to the Kogee 
 [Kubosama]. 
 
 " 'Signed by the head man Yohang Hoorohooro, and 
 two others. 
 
 " 'There are ten women and several children here.' ' 
 Nicolas Verburgh seems to have been the name of the 
 officer in command of the fort at the time of its capture in 
 1662, and the signature, as written by a Japanese, closely 
 corresponds to the pronunciation of the name, and Yohang 
 may have been his son John. From the tenor of the letter 
 it seems hardly possible to doubt but that these were some
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 299 
 
 of the survivors of the Dutch captured in 1062, and if so, it 
 is curious to have such a fact coming to light through Japa- 
 nese informants, and melancholy to think of such a tedious 
 captivity lightened up after fifty years by the hope of once 
 more revisiting their home, and being redeemed from their 
 never-ending misery. 
 
 The name of this English ship is not given, but native 
 history tells us that the captain brought with him an exact 
 copy of the treaty or letter signed by lyeyas, traced upon 
 paper, and expressed a wish to communicate with the Shio- 
 goon at Yedo. A Dutch interpreter was sent to see if there 
 were any Portuguese on board. The guns and muskets 
 were taken ashore. There were eighty-four of a crew on 
 board. The captain's name was Sayemon Terohoo (Simon 
 Drew?). The ship was 114 feet long by 27 broad. Then 
 follows a list of articles on board ammunition, which was 
 taken charge of by the Japanese : Gunpowder, 35 tubs; balls, 
 660; leaden bullets, 2 tubs; iron bullets, 1 tub; small stone 
 bullets, 8 tubs; matchlocks, 47; flint muskets, 23; spears, 
 24; swords, 339. 
 
 There were on board, as presents for the Shiogoon, "one 
 fine English musket, double-barreled, 3 feet 3 inches in 
 length; four muskets with very intricate and finely-made 
 locks, besides eight others which cannot be used, but are 
 very well made; and four molds for making balls." 
 
 The cargo consisted of cotton, woolen and cotton cloth, 
 furs, fragrant wood, chintz, scented water, quicksilver, look- 
 ing glasses, tin, silk, crape, etc. The captain was interrogated 
 as to his religion, as to the Portuguese, and as to a change 
 he had made in the national flag which he sailed under, 
 which he explained by saying that he was told the Japanese 
 did not like the cross. 
 
 The Dutch had carried on their trade at the island of 
 Hirado, where an extensive land-locked bay is pointed out 
 as the harbor. They were ordered in 1639 to leave that 
 port, and in future to resort to Nagasaki, where a small 
 island, which was afterward connected by a bridge with the
 
 300 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 town, was appointed them as a place of residence and for 
 trade, being about the same size as the factories at Canton 
 occupied by foreigners till 1856. 
 
 Several attempts were made by other nations, at long 
 intervals, to reopen a trade with the country; but it was 
 thought by the Dutch to be their interest to oppose any 
 such competition, and the Japanese themselves dreaded, 
 with good cause, any renewal of the former state of things. 
 
 The national annals during the period which elapsed be- 
 tween the era of lyeyas and the reopening of the country 
 advert to a number of occurrences of temporary and local 
 importance only. The comparatively trivial nature of these 
 tends to bring out into relief the continued quiet and rest 
 which the country has enjoyed under the form of govern- 
 ment established by lyeyas, and after all complications aris- 
 ing from dealings with other nations were forcibly put an 
 end to by the expulsion of foreigners. 
 
 The Daimio Fkushima Massaiiori was banished in 161 9 
 to the island of Hatchi jo for a series of cruelties practiced 
 upon his family, his servants, and his people, which show 
 that he was deranged ; and his extensive territories, occupy- 
 ing three provinces, were confiscated. 
 
 In 1621 the Emperor married the daughter of the Shio- 
 goon. 
 
 The temple of To yay zan was built in Yedo for the occu- 
 pation of the high-priest, who is alluded to in the laws of 
 lyeyas as being appointed to fill that position as a near rela- 
 tive of the Emperor, and one whom the Shiogoon may place 
 on the throne in case of rebels siding with the Emperor in 
 opposition to the Shiogoon. He is the most illustrious per- 
 sonage in Yedo. The grounds are very beautiful, and 
 formerly belonged to the family of Todo. 
 
 In the year 1631, about the month of November, it is 
 curious to observe that the annals take notice of a prodig- 
 ious number of ironstones having fallen from heaven, show- 
 ing that the meteoric orbit has been crossing that of the 
 earth as visibly two hundred years ago as it does now.
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 301 
 
 This occurrence probably took place during the day, as at 
 other times these meteors are spoken of as falling stars. 
 
 The aqueduct by which water is led from the Taman- 
 gawa to Yedo, and thence discharged into the castle and 
 town by wooden pipes, was constructed in 1653. Proposals 
 have been made at different times to substitute iron pipes, 
 but the wooden ones still remain a cause of constant ex- 
 pense to the government. 
 
 The burning of the palace at Miako, or of that at Yedo, 
 is one of the most common occurrences in these annals. 
 Titsingh gives a vivid description of a conflagration which 
 occurred in 1788 in Miako, during which the attendants of 
 the Emperor killed more than a thousand persons before he 
 could be carried out of danger. 
 
 The government in Japan reserves the privilege of sell- 
 ing weights and scales guaranteed by mark and certified as 
 correct. The weights as now used were settled in 1662. 
 
 In 1666 a new edict was issued against the Roman Cath- 
 olic religion; and in 1668 an order was promulgated pro- 
 hibiting any new Buddhist temples being erected. In all 
 probability the Buddhist priesthood had been exalted by 
 their victory over the Roman priesthood, and had again 
 acquired so much power as to be once more threatening to 
 disturb the equilibrium of the state. The zeal of individuals 
 had perhaps been again endowing new and enriching old 
 establishments, actuated by feelings with which the state 
 powers did not wish to sympathize. Only four years before 
 this edict, the enormous copper idol of Buddha at Miako had 
 been melted down and coined into copper "cash," and a 
 wooden figure was substituted. If it be true s as is asserted, 
 that it was three or four times the size of the figure of Dai 
 boods, near Kamakura (at present existing in copper, and 
 upward of forty-five feet in height), it must have been of 
 considerable value in coin. 
 
 This edict against the erection of new temples is still in 
 force in Japan, and while it is aided by a growing want of 
 zeal in the hearts of the people with a contempt for the
 
 302 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 priesthood, it may be broken through by the permission 
 given to repair, or restore, or enlarge any temple already 
 existing, however small it may be; and as a temple or 
 shrine is standing upon nearly every knoll or eminence in 
 Japan, there can be no difficulty, were the funds forthcom- 
 ing, of raising such edifices as were raised of old by the zeal 
 of fervent worshipers. 
 
 The Buddhist priesthood in 1720, by a great religious 
 festival all over the empire, commemorated the eleventh 
 centenary of the establishment of Buddhism. 
 
 The Japanese claim the discovery and settlement of the 
 Bonin or Monin Islands in the year 1683. The name means 
 "no men," or uninhabited. Attempts were made to colo- 
 nize the islands, but they seem to have failed; and some 
 English and Americans, with Sandwich Islanders, male and 
 female, succeeded them. But in 1862 the Japanese govern- 
 ment fitted out a vessel and carried away all these adven- 
 turers, bringing them to Yokohama, and it seems to find 
 the islands a convenient distance to which they can send 
 vessels to train officers and men. 
 
 A work was commenced in 1786 which was expected to 
 have proved of great advantage to Yedo. This was the cut- 
 ting of a canal, and thereby joining several already existing 
 channels, by which a through communication would have 
 been opened up between Yedo, or the Bay of Yedo, and the 
 Pacific Ocean on the east coast. The part of the province 
 of Simosa between Yedo and the east coast is very low land, 
 and it is generally believed that at one time the sea cut off 
 the three provinces of Simosa, Kadsusa, and Awa, which 
 then constituted a separate island; and that the detritus 
 brought down, after a course of nearly two hundred miles, 
 by the largest river in Japan, the Tonay, has filled up with 
 alluvium the sea channel, leaving now only the passage for 
 the fresh water of the river. In the course of the filling up, 
 however, a large lake was left, the Een bang numa. About 
 twenty miles above Yedo, the Tonay, coming down as one 
 river from the Tonay district, divides into two. The one
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 303 
 
 branch, receiving affluents from Hitatsi and the northern 
 provinces, runs due east as the Bando taro, or "eldest son 
 of Bando," and enters the sea between Choshi and Itaku on 
 the east coast. The other branch, running south, enters the 
 sea to the east of the city of Yedo. The Okawa, or Great 
 River, runs parallel with the Tonay, and passes through 
 Yedo spanned by five bridges. Between the Okawa and 
 Tonay, and running parallel to, and communicating by 
 canals with both, is the Nakagawa or Middle River. By 
 these cross canal communications the passage may be made 
 from Yedo to the Pacific on the east, or to the northern 
 provinces by running up to Seki Yado, where the bifurca- 
 tion takes place. It was proposed to deepen the lake, and 
 cut through a passage from it into the Bay of Yedo. The 
 lower part of Yedo is so low that it is liable to be over- 
 flowed should the Tonay rise above its banks. To avert this 
 danger, a large and important embankment, the Gongen do, 
 has been made at Koori hashi. Should this give way, the 
 whole of the lower parts of Yedo would be submerged, as 
 happened, it is said, in 1844. 
 
 The town of Sakura first started the project, and com- 
 menced a canal, but did not finish the work. The Shiogoon, 
 seeing the advantages of the proposed cut, ordered the Dai- 
 mios to cut the remainder of this canal (of about fourteen 
 miles in length), each cutting as his share about 360 feet. 
 The work, which was immediately commenced, was in six 
 months half completed, when orders were given to cease 
 working at it. In 1843 the work was recommenced by 
 orders of government, but when it was within three thou- 
 sand yards of being finished it was again stopped, and it 
 continues in that position to this day. 
 
 The river and canal communications in Japan are more 
 ramified than the mountainous nature of the country would 
 lead one to expect. It is said that Yedo might, by short 
 canals, be put into water relations with Mito on the east 
 coast and Negata on the north, as boats can go up the Tonay 
 to Shimidzu, within eight miles of the navigable part of the
 
 304 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 Negata waters; while Miako might be joined by water to 
 Tsurunga on the north and Owarri on the south. By pri- 
 vate enterprise, in the year 1832, the Yodo ngawa between 
 Miako and Osaka was deepened and improved by the re- 
 moval of some rocks. It is said that the Katsura gawa, or 
 Hozu kawa, now a large affluent of the Yodo gawa, formerly 
 ran to the north through the province of Wakasa ; but a pri- 
 vate individual, Yodo yo, cut a channel by which this river 
 now flows southward into the Osaka River. His family is 
 permitted to levy tolls upon the new channel. 
 
 The occurrence of fearful convulsions of nature is one of 
 the most remarkable circumstances in these annals; and it 
 may be presumed that only the most severe are noticed. 
 But recent observations go to show that almost every day 
 there is an observable motion of the earth at Yokohama 
 from subterranean causes. The native accounts of these, 
 with drawings, give an appalling idea of the suddenness 
 and the severity of earthquakes. In the year 1707 a very 
 severe earthquake shook the whole of the southern part of 
 the island of Nippon, and simultaneously from the side of 
 the mountain Fusiyama [Fusi literally "not two," or none 
 such] issued an eruption of volcanic matter. This eruption 
 continued for fifteen days ; and at Yedo, a distance of sev- 
 enty miles, dust fell to the depth of two feet. Fusiyama 
 had not given any appearance of volcanic action for centu- 
 ries. The projection on the smooth outline of the hill on 
 the northwestern side marks the place where this action took 
 place, and is known as Ho yay zan. At the same time the 
 volcano Assama yama, in Sinano, broke out into violent ac- 
 tion, by which the two adjacent provinces were laid under 
 lava or dust. The same mountain broke out again in 1783, 
 and of the destruction done at that time Titsingh gives a 
 fearful account. He gives details of an earthquake which 
 occurred in 1793 at Simabara, during which a large por- 
 tion of the mountain was swallowed up; and the boil- 
 ing sulphurous springs of Onzen, memorable during the 
 persecutions of the Christians, were dried up. The fear of
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 305 
 
 the inhabitants was quickened by the recollection of the 
 eruption of Assama yama, in Sinano, only ten years before. 
 The inhabitants, with their houses, were engulfed in the 
 openings of the earth; they were carried away by boiling 
 water issuing from the hill; they were killed by falling 
 stones and enormous rocks; they were surrounded and 
 burned by streams of fiery lava; they were drowned by 
 the stoppage of rivers. Some were found suspended from 
 trees, some on their knees, some on their heads in mud, the 
 streets strewed with dead bodies. The falling houses imme- 
 diately took fire, and the unfortunate inmates were burned, 
 or were confined prisoners. The outline of the coast was 
 completely altered, and the country converted into a desert. 
 A number of vessels were sunk at their anchors, and those 
 which tried to get away could hardly do so from dead bodies 
 and floating wood. Fifty-three thousand are known to have 
 perished in this earthquake in a comparatively thinly pop- 
 ulated district. 
 
 In 1828 a tremendous earthquake and volcanic eruption 
 took place in the province of Etsingo, during which, at ISTa- 
 datchi, a large mountain was engulfed and disappeared. 
 This province seems to be entirely undermined by fire. The 
 volcano Taka yama is called the entrance to hell. Oil 
 springs from the ground. Combustible gas issues in such 
 quantity as to be used for cooking and lighting, by simply 
 inserting pipes in the ground. Phosphorescent appearances 
 are seen in many parts. Soda is found in the province in 
 large quantities. Here many flint arrow and spear heads 
 have been found, exactly similar in shape to those found in 
 Europe. 
 
 The frequency of these earthquakes is a reason for nearly 
 all the habitations of man being built of wood ; and by long 
 experience builders have arrived at certain modes of build- 
 ing, oy which the great danger of a house coming down 
 upon the inmates is in many cases obviated. They seem to 
 depend upon the roof for weight; and the piles upon which 
 this heavy roof rests are not fixed firmly into the ground,
 
 306 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 but some of them are fixed slightly into a square framework 
 of wood, laid on stone, while the others stand simply each 
 upon the surface of a large, round, hard, water-rolled stone, 
 which has been firmly imbedded in broken-down sandstone. 
 By this means the snap of a sudden shock is avoided, and 
 some slight motion is allowed. "Whatever be the principle 
 upon which these houses are erected, it is wonderful to see 
 buildings, which seem to be put up in a shape the most ready 
 to topple over upon the least motion, withstand the shocks of 
 earthquakes for ages. There are pagodas in many parts of 
 the country of seven and even nine stories high. At Kama- 
 kura is a temple with a narrow circular neck, above which 
 the eaves of a square roof project to about ten feet on every 
 side, resembling the projection of a Chinaman's hat. If it 
 could withstand the wind, it could never be expected to resist 
 an earthquake ; and yet it is said to be two hundred years 
 old, and seems as sound as when it was built. 
 
 The annals do not disdain to mention the visits of the 
 Emperor to witness theatrical exhibitions, or proceedings of 
 the Shiogoon in quest of sport. 
 
 The Japanese appear to be very partial to the theater, 
 and there seems in the nation an innate aptitude for such 
 representation. But while the government regulates this, 
 as it does every other branch of the amusements as well as 
 the education of the people, actors as a class are looked upon 
 as the lowest in the scale of society. The female parts are 
 generally taken by boys. 
 
 Some companies go about the country composed entirely 
 of boys or young children, none of whom are apparently 
 upward of ten or twelve years of age. The people enjoy 
 these very much, and will take their meals and sit all day 
 watching the different acts, applauding vigorously at what- 
 ever they appreciate in acting, or what may amuse them in 
 the play. Nothing seems to excite their feelings and evoke 
 their applause more than a well-acted suicide by stabbing the 
 abdomen. During the evenings many minor places of amuse- 
 ment are open, such as jugglers, marionettes, and tellers of
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 307 
 
 stories. Wrestling by professionals is another spectacle 
 which always draws a very large concourse of spectators, 
 generally male ; but women are on occasions to be seen view- 
 ing the maneuvers of the contest with the greatest interest. 
 These spectacles have been well, though perhaps over, de- 
 scribed by Commodore Perry. Besides these full-grown 
 wrestlers, companies go about, having under tuition boys of 
 from eight to twelve years of age, who wrestle with all the 
 pomp and circumstance of their full-grown compeers. The 
 same laws regulate the game under the formal umpire. A 
 successful wrestler is hailed with loud applause; and under 
 the influence of the excitement of the moment, money is fre- 
 quently thrown to the conqueror, or for want of it men will 
 throw their coats or napkins, which they afterward redeem. 
 The long peace subsequent to the time of lyeyas, though 
 unbroken by any national disturbance, was not wholly free 
 from local events, which might, had they been fanned, have 
 broken out in serious trouble. In 1837, Osaka and the neigh- 
 borhood were disturbed by a rising which was instigated by 
 an officer, Oshiwo, who, by the distribution of money and by 
 placards, excited the people of the city against the author- 
 ities. During the riot, which may be said to have lasted 
 only one day, nearly all the principal shops in Osaka were 
 pillaged and burned. The ringleader escaped, but was after- 
 ward discovered, though he blew the house up in which he 
 was hiding before he could be arrested. Notwithstanding 
 that the government exercises such surveillance over the 
 people, and that one-fourth of the community seem to be 
 spies upon the remainder, risings of the people do occasion- 
 ally take place. These riots are especially frequent in the 
 provinces of Oomi, Sinano, and Kahi. In the latter, during 
 1838, a rebellion broke out which threatened to be somewhat 
 more formidable than usual. Several high officers and many 
 men on both sides were killed. In truth, in the province of 
 Kahi (or Koshiu) the people are great politicians and unruly, 
 and at the same time under some sort of volunteer organiza- 
 tion. Officers are in general somewhat afraid of an appoint-
 
 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 merit to the province, as the farmers are wealthy, and keep 
 their servants well supplied with arms, which they teach 
 them how to use. A strong force is always kept at Hatch 
 oji, twenty-five miles from Yokohama on the road to Koshiu, 
 as a protection to Yedo. 
 
 In the year 1701 an occurrence took place which termi- 
 nated in a tragedy, and has ever since been one of the na- 
 tional tales of revenge, which, though it was confined to a 
 few individuals, has conferred on them immortality, and the 
 admiration of their countrymen as heroes. Assano, a Daimio 
 from Ako, in the province of Harima, while within the pre- 
 cincts of the Shiogoon's palace, was insulted by a Kokay of 
 the name of Kira, when a quarrel and scuffle took place, 
 during which Assano drew his sword. This was looked 
 upon as such a heinous offense that he was ordered to kill 
 himself, when the government confiscated his property, re- 
 ducing his family and retainers to poverty. The retainers 
 (known as Geeshi), exasperated by this severity, banded 
 together for revenge, and forty -seven proceeded to the house 
 of Kira, when a fight commenced, which was carried on 
 during the whole night till the morning, by which time they 
 were able to penetrate to his apartment and kill him. The 
 whole forty-seven then proceeded in a regular and method- 
 ical manner to commit suicide. They are all buried at the 
 temple of Sengakuji, near the temple first occupied by the 
 British Legation. 
 
 In 1672 the powerful Lord of Sendai was put to death by 
 his own servants. He also is memorable in Japanese story, 
 but more on account of his baseness and cruelty, which he 
 showed by a trait of character often chosen as a subject by 
 native artists. Being a man given up to debauchery and 
 the gratification of his passions, he became enamored of 
 Takawo, the most beautiful courtesan of Yedo at the time. 
 He wished her to accompany him to his castle in the north, 
 but she refused. She had an aversion to him, but the offer 
 of her weight in gold probably prevailed with her, or with 
 those in whose possession she was, to give consent. He took
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 309 
 
 her with him, and on the way to his castle, upon asking her 
 if she was not happy, she replied that she was not, when in 
 a rage he drew his sword and cut off her head. 
 
 The occasions upon which European vessels communi- 
 cated with Japan during the seventeenth and eighteenth 
 centuries seem to have been few, and at long intervals. 
 About 1637, Lord Waddell, with some ships, called in at 
 Nagasaki, but was not allowed to communicate with the 
 Dutch. 
 
 In 1673, 1768, 1791, 1793, 1796 and 1803, notices occur in 
 the native annals of the visits of foreign vessels. 
 
 In 1808, the "Phaeton" frigate, under Captain Pellew, 
 paid a visit to Nagasaki during the time when Holland was 
 at war with England. According to native accounts, the 
 captain wished to carry off the Dutch commissioner. For 
 that purpose he landed his men (in a boat made of leather?), 
 who displayed the usual playful habits of English sailors in 
 a foreign town, "striking everybody, and breaking every- 
 thing they could." The Prince of Hizen was not on the 
 spot; the governor of Nagasaki was quite unprepared; the 
 Prince's lieutenant proposed to burn the frigate by means of 
 fire-boats, but the frigate sailed before any steps could be 
 taken. The governor of the town, the Prince of Hizen, his 
 lieutenant and the guards, are all said, by native accounts, 
 to have committed suicide. 
 
 In 1813, during the time when Holland was absorbed by 
 France, Sir Stamford Raffles sent a vessel from Java with a 
 Dutch officer to take the place of the representative of Hol- 
 land then at Nagasaki ; but the man in possession was able 
 to prevent his opponent landing, and held the place till he 
 was relieved in 1817. 
 
 In 1829, the "Cyprus," a vessel containing some convicts 
 who had risen and murdered the crew, touched at Tanega. 
 The "Morrison," which communicated with Japan shortly 
 after, heard of some foreigners who had landed on the island 
 of Tanega and forcibly carried off cattle. 
 
 In 1846, American vessels came to Nagasaki to beg per-
 
 310 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 mission to trade, and in 1849 some English vessels touched 
 at Uranga. 
 
 The native record of events concludes by stating that in 
 1858 treaties were concluded with five nations American, 
 English, Dutch, Russian, and Portuguese and that silver 
 boos were exchanged for dollars. That in 1859 the Regent, 
 Ee Kamong no kami, was assassinated; and the following 
 year was that year in the cycle in which, recurring once in 
 sixty years, it is permitted to women to ascend Fusiyama. 
 
 The history of the empire is now brought down to a very 
 important era, when relations with European nations are 
 about to be reopened, but, in comparison with her past ex- 
 perience, at a great disadvantage to Japan, in so far as she 
 had to meet foes greatly in advance of herself in the prac- 
 tical application of scientific investigation to the art of war, 
 and when she allowed herself further to be outwitted in the 
 diplomacy of treaty-making. The wars and animosities of 
 European powers had for a long time drawn them away 
 from the East and concentrated their attention nearer home ; 
 and the history of their withdrawal from the Eastern Seas is 
 that of the struggle among European nations for the su- 
 premacy of the sea. 
 
 The English retired from Japan as a field of trade about 
 the year 1623. The hatred of Holland to Spain and Portugal 
 gave vigor to her efforts, and she drove their ships from the 
 East, and remained in possession of the field, such as it was. 
 By driving away competitors, however, the Dutch under- 
 mined their own position, and deprived themselves of sup- 
 port, moral as well as physical, and fell gradually into a 
 position of contemptible dependence for the retention of 
 a worthless trade. 
 
 France appears to have made a feeble attempt, at the 
 time when Colbert was Minister, to open up a trade with 
 Japan, under the advice probably of Francis Caron, who 
 had been Dutch commissioner at Nagasaki. In Chardin's 
 Travels may be seen a letter addressed to the envoy, giving 
 most minute instructions as to his conduct and treatment
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 311 
 
 of the Japanese. Some of these might even be read with 
 benefit by envoys of the present day. "You shall keep your 
 finest clothes, and which you have never wore in Japan, as 
 shall likewise those of your retainers, till you are brought 
 to court, and till the day of your audience. As soon as you 
 shall arrive there, you shall cause your retinue to provide 
 themselves with little leather pumps and slippers. The floors 
 of the houses are covered with tapestry in Japan, for which 
 reason you must put off your shoes when you enter them, 
 and have some without quarters that you may quit them 
 with greater ease." 
 
 The United States of America came late into the field in 
 Japan, but it may be said that the national action toward 
 Japan has had a wider cosmopolitan influence than any 
 other act since the Declaration of Independence. 
 
 The opening up of China, and the enormous trade which 
 followed in opium, silk, and treasure, caused by steam on 
 the one hand and the discovery of gold in California on the 
 other, together with the rapid advance in steam itself, all 
 combined to force a traffic around Japan, and to place these 
 islands on the very highway of commerce. It became every 
 day more obvious that from one side or other, either from 
 the English on the side of China, from the Russians on the 
 north, or from America on the east, some attempt must be 
 made before long to insist at least upon some measures of 
 civil behavior, if not of genuine hospitality, being shown 
 to vessels which required assistance, OP which might be 
 wrecked upon the coasts of Japan. 
 
 In 1846 an attempt was made by the United States gov- 
 ernment to endeavor to break down, if possible, the system 
 of exclusion kept up by Japan by the dispatch of two vessels 
 of war, under Commodore Biddle, with the view of feeling 
 the way toward a better acquaintance with the country. 
 The result was not satisfactory, the commodore having been 
 grossly and perhaps intentionally insulted. 
 
 Mr. Fillmore, the President of the United States, deter- 
 mined to make another effort to break down the barrier, and
 
 312 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 to make such a display as should shqw the Japanese that he 
 was to a certain extent in earnest, and at the same time pre- 
 vent any recurrence of such conduct toward his envoy. It 
 is needless to discuss whether the Dutch or the Russians had 
 any claim to priority of action in the matter. Commodore 
 Perry has endeavored to overthrow any such claims; but 
 such great political steps are seldom the result of a sudden 
 outburst of vigor it was gradually approached from all 
 sides. It was, as has been said, one of the effects of the 
 great innovator, steam, with other concurring circumstances, 
 such as the opening of China and California, and the con- 
 version of the Pacific Ocean into a highway of commerce. 
 The breaking-up by British troops of the sham of the Chinese 
 as a military nation, no doubt opened the eyes of Western 
 nations. Japan lay in the way. No nation had a better 
 claim to ask it to relax its restrictions upon friendly grounds 
 than America. No nation was, perhaps, better suited to 
 carry out the diplomatic part of such a proposal, whether the 
 character of its officers as individuals, or the generally peace- 
 ful professions on the part of the government, be looked at. 
 There can, further, be little doubt but that the United States 
 government was exceedingly fortunate or prudent in its 
 choice of the man for the work. He had some acquair^ance 
 with Orientals learned in the school of China, and he brought 
 this to bear practically upon bis present work. He says he 
 was convinced that, if he receded from any point which he 
 had once gained, such would be considered as an advantage 
 gained against him that first-formed impressions among 
 such people carry most weight that with people of forms it 
 is necessary to out- Herod Herod in assumed personal osten- 
 tation and personal consequence that a diplomatist ought 
 with such persons never to recognize any personal superi- 
 ority, and ought always to keep aloof from conversation or 
 intercourse with inferiors, and yet cultivate as far as possible 
 a friendly disposition toward the people. 
 
 Commodore Perry left the President's letter on July 8, 
 1853, for the consideration of the Japanese government. He
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 313 
 
 returned in February, 1854, when the Japanese government 
 returned for answer that they had decided to accede to the 
 propositions of the President, and appointed five commis- 
 sioners to treat with Perry. The treaty was signed at 
 Yokohama, and ratifications were exchanged in February, 
 1855. Although the treaty was signed and the negotiations 
 brought to a successful termination, this was not accom- 
 plished without difficulty and even danger, as, according to 
 native accounts, a large force was collected on the hills over- 
 looking Yokohama, under the command of different Daimios. 
 These forces occupied about fifteen miles of ground between 
 Fusisawa and Kawasaki to the number of a million of men 
 (but numbers are indefinite in the East). They seem to have 
 suffered a good deal from sickness while lying there, and 
 were afterward the subjects of many jokes and caricatures. 
 It was arranged that if any serious hitch took place, or any 
 appearance of force was exhibited on the part of the Amer- 
 icans, a large bell was to sound, and other bells were to take 
 up the signal, and a general combined attack was to be 
 made. Idzu no Daikang volunteered to kill Perry with his 
 own hand, so deeply does personal feeling enter into national 
 questions in Japan ; but this he was ordered not to attempt. 
 
 In 1854, during the Crimean war, Sir James Stirling, 
 then admiral on the China station, with H.M.S. "Win- 
 chester" and a squadron, anchored in Nagasaki with the 
 object of concluding a treaty with Japan. The last article 
 of the treaty was to the effect that "no high officer coming 
 after to Japan should ever have power to alter this treaty." 
 For this treaty the admiral received the thanks of the nation 
 through the House of Commons. It may by some be thought 
 a mistake not to have stood upon the old treaty given to 
 England by lyeyas in the seventeenth century, which would 
 have been considered more binding upon the government and 
 upon the empire than a treaty made when the position of the 
 Skiogoon was once more being questioned. 
 
 These treaties were a step forward, but had this step not 
 been followed up they would soon have become inoperative. 
 
 14
 
 314 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 Mr. Town send Harris was appointed consul for America 
 at Simoda, and arrived there in 1856; and being in constant 
 intercourse with the Japanese authorities, he concluded a 
 convention by which further advantages were gained by the 
 Americans. The Japanese government thought that if the 
 further concessions brought no more trouble than what had 
 resulted from the little opening already made, they might, 
 without much danger, open the sluices a little more ; and in 
 1858, Mr. Harris, after much negotiation, arranged the ar- 
 ticles of a commercial treaty (based upon the treaties with 
 China), which was signed by him and the Japanese commis- 
 sioners upon July 29, 1858. After this was settled, Holland, 
 Britain, Russia, and France concluded similar treaties. 
 
 The sound of the trumpets which had been blown to 
 herald the approach of the American squadron to the shores 
 of Japan had reached these shores long before the vessels 
 themselves. The government was informed through the 
 Dutch of the coming mission. The American government 
 does not seem to have intended anything further than osten- 
 tatious display in the number and size of the vessels sent. 
 They did not propose to follow up a refusal to open their 
 doors, on the part of the Japanese, by any warlike opera- 
 tions. But the Japanese government does not appear to 
 have been aware of this, and at the time they may have felt 
 some doubts as to whether their late treatment of foreigners 
 did not call for some display of power on the part of Euro- 
 pean nations. Commodore Biddle had been grossly insulted 
 on board a vessel of war. The crew of one vessel had been 
 very unkindly treated, and, according to native report, more 
 than one vessel had recently been wrecked on the coasts of 
 Japan, and the crews treated with severity until they died 
 out. Until the squadron should arrive, the Japanese could 
 take little or no action. But they waited with much anxiety 
 the arrival of the expedition. It was considered as a most 
 important event, fraught with much either of good or evil to 
 the country which was it to be? 
 
 There is a pamphlet, published hi Yedo, which professes
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 315 
 
 to give some account of the doings in Japan at this time, 
 and which is interesting as showing the internal state of 
 Japan at this most critical time in her history, and the feel- 
 ings with which the proposed opening of the country was 
 viewed by different political parties. The views of the Em- 
 peror are set forth ; the daring acts of the Regent in support 
 of his own position; the intrigues set on foot against him, 
 ending in his assassination, and the subsequent train of 
 events which followed thereon, and which have led to the 
 overthrow of the Shiogoon's position and the restoration of 
 the Emperor to the power originally held in the imperial 
 bands. The letters may appear to be tedious, but they show 
 the working of the government more clearly perhaps than a 
 simple description would do. The country was threatened 
 with internal disturbance, and there were two parties divided 
 upon the point of a successor to the Shiogoon, who was 
 weakly in mind and body worn out and epileptic. As 
 leader of the one party was Ee Kamong no kami, the head 
 of the Fudai Daimios, and having a certain right to be ap- 
 pointed Regent in case of necessity. He seems to have been 
 a clever, bold man, to Western ideas unscrupulous in the 
 means by which he attained his ends. At the head of the 
 other party was Mito, one of the "three families," hereditary 
 vice-Shiogoon in Yedo, and connected by marriage with the 
 families of the Emperor and the highest Koongays in Miako, 
 and with the wealthiest Daimios a shrewd, clever, schem- 
 ing old man. What follows must be considered a mere 
 imperfect sketch of what the pamphlet contains. 
 
 The name of the pamphlet is a play upon the name Mito, 
 meaning Water-door Midzu Kara Kori. "Water-machines 
 make," or "A machine made at Mito." The Regent (whose 
 name, Ee, means "a well") wished to take out, as with a 
 bucket, the water in the well and divide it i.e., to break 
 down the power of Mito. 
 
 The pamphlet commences by stating by way of "con- 
 tents" that the Regent sent Manabay Simosa no kami to 
 Miako to seize Takatskasa, the highest officer of the empire,
 
 316 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 the Kwanbakku and his son Daif u dono, and Awata, a young 
 relative of the Emperor, and at the time the head of the 
 Buddhists and that these high officers were all put into 
 confinement, and that all this trouble had its origin at Mito.. 
 The source of the Tokungawa i.e., the line of lyeyas, or 
 the government by the family of lyeyas is very clear, but 
 this work will show how Mito tried to make it impure. The 
 book was published in the spring of 1860. The name of the 
 author is "Every one drunk." 
 
 The anticipated arrival of the United States squadron was 
 agitating the rulers of Japan, and parties were divided as to 
 the reception which should be given it. There was probably 
 some political source of discord besides this, connected more 
 or less with the office of Shiogoon, which had fallen into the 
 hands of an epileptic imbecile. It would appear that in 1854 
 letters were sent to all the Daimios and Ometskis, requiring 
 them to give their opinions as to the reception which should 
 be given to the squadron, and whether the Americans should 
 be repelled by force, or whether a trial should be made of a 
 limited intercourse with foreigners, under the impression that 
 if it was not found to work satisfactorily the ports might 
 again be closed, and the country might return to its old state 
 of seclusion. The answers sent showed that they were 
 divided into a large majority for repelling them, by force 
 of arms if necessary, and a small minority who were for 
 admitting foreigners to trade. All agreed that it was a 
 question of peace or war, but many thought that whether 
 it was to be the one or the other, no answer should be sent 
 until time was obtained to put the shores and batteries into 
 a state of defense. At present, they alleged, the coasts were 
 weak and defenseless, and "if Japan does not conquer it will 
 be a great disgrace, and the country will be defiled. But, 
 high and low, all must be unanimous." In the first place, 
 it must be ascertained how many men each Daimio can mus- 
 ter, and the strength of each in guns, ammunition, etc. In 
 1854, in the tenth month, the Ometskis sent letters to all the 
 Daimios to obtain information on this head.
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 317 
 
 In 1855, in the 9th month, the Shiogoon sent a commis- 
 sion to Mito, ordering him to put all the coasts of the country 
 into a defensible position. The care of the forts along the 
 shore was to be committed to Mito. The forts and guns 
 were to be examined. The Shiogoon wrote "You have 
 hitherto come to me three times every month, now I wish 
 you to report to me every second day what is doing." 
 
 From published documents, it appears by the Emperor's 
 own letter, 22d day of the 2d month, 1858, in corroboration 
 of what is stated in the pamphlet quoted, "that this matter 
 was discussed before him by the Kwanbakku (Koozio dono), 
 the Taiko, or previous Kwanbakku (Takatskasa),* and the 
 Tenso. It appears that the old Taiko pleaded as an excuse 
 that he was unwell, but as the Mikado sent several times to 
 command his attendance, he was obliged to come. At the 
 conference the Taiko expressed an opinion contrary to that 
 of the others, which had been given in favor of the course 
 advocated by the Shiogoon. The Mikado was very angry" 
 (with these others)., "and it was with difficulty the Kwan- 
 bakku succeeded in pacifying him. On the 23d a document 
 bearing the refusal of the Mikado to the treaty was written 
 out. Then three officers went to the residence of Hotta, the 
 Shiogoon's first Minister of Foreign Affairs and Envoy to 
 Miako, to obtain the Mikado's consent to the American 
 treaty, and informed him of the document hereunder. The 
 messengers sent by (to?) the Mikado were afflicted, and shed 
 tears because they did not succeed." 
 
 The Mikado wrote to the Shiogoon : "23d, 2d mo., 1858. 
 It is difficult for us to grant you the approval you ask" (to 
 the treaties). "For the honor of the name of the first Mikado 
 it is impossible to agree to it. 
 
 "It is our duty to take care to trauquilize the minds of 
 our people. 
 
 "The Shiogoon should gather every one's opinion, from 
 
 * "Whose retainers and secretary the Regent had arrested 
 and brought to Yedo.
 
 318 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 the three great houses to the humblest subject, and give ine 
 the result in writing. 
 
 "If it is necessary to ... conclude these treaties" (i.e., 
 if it is impossible to go back from what has been done), 
 "exception must be made of the country in the neighborhood 
 of my imperial city, as we have already directed in our letter, 
 24th of the 12th month. [The opening of] Hiogo in Sitsu 
 must be excepted if possible. 
 
 "The Mikado often considers that he is not safe in his 
 palace at Miako, and he directs the Shiogoon to appoint some 
 powerful Daimios to protect the imperial palace. 
 
 "You have thought it well to open the ports to foreigners, 
 but you did not think that foreigners would entangle you 
 with difficulties. 
 
 "We would know your opinion in this respect." 
 
 This was evidently considered a refusal on the part of the 
 Emperor to accede to the conclusion of a treaty. There is 
 not much appearance of what is by a commentator called 
 "puppetism" in the position of the Emperor when he, stand- 
 ing here almost alone in his council of bribed and intriguing 
 officers, who were all in the pay of the Regent at Yedo, still 
 manfully keeps them all at bay, and, assisted only by his 
 faithful old minister the Taiko, whose attendance he is 
 obliged to command, refuses to accede to the course of ex- 
 pediency pressed upon him by such meanness. He not only 
 refuses, but he warns them from his lofty position of the pit 
 which he foresees they are digging for themselves. The 
 Taiko, probably for his conduct and words at this meeting, 
 was put by the Regent in confinement in his own house, and 
 was only released after the fall of this minister. 
 
 Then follows a document, a "Circular from the Shiogoon, 
 the 6th month of 1858, by Kooze yamato no kami. 
 
 "The Mikado having been consulted by the Shiogoon 's 
 government about the making of treaties with foreigners, he 
 answered that the conclusion of that matter would distress 
 him very much. 
 
 "Thereupon the Shiogoon requested all to send their
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 319 
 
 written opinion upon the subject. Only a short time was 
 required to gather every one's opinion ; but, in the mean- 
 time, some Russian and American men-of-war came here, 
 bringing the news that in a short time English and French 
 men-of-war would arrive here ; that these two nations had 
 fought and won many battles in China; that they would 
 come here in the same warlike spirit, and it would be diffi- 
 cult for us to negotiate with them. The American embas- 
 sador offered to us, that if we would make a temporary 
 treaty with him, as soon as we should have signed and 
 given him that treaty he would act as mediator between 
 us and the French and English, and could save us from 
 all difficulties. 
 
 "It was impossible for us to comply with this without 
 consultation with the Mikado. However, Inoe Sinano no 
 kami, fearing the immediate assault (or breaking out of a 
 war), the results of which might be the same as in China, 
 signed themselves, as men authorized to sign [this ex- 
 pression is somewhat suspicious], the American treaty at 
 Kanagawa, which treaty was given up to the American 
 embassador. 
 
 "Necessity compelled the Japanese to do this. 
 
 "The Mikado, on hearing of this, was much troubled, but 
 to reassure him we told him we would fortify our shores." 
 
 Then further follows a document written by several of 
 the Koongays in Miako: . 
 
 "At this time there are great changes taking place in our 
 holy country in respect to foreigners. However, it is not for 
 us ignorant people to judge, and for that reason we lately 
 wrote twice to the Mikado. We hoped that he would con- 
 sider the subject. 
 
 "We write to him once more. Since the time of Tensio 
 dai jin the country has been to the present time sublime and 
 nourishing; but friendship with foreigners will be a stain 
 upon it, and an insult to the first Mikado (Zinmu). It will 
 be an everlasting shame for the country to be afraid of those 
 foreigners, and for us to bear patiently their arbitrary and
 
 320 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 rough manners ; and the time will come when we shall be 
 subservient to them. This is the fault of the dynasty of the 
 Shiogoon. It is reported that the Shiogoon has sent to Miako 
 to consult the Mikado about the treaties, but it is impossiblo 
 to believe it. Hotta will return to Yedo and say that the 
 Mikado has consented to give him a secret authorization, 
 and he will thus induce the other Daimios to follow the 
 party of the Shiogoon. The Shiogoon thus disturbs peace. 
 If foreigners come to our country they will loudly proclaim 
 the mutual benefits that trade will produce, but at home 
 they will think only of vile profit; and when we shall re- 
 fuse to comply with all their wishes, they will threaten us 
 with their artillery and men-of-war. They intend to take 
 Japan, and to effect this will resort to any kind of deep 
 scheme in their negotiations. It is earnestly wished that 
 the Mikado order that the Daimios from the 'three fami- 
 lies' to the lowest give their vote upon the subject." The 
 Daimios gave their vote, and they were generally in favor 
 of exclusion of foreign nations, and of adhering to their 
 old way. 
 
 In 1857, on the 28th day of the 12th month, Hino came 
 to Yedo from Miako, as bearer of a letter from the Emperor 
 addressed to the Shiogoon. 
 
 "Your duty is to act as Shiogoon; and yet you, being Se 
 i dai Shiogoon [barbarian -quelling commander-in-chief], are 
 unable to perform your duties. .You ought to know what 
 the duties of that office are, and yet our foreign enemies 
 (eeteki) you are unable to punish. You have many high 
 officers with you, and this matter is one of the utmost im- 
 portance ; therefore I wish you to come as soon as you can 
 to Miako. If you are unable to come on account of the busi- 
 ness of the empire, then you must dispatch some able and 
 experienced officers, that I may hear myself what is doing. 
 At the present moment all Daimio, Shomio and Shonin (peo- 
 ple) are in perplexity. Why is this? It is because the busi- 
 ness of the Shiogoon office does not go straight. On this 
 account I have every day great trouble, and therefore I
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 321 
 
 have commanded Koojio Kwanbakku to send Hino, and to 
 communicate orally with you." 
 
 (This letter is supposed by some not to have been written 
 by the Emperor, but to have been a forgery by the Koku 
 shiu and higher Daimios.) 
 
 Mito, in 1855, had been very active and serviceable in 
 telling the other Daimios that it was all very well to talk 
 of fighting, but that they must first know what means they 
 had. He had been appointed to look after the defenses of 
 the empire. It may be presumed that the more powerful 
 of the opposite party were annoyed with his obtaining this 
 appointment, and with showing them their weaknesses, and 
 had cabaled against him under the headship of Ee Kamong 
 no kami. 
 
 On the 29th day of the 12th month of 1857, the letter 
 was given by Hino to the Shiogoon ; and the same night a 
 meeting of all Daimios was held in the Siro jo in, a large 
 hall in the castle of Yedo. The deliberations were not over 
 till two o'clock in the morning of the 30th. 
 
 In 1858, on the 23d day of the 4th month, Ee Kamong no 
 kami was appointed Regent (Gotairo). He was a Sho sho 
 or major-general, and had been brought up while a boy as 
 a Buddhist priest. Probably by this time the Shiogoon was 
 become quite imbecile, and it became necessary to appoint a 
 regent. Ee, being of an age and capacity fit for the situa- 
 tion, had the first claim. He seems to have all along taken 
 a side opposed to Mito, probably arising out of attempts to 
 obtain this office; and as Mito was strenuously opposed to 
 the admission of foreigners, Ee took the opposite side, and 
 declared for the new state of things. 
 
 On the 6th day of the 7th month a communication was 
 made to Owarri, the first of the "three families," to the 
 effect that "the Shiogoon regrets to have to notice the con- 
 duct of Owarri, and that he cannot longer hold friendly 
 communication with him. It is the will of the Shiogoon 
 that Owarri in future shall confine himself to his house at 
 Toyama in Yedo, and abstain from official business, and
 
 322 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 that he shall not speak to any one. That, further, all his 
 territories shall be confiscated, and they are handed over to 
 his relative, Matzdaira Setsu no kami," who was then a 
 child. 
 
 To Mito a somewhat similar communication was made, 
 and ordering him to confine himself in his house at Koma 
 (ngome near Oji). 
 
 These commands, dictated by the Regent, were forthwith 
 carried into execution. The smaller OmetsM were appointed 
 to see that such sentences were carried out. One result was 
 that a great number of the poorer retainers of these chiefs 
 were thrown on the country as "floating men," or Ronins, 
 with their two swords to gain themselves a livelihood. 
 
 To Kongo Tango no kami, member of the Wakatoshi 
 yori, a similar letter was sent, and he was deprived of the 
 half of his territory and confined to his house. 
 
 In addition to these, Ishikawa Tosa no kami was fined 
 the half of his territory, and a doctor to the Shiogoon, Hoka 
 Riki, was turned out of his office and all his property taken 
 from him. But his son was presented with 250 piculs of 
 rice per annum, as he had shown himself on the side of the 
 Regent. 
 
 (There is no mention in this work of similar treatment 
 being shown to the great lords, Satsuma, Tosa and Etsizen.) 
 
 On the 8th day of the 8th month, the name of Harutaka, 
 son of Kii dainagoon, was changed to lyay mutchi. This is 
 the boy whom the Regent and his party had put into the 
 place of power, the Shiogoon having been dead for some 
 time. It was given out that he was unwell, and the Regent 
 had been taking means to strengthen his position against 
 Mito. Mito claimed the place for his own son, who had 
 been adopted by Stotsbashi, who was the third son of the 
 ninth Shiogoon. The youth who succeeded was the nearest 
 heir, according to European ideas; and Mito's claim had the 
 defect, that if adoption carried the full consequences which 
 he wished it should, it militated against himself. 
 
 The 9th day of the 9th month was the day chosen for the
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 323 
 
 nominal death of the Shiogoon. Ee Kamong no kami was 
 much with the late Shiogoon before his death, and gave out 
 that he had ordered him to act as Regent during the young 
 man's minority. 
 
 Manabay Simosa no kami, one of the Cabinet, was sent 
 by the Regent to carry out his schemes in Miako. He re- 
 turned in the 12th month, and a few days after his return 
 abdicated his honors and his territory. 
 
 Hotta, who had acted as envoy from the Regent to Miako, 
 was degraded. On the 26th day of the llth month, the two 
 highest officers, Koo jio dono the Kwanbakku, and M jio 
 dono Nai dai jin, came to Yedo as envoys from the Emperor. 
 
 On the 1st day of the 12th month the title of "Se i dai 
 Shiogoon" was conferred on Se i sho sama lyaymutchi by 
 the Emperor, by the hands of two chokushi or envoys. The 
 Empress also sent an envoy to the Shiogoon to compliment 
 him upon his obtaining the title, and perhaps also to lay the 
 first proposal as to his marrying the Emperor's younger 
 sister Kadsumia. 
 
 During the 12th month, Manabay went down to Miako 
 with orders to Ishigaya Inaba no kami, one of the gover- 
 nors of Miako, to seize the following persons : Ee kai kitchi, 
 the gentleman in charge of Mito's house in Miako, and his 
 son ; three gentlemen, retainers in the service of the Kwan- 
 bakku Takatskasa dono, and the son of one of them, and a 
 teacher of Chinese in Miako ; Matzdaira Tanba no kami, a 
 Daimio, related by marriage to Satsuma. His territory was 
 taken from him and given to a child (Matzdaira Toki no 
 skay). This child's followers were, after the Regent's death, 
 put in charge of the British Legation at Tozenji ; also a re- 
 tainer of this Daimio and his secretary. These were all 
 seized by order of the Regent, and sent to Yedo for trial 
 before the Jeesha boonyo, the judges in the Hio jo sho. 
 
 In the 1st month of the following year i.e., about March, 
 1859 several of the gentlemen about the court in the service 
 of the members of the imperial family and others of very 
 high rank were arrested. Three of these were retainers of
 
 324 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 Sanjio dono, of Arisungawa mia, and of Saiwonji dono re- 
 spectively. Two retainers of the nephew of the Emperor, 
 the Buddhist high-priest and the secretary of the Kwan- 
 bakku, were ordered to be sent up to Yedo. Within two 
 months after this, seven high Koongays and four ladies, 
 with seventeen more of the persons about the court, were 
 all sent to Yedo by orders of Ee Kamoug no kami. 
 
 In 1859, on the 2d day, 3d month, Itakura Suwo no 
 kami, one of the Jeesha boonyo (temple lords acting as 
 judges) was degraded. His crime was, that, being judge 
 in rotation in the Hio jo sho in Yedo when these prisoners 
 were brought before him, he would not bring them in guilty 
 of anything, as he did not fear the Regent, and he had been 
 requested secretly by the Emperor not to gratify him. At 
 the same time Tsuchiya, governor of Osaka, was degraded 
 and removed. He was an illegitimate son of Mito. 
 
 In the year 1858, before these strong measures had been 
 taken by the Regent, Mito had written to the Emperor in the 
 8th month to the following effect: "Your revenue is not 
 large enough, which is the cause of much sorrow to me. 
 Permit me to present you with a few kobangs; and if it is 
 in your power, please give to the Kwanbakku Koozio dono 
 some additional land, and all the Koongays and those about 
 the court who have titles [I give ?] 20,000 kobangs among 
 them; and as Hirohashi is very diligent and able, I present 
 him with silver." 
 
 It may be presumed that with the system of espionage so 
 perfected as it is in Japan, the Regent would soon find out 
 that Mito was intriguing at Miako, and probably got a copy 
 of this letter before he gave orders to seize the persons above 
 named, who were all implicated in these intrigues against 
 him. 
 
 In the year 1858, in the 8th month, the Shiogoon (or the 
 Regent more truly) sent three Daimios as envoys to Mito, 
 with a letter to the following effect: 
 
 "You, Mito, formerly were anxious to assist Japan in her 
 troubles, and your reasons for so doing were very good. But
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 325 
 
 the Shiogoon does not approve of your recent conduct." 
 (Mito had written to the Emperor, with whom he was con- 
 nected by marriage, to complain of the boy from the Kii 
 family having been made Shiogoon, on the ground of his 
 being too young for the office, but in reality to get his own 
 son appointed by the Emperor to the place.) "You have 
 spoken to the Emperor too much about the adopted son of 
 Kii. Further, you have sent letters to the Koongays and 
 members of the imperial family to gain them over to your 
 views; and you, a man of rank, have not scrupled to use 
 low men [Ronins] to carry letters to Miako, inveighing 
 against the government of Yedo. From these acts of yours 
 great confusion has arisen. The Emperor has written a let- 
 ter to the Shiogoon, and low men have been used as the 
 bearers [? to insult the Yedo government]. You have tried 
 to stir up a quarrel between the Emperor and the Kubosama, 
 and have excited discord among the Koongays. It is a most 
 improper thing for you thus to be acting behind our back, 
 and in the dark." (Mito had sent many letters to the Fudai 
 Daimios and Yakonins to gain them over to the side of Stots- 
 bashi.) "You must suffer a severe punishment. But as it 
 is now the time of Hoji" (i.e., the canonization of the late 
 Shiogoon), "we are willing to view your crime with leni- 
 ency. Your punishment is, that you be henceforth impris- 
 oned in your room [cheekio]. This letter I intrust to the 
 care of your son, to be delivered to you." 
 
 At the same time a letter was sent to Mito's son and 
 heir, of tenor as follows: 
 
 "Your father has been carrying on secret intrigues at 
 Miako. He has sent many of his servants there upon highly 
 important missions. But all his intrigues have been against 
 the Shiogoon secretly, and, as it were, behind his back. The 
 ways of father and son" (i.e., the son cannot help what his 
 father does) "are different, but I think you may follow a 
 better way than your father. If you have no better way, 
 you must send guards to keep your father, and prevent 
 his carrying on these intrigues. The crime of putting
 
 326 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 himself in opposition to the Shiogoon is very great, and 
 merits severe punishment. But you side with your father, 
 and it is natural for you to do so from filial obedience. But 
 for this crime your father must be removed from his position 
 and territory." 
 
 On the 27th day of the 8th month a letter was sent to the 
 principal one of the retainers, the Karo, or minister of Mito. 
 "Your master has been engaged in very dangerous schemes 
 and intrigues, of which you were ignorant." (Mito had 
 written a letter to say that all the Daimios gave themselves 
 up to trifling and debauchery.) "You were very foolish if 
 you did not know of this business, and you ought on that 
 account to be severely punished. But as Mito, your master, 
 said that this business in which he was engaged was entirely 
 for the good of the empire of Japan, and of the greatest con- 
 sequence, your punishment shall be mitigated. In future 
 you will take care to look into what your master is doing, 
 and not cause the government of the Shiogoon so much 
 trouble. 
 
 "In future, if you do cause trouble, you shall be severely 
 punished." 
 
 It appeared that both parties were trying to gain over the 
 Kwanbakku by bribes the Regent on the one hand, and 
 Mito on the other. This high officer was perplexed which 
 to side with, but he concealed all from the Emperor. 
 
 The Shiogoon commanded a letter to be written to Mito, 
 to inform him that government was aware that many men 
 had come secretly to Yedo from Mito, and warning him of 
 what would be the consequence if any trouble should arise; 
 and at the same time eight Daimios were appointed to guard 
 the approaches to the city. 
 
 At this time the Regent was maturing his plans, and 
 having arrested many of the agents of Mito, brought them 
 before the Hio jo sho and judges of Yedo. The personal 
 enmity of the two was working for the opening up of the 
 country to foreign trade. 
 
 Many persons, some of whom were connected with the
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 327 
 
 highest officers in Miako and Yedo, were arrested as being 
 engaged with Mito in intrigues. The head retainer of Mito 
 v r as kept in confinement, and was commanded to kill him- 
 yylf in prison;* Eekai, the gentleman in charge of Mito's 
 house in Miako, with his third son, the head chamberlain of 
 Mito's establishment, the gentleman in the service of the late 
 Kwanbakku, the Chinese teacher, and a lady about the estab- 
 lishment of Konoyay dono, in Miako, were brought before 
 the judges in the Hio jio sho Hoki no kami, and the two city 
 magistrates, Ishingaya and Ikeda.f Of the prisoners, the 
 three first were beheaded. 
 
 On the 8th month, 20th day, the following letter was sent 
 to Nakayama Bizen no kami, who was a Hattamoto in the 
 service of government, resident at Mito's castle to assist him 
 (or to watch him). Officers with the same duties reside at 
 the castles of the other two Sankay, Owarri and Kii : 
 
 * The mode of suicide common in Japan may be noticed 
 here. It is called by the natives literally to "cut the belly." 
 The name "happy dispatch" seems to have been a felicitous 
 suggestion of some foreigner. It is said to be done by a cut 
 across the abdomen, and sometimes another cut is said to be 
 made in the form of a cross. But any one who knows any- 
 thing of the subject will think this nearly an impossibility, 
 from the extreme difficulty of making the two other cuts 
 necessary to make a cross. This would be a very butcher- 
 ing and trying job, and would bring on only a lingering 
 death. So far as can be judged from the way it is per- 
 formed in theaters, the knife, a short well-sharpened instru- 
 ment, is inserted into the abdomen, and then drawn across 
 the backbone, so as to sever the great blood-vessels, the aorta 
 and ascending vein, which are there of such a size as to allow 
 of death from their division in a few seconds. There seems 
 to be no drawing across the abdomen. What is called swal- 
 lowing gold leaf in China is in reality inhaling it when rubbed 
 to a sort of flaky powder. It seems to choke the air-vessels, 
 and so produce suffocation. 
 
 f Afterward assassinated by his servant, an emissary of 
 Mito, who had got into the office as clerk, and kept Mito 
 informed of all that transpired.
 
 328 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 "Your house is a very honorable one, and you are a man 
 of talent and experience. You ought to attend more cor- 
 rectly to do your duty. Now you have been neglecting 
 your duty, while Mito the elder has been intriguing at Miako 
 against me. You are ignorant of what is going on, and 
 show yourself to be very indolent. This is a harsh mode of 
 speaking, but you are still very young. You are hereby 
 ordered to consider yourself under arrest, and remain a 
 prisoner in your own room." 
 
 Toki, a colonel of the Household Guards, was degraded 
 from his rank, and his territory confiscated. 
 
 To the Sakuji boonyo, Iwase, and to the First Lord of 
 the Admiralty, Nangai, it was ordered that their salaries 
 were to be stopped from that date. 
 
 The same punishment was inflicted upon Kawadsi, the 
 keeper of the "West Castle. To the Kosho, his eldest grand- 
 son, it was written: 
 
 "Your grandfather has been guilty of opposing the gov- 
 ernment, and has been degraded and deprived of his terri- 
 tory, and ordered to confine himself to his room. Therefore 
 it is our will that you take possession of his territory, and 
 also of his office." 
 
 It seems to have been the Regent's policy always to put 
 in children in place of those men whom he displaced. 
 
 The other keeper of the West Castle was degraded, and 
 deprived both of his territory and office. 
 
 To Tayki no skay, commander of the vanguard of the 
 army, son of Oodo, it was written: "Having examined into 
 the offense of your father, I have degraded him ; but you 
 are his adopted son, and therefore I give to you his territory 
 and house." 
 
 Of other high officers some were beheaded, while others 
 were ordered not to enter a town (Chu tsui ho) ; others were 
 imprisoned in their own houses (Oshi kome), or in prison; 
 others were put in irons ; others confined to one room for life 
 (ay chikio) ; others were banished to small islands. 
 
 All the above, who were themselves persons of some rank,
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 329 
 
 and connected with the highest in the empire, were brought 
 to the Hio jo sho, in Yedo, and received their sentences from 
 the temple lords sitting there. 
 
 To Hongo Tango no kami, at that time in the Lower 
 Cabinet, the Shiogoon wrote: 
 
 "Your conduct recently has been very improper. The 
 Shiogoon has heard of this, and you deserve to be severely 
 punished; but I will be lenient, and only deprive you of 
 5,000 koku of revenue, and degrade you." (He had been 
 made a Daimio, with 10,000 koku of revenue, by. the previ- 
 ous Shiogoon.) To his son the Shiogoon wrote as above, but 
 added : "I will now take the ground I took from your father, 
 reducing him from a Daimio to a Hattamoto. Your father 
 must stay in his house, and retire from public life, and give 
 over his lands and rank to you." 
 
 To Ishikawa Tosa no kami a similar letter was written, 
 depriving him of his honors and territory, which were given 
 to his son. 
 
 The head of the Treasury, Sassaki Sinano no kami, was 
 degraded. 
 
 lyo no ske, a gentleman in the service of Mito, was trans- 
 ported to Hatchi jio. His son, being only three years of age, 
 is to be kept till he is fifteen, and then transported also. 
 
 Two boys, aged four and two years, sons of Mito's cham- 
 berlain, are to be expelled from towns when they arrive at 
 fifteen years of age. 
 
 The Regent, after thus disposing of his enemies, pro- 
 ceeded, in the name of the Shiogoon, to reward his 
 friends. 
 
 He wrote to Matzdaira Idzumi no kami, then the head 
 of the Cabinet: "I approve of what you have done, and in 
 testimony I give you twenty-five obangs. [An obang is a 
 large gold coin worth about thirty-five dollars.] You have 
 been very diligent in a most difficult and important business. 
 I am very much satisfied, and will change your territory; 
 and as that you now possess is very poor, I will give you 
 better." (He also sent him a sword.)
 
 330 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 To the temple lord, Matzdaira Hoki no kami, were given 
 a saddle and six dresses. 
 
 To the Owo metski Kowongai were given seven obangs 
 and four dresses. 
 
 To the street governor of Yedo, Ikeda, were given seven 
 obangs and five dresses. 
 
 To the second street governor, Ishi ngaya, ten obangs 
 and five dresses. 
 
 To the treasurer, five obangs and three dresses. 
 
 These men had acted as the judges in the Hio jo sho, and 
 had awarded the punishments to the accused. Itakura was 
 degraded because he would not act as the tool of the Regent 
 in executing his vengeance. 
 
 In a letter to these officers the Shiogoon expresses satis- 
 faction with the diligence shown by them, and on that ac- 
 count rewards them, at the same time rewarding smaller 
 officers who have been similarly engaged, but without speci- 
 fying them by name. 
 
 To Manabay, who had been formerly Prime Minister, 
 and lately much engaged in ferreting out these intrigues 
 for the Regent, the Shiogoon wrote: "You are now not very 
 strong, and it will be perhaps better that you retire from the 
 weight of public duty." 
 
 The Regent and he had a difference as to whether he was 
 right in, or had the power of, punishing these men. The 
 Regent was anxious to get rid of him, but his arguments 
 were strong, and, besides, he was cognizant of all the secrets 
 of the late coup d'etat, so that the Regent dared not take a 
 stronger step than simply advise him to withdraw. 
 
 The Regent must have been well aware that in acting 
 as he was doing he was playing a dangerous game. He had 
 not been afraid to enter the family of the Emperor himself. 
 The servants of the highest Koongays had been arrested, 
 and themselves insulted and degraded. He had degraded 
 five of the highest Daimios Owarri, Mito, Satsuma, Tosa, 
 and Etsizen and had severely punished all of lower rank 
 who had in any way countenanced or assisted those opposed
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 331 
 
 to him. He had put his own protege on the seat of the 
 Shiogoon, in opposition to Stotsbashi, the nominee of Mito. 
 He now felt that he must retain the reins of power in his 
 own hands, as, if he yielded a jot, his enemies would over- 
 throw him, and take away his place and name. The only 
 thing he had now to fear was secret enemies, who might 
 wreak their vengeance by poison or assassination. 
 
 The 3d day of the 3d month is a day when a great levee 
 is held at the castle in Yedo, all the Daimios on duty appear- 
 ing in court dresses, with large retinues. At such times it 
 is common for strangers to gather on the broad road or 
 esplanade by the side of the castle moat, to watch the trains 
 of the Daimios going to and returning from court. They 
 often carry with them the small monthly list of officials in 
 which the armorial bearings are given, by which the train 
 of each Daimio may be at once recognized. In the Daimios' 
 quarter of the city the guards of the streets and cross streets 
 are the retainers of Daimios. The guard-houses are some 
 times divided into two when the guard is divided between 
 two neighboring Daimios. Upon days of levee such as this 
 strangers are allowed to loiter about, and are not so readily 
 noticed as at other times. 
 
 At the south side of the castle of Yedo is the Soto Saku- 
 rada, or outer Cherry gate, opening from that part of the in- 
 closure in which the residences of the Gorochiu are situated. 
 At this gate the moat is crossed by a bridge which opens 
 upon a wide graveled road the Tatsu no kutchi bounded 
 on the one side by the moat, 011 the other by Daimios' resi- 
 dences, and leading by a gentle ascent to the residence of 
 the Regent, Ee Kamong no kami. 
 
 On the 3d day of the 3d month the Shiogoon was to hold 
 this levee, at which the Regent, now that he had put down 
 his enemies, would appear in the plenitude of his power as 
 the real ruler of Japan. He set out in his norimono toward 
 the Sakurada gate, which was at a short distance, and seen 
 from the door of his own residence. He was surrounded by 
 his own retinue in white dresses. Suddenly a rush of men
 
 332 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 was made at the train. The bearers set down the norimono. 
 Men with drawn swords ordered him to come out. He ex- 
 postulated. One fired a pistol through the chair, wounding 
 him in the back. He tried to crawl out, but his head was 
 immediately cut off and carried away by the assassins. 
 
 The investigation which follows will show what took 
 place. 
 
 On the 3d day of the 3d month (March 24, 1860) the 
 Gorochiu wrote to the commander of the guard kept by 
 Matzdaira Segami no kami: "Why did you allow men in 
 disguise, with small sleeves and drawn swords, to pass your 
 guard and loiter about the Tatsu no kutchi?" To this a 
 reply was given: "There was a heavy fall of snow at the 
 time. I noticed the men once, and they disappeared ; but I 
 acknowledge my fault I am much to blame in the matter. 
 But what shall I do now? Shall I cut off my men's heads?" 
 
 The same question was put to Matzdaira Daizen no dai- 
 bu's (Choshiu) guard, who kept the Sakurada gate. He 
 answered: "This morning at nine o'clock many men passed, 
 but whether they were porters or soldiers I cannot tell. 
 Several passed with blood-stained swords in their hands. 
 I was on the point of arresting them, but as there was much 
 snow falling I could not see them distinctly, or where they 
 went to." 
 
 The principal gentleman in the late Regent's service, 
 Kimatta Watari, wrote to the Gorochiu as follows: "This 
 morning, while my master was on his way to the shiro to 
 pay his respects to the Shiogoon, an attack was made upon 
 his train. In the scuffle one man was killed, and the ser- 
 vants of Ee brought the body to the house here." 
 
 It is a general impression in Yedo that the servants, or 
 some of them, as well as the guards about, and even some 
 of the Daimios living in the neighborhood, were cognizant 
 of the attack about to be made. Some of them gave no 
 assistance to their master. 
 
 The same day the Shiogoon sent two Katchi metsuki to 
 Ee Kamong no kami's house to make inquiries.
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 333 
 
 The servants of Sakkai oota no kami, guards of the Owo 
 tay, a large gate of the castle, wrote a similar letter to the 
 above. It is a common plan in Japan, even among Daimios, 
 when an investigation is to be made in which many are con- 
 cerned, for all to write similar letters, to prevent the gov- 
 ernment seizing one. They added: "One Ronin, between 
 twenty-seven and twenty-eight years of age, cut his throat. 
 He only had his sword-sheath when found, and no sword. 
 "We found one wounded by a shot, and seized him." 
 
 At Tatsu no kutchi, the men at the cross-street guard- 
 house, occupied by Tajima no kami and Sakkai oota no 
 kami, said to the Gorochiu: "At about eight o'clock this 
 morning a man shot himself through the neck while holding 
 a man's head in his hand. Immediately one of the guard 
 said, 'I will ask the man where he came from.' He said he 
 was a servant of Satsuma. We sent for a surgeon, and 
 he is now under treatment." 
 
 Ee K among no kami writes himself to the Shiogoon (not- 
 withstanding his having had his head removed several hours 
 previous) : "1 proposed going to the levee at the palace, and 
 was on my way there ; when near the Sakurada gate, and 
 in front of the joint guard of Matzdaira Osumi no kami 
 and Ooyay Soongi, about twenty men were collected. They 
 began to fire pistols, and afterward with swords attacked me 
 in my norimono. My servants thereupon resisted, and killed 
 one of the men the others ran off and escaped. I having 
 received several wounds, could not pay my intended visit to 
 the Shiogoon, and was obliged to return to my house, and 
 now I send the names of such of my servants as were 
 wounded." 
 
 Of these there were in all nineteen, of which number 
 several died. 
 
 Upon receiving intelligence of this attack, the Shiogoon 
 sent to the Regent a present of ginseng root, and to inquire 
 more particularly as to his health and condition. 
 
 Upon the coats which were left by the assassins pieces of 
 poetry had been worked with the needle; such as, "Let us
 
 334 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 take and hoist the silken standard of Japan, and first go and 
 fight the battles of the Emperor." Upon another -was the 
 following: "My corpse may dry up with the flowers of the 
 cherry, but how can the spirit of Japan relax?" 
 
 The names of eighteen men are given who were engaged 
 in the assassination of the Regent. Of these 
 
 Arimura Jesayay mong, who is said to have been the 
 actual perpetrator of the deed, was head servant of Sat- 
 suma. His brother is probably the man who assassinated 
 Mr. Richardson in 1862. 
 
 Sanno take no ske, a servant of Mito. 
 
 Seito Kemmootz. 
 
 These three, with two others, are said to have died of the 
 wounds received, on the 7th day of the 3d month, or four 
 days after his death. Sakkai and Yakushuri, on the part of 
 the Shiogoon, sent a .letter to Ee Kamong no kami, to ask 
 how he was, and to bestow upon him a present of fish and 
 sugar, as a mark of regard. 
 
 The Cabinet was in difficulty how to act. They were of 
 the party of the Regent, but were now afraid that the oppo- 
 site views would prevail, and that power would fall into the 
 hands of Mito. 
 
 On the part of the Gorochiu, Neito Kii no kami wrote to 
 the servants of Ee Kamong no kami : 
 
 "As a severe misfortune has befallen Ee Kamong no 
 kami, all his servants and relations are liable to be implicated 
 in the trouble.* If you, in revenge, should raise disturbance 
 with the followers of Mito, it will occasion much trouble. 
 I will endeavor to arrange matters for you, and keep things 
 quiet." 
 
 For some time after the assassination, the gates of the 
 Shiogoon's castle, known as the Sakurada, Babasaki, and 
 
 * It is a custom in Japan that the territory of a man who 
 has been killed by assassins is taken from his family, and 
 the family and retainers of the Regent were afraid of this law 
 being put in operation against them.
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 335 
 
 Watakura, were shut. The Tayass gate at Take bashi, the 
 Hanzo and Sayniidzu gates, were open during the day and 
 shut at night. 
 
 The members of the Cabinet were allowed a guard of 
 sixty men, and those of the lower Cabinet fifty men. 
 
 The men now feared by the government, the partisans of 
 Mito, were lurking about Yedo in numbers. It was known 
 that the head of the Regent had been carried off to the city 
 of Mito and put up on a pole, with much abusive writing 
 attached to it. 
 
 The Shiogoon gave orders to five Daimios to arrest all 
 suspicious persons from Mito, and to seize the leaders of the 
 movement. 
 
 Mito had said, tauntingly, "How can I, a poor Daimio, 
 arrest these men, when you, the Shiogoon, are not able to do 
 so? If you wish to seize these men, send your officers and 
 do it. From Tatsuno kootchi a head was brought, and Ee 
 Kamong no kami's servants are very anxious to get posses- 
 sion of it." 
 
 The head of the Cabinet, Neito, wrote to Matzdaira 
 Osumi no kami: "Three days ago a high officer was assassi- 
 nated before your door. You did not go to his assistance, 
 or prevent the outrage. You were very negligent of your 
 duty, and you are to be punished by the door of your resi- 
 dence being shut for one week, and you are not to go out 
 during that time, but to confine yourself to your own house." 
 
 A similar message was sent to Katagiri Iwami no kami, 
 keeper of the Heebiyah gate ; and also to Toda stchi no ske 
 (a child), keeper of the Baba saki gate. 
 
 At this time the streets of Yedo were placarded with 
 squibs against the party of the late Regent and those in 
 favor of foreigners. One of these accused the late Gotairo 
 of enriching himself by foreign trade at the expense of the 
 people of Japan, and others were obscure allusions to the 
 founder of the family. Another, by turning the characters 
 of his name upside down, makes of it, "A gentleman's head 
 swept away is very good."
 
 336 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 (Some of these squibs were what is called "Yabatai" 
 writing. This name is founded on the following: Abe no 
 naka maro in old times was sent as embassador to China. 
 The Chinese Emperor was angry with him, and said that 
 if he could not read a certain piece of writing he would 
 kill him. He failed, and was put to death. Another em- 
 bassador succeeded, to whom the same alternative was 
 given. While he was musing upon it, and praying to Ten 
 sho go dai jin, a spider dropped from the ceiling upon the 
 paper, and went from word to word showing him how it was 
 to be read. This is called Yabatai, wild-horse writing, now 
 converted into Yabotai, wild-fool writing. ) 
 
 The following information as to the assassins appears to 
 have been given to the Gorochiu by Hossokawa, the Daimio 
 to whose residence several of the assassins fled, saying that 
 they were men from Mito, and wished t^ place themselves 
 under his protection. He is supposed to have known all 
 about the affair from the first. 
 
 One of the assassins, Mori, said that, about three months 
 before, he had attempted to kill the Regent by shooting him 
 with a pistol. The ball passed through the norimono, and 
 he made his escape. The day they came to Hossokawa's 
 house was very cold, so they were provided with food and 
 wine. There was much snow falling, which furthered the 
 designs of the assassins, as they thought it was assistance 
 given them from heaven. They were all very tired and 
 sleepy. Upon the 18th day of the 2d month they all went 
 to Mito, afterward returning to Yedo ; and they met in the 
 morning of the 3d day of the 3d month at Atango yama. 
 They did not sleep there ; but the Buddhist priest was cog- 
 nizant of what was going on. 
 
 The government in Yedo had doubtless good cause for 
 alarm at the present crisis, as Mito, on the one hand, and 
 the young Ee, son of the Regent, on the other, were making 
 preparations for a fight. The policy of lyeyas in compelling 
 the lords to be personally in Yedo with few followers, while 
 their strength in men remained at their provincial seats, pre-
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 337 
 
 vented any outbreak. Mito was gradually filling his houses 
 in Yedo with men. 
 
 On the other side, the family retainers of the Ee Kamong 
 no kami, the lad who had succeeded to his father, fearing 
 what might be the result of the present crisis, brought up ten 
 cannon from his shta yashiki in the suburbs of Yedo, to his 
 kami yashiki. [Every Daimio of any wealth has three houses 
 in Yedo: his own residence, kami yashiki, where his wife 
 and family reside, near the castle ; naka yashiki, where con- 
 cubines, servants, etc., reside; and shta yashiki, where he 
 has a garden, and retainers, servants, and their families 
 reside.] From his lands at Sano, in the province of Simo- 
 tsuki, he brought up 400 men. 
 
 On the same day on which the Regent was killed, an 
 attempt was made by Ronins of Mito to kill Matzdaira 
 Sanuki no kami, who was a near relative of Mito, but a 
 friend and son-in-law of Ee Kamong no kami. He had 
 some suspicion, and was unwell on the day of the levee, and 
 sent his son in his place. The norimono was attacked, but 
 when the son was dragged out, and they discovered their 
 mistake, the assassins let him go. The father did not long 
 escape, however. He had taken as a concubine a girl from 
 Mito, who, during the next month, stabbed him while in 
 bed, and cut off his head, sending it to Mito. Matzdaira 
 Koonai no ta yu, another friend of the Regent's, and also a 
 relative of Mito, hearing in the palace of the murder of the 
 Regent, escaped by a back way. 
 
 The Daimio Hossokawa Etshiu no kami wrote to the 
 government as follows: 
 
 "Yesterday morning some men came to my guards at 
 the main gate, and said they were servants of Mito and had 
 killed the Regent, and it was right that they should go to 
 the Gorochiu; but as it is the first time they have come 
 to Yedo, and do not know where the Gorochiu live, they 
 requested me to go with them. I asked them who they 
 were and what they wanted. They answered, that they had 
 been this morning fighting with the Regent at the Sakurada 
 
 15
 
 338 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 gate; and having first wounded him with a pistol, they 
 pulled him by the right hand out of the kango and cut off 
 his head. There came at first only nine men, but these were 
 followed by a number of others : whence they came I do not 
 know." 
 
 Hossokawa accompanied these men to the Hio jo sho, 
 where the judges on duty asked them to give in writing their 
 reasons for killing the Regent. The answer was : "We have 
 good reasons. From the time of Zin mu ten wo to the pres- 
 ent day the Japanese nation has never received any insult 
 from a foreign nation ; now five foreign nations have made 
 treaties, and all through the empire the people are angry 
 and sorry and vexed, and the Regent did not care. If he 
 does not care for this, he makes himself an enemy to the 
 nation, and therefore we killed him. We have no other 
 reason." 
 
 The officers at the Hio jo sho were afraid to ask any more 
 questions. 
 
 Mito sent the following letter to the Shiogoon : 
 
 "I am told that some men who were formerly in my ser- 
 vice, but who were dismissed, have gone this morning to the 
 Sakurada gate and killed Ee Kamong no kami. They ap- 
 pear to have gone to Hossokawa, wishing that he should 
 take them into his employ. A messenger from Hossokawa 
 has brought me this information. I am very sorry for it, and 
 it has caused me much distress. I could not employ so many 
 servants, and therefore was obliged to reduce my establish- 
 ment, while some men who would not obey me went away 
 of their own accord. On this account I am unable to arrest 
 or punish such men, and must trust to the servants of the 
 Shiogoon doing so, while I must try to find those who have 
 absconded; but the Shiogoon is powerful while I am com 
 paratively powerless; I therefore beg the assistance of the 
 Shiogoon." 
 
 The Shiogoon wrote to Mito on the 4th day of the 3d 
 month : 
 
 "Yesterday your servants killed the Gotairo, and now I
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 339 
 
 fear they may attack and kill some of the Gorochiu. It is 
 ordered that your servants from morning to night, all day 
 and all night, are not to move out of the house." 
 
 Otta, Hiobu sho, wrote to the Shiogoon : 
 
 "This morning about 8 A.M. the men of my guard in- 
 formed me that two soldiers had passed them wounded and 
 covered with blood. They, when very near my cross guard, 
 committed suicide. I thereupon sent an Ometski to investi- 
 gate the case. I asked the men standing near whence they 
 had come. They said from the direction of the Heebiyah 
 gate, and that on account of a severe wound of the shoulder 
 one of them was faint and could not walk. He said to his 
 companion, 'I cannot kill myself, as I cannot move my right 
 hand' ; the other said, 'If you are weak I will do it for you,' 
 and cut off his head, and immediately after doing so he cut 
 his own throat. We found that one of the swords of these 
 men was bent round like a bow, and on examining the pock- 
 ets, one had seven boos [coins], and the other seven boos and 
 a half ; and besides the money was a crest similar to that 
 used by the Shiogoon [Mito uses the same crest the awoyee, 
 or three leaves], which had been cut from his coat; and a 
 receipt from the Yebi ya [i.e., lobster inn], a tea-house at 
 the Yosiwarra [the government brothel] viz., two boos for 
 Tamanyoshi and two for Chittosay, two girls; one boo for 
 a singing-girl; one boo for drink, two boos for fish, and ten 
 tenpos for rice, with half a boo as a present to the servants 
 of the house, with the date, 3d month, 27th day." 
 
 The street governor came and examined the corpses, and 
 took them away on the 4th day of the 3d month. 
 
 On the 4th day of the 3d month i.e., the day after the 
 assassination Satsuma wrote to the Shiogoon: 
 
 "A servant of mine, Arimura Yooske, yesterday ab- 
 sconded and has not yet returned. I find that a man who 
 committed suicide yesterday, near the residence of Endo 
 Tajima no kami, was his elder brother. As I am ignorant 
 of what he has been doing, please to order him to be 
 arrested."
 
 340 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 On the 3d day of the 3d month the Ronins in the service 
 of Mito who had assisted in the murder wrote out the follow- 
 ing statement and gave it to Hossokawa : 
 
 "We left our province of Hitatsi on the 18th day of last 
 month; we did not meet together, but stopped at different 
 parts of the town during our stay in Yedo. This morning 
 we all met at the temple on Atango Hill [in the middle of 
 Yedo], and thence we went to the Cherry gate, and waited 
 between the guard-house of Osumi no kami and the Cherry 
 gate. The Gotairo came along with his retinue. All at 
 once we surrounded the kango on both sides. For some 
 time we argued with the Gotairo. We told him that he was 
 a bad man. We spoke to him about foreigners coming to 
 the country, about the export of gold, about his receiving 
 money as bribes from foreigners. He answered, and his 
 men tried to prevent any attack being made upon him. 
 One of our men fired a pistol into the kango (by which shot 
 he was wounded in the back). He crawled out of the kango, 
 but could not rise off his hands and knees quickly. His 
 servants ran away, and one man cut off his head; six or 
 seven others hacked at his body." 
 
 In the pocket of Arimura, the servant of Satsuma, who 
 had been killed, was found a "sakiburay," or permit to 
 travel for the Prince of Satsuma, who was at this time a 
 child "My master to-morrow sets out for Satsuma, and 
 wants at each station coolies and horses. " There was also 
 found a piece of poetry : 
 
 "This is my body, which belongs to my master; 
 I will wait in the ground till my name is made greater." 
 
 The following is given as information with reference 
 apparently to the men who had banded themselves together 
 to free their country from the presence of foreigners : 
 
 "There are sixty honorable men in the service of Mito 
 who are very hard and iron- willed. Why are they so iron- 
 willed? To drive away foreigners according to the wish of 
 the Emperor expressed in his letter of the 28th day of the
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 341 
 
 12th month. Mito has received a letter from the Emperor. 
 Hikonay [i.e., the Regent, from the name of his castle] gave 
 it to him to tell him he must go to Miako. We have got the 
 Emperor's letter and know his wishes [that foreigners should 
 be driven out of Japan], and if we do not obey him we are 
 rebels. The will of the Emperor we are determined to 
 accomplish." 
 
 As further information the following is given: Hotta 
 Bitshiu no kami went to Miako on the part of the Gotairo to 
 speak to the Emperor about the foreign treaties with Japan. 
 The Emperor said to him: "You have made your treaties 
 first, and afterward come to me to tell me of what you have 
 done. I know nothing about it. I know nothing about the 
 business transacted in Kwanto i.e. , in Yedo. ' ' Hotta could 
 not answer the Emperor. 
 
 The Regent then sent Manabay to Miako to speak to the 
 Emperor. He had an audience of the Emperor, and advised 
 him to wipe out the treaty made at Yedo, and to make an 
 entirely new and proper one. The Emperor replied: "You 
 have fouled my face, and consider me as of no use. From 
 the beginning there was always an Emperor in Japan ; but 
 if now the people do not wish it, I will give up my position. 
 But you are trying to sow divisions between the Emperor 
 and the Shiogoon." 
 
 Manabay said: "It will be better for us to make their 
 interests one [alluding to the proposal that the Shiogoon 
 should marry the sister of the Emperor] . If we do so, we 
 can afterward unite to brush out foreigners." 
 
 The Emperor replied: "Now, at three or four audiences 
 you have brought forward the business of Kwanto, but each 
 time it has been false. Now you speak truth. If you think 
 it right, put out these foreigners now. But my honor has 
 been fouled and broken." 
 
 Manabay said: "At present the government of Japan is 
 difficult and in a critical position, but let us be quiet and 
 delay." 
 
 Manabay had, for the Regent, given large sums of money
 
 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 to the high Koongays, the Kwanbakku, and others, to bring 
 over the Emperor to his side. The Emperor was then stand- 
 ing alone, the Kwanbakku having been bought over. Man- 
 abay, on his return, retired from the Gorochiu to his pro- 
 vincial residence in Etsizen, but he got the credit of having 
 saved Japan at this critical period from a civil war. It was 
 only postponed for a little. 
 
 The Gorochiu were in great alarm at this time, and issued 
 orders to all the guards around and in Yedo to be on the 
 watch for disturbances. 
 
 At the Hiojosho the following evidence was elicited from 
 one of the guards : 
 
 "I am a Gay zammi.* In the open space in front of the 
 gate there were eight or nine men standing some with rain- 
 coats on, and some holding umbrellas and looking at the 
 Sode bookang. f I heard a pistol-shot in the open space in 
 front, and several shots were fired at the kango. The bear- 
 ers ran away. Some men then seized Ee Kamong no kami 
 by the mangay [i.e., the stiff tuft of hair on the top of the 
 head], and dragged him out of the kango. After that I 
 heard loud speaking, quarreling and scolding; and soon 
 after they cut off Ee's head. While the quarreling was 
 going on he was not dead, because I saw him moving his 
 hands. Afterward many of the assassins stamped upon the 
 body, and all kicked it ; and they afterward hacked the body 
 all over. They then all ran away." 
 
 The Gorochiu immediately sent a letter to the Emperor : 
 "This morning (3d day of 3d month), on the Soto Sakurada, 
 twenty servants of Mito assassinated Kamong no kami. We 
 
 * These are men at the palace gate who look out for 
 Daimios approaching, and give notice to the guard, that they 
 may know how to salute them, according to their rank. 
 They make money by bribes to give the Daimios higher 
 salutes than they are entitled to. 
 
 f The sleeve peerage, as it is called, a little abridgment 
 of the Bookang, with the crests, names, and offices of Dai- 
 mios, often used by strangers to recognize Daimios passing.
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 343 
 
 fear that Mito may have a design of sending men down to 
 Miako to seize the Emperor, and gain over the Koongays. 
 Therefore his Majesty's government would do well to keep 
 a strict watch round Miako, and in the six roads leading to 
 the capital." 
 
 Matzdaira Higo no kami wrote to the Gorochiu: "This 
 morning there was a serious disturbance at Soto Sakurada. 
 My soldiers are at your disposal to guard any spot where 
 you may please to order them." 
 
 The Gorochiu answered, by the usual way of attaching a 
 small slip of paper to the letter: "We do not require any 
 more soldiers." 
 
 The Shiogoon ordered Sakkai Sayay mon no jo, who was 
 now, by the death of the Regent, head of the Tay kan no ma, 
 or room of the Fudai Daimios, as follows : 
 
 "This morning there was a great disturbance in Soto 
 Sakurada; and afterward there was fighting close to the 
 Shiogoon's residence. You must keep all the soldiers under 
 your command in readiness within your house. ' ' 
 
 The Shiogoon also wrote to Higo no kami : "You say you 
 have your soldiers all ready for any duty they may be called 
 to. Your loyalty has given me much satisfaction." 
 
 On the 4th day of the 3d month, Okamoto and Soma, the 
 two principal officers in the late Regent's service, went to 
 the Gorochiu with the following letter: "Our master, Ka- 
 mong no kami, went out yesterday to go to the castle to pay 
 his respects. When about half-way between his house and 
 the gate of the castle, several miscreants fell upon him and 
 killed him. We have certain information that these assas- 
 sins were servants of Mito and Satsuma. Yesterday all the 
 officers say to us, 'Wait a little.' But this business cannot 
 wait. We wish to know for what reason these men killed 
 our master. There are, at the present moment, some of 
 these men secreted in the houses of Wakisaka and Hosso- 
 kawa two Daimios. We wish to see them, and ascertain 
 from themselves why they killed our master. We desire 
 that these men may be delivered up to us. All the people
 
 344 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 of Hikonay [the Regent's territory] wish this, and we trust 
 you will take pity on them and grant their desire." 
 
 To this letter the Gorochiu affixed as answer: "Cannot 
 do so." 
 
 The following letter was addressed to the Shiogoon by the 
 son and servants of the late Regent on the day of the mur- 
 der. It was written to ascertain whether the law of Japan 
 would be acted upon in their case, by which the territory of 
 any officer who has been assassinated is confiscated. "3d 
 day, 3d month. Ee Kamong no kami, when going to the 
 castle to-day, and when near the Sakurada gate, was at- 
 tacked by a number of villains. At the time, so much snow 
 was falling as to make it impossible to see a yard before one. 
 All the servants of Ee are enraged. There were but few 
 Ronins and many servants, and they ought to have overpow- 
 ered the Ronins. The servants are deeply shamed when they 
 think of Ee nawo massa (the first of the family in the time 
 of lyeyas). Whatever is to become of us we care not; but 
 the retainers and friends of Ee wish to know whether the 
 house is, according to the old laws of the empire, to be re- 
 duced in rank and impoverished, or if it is to be entirely 
 degraded and removed from the territory. We wish to 
 understand clearly." This was written in the name of the 
 young Ee; and was probably written with the view of pre- 
 paring to defend themselves and party by an appeal to arms 
 rather than by submission. 
 
 The Shiogoon answered to this: "All your father's terri- 
 tory I restore to you his son." 
 
 Here terminates the native account of the assassination. 
 It gives some insight into the working of the government, 
 and the unscrupulous means to which the highest magnates 
 of the land will resort to attain their ends. From the gen- 
 eral tenor of the statements, the extreme hatred of one party 
 in Japan to foreign intercourse is brought out, and the slight 
 which the Emperor considered to have been put upon him 
 by the conclusion of the treaty without his consent and 
 against his expressed opinion.
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 345 
 
 Assassination is the ultima ratio of the desperation of 
 party weakness. The act implies that the party which has 
 sanctioned it has no one competent to cope with the individ- 
 ual removed, or to fill the place which it has made vacant. 
 
 The position of the government upon the death of the 
 Regent was that of helpless inactivity. The sudden removal 
 of the foremost man of the empire was as the removal of the 
 fly-wheel from a piece of complicated machinery. The whole 
 empire stood aghast, expecting and fearing some great polit- 
 ical convulsion. The whole country knew who had been the 
 active agents in the deed; and perhaps there were at heart 
 very few who did not feel more or less satisfaction at the 
 blow given to the party which was responsible for, and in- 
 strumental in, bringing foreigners into the country; and a 
 civil war or revolution would certainly have followed, had 
 not every one felt that they were, for the first time in their 
 history, face to face with an enemy, fear of whom concen- 
 trated all minor feelings, and consolidated them into one 
 great national determination to rid the land of the hated 
 foreigners. This was the one policy which the Emperor 
 demanded of the Shiogoon, which the people looked to the 
 government to effect, and which the lords and military 
 classes burned to carry into execution. "Were the foreigners 
 not a mere handful of men, and were such to be allowed to 
 beard and insult the highest personages in the land with 
 perfect impunity? Now, when the head of the party, who 
 was or pretended to be in favor of such a change of the 
 laws, is struck down, if some representative of the national 
 feelings would only arise and lead them on, they would fol- 
 low to the death in such a glorious cause. But no such 
 leader appeared. Where was Mito, the rival of the late 
 Regent? and why did he not come forward to carry out his 
 own policy at this juncture? The son of the late Regent was 
 too young and inexperienced to claim his father's office, or 
 to assume the leadership of the party. It was the personal 
 hatred of the two men which had been the moving spring in 
 the daring action of the Regent, and in the underhand plot-
 
 346 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 ting of Mito. In all probability the feelings of hostility with 
 which each regarded the foreigner were equally strong. 
 Mito said you must admit foreigners, because you cannot 
 keep them out. Ee thought we c&n admit foreigners, and, 
 if we see fit, afterward turn them out. But Mito was dis- 
 liked by the other Daimios, and his name was not sufficient 
 to rally a strong party, while he * and the lately degraded 
 Daimios were now in arrest in their own houses, in terri- 
 tories which had been transferred to the hands of infants. 
 They had thus no opportunity for intriguing, having no com- 
 mon place of meeting out of Yedo, as by law they were pro- 
 hibited from going to Miako, and could only come to Yedo 
 as Daimios, when called there on duty by the government. 
 
 In this crisis the only course for the Cabinet to pursue 
 was to go on quietly, managing the routine of affairs until 
 tima should open up some line of action. The Gorochiu, 
 therefore, with Neito at its head, and nominally under 
 Tayass as Regent, continued to carry on the ordinary duties 
 of government. 
 
 Events have shown that the Regent was right in his 
 judgment of the men whom he sought to remove from his 
 path as obstacles Mito, Etsizen, Satsuma, Owarri as these 
 have all since his death reappeared as leaders of the party 
 opposed to his policy in the Obiroma or council of the Ko- 
 kushu. Etsizen, afterward known by his retired title Shoon- 
 gaku, was the first among these magnates who attempted to 
 take a lead in the government of Yedo. He had been re- 
 moved from his position as Daimio and placed in arrest; but, 
 having subsequently been released, was able to move about 
 and obtain an influence in high places. He obtained from 
 the Emperor a letter [afterward considered a forgery], ap- 
 pointing ~ him and Awa to fill the place of co-regents, under 
 the name of Sosai Shoku or Sodangeite. But the fermenta- 
 tion of revolution had already begun to work, and at such a 
 
 * Mito is said to have traveled over the empire incog, 
 at this time, to study the feelings of the people.
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 347 
 
 time the first actors upon the stage seldom play the prom- 
 inent parts they deem themselves fitted to fill. They gen- 
 erally fail to see the causes of the boiling going on around. 
 Such a man is like an atom in a pot of boiling water, and 
 knows and sees nothing of the fire which is causing all the 
 upturning around him. To even a superficial looker-on at 
 the state of things in Japan, it was evident that such a dual 
 condition of government as that then existing could not long 
 continue to carry on foreign relations. The discord and 
 weakness arising from the permission of an imperium in 
 imperio by the exterritoriality clause was greatly increased 
 by the government attempting to carry on foreign relations 
 without the consent or against the will of the higher power 
 in Miako. The two powers must work harmoniously; and 
 so long as the internal affairs of the empire are the only pos- 
 sible cause of rupture, the weaker, though more exalted, will 
 find it to be its interest to be on good terms with the lower 
 but more powerful, the executive. So soon as the latter 
 begins to act as supreme power toward other nations, it 
 places itself in a wrong position, and foreign nations will not 
 treat with such a pretense. The opposition finds a head in 
 the Emperor, and the only way to avert a rupture is for the 
 lower power to give way and to act only as the representative 
 of the head of the empire. If he fails to see this, he sets 
 himself against the Emperor, who is then supported, not only 
 by his own nobility, but also by those powers with whom he 
 has entered into relations. The party of the Shiogoon de- 
 serts him, and his only role is to work with and under the 
 Emperor ; or, if he refuses to do this, civil war ensues, and 
 he falls. 
 
 After the removal of the Gotairo, the Cabinet was able 
 or permitted to carry on the affairs of State. But while 
 everything seemed smooth, smoldering powers were at 
 work preparing for volcanic action. The Kokushu, and 
 especially those who came to Yedo from the west, were 
 becoming very much irritated about the question of for- 
 eigners in the country, and foreign ministers in Yedo. The
 
 348 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 latter assumed a position of superiority to which these lords 
 were quite unaccustomed. They were occupying temples 
 belonging to great families, situated, in cemeteries conse- 
 crated by the burial of their ancestors and relatives, but now 
 polluted by intruders hateful to the spirits of the country. 
 The foreign merchants were able to beard these princes on 
 the highroad, and to treat with nonchalance dignitaries who 
 looked for the utmost deference, and who were authorized 
 by law to punish at their own hands any real or supposed 
 insolence or insult. On the other hand, they saw trade 
 pushing its way in the country ; silk which had been sold for 
 100 dollars was now bringing 1,000, and Emperor and lord 
 longed to share in such advantages and participate in the 
 profits. The first object which the more powerful of the 
 Kokushu set themselves to accomplish was to break down 
 this intolerable subjection to the Yedo government. This 
 was not difficult to do, as the power of the empire was in the 
 hands of a delicate lad, and the Emperor, through whom 
 the end was brought about, was promised and hoped that 
 the power would revert to him. The agents in this act were 
 Shoongaku, Shimadzu saburo, Choshiu, and a Koongay 
 Ohara a distant relative and the unexpected successor of 
 a Koongay, and who had spent his early life hanging about 
 the offices of Yedo. After the boy-Shiogoon had been mar- 
 ried to Kadsu mia, sister of the Emperor, Shoongaku, who 
 was always full of the most economical if not parsimonious 
 views, reduced the retinue and court of the Shiogoon till it 
 was brought into contempt with the populace. In October, 
 1862, these potentates produced a letter (forged, as is gen- 
 erally believed) from the Emperor, "putting an end to the 
 routine of the Yedo court ; and having the power in their 
 own hands, they immediately proclaimed the edict and car- 
 ried it into execution. The order was to the effect that the 
 higher Daimios were to visit Yedo only once in seven years, 
 and that the wives and families of all the Daimios were to 
 live at their own provincial seats. This removad from Yedo 
 all the luster of the court. At the same time these lords
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 349 
 
 filled up the complement of their design by inducing the 
 Emperor to call most of the higher Daimios who were of 
 their own views to Miako. The Mikado was swayed hither 
 and thither as the one party or the other gained the power 
 in the capital ; and so at one time Kanso, the retired lord 
 of Hizen, had the ear of the Emperor in the interest of the 
 Shiogoon, while Choshiu appeared to have taken up arms 
 against his sovereign. But he seems all along to have acted 
 loyally and patriotically in showing an intense hatred to the 
 foreigners who were by force of arms thrusting themselves 
 and their regiments into the country. This act was the 
 great blow which broke up the power and brought to a 
 termination the dynasty of lyeyas. He had foreseen and 
 made provision for intestine war and revolution, but had not 
 been able to provide for a treaty with foreign nations and an 
 exterritoriality clause. 
 
 In 1861 the foreign ministers, up to that time resident in 
 Yedo, retired to Yokohama, and pressed one demand after 
 another upon the Japanese government, already sufficiently 
 occupied with complications arising from intestine difficul- 
 ties. The Cabinet was worried by requests for interviews 
 upon questions of land, of residences, of money exchanges, 
 of matters of etiquette in interviews with the Shiogoon, and 
 other matters which might seem trivial in comparison with 
 the crisis through which the country was passing in the face 
 of an internal revolution. These foreign ministers were 
 now, somewhat unreasonably, all demanding that residences 
 should be built for them by the Japanese government, and 
 insisting that these residences should (in the face of an arti- 
 cle of the treaty to the contrary) be fortified and furnished 
 with guns. The recreation ground of the people of Yedo, 
 Go teng yama, was demanded and given up for this pur- 
 pose by Ando, then Prime Minister, and a large building 
 was erected by the Japanese government upon this site; 
 but the feelings of the people at this unjust appropriation 
 of a piece of ground which had been set apart for their use 
 were so much excited that another local emeute was threat
 
 350 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 ened at Yedo. This was allayed by the burning of the new 
 building, and by the attempted assassination of the Prime 
 Minister, who narrowly escaped with the loss of an ear. 
 
 By these annoyances occurring in the neighborhood of 
 Yedo, and through the presence of foreigners, a strong party 
 was drawn over to the views of the Emperor, and the nation 
 began to see that he had all along been in the right in oppos- 
 ing the admission of foreigners as detrimental to the quiet of 
 the country. Satsuma and Choshiu built each a large new 
 residence in Miako. The Emperor called on twelve of the 
 wealthiest among the Daimios to keep each a sufficient body 
 of troops in the city for his protection. The young Shiogoon 
 was invited or called upon to pay a visit to Miako when 
 Stotsbashi was intriguing against him. He accordingly 
 went with Kanso, the retired prince of Hizen, while Higo 
 was appointed Shugo shoku, or guardian of the palace. 
 This meeting of the Emperor and the Shiogoon seems to 
 have opened the eyes of both to the power and intelligence 
 of foreigners, of which the Emperor and his court seem to 
 have been ignorant. Some of the Miako nobility went out 
 on a trip with the Shiogoon in his steamer, and were aston- 
 ished and converted; and Anega Koji was assassinated for 
 expressing too plainly and openly his opinions as to the 
 power and energy of foreigners. 
 
 The intercourse between the two heads of the empire 
 seems to have consolidated the power of the government, 
 and promised to bring forth fruit in a mutual good under- 
 standing and co-operation. Stotsbashi sneaked away to Yedo 
 in disgrace, and had to run the gantlet of an attack on his 
 way back, when his chief secretary was assassinated on the 
 highroad at Saka no shta. Shimadzu and Choshiu retired 
 from Miako in disgrace to their respective provincial resi- 
 dences, where they brooded over their own position and that 
 of the empire. They could not but feel that it was the loy- 
 alty of their views which had entailed on them their present 
 disgrace, and the prime cause of this was the foreigners. 
 They knew well that the feeling of every one of their coun-
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 351 
 
 trymen was with them, and they seem to have at last deter- 
 mined to throw themselves into the breach by bringing about 
 u quarrel between the government and some foreign nation. 
 Shimadzu, the father of the Daimio, then a minor, deter- 
 mined to carry out the laws of the country irrespective of 
 any exterritoriality clauses. On leaving Yedo, on Septem- 
 ber 14, 18(32, he gave out that he would cut down any for- 
 eigners he might chance to meet upon the road; when, as 
 he approached Kanagawa, meeting three gentlemen and a 
 lady, he ordered his retainers to cut them down, and Mr. 
 Richardson, wounded and unable to ride away more than 
 two hundred yards, was set upon, fainting from loss of 
 blood, and brutally murdered. Justice was asked from the 
 Shiogoon's government and the punishment of the offender, 
 who was well known to all Japan. The murder of a mer- 
 chant by a lord like Satsuma was treated with contempt, and 
 the matter was referred by the British Minister to H.M. gov- 
 ernment. The subsequent necessary delay of many months, 
 before instructions came out to demand an indemnity and 
 the punishment of the offender, raised the courage of the 
 party opposed to foreigners, and Choshiu determined on his 
 part to carry out the laws of the country according to his 
 instructions. He held a commission from the Emperor as 
 guardian of the Straits of Simo no seki, the narrow western 
 entrance to the "inner sea." He had thereby a right to 
 overhaul all vessels passing through this strait. There is 
 no other sea quite analogous: it resembles, but is much 
 narrower than, the Dardanelles, the Sound, the Straits of 
 Dover, or Tarifa, at all of which places some recognition of 
 the power of the nation to defend a vulnerable point of her 
 territories has been allowed in the exercise of certain surveil- 
 lance over passing vessels. Choshiu fired upon some foreign 
 vessels passing through this strait. The consequence of this 
 was a combined attack by English, French and Dutch, by 
 which he or one of his relatives (by error) suffered severely 
 in men, ammunition and prestige. The Shiogoon disavowed 
 his proceedings, and to satisfy foreign demands proposed to
 
 352 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 punish the rebel. This, however, he found to be no easy 
 matter, as the whole troops and populace were in favor of 
 Choshiu and his patriotic attempt, and the Shiogoon was at 
 last obliged to make terms with the Daimio. 
 
 Choshiu had presented the following memorial to the 
 government upon the position of Japan in its internal and 
 external relations at this juncture: 
 
 "Allow me, notwithstanding your political discussions 
 [with the Mikado's envoys], to give you my opinion respect- 
 ing the troubles which foreigners have given us of late years 
 in asking all kinds of concessions, in addition to the unex- 
 pected troubles which exist in our own country. This com- 
 bination of difficulties within and without, occurring at the 
 same time, and bringing us to a point when our prosperity 
 or misfortune is decided, keeps my heart day and night in 
 anxiety, and induces me to give you in confidence my own 
 feelings upon these subjects. 
 
 "I have long thought that union and concord between 
 the Shiogoon and Mikado, and obedience to the Mikado's 
 orders, are highly necessary in keeping up an inter- 
 course with foreign nations, as I have already said very 
 often. 
 
 "But every one knows that since the great council of 
 officers, the Shiogoon and Mikado are disunited, which has 
 occasioned a conflict of parties, and brought with it discord 
 and trouble. 
 
 "I think the reason of this is, that although the signing 
 of the treaties was forced upon us by urgent circumstances 
 and pressing events, there are some who maintain that the 
 reopening of relations with foreigners has occasioned a deg- 
 radation of the people, who were so brave and constant ten 
 years ago, to the state of quiescence and cowardice to which 
 they are now reduced by their fear of war and of the foreign 
 powers. These persons who are of this opinion are therefore 
 in opposition to the acts of the Shiogoon, and say that they 
 will themselves undertake to set aside the treaties and pre- 
 pare the country for war, declaring that the Mikado still
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 353 
 
 maintains the old laws of our country, which direct the 
 expulsion of foreigners. 
 
 "Others persons accept, on the contrary, the reopening of 
 the country, and praise the foreigners, and thus destroy all 
 confidence in ourselves. They say that the foreigners have 
 large forces, and that they have great knowledge of arts and 
 sciences. 
 
 "These conflicting opinions trouble the minds of the peo- 
 ple. Unity is force and strength, and discord is weakness; 
 therefore it would be imprudent to go to war against power- 
 ful and brave enemies with discord in our minds. 
 
 "The closing or opening of Japan is a matter of the great- 
 est moment. That which cannot be shut again should not 
 have been opened, and that which cannot be opened should 
 not have been shut. 
 
 "The closing of Japan will never be a real closing, and the 
 opening will never be a real opening, so long as our country 
 is not restored to its independence, and as long as it is men- 
 aced and despised by foreign countries. Therefore the open- 
 ing or closing of Japan is dependent upon the restoration of 
 our own powers ; if that is effected, then war or peace can 
 be declared. 
 
 "The condition upon which this power can be restored to 
 us is the enlightening of the people, and their union. 
 
 "I think the only way to bring about national union is 
 by solid union between the Shiogoon and Mikado, acting 
 together as in one body. Should there be war, it can be 
 brought to an end very easily. 
 
 "A time is now come very different from the barbarous 
 ages, and arising out of the long peace which has prevailed. 
 Every little child knows the respect it owes to its parents 
 and masters. 
 
 "It will therefore rejoice everybody in this advanced age 
 to see the Shiogoon hold the Mikado in great respect; and 
 the whole nation would honor the Shiogoon, and all troubles 
 would cease, and then only we can be restored to our inde- 
 pendence and power.
 
 354 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 "After our independence is restored, it is urgent and 
 pressing that we reform our military institutions, the naval 
 sciences, as well as all branches of industry. We should 
 find out the great advancements and developments of arts 
 and sciences in other countries. The whole nation must de- 
 vote life and soul to the benefit of our state, and we must 
 learn and study the interior arrangements of foreign lands, 
 in order that the commerce of our country may flourish in 
 this important age. I think all this ought to have been 
 done long since ; but nothing of the kind is to be found hi 
 the edicts which have appeared so often during the last 
 seven years. 
 
 "Inventions and improvements pass on with rapidity, 
 and the time is now come to make all these changes and 
 improvements ; but if our attachment to old customs causes 
 us to postpone these measures of such great importance, if 
 these changes are later suddenly forced by circumstances upon 
 the inhabitants, a very bad impression will be produced, 
 creating disorder and confusion. These are reasons why 
 they should be effected now calmly and gradually. I think 
 that the Mikado will not be disinclined to this, and therefore 
 I wish that the Shiogoon should act under the orders of the 
 Mikado, and not conclude matters by his own authority. 
 He ought to let these designs be known to all the Daimios 
 in the name of the Mikado; then there will be a general 
 quiet restored; then the dormant soul of the whole nation 
 will awake, and will be united in power and in independ- 
 ence ; and then it will display its force and strength to the 
 other five portions of the universe without anxiety and fear 
 for our own country. 
 
 "I do not write these my sentiments to aid you in your 
 negotiations, as they may be of little or no use to you, and 
 only like a drop of water falling into the ocean ; but to show 
 my gratitude for the favors of the Shiogoon, which my an- 
 cestors have enjoyed during centuries." 
 
 The aim of the party opposed to the policy of the Shio- 
 goon and the admission of foreigners seems to have been to
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 355 
 
 poison the mind of the Emperor against the young Shio- 
 goon, and to embroil the country in a war, by setting the 
 one against the other. The letters from the Emperor which 
 have been obtained prove this. 
 
 The following letter was conveyed by Shimadzu Saburo 
 from the Emperor to the Shiogoon about October, 1862 : 
 
 "I think that the power of the foreigners [Ee jin, wild 
 men] at the present time in the country is improper; and 
 the officers of the Kwanto seem to have lost all knowledge 
 of the right way, and of all plans of action, causing disturb- 
 ance all over the empire. All my people [Ban nin, 10,000 
 men] seem about to fall down into mud as black as char- 
 coal. On this account I, standing between Ten sho go dai 
 jin and my people, am very deeply distressed. The Bakuri 
 [Shiogoon's officers] have spoken to me, saying, 'All our peo- 
 ple are agitated, and the Shiogoon has no power to hold up 
 his arm. Therefore please give us your sister in marriage 
 [to the Shiogoon]. If you can do this, Miako and Yedo will 
 be at concord, and the whole power of Japan can join to- 
 gether, and we can then brush away the Yee teki' [i.e., 
 foreigners, wild enemies]. 
 
 "In answer, I said, 'This is right, and I will give my 
 sister. ' 
 
 "At that time the Bakuri said to me, 'In ten years the 
 foreigners must be brushed away.' This gave me great 
 pleasure ; and I pray to the spirits every day to help Japan. 
 
 "I have now been waiting for a long time for your 
 brushing away. Why are you so slow? 
 
 "With my sister Kadsumia I sent Tchikusa shosho and 
 Iwakura chiujo, and at the same time granted a general 
 amnesty ; * and all the business of the government I gave, as 
 in former times, to the Shiogoon. But this business about 
 foreigners [Gway-Ee] is of the first importance to the coun- 
 try. Therefore I said, 'Let all this foreign business come 
 
 * The Gorochiu would not allow this to be granted, and 
 never published it.
 
 356 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 under my care, and I will settle it.' At the time, all the 
 Yedo officials answered to me that the Emperor's proposal 
 was very important and serious, but a speedy answer cannot 
 be given, and that we must wait a little. 
 
 "After this time, several Daimios proposed several differ- 
 ent stratagems for driving away foreigners. But of all the 
 Daimios only two viz., Satsuma and Choshiu came in per- 
 son to speak to me ; and all the loyal people from San yodo 
 [west of Miako], Nan kaido [island of Sikok], and Sai kaido 
 [island of Kiusiu], came to Miako like bees, and addressed 
 me secretly. All these tell me that the officers of Yedo are 
 all bad, and that they are becoming worse from day to day; 
 and that justice and truth are fallen to the ground; and that 
 they do not hold the Emperor in respect; and they are friends 
 of the foreigners, giving them everything they want silk, 
 tea, and other things while the whole country loses. All 
 the people are much vexed about this; and they feel that 
 they are becoming the same as servants of the foreigners, 
 and now their habits cannot change. On this account, these 
 people of San yodo, Nan kaido, and Sai kaido, and Satsu- 
 ma and Mowori [Choshiu], wish to raise the Emperor's flag. 
 And they say, that if the Emperor with the flag goes to 
 Hakonay, the Bakufu [Shiogoon's office] officers, if bad, 
 must all be punished. 
 
 ' ' Some men say that, Japan having been at peace for a 
 long time, the spirits of the people are very lazy and slow ; 
 therefore they suggest that a letter should be given to the 
 Daimios and people of the Go ki stchi do [i.e., the districts 
 lying upon the seven roads], ordering that foreigners must 
 be brushed out of the country. 
 
 "The Emperor says: 'Throughout the empire there are 
 many loyal and patriotic men, therefore I will speak to Sat- 
 suma and Nagato to desire the people to have patience. ' 
 
 "I gave a letter to Koozay Yamato no kami, requesting 
 an answer, and yet none ever came; and last year I wrote 
 and proclaimed an amnesty, and to this I received no an- 
 swer. "Why has the Shiogoon thus lost the way? I believe
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 357 
 
 it is not he, but his officers. All the Gorochiu do not care. 
 The Ty jiu [great tree] is but young ; but I fear that if I 
 delay but an instant [till I can stand up], all the empire will 
 be broken up. Therefore I am every day troubled and weep- 
 ing. All the officers of the Kwanto [the Shiogoon, Daimios, 
 etc.] think only of the happiness of a day, and forget the 
 misery of a hundred years. The holy books thus speak, and 
 you ought to study them. You ought to keep these virtuous 
 ideas in your minds, and be ready with your military prep- 
 arations, and then you will clearly see your way out, and 
 brush away the power of the foreign enemies. But while 
 all Japan is in a state of excitement, I will hold to the me- 
 dium course [i.e., between brushing away immediately and 
 waiting indefinitely]. Since the Tokungawa family began 
 [i.e., since lyeyas], there has not arisen a question of so 
 much difficulty. I have three plans to propose: The first 
 is, that I will gradually bring the Shiogoon and Daimios 
 and Hattamoto to Miako, and will hold a council about the 
 government of the country and the brushing away of for- 
 eigners. If we can do this, the anger of heaven and the 
 gods will be averted. They will rejoice, and the good minds 
 of the lower classes will return. Then all people will stand 
 on a strong foundation, and the empire be as strong as a 
 large mountain. 
 
 "My second plan is, you must lean upon the old laws of 
 Ho taiko [i.e., Taikosama], and give the laws of the country 
 and the settlement of the question into the hands of the Tai 
 hang [i.e., large fence, or the Kokushiu] and the Gotairo 
 [i.e., five elders]. If we do this, the country can keep out 
 or push back the pressure of foreigners. All round the 
 coasts military preparations must be made ; and so the coun- 
 try will be strong, and foreigners can be brushed away. 
 
 "My third plan is, to order Stotsbashi to assist the Ty jiu 
 on all internal business, and to give the office of Regent to 
 Shoongaku, to take charge of the outer relations of the office 
 at Yedo. In that case both the internal and external busi- 
 ness will be well COB ducted, and we shall not blush to think
 
 358 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 that we are servants to foreigners, and that they have obliged 
 us to cross our coats the right over the left side.* For all 
 men fear that in a very little time these foreigners will seize 
 all Japan. 
 
 "I think that these three plans should now be considered 
 and settled, and to that end I send an envoy to Kwanto ; but 
 if they cannot all three be carried out, I wish the officers of 
 the Shiogoon to examine them and determine on one that 
 can be carried out. All my servants must be very busy 
 going round and round, and there is to be no secrecy about 
 it ; but every one is to be diligent, and all must give me a 
 faithful report." 
 
 At the time this letter was written both Stotsbashi and 
 Shoongaku were in Miako, whither they had hurried down 
 before the arrival of the Shiogoon. The letter bears some 
 internal evidence of being written at their dictation, espe- 
 cially from the proposal made to appoint the two as Lieuten- 
 ants and Regent to or over the Shiogoon ; and corroborates 
 the advice which Kanso had given the young Shiogoon; viz., 
 that he should repair at once to Miako, where the enemies 
 of his power were trying to subvert him. 
 
 Not long after this, four Koongays of Miako having been 
 discovered plotting against the Emperor were degraded and 
 obliged to shave their heads and retire to monasteries. Koonga 
 and his son, and the Empress herself, with two concubines, 
 were said to be implicated in these intrigues. The following 
 reasons of punishment were published : ' ' During the last five 
 years intrigues have been carrying on against the Emperor 
 by the late Gotairo and Sakkye Wakasa no kami. The object 
 of these intrigues has been to get possession of the Emperor's 
 person and banish him to one of the islands (as formerly sev- 
 eral were sent by Ashikanga and Hojio). Sakkye was very 
 
 * The custom in Japan is to bring the left of the dress 
 over the right side in front, "migi yeri" ; and it is a common 
 saying that foreigners will soon oblige them to change even 
 this custom, and "hidari yeri," cross it over the left side.
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 359 
 
 false, and tarnished the bright name of the Emperor, which 
 is a very foul crime. Now their devices have been discov- 
 ered, and the Emperor has ordered the Sisshay [another 
 name of the Kwanbakku] thus to punish them." 
 
 The punishment inflicted by the British government upon 
 Satsuma at Kagosima, on account of the murder of Mr. 
 Richardson, was severe but deserved, and, in a political 
 view, was completely successful. The two most powerful 
 lords in the empire had each tried a fall with foreigners and 
 been worsted. They could no longer press on the govern- 
 ment to brush out these intruders, as they knew now by 
 experience how far behind the country was in military and 
 naval tactics and means of warfare. The natural result now 
 followed they began to quarrel among themselves. Seeing 
 their own weakness, however, they instantly began to take 
 what steps they could to bring themselves up to a higher 
 standing by the education of their people, and they began 
 by seeking to acquire a knowledge of steam and steam-ves- 
 sels. Choshiu and Satsuma sent young men to England, 
 arms and ammunition were purchased, steam-factories were 
 erected for working in iron, military tactics were studied, 
 professors were appointed in their colleges, and officers were 
 obtained to drill their young men and teach the use of the rifle. 
 
 The fruit expected from the intercourse of the Emperor 
 and Shiogoon unfortunately did not ripen. The latter re- 
 turned to Yedo despoiled of much of the former splendor 
 of his position. His court was broken up. The greater 
 lords paid now no deference to him, and the lesser Daimios 
 began to side with the greater. His party consisted chiefly 
 of the Kamong Daimios, the relatives of the family of To- 
 kungawa. Yedo itself was falling into the position of a fad- 
 ing capital, and, as a place of commercial importance, was 
 dwindling with the departure of its political greatness. A 
 feeble attempt was made to recall the edict and re-establish 
 the old order of things in Yedo; but events rolled on, and 
 things are shaping themselves in totally different order from 
 that proposed by the ruling powers.
 
 360 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 The defeat of Satsuma by the English navy at Kagosi- 
 ma separated that Daimio from the party of Choshiu and 
 others, and his counsels to the Emperor were those of peace. 
 Shimadzu Saburo paid the indemnity demanded of him, and 
 gave assurances that the offender should be given up when 
 discovered, which was perhaps as much as could be ex- 
 pected from one who, while a murder was being com- 
 mitted by hiso rders, was quietly sitting within ten feet of 
 his victim. 
 
 The Shiogoon lyay mutchi had found nothing but trouble 
 and anxiety from his elevation to the seat of power in the 
 year 1859. In 1866 his health began to give way, and he 
 shortly after died, leaving no children, and the way became 
 open to his rival, Stotsbashi. The period was critical, and 
 the ablest man would have found difficulty in steering through 
 the dangers surrounding the vessel of state. The Daimios 
 would now have little hesitation in withholding their allegi- 
 ance to another Kubosama until it should be settled who was 
 to be the de facto ruler of the empire the Emperor or the 
 Shiogoon. Many would see that some change must take 
 place in the internal constitution of the empire now when 
 the government must deal as one body with foreign nations. 
 The necessity for dual government was at an end. The 
 mouthpiece of the nation must be one, and give no uncer- 
 tain sound. The internal resources must be gathered into 
 one treasury. The police, the taxes, must be recognized as 
 national, and not as belonging to one petty chief here and 
 there. The army and nav'y required reconstruction; and 
 the power of the feudal lords would have to be broken down 
 in order to be reconstituted into one strong state under one 
 head. 
 
 The new Shiogoon, Yoshi hisa, attempted to assume the 
 power with the position held by his ancestors, but he was 
 too late. His only true policy was to stand beside and sup- 
 port the Emperor while the lower chiefs impoverished them- 
 selves by fighting. He attempted to take a side against the 
 Emperor, but not being aided by a strong party, he was
 
 HISTORY OF EMPIRE CONTINUED. 361 
 
 forced in 1867 to give way, and by abdicating retire into 
 temporary obscurity. 
 
 To add still more to the critical position of affairs in Japan 
 at this time, the Emperor died, being about thirty-eight years 
 of age, and leaving a young boy as his heir and successor. 
 It does not clearly appear who has been pulling the strings 
 of political action on the part of the boy-Emperor ; but there 
 can be little doubt but that the two Daimios to whom Yedo 
 was the most grievous offense, and whose ancestors had 
 smarted from the rise of the Tokungawa family under 
 lyeyas, Satsuma and Choshiu, have not been idle. On the 
 other hand, the wealthy Daimios from the north Sendai, 
 and other Kamong or relatives of that family seemed de- 
 termined to uphold the position of the family, and carry out 
 the principles of lyeyas at all hazards. Between these par- 
 ties the Shiogoon, who is said to be an able man, tried to 
 steer a neutral course until he saw what would turn up. 
 At length he came to think that submission to the Emperor 
 was the true policy for himself and for the empire, and 
 he humbly placed himself at the disposal of the Emperor 
 rather than involve the country in another civil war. His 
 submission was accepted by the Emperor in the following 
 terms : 
 
 "The conduct of Tokungawa Yoshi hisa having proceeded 
 to such an extreme as to be properly called an insult to the 
 whole empire, and having caused the deepest pain to the 
 mind of the Emperor, both sea and land forces were sent to 
 punish him. Hearing, however, that he is sincerely peni- 
 tent, and lives in retirement, the excess of the imperial com- 
 passion shall be exhausted, and the following commands be 
 enjoined upon him. Let him be respectfully obedient to 
 them. A period of eleven days is granted him in which 
 to comply with all these orders. 
 
 "1st, Yoshi hisa having, on the 12th month of the last 
 year, and afterward, insulted the Emperor, attacked the 
 imperial city, and fired upon the imperial flag, was guilty 
 of a most heinous crime. The army was accordingly sent 
 
 16
 
 362 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 out to pursue and punish him. But as he has manifested 
 sincere contrition and obedience, has shut himself up in re- 
 tirement, and begs that his crime may be pardoned : in con- 
 sideration of the no small merit of his family, which, since 
 the time of his ancestors, for more than two hundred years 
 has administered the affairs of government, and more espe- 
 cially of the accumulated meritorious services of Mito zo 
 Dainagoon [the father of Yoshi hisa, and rival of the Re- 
 gent]; for these various considerations, of which we are 
 most profoundly sensible, we give him the following com- 
 mands, which if he obeys we will deal leniently with him, 
 grant that the house of Tokungawa be established [i.e., not 
 destroyed from the list of Daimios], remit the capital punish- 
 ment his crimes deserve, but command him to go to the 
 castle of Mito, and there live shut up in retirement. 
 
 "2d, The castle [of the Shiogoon in Yedo] to be vacated, 
 and delivered over to the Prince of Owarri. 
 
 "3d, All the ships of war, cannon and small arms to be 
 delivered up; when a proper proportion shall be returned 
 [to the head of the house of Tokungawa, which is reduced 
 to the rank of an ordinary Daimio]. 
 
 "4th, The retainers living in the castle shall move out 
 and go into retirement. 
 
 "5th, To all those who have aided Yoshi hisa, although 
 their crimes are worthy of the severest punishment, the sen- 
 tence of death shall be remitted, but they are to receive such 
 other punishment as you shall decide on. Let this be re- 
 ported to the imperial government. This, however, does 
 not include those persons who have an income of more than 
 10,000 koku i.e., Daimios; the imperial government alone 
 will punish such." 
 
 An important political step has been taken within the last 
 few months, during the present year 1869. The Daimios 
 appear to have become aware of the weakness which inevi- 
 tably accompanies division, and of the strength which would 
 be gained to the country by consolidation and unification 
 under one head. The threatening position taken up by some
 
 FOLLO WING ABOLITION OF THE SHIOGOONATE. 363 
 
 or all of the foreign nations with whom treaties of friendship 
 had been concluded brought up the subject at some of the 
 recent great councils. The crushing defeats which had 
 fallen upon Satsuma and Choshiu warned individual Dai- 
 mios of their weakness as units in carrying on operations of 
 war ; the enormous expense entailed upon them in procuring 
 munitions of war, and in exercise, and in the purchase of 
 steamers, alarmed these lords in the prospect of annihilation 
 from exhaustion, and they came to the conclusion that such 
 expenses could only be borne by the empire as a whole, and 
 that to gain such an advantage the privileges of the class 
 must in some degree be given up. The removal of the Shio- 
 goon presented a favorable opportunity for carrying out the 
 proposal, and they agreed heartily to restore all their fiefs 
 into the hands of the Emperor, and to give up the exclusive 
 privileges which each held in his own state, that these might 
 all be thrown into one government, with one exchequer, one 
 army, and one navy. The latest accounts confirm this ces- 
 sion of their independent rights in which cession Satsuma, 
 the most powerful, but the Daimio who suffered most from 
 the independent system in the very severe punishment which 
 he received in loss of men, destruction of steamers, and pay- 
 ment of indemnity, with total loss of prestige and position as 
 a military power, has been foremost. It is therefore reason- 
 able to suppose that henceforth there will be only one re- 
 sponsible ruling power hi Japan. 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 EVENTS FOLLOWING THE ABOLITION OF THE SHIOGOONATE 
 
 MR. DICKSON'S history was published in 1869. During 
 the thirty years that have since elapsed we have witnessed 
 a complete transformation of Japan. To make intelligible 
 the sequence of events, it may be well to describe more in 
 detail the incidents which preceded, attended and immedi-
 
 364 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 ately followed the downfall of the Tokungawa Shiogoonate 
 which, for more than two and a half centuries, had pos- 
 sessed the substance of power in Japan, only the shadow 
 thereof being retained by the Mikado. Within less than a 
 year after January 6, 1867, when Keiki had been made Shio- 
 goon, much against his will, the Prince of Tosa and many 
 able representatives of the Daimio and Samurai castes urged 
 him to resign and permit a government to be constituted on 
 the principles which had prevailed in the anti-Shiogoon era, 
 namely, before the year A.D. 1200. In November, 1867, 
 Keiki so far yielded to public opinion BS to tender his resig- 
 nation ; but, as the Aidzu clan, which was stanchly loyal to 
 him, continued to guard the Mikado's palace, it remained for 
 a time uncertain whether Keiki might not resume his func- 
 tions. Ultimately, a combination was formed by the Sat- 
 suma, Choshiu, Tosa, Etsizen and other clans, whereby the 
 followers of the Tokungawa family were expelled from the 
 imperial palace and an edict was issued in the name of 
 the young Mikado, Mutsuhite, to the effect that the office 
 of Shiogoon was abolished, and that the government of 
 Japan would be henceforth carried on by the Mikado him- 
 self. A provisional administration was appointed, and all 
 the important civil and military posts were allotted to un- 
 flinching upholders of the prospective regime. The ex- Shio- 
 goon, however, was persuaded by his retainers to retract his 
 resignation, and, at the head of a large force, he undertook 
 to re-enter Kioto [Miako] for the purpose of reasserting his 
 former authority. After a battle, which lasted three days, 
 he was beaten by the loyal troops and was forced to take 
 refuge in his castle, where he announced that he would 
 never again take up arms against the Mikado. Neverthe- 
 less, the Tokungawa clan showed, for a time, signs of dis- 
 affection; but by July 1, 1869, all vestiges of rebellion had 
 ceased and the Mikado's party was triumphant. The trials 
 of the new government now began. The Kuge, or court 
 nobles, and the whole body of Samurai, or two-sworded 
 men, desired to drive foreigners out of the country, but
 
 FOLLOWING ABOLITION OF THE SHIOGOONATE. 365 
 
 Okubo, Goto and Kido, who were conversant with foreign 
 ideas, opposed the execution of the plan and sent a noble of 
 the imperial court to give the Mikado's consent to the treat- 
 ies and to invite the foreign Ministers to an audience with 
 the Emperor in Kioto. The conversion of the court nobles 
 to the party that desired to see Japan reconstructed on 
 European principles now went on rapidly, and the young 
 Mikado was induced to appear in person before the Council 
 of State and to promise that a deliberative assembly should 
 be eventually formed. Indicative of an intention to revolu- 
 tionize the mode of government was the Emperor's depart- 
 ure from Kioto, which had been the seat of his ancestors for 
 twenty-five centuries, and his adoption of Yedo, thenceforth 
 called Tokio, for his capital. To a considerable extent, free- 
 dom of the press was now guaranteed, and a number of news- 
 papers sprung up. Books expounding European methods of 
 thought and education were published, and many pamphlets 
 advocating the abolition of feudalism appeared. Four of 
 the great Daimios, or feudal lords, advocated the change. 
 They addressed a memorial to the throne offering to restore 
 the registers of their clans and proposing that the Mikado 
 should resume possession of their fiefs. In conformity to 
 this request, an edict was issued in September, 1871, sum- 
 moning the Daimios to Tokio for the purpose of arranging 
 their retirement to private life. With scarcely an exception, 
 the order was obeyed ; even the Daimios who disapproved of 
 the measure were unwilling to oppose the resolute men who 
 had framed the edict. The truth is that, even under the 
 feudal system, the real power in each clan had lain in the 
 hands of able men of inferior rank who ruled their nominal 
 masters. These are the men who, during the last thirty 
 years, have controlled Japan. Having first driven the Shio- 
 goon into private life, they then compelled the Daimios to 
 follow him into retirement. Of the men who have governed 
 the country since 1868, not one is a Daimio by birth, and 
 only two or three are Kuge, or court nobles. Almost all 
 were simple Samurai, or retainers of the territorial lords.
 
 366 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 It should be mentioned that, in 1869, the Emperor re- 
 turned to Kioto for a brief visit, in order to perform certain 
 ceremonies at his father's tomb, and, during his sojourn in 
 the western capital, he married the present Empress, who 
 was a princess of one of the five regent families, from which 
 the highest officers under the Mikado have always been se- 
 lected, and from which the emperors have habitually chosen 
 their wives. 
 
 We have seen that the Emperor had promised to convoke 
 a deliberative assembly. This promise was, at first, kept to 
 the ear, rather than the hope. A so-called Kogisho or Parlia- 
 ment was formed of persons representing each of the Daimi- 
 ates, and designated for the position by the Daimios. It was 
 a mere debating society, whose function was to give advice 
 to the imperial government. How conservative the advice 
 given by this body was may be measured by the fact that it 
 refused to recommend the abolition of the privilege of hari- 
 kari, or of the custom of wearing swords. This Kogisho 
 lasted only for some months, being dissolved in the autumn 
 of the same year in which it was created. 
 
 Soon after the suppression of the feudal system in Japan, 
 the Daimiates, considered as administrative areas, were su- 
 perseded by Prefectures. At first, the ex-Daimios were ap- 
 pointed Prefects, but most of them were soon found to be 
 unfit for high executive office, and they have been gradually 
 replaced by competent persons drawn from the Samurai class. 
 It should further be noted that the extinction of feudalism 
 imposed some onerous financial obligations. It was decided 
 that each ex-Daimio, and each of the sub-feudatories that 
 had been dependent on him, should receive one-tenth of the 
 income which they had drawn from their fiefs. This income 
 was to be free from any claim for the support of the Samurai 
 who had formed the standing army in each clan. The cen- 
 tral government undertook to make all payments to the Sa- 
 murai for services of any kind. The assumption of this bur- 
 den compelled the government to borrow $165,000,000. In 
 view of the pensions which they had formerly received, lump
 
 FOLLOWING ABOLITION OF THE SHIOGOONATE. 367 
 
 sums were given to the Samurai, but these were soon squan- 
 dered, and much poverty and want were eventually experi- 
 enced by the ex-feudal retainers. Among other remarkable 
 events which took place in 1871, should be mentioned the 
 removal of the ancient disqualification of the eta and hei- 
 min, whereby these pariah castes were placed on the same 
 legal footing as the rest of the population. In the following 
 year, the first railway in Japan was opened. This was a 
 line between Yokohama and Tokio. In 1873, the European 
 calendar was adopted, so far as the beginning of the year 
 and the beginning of the months are concerned. The year 
 is still reckoned, however, from Jimmu Tenno, which is 1873 
 of the Christian era, and corresponds to the year 2533 of the 
 Japanese era. Still employed occasionally, also, is the Meiji 
 year-period, which began in 1868. 
 
 From the beginning of 1872, the remodeling of the Jap- 
 anese system of education was undertaken. In April of 
 that year, the Mikado, Mutsuhito, visited the Imperial Col- 
 lege, subsequently to be known as the Imperial University. 
 The new buildings consisted of three wings, each 192 feet 
 long, joined to a main edifice 324 feet in length. The stu- 
 dents in this institution soon numbered 350, taught by 20 
 foreign professors. The foreign language school, in which 
 pupils learned English or some other European language, 
 preparatory to entering the college, presently had 600 stu- 
 dents and 20 foreign teachers. For educational purposes, 
 the empire was divided into eight districts, in each of which 
 a university was contemplated, which was to be supplied by 
 210 secondary schools of foreign languages. It was ar- 
 ranged that the elementary vernacular schools should num- 
 ber 53,000, or one for every 600 persons in Japan. To these 
 elementary establishments were to be deputed native teach- 
 ers trained in normal schools. Before many years had 
 passed, the school attendance was computed at three 
 millions. 
 
 During the year 1872, two legations and three consulates 
 were established abroad. Before long, the number was in-
 
 368 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 creased to ten. The Japanese press quickly emerged from 
 the realm of experiment and became a powerful civilizing 
 force. In the course of a few years, ten daily newspapers 
 in the capital and 200 publications in the empire, equipped 
 with metal type and printing presses, began to flood the 
 country with information and awaken thought. In the de- 
 partment of jurisprudence, also, great progress was made. 
 Since the restoration of the Mikado to actual power, revised 
 statutes have greatly decreased the list of capital punish- 
 ments; the condition of the prisons has been ameliorated; 
 legal processes have been improved from the viewpoint of 
 justice, and the use of torture to obtain testimony has been 
 entirely abolished. Law schools were established, and to 
 accused persons was given the assistance of counsel for their 
 defense. By the year 1874, there had been a great change 
 for the better in the diet, clothing, and hygienic protection 
 of the people. In the year named, there were in the empire 
 one government hospital and twenty-one hospitals assisted 
 by government grants, twenty-nine private hospitals, 5,247 
 physicians practicing according to the principles and meth- 
 ods of Western science, and 5,205 apothecaries. In 1875, 
 there were 325 students in the medical colleges at Tokio 
 and Nagasaki, and there were some twenty-five foreign sur- 
 geons and physicians in the employ of the Japanese govern- 
 ment. Public decency was improved and the standards of 
 Christendom approached. The sale of orphan female chil- 
 dren to brothel keepers, the traffic in native or European 
 obscene pictures, lascivious dances, the exhibition of nude 
 singing girls, the custom of promiscuous bathing in the pub- 
 lic baths, and the toleration of nakedness on the part of the 
 rural coolies were brought to an end. Religious persecution 
 ceased. All the native Christians who had been exiled or 
 imprisoned in 1868-69 were set free and restored to their 
 villages. We note, finally, that, as early as 1876, the ful- 
 fillment of the promise made by the Mikado in 1868, that 
 "intellect and learning should be sought for throughout the 
 world," had been so far fulfilled that 400 foreigners from
 
 FOLLOWING ABOLITION OF THE SHIOGOONATE. 369 
 
 many Western countries had been invited to occupy posts in 
 the government civil sevice. In 1870, there had been not 
 ten Protestant Christians in the empire. By May, 1876, 
 there were ten Protestant churches, with a membership of 
 800 souls. In March of the year just named, Prime Minis- 
 ter Sanjo issued a proclamation abolishing the custom of 
 wearing two swords. This measure, which had been first 
 advocated by Arinori Mori in 1870, now became law through- 
 out the land. It was in August, 1876, that the commutation 
 of the hereditary pensions and life incomes of the Sumarai, 
 which previously had been optional, was made compulsory. 
 This act forced the privileged classes to begin to earn their 
 bread. In the same month, the empire was redivided and 
 the 68 Ken, or Prefectures, were reduced in number to 35. 
 It was to be expected that the progressive course of the 
 Mikado's Ministers would excite some disaffection. There 
 were during this year some insurrections on the part not 
 only of discontented Samurai, but also of the farmers on 
 whom the burdens of taxation mainly fell. It was to re- 
 dress the grievances of the agricultural class that, in Jan- 
 uary, 1877, the national land tax was reduced from 3 to Z% 
 per cent, while the local tax, which had formerly amounted 
 to one-third of the land tax, was cut down to one-fifth. 
 About the same time, the salaries of nearly all the govern- 
 ment officers were diminished, several thousand office-holders 
 were discharged, the Department of Revision and the Pre- 
 fecture of Police were abolished, and their functions were 
 transferred to the Home Department. An annual saving of 
 about eight million dollars was thus effected, and the loss to 
 the Treasury from the curtailment of land taxation was made 
 good. In 1877, however, a great rebellion broke out in 
 Satsuma, instigated by Saigo Takamori, who had been 
 formerly a marshal of the empire. After a contest of some 
 months, the imperial authority was everywhere re-estab- 
 lished, and Saigo, at his own request, was beheaded by one 
 of his friends. This insurrection represented the final strug- 
 gle between the forces of feudalism and misrule against
 
 370 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 order and unity. The contest cost Japan $50,000,000 and 
 many thousands of lives. In the ultimate treatment of the 
 rebels, the government displayed a spirit of leniency worthy 
 of an enlightened state. Of upward of 38,000 persons tried 
 in Kiushiu, only twenty were decapitated, about 1,800 were 
 condemned to imprisonment, and some 36,000 were pardoned. 
 During the same year, ] 877, the cholera broke out in Japan, 
 but, owing to the enforcement of sanitary measures, there 
 were but 6,297 deaths. 
 
 The Mikado had now been governing Japan for ten years 
 by means of an irresponsible Ministry. The. oath which he 
 had taken at Kioto in 1868 to form a deliberative assembly 
 had never been fully carried out. We have seen that the 
 Kogisho, or advisory body, called into existence in 1868, 
 had been dissolved in the same year. Subsequently, in 
 1875, a Senate had been established and an assembly of the 
 ken governors, or prefects, held one session. The meetings 
 of the latter body, however, were soon indefinitely post- 
 poned. Nevertheless, the era of personal government was 
 drawing to a close. On July 22, 1878, a long step was taken 
 toward representative institutions by an edict convoking pro- 
 vincial parliaments or local assemblies which were to sit once 
 a year in each ken or province. Under the supervision of 
 the Minister of the Interior, these bodies were empowered to 
 discuss questions of local taxation, and to petition the central 
 government on other matters of local interest. There were 
 both educational and property qualifications of the franchise. 
 Each voter had to prove his ability to read and write, and he 
 must have paid an annual land tax of at least five dollars. 
 In October, 1881, the Mikado announced by a proclamation 
 that, in 1890, a Parliament would be established. In June, 
 1884, an edict was issued readjusting the system of nobility. 
 In the newly created orders of princes, marquises, counts, 
 viscounts and barons, were observed the names of many men 
 who had once belonged to the class of Samurai, or gentry, 
 but who had earned promotion by distinguished services on 
 behalf of their country. Three hundred persons, that may
 
 FOLLOWING ABOLITION OF THE SH1OOOONATE. 371 
 
 be described as pertaining to the aristocracy of intellect, were 
 thus ennobled on the score of merit. It was expected that 
 out of these newly created nobles would be constituted the 
 upper house, or Chamber of Notables, in the Parliament 
 which was to come into being in 1890. In December, 1885, 
 the triple premiership, the Privy Council and the Ministries, 
 as they had been hitherto established, came to an end. In 
 their place was created a Cabinet at the head of which was 
 a Minister-President. The old government boards, together 
 with a new board, which was to supervise the post-office, 
 telegraph and railway, were organized in such a way as to 
 discharge many thousand office-holders. All the members 
 of the new Cabinet were men of modern ideas, and such 
 Asiatic features as the government had hitherto retained 
 were now extinguished. By 1886, notable progress had been 
 made in the applications of steam and electricity. Of rail- 
 roads there were already 265 miles open, 271 miles in course 
 of construction, and 543 miles contemplated. Although these 
 lines were built and equipped on British models, most of the 
 surveying, engineering and constructive work and all of the 
 mechanical labor were performed by natives. The trains 
 and engines were worked by Japanese ; such light materials 
 as were made of wood and metal were manufactured in Japan, 
 only the heavy castings, the rails and the engines being 
 brought from Great Britain. The telephone and the electric 
 light were now seen in the large cities, and four cables con- 
 nected the island empire with the Asiatic mainland. Already 
 the Japan Mail Shipping Company employed a large fleet of 
 steamships and sailing vessels in their coasting, trade and pas- 
 senger lines. We add that, in 1885, the Postal Department 
 forwarded nearly 100,000,000 letters and packages. 
 
 The Japanese had, for some time, recognized that educa- 
 tion is the basis of progress, and that their efforts for intel- 
 lectual advancement were seriously impeded by their use of 
 the Chinese graphic system. They perceived that what they 
 needed most of all was an alphabet. In 1884, the Roma-ji- 
 Kai, or Roman Letter Association, was formed in Tokio,
 
 372 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 and, within two years, had 6,000 members, native and for- 
 eign. As their name implies, their purpose was to supplant 
 the Chinese character and native syllabary by the Roman 
 alphabet, as the vehicle of Japanese thought. It was dem- 
 onstrated that all possible sounds and vocal combinations 
 could be expressed by using twenty-two Roman letters. It 
 was further proved that, by means of the Roman alphabet, 
 a child could learn to read the colloquial and book language 
 in one-tenth of the time formerly required. Scarcely was 
 the Roman Letter Association under way than it printed a 
 newspaper, edited text-books, and transliterated popular and 
 classic texts in the appropriate characters of the Roman 
 alphabet. By an imperial decree, issued in November, 1884, 
 the English language was made part of the order of study 
 in the common schools. Meanwhile, the progress of Chris- 
 tianity acquired considerable momentum. Not only were 
 many converts made by Catholic missionaries, but, by the 
 end of 1885, there were 200 Protestant churches, with a 
 membership of over 13,000. In December, 1885, the Mi- 
 kado's Cabinet was reorganized, and, during the next four 
 years, Ito and Inouye were the principal molders of the na- 
 tional policy. In April, 1888, a new body called the Privy 
 Council was created, of which Ito became President, while 
 Kuroda filled the position of Prime Minister. In this body, 
 active debate upon the forthcoming Constitution began in 
 May of the year last-named, and proceeded until February 
 11, 1889, when the long-awaited instrument was proclaimed. 
 Exactly thirty-five years after the American treaty-ships ap- 
 peared in sight of Idzu, the Mikado, Mutsuhito, took oath 
 to maintain the government according to the Constitution, 
 the documents defining which he, before an audience of 
 nobles, officials and foreign envoys, handed to Kuroda, the 
 principal Minister of State. On this occasion, for the first 
 time in Japan's history, the Emperor rode beside the Em- 
 press in public. The one blot upon the record of the day 
 was the assassination of the Minister of Education, Arinori 
 Mori, by a Shintoist fanatic.
 
 FOLLOWING ABOLITION OF THE SHIOQOONATE. 373 
 
 Let us glance at some of the features of Japan's funda- 
 mental organic law. The Constitution proper consists of 
 sixty-six articles, but, simultaneously with it, two hundred 
 and sixty-six expositionary laws were proclaimed. In the 
 first place, the Mikado's person was declared sacred and in- 
 violable. In him continued to be concentrated the rights of 
 sovereignty, which, however, he was to exercise according 
 to the provisions of the organic law. A Diet or Parliament 
 was created to meet once a year, and to be opened, closed, 
 prorogued and dissolved by the Emperor. Its debates are 
 public. The Mikado's Ministers may take seats and speak 
 in either House, but are accountable, not to the Diet, but to 
 the Emperor alone. Bills raising revenue and appropriating 
 the same require the consent of the Diet, but certain fixed 
 expenditures, provided for by the Constitution, cannot be 
 abolished or curtailed without the concurrence of the Execu- 
 tive. To a large extent, the power over the purse is thus 
 withheld from the representatives of the people. The tenure 
 of judges is for good behavior. The Upper House 'consists 
 partly of hereditary, partly of elected, and partly of nomi- 
 nated members ; the combined number, however, of the mem- 
 bers of the two last-named classes is not to exceed that of 
 those who hold heritable titles of nobility. The House of 
 Representatives consists of about 300 members, who serve 
 four years. For them there is a property qualification ; they 
 must pay annually national taxes to the amount of fifteen 
 yen or dollars. Those who elect them must also pay na- 
 tional taxes to the same amount. Those persons who pay 
 taxes to the amount of over five yen are entitled to vote for 
 members of the local assembly. These numbered, in 1887, 
 about 1,500,000, whereas the electorate of the national House 
 of Representatives numbered only about 300,000. We ob- 
 serve, lastly, that certain fundamental rights were guaran- 
 teed to the Japanese people. They have, for instance, the 
 right of changing their domicile. Except according to law, 
 they are not to be arrested, detained or punished. They are 
 also to enjoy the right of freedom from search, the inviola-
 
 374 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 bility of letters, freedom of religious belief and the liberty 
 of speech, petition, writing, publishing, association and public 
 meeting within the limits of laws to be laid down by the 
 national Parliament. 
 
 The threefold election namely, for a fraction of the Up- 
 per House, for the whole of the national House of Repre- 
 sentatives, and for the local assembly took place in July, 
 1890. About eighty-five per cent of eligible voters availed 
 themselves of the franchise, and there was a great superflu- 
 ity of candidates. It turned out at the ballot-box that to be 
 in any way connected with government employment was to 
 invite almost certain defeat, while, on the other hand, few 
 of the old party leaders were chosen as standard-bearers in 
 the new Parliamentary field. We add that, on April 22, 
 1890, a new code of civil procedure, and the first portion of 
 a Civil Code, were promulgated; since 1881, a new Criminal 
 Code based on the principles of Western jurisprudence has 
 been in successful operation. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 FOREIGN POLICY OF NEW JAPAN AND WAR WITH CHINA 
 
 IT will be convenient to consider separately the foreign 
 policy which was gradually evolved after the transformation 
 of Japan that followed the Mikado's resumption of actual 
 power. Scarcely had the Shiogoon been overthrown than 
 the desire of conquest and expansion was reawakened. Rep- 
 resentatives of the advanced school of Japanese ideas pres- 
 ently maintained that the national jurisdiction should include 
 not only Yezo, Saghalien and the Bonin islands, but also 
 Corea and the eastern part of Formosa, the last claim being 
 based upon settlements made by the Japanese. The Bourn 
 islands, first occupied by Ogasawara, a Daimio, in 1593, and 
 visited by a party of explorers from Nagasaki in 1675, had 
 been neglected by the Japanese for centuries, though long a
 
 FOREIGN POLICY OF NEW JAPAN. 375 
 
 noted resort of whalers. In 1878, the islands were formally 
 reoccupied in the name of the Mikado, and a local govern- 
 ment established by Japanese officers. Saghalien and the 
 Kurile islands had been a debatable ground between the 
 Japanese and the Russians since 1790, and had been the scene 
 of a good deal of bloodshed. In 1875, Admiral Enomoto con- 
 cluded at St. Petersburg a convention by which Russia re- 
 ceived the whole of Saghalien, while Japan obtained all the 
 Kurile islands. The large island of Yezo was administered 
 by a special department until the year 1882, when it was 
 divided into three ken, or prefectures, which are governed 
 like the rest of the empire. Let us glance, next, at Japan's 
 assumption of sovereignty over the little island kingdom of 
 Riu Kiu, or Loo Choo, an assumption which subjected the 
 relations between China and Japan to severe tension. These 
 islands are strung like a long thread between Japan and For- 
 mosa. For many centuries, these islanders sent tribute to 
 both China and Japan. Toward the close of the sixteenth 
 century, Hideyoshi demanded that they should pay tribute 
 to Japan alone; but he never enforced his demands. In 
 1609, lyehisa, the Daimio of Satsuma, conquered the islands, 
 and made their chiefs swear allegiance to his house and to 
 the Shiogoon. Between 1611 and 1850, no fewer than fifteen 
 embassies from Riu Kiu visited Yedo to obtain investiture 
 for the island king, or to congratulate a Shiogoon upon his 
 accession to power. The same policy, however, was pursued 
 toward China also. After the revolution of 1868 the Loo 
 Choo islands were made a dependency of the Japanese em- 
 pire, and the king acknowledged the Mikado for his suze- 
 rain. Some five years later, the Japanese reduced the king 
 to the status of a retired Daimio, and transformed Riu Kiu 
 into a ken, or prefecture. To this the islanders objected, and 
 continued to send a tribute-junk to Ningpo, and implored 
 China's interposition. The Pekin government, on its part, 
 considered that Japan, by its annexation of the Loo Choo 
 islands, had wrongfully cut off a fringe of the robe of the 
 Middle Kingdom.
 
 376 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 Let us now glance at Japan's connection with Formosa, 
 before examining, somewhat in detail, her much more im- 
 portant relations to Corea. It was toward the end of 1873 
 that a Loo Choo junk was wrecked on the eastern shore of 
 Formosa; the crew were killed by the savage inhabitants 
 of that region, and, as it was reported, eaten. The Loo 
 Choo islanders appealed to their hereditary suzerain at Sat- 
 suma, who referred the matter to Tokio. As it happened, 
 China laid no claim to the eastern part of Formosa, and no 
 trace of it appeared on the maps of the Middle Kingdom. 
 In the spring of 1874, the Mikado dispatched Soyejima as 
 Embassador to Pekin, and his representative there obtained 
 an audience with the Chinese Emperor. The Tsungli Yamen 
 disclaimed responsibility for eastern Formosa, and conceded 
 the right of Japan to chastise the savages there. While 
 Soyejima was absent in China, a Japanese junk was wrecked 
 in Formosa, and its crew were stripped and plundered. On 
 the return of the Embassy, 1,300 Japanese soldiers, under the 
 command of Saigo Yorimichi, were ordered to avenge the 
 outrage, and, after a few skirmishes with savages, they pro- 
 ceeded to occupy the eastern part of Formosa. There they 
 built roads, organized camps, and directed fortifications in 
 accordance with the principles of modern engineering and 
 military art. Incited, it is said, by foreign influence, the 
 Chinese government now began to urge its claims upon the 
 whole of Formosa, and to denounce the Japanese as intrud- 
 ers. For a time war seemed inevitable, but the result of the 
 negotiations, intrusted to Okubo, who was sent to Pekin, 
 was that the Chinese paid an indemnity of $700,000, and the 
 Japanese evacuated the island. The abortive expedition had 
 cost Japan $5,000,000 and seven hundred lives. 
 
 Japan's relations with Corea were to have much more 
 momentous consequences. During the Tokungawa period, 
 the so-called Hermit Kingdom had sent regularly embassies 
 conveying homage to Japan ; but, not relishing the change 
 which the latter country underwent in 1868, disgusted at the 
 departure of the Mikado's government from traditional ideals,
 
 FOREIGN POLICY OF NEW JAPAN. 377 
 
 and emboldened by the failure of the French and American 
 expeditions against her own territory, Corea sent to Tokio 
 insulting letters, in which she taunted Japan with slavish 
 truckling to the foreign barbarians, and declared herself an 
 enemy. This incident, which took place in 1872, rendered 
 the project of a war with Corea extremely popular in the 
 Japanese army and navy. Some years, however, were to 
 elapse before an armed contest took place between the two 
 countries. In 1875, Mr. Arinori Mori was dispatched to 
 Pekin, and Kuroda Kiyotaka, at the head of some men-of- 
 war, entered Corean waters. The twofold diplomatic and 
 naval demonstration was crowned with success. A treaty 
 of peace, friendship and commerce was concluded between 
 Japan and Corea on February 27, 1876. In pursuance of 
 this treaty, Japan, in 1876, secured the opening of the port 
 of Fushan to her trade, as compensation for an outrage per- 
 petrated on some of her sailors. In 1880, Chemulpo, the 
 port of Seoul, the Corean capital, was also thrown open to 
 Japanese commerce. The activity of the Japanese gave 
 umbrage to the court of Pekin, and, in 1881, a draft com- 
 mercial treaty was drawn up by the Chinese authorities, in 
 conjunction with the representatives of the principal Western 
 powers at the Chinese capital, and carried to Seoul for ac- 
 ceptance by the American naval officer, Commodore Schu- 
 fe]dt. The treaty, being recommended by China, was, nat- 
 urally, accepted by Corea. When the Japanese, however, 
 observed that the Chinese were putting forward a pretension 
 to control exclusively the destinies of the Hermit Kingdom, 
 they determined to assert their old claim to an equal voice 
 with China in the Corean peninsula. They allied them- 
 selves with the so-called progressive party in Corea, and 
 thus forced China to link her fortunes with the reactionists. 
 Except among the reformers, who constituted but a weak 
 minority of the Corean population, the Japanese were far 
 from popular in the Hermit Kingdom, and, in June, 1882, 
 the reactionists attacked the Japanese Legation, murdered 
 some of its inmates and compelled the survivors to flee.
 
 378 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 Thereupon, the Japanese sent a force to exact reparation, 
 while the Chinese, on their part, sent a force to restore 
 order. A temporary accommodation was effected, but, for 
 two years, Chinese and Japanese soldiers remained close to 
 one another under the walls of Seoul. In December, 1884, 
 a second collision occurred between the Japanese and Co- 
 reans, the latter being aided this time by the Chinese. The 
 first named were compelled to flee. The Tokio govern- 
 ment obtained reparation for this fresh outrage, but, not 
 satisfied therewith, it dispatched Count Ito to Pekin to bring 
 about some permanent arrangement. There is no doubt 
 that, at this time, the Chinese occupied a much stronger 
 position in Corea than did the Mikado's subjects, but the 
 advantage was thrown away by an agreement which tied 
 China's hands and had far-reaching consequences. 
 
 Li Hung Chang was appointed Plenipotentiary to nego- 
 tiate with Count Ito, and a convention was signed by them 
 at Tientsin, on April 18, 1885. It provided, first, that both 
 countries should recall their troops from Corea; secondly, 
 that no more officers should be sent by either country to drill 
 Corean soldiers; and, thirdly, that if, at any future time, 
 either of the parties to the convention should decide to send 
 a force to Corea, it must straightway inform the other. By 
 this compact, China acknowledged that Japan's right to con- 
 trol Corea was on a level with her own, and it was hence- 
 forth unreasonable for the Pekin authorities to speak of 
 Corea as a vassal State. For nine years after the conclusion 
 of the Tientsin Convention, peace prevailed in the Hermit 
 Kingdom. In the spring of 1894, however, the Tong Haks, 
 a body of religious reformers, broke into open rebellion, and, 
 toward the end of May, obtained a considerable success over 
 the troops of the Corean government. China was at once 
 requested to dispatch a force to save the capital, and, by the 
 10th of June, 2,000 Chinese soldiers were encamped at Asan, 
 a port some distance to the south of Seoul. A few Chinese 
 men-of-war were also ordered to cruise off the Corean coasts. 
 In pursuance of the terms of the Tientsin Convention, notifi-
 
 THE WAR WITH CHINA. 379 
 
 cation of the dispatch of these forces to Corea was given to 
 the Tokio government, which, having had equal rights con- 
 ceded to it, was resolved to exercise them with promptitude 
 and vigor. Within forty-eight hours after the arrival of the 
 Chinese at Asan, the Japanese had placed a far superior 
 number of soldiers at Seoul, and of ships at Chemulpo. They 
 thus secured complete possession of the capital and of the 
 court, although both had been in thorough sympathy with 
 China. To avert an insurrection in Seoul, it was thought 
 needful to secure the person of the King of Corea, and his 
 palace was, accordingly, captured by the Japanese, and the 
 ruler of the peninsula converted into their tool or ally. He 
 was, forthwith, required to put his seal to a document order- 
 ing the Chinese troops, who had come at his invitation, to 
 leave the country. This seizure of the King's person took 
 place on July 23, 1894. Two days later, the Japanese squad- 
 ron attacked the transport "Kowshing" and some armed 
 vessels which were convoying it. In the ensuing engage- 
 ment, one Chinese man-of-war was sunk, one was disabled, 
 and 1,200 soldiers went down with the "Kowshing." On 
 the same day, the Japanese General Oshima left Seoul with 
 a small force to attack the Chinese camp, which had been 
 transferred from Asan to Song-hwan, a strongly fortified 
 position. The place was carried on July 29 by a night sur- 
 prise with a loss to the Chinese of 500 killed and wounded ; 
 the remainder of the force then retreated to Pingyang, a town 
 north of Seoul, on the main road to China. These encounters 
 were followed by a reciprocal declaration of war between 
 China and Japan on August 1, 1894. There ensued a lull in 
 hostilities, during which Japan poured her troops into Corea, 
 while the Chinese fleet remained inactive in the harbors of 
 "Wei-hai-Wei and Port Arthur. About the beginning of 
 September, a Japanese force of 13,000 men under General 
 Nodzu was ordered to attack the strong position occupied by 
 the Chinese at Pingyang. The assault was delivered on May 
 15, and the Chinese were compelled to retreat with a loss of 
 2,000 killed, in addition to the wounded and prisoners. The
 
 380 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 sturdiness of the defense at certain points was attested by 
 the fact that the victors themselves lost 633 killed, wounded 
 and missing. The capture of Pingyang resulted in the 
 Chinese evacuation of Corea. 
 
 While the fighting was taking place on land at Pingyang, 
 the Chinese fleet, under the command of Admiral Ting, was 
 conveying troops to the mouth of the Yalu River, the north- 
 western boundary of Corea, where the Chinese were collect- 
 ing a second army. Returning from the fulfillment of this 
 task, the fleet was encountered off the island of Hai Yang 
 on September 17, by a Japanese squadron under Admiral 
 Ito. The naval combatants were nearly equal in strength, 
 each numbering ten war vessels ; two of the Chinese ships, 
 however, were superior in armament. The result of the 
 action was that five of the Chinese torpedo boats were de- 
 stroyed, and the total loss of the Chinese in killed and 
 wounded was 1,000, while that of the Japanese was but 265. 
 
 The Japanese, having been re-enforced by a considerable 
 body of soldiers under Marshal Yamagata, began their for- 
 ward movement from Pingyang early in October, 1894, and 
 on the 10th of the month reached the Yalu, where they 
 found a considerable Chinese army posted on the northern 
 bank of the river. After a merely nominal resistance, how- 
 ever, the Chinese officers and soldiers abandoned their fortifi- 
 cations on October 25 and 26, thus allowing the Japanese to 
 capture an enormous quantity of war materials, including 
 seventy-four cannon, over 4,000 rifles and more than 4,000,- 
 000 rounds of ammunition. While Marshal Yamagata was 
 forcing the passage of the Yalu, another Japanese army 
 under Marshal Oyama had landed on the Liau-tung, or 
 Regent's Sword peninsula, with the view of assailing the 
 great naval station of Port Arthur. The natural and arti- 
 ficial strength of this place was great ; over 300 guns were 
 in position, and the garrison numbered at least 10,000 men, 
 while the assailants did not exceed 13,000, although, of 
 course, they were materially aided by their fleet. Having 
 landed at the mouth of the Hua-yuan River, about 100 miles
 
 THE WAR WITH CHINA. 381 
 
 north of Port Arthur, the Japanese pushed southward and 
 captured the well-fortified city of Chinchow without losing a 
 man. On the next day, they had a similar experience at 
 Talien-wan, where they found over 120 cannon, 2,500,000 
 rounds of artillery ammunition, and nearly 34,000,000 rifle 
 cartridges. On November 22, 1894, the Japanese army and 
 fleet made a concerted attack upon Port Arthur, and, with 
 the loss of eighteen men killed and 250 wounded, gained pos- 
 session of a naval stronghold on which $20,000,000 had been 
 spent. During the following month of December, the force 
 under Marshal Yamagata advanced into Manchuria, but here 
 they were confronted by a fresh Chinese army, which had 
 been assembled to defend Mukden, the old Manchu capital, 
 and which evinced a good deal of courage. In one fight at 
 Kangwasai, the Japanese experienced a loss of 400 men, and 
 the subsequent capture of Kaiping cost them 300 killed and 
 wounded. About the middle of January, 1895, the energies 
 of the Japanese were turned against the naval fortress of 
 "Wei-hai-Wei, which is situated on the northern coast of Shan- 
 tung, opposite Port Arthur, and constitutes, with the last- 
 named place, the keys of the Gulf of Pechihli. After land- 
 ing, on January 20, at Yungchang, a little west of the place 
 to be attacked, the Japanese, six days later, appeared at the 
 gates of Wei-hai-Wei. The place was defended not only by 
 a semicircular line of forts and batteries and two fortified 
 islands in the bay, but also by the Chinese fleet under Ad- 
 miral Ting, which comprised nine large vessels, besides six 
 small gunboats and seven large and four small torpedo boats. 
 The attack began on January 29, and continued for three 
 weeks; nor would Admiral Ting, even then, have consented 
 to surrender, had he not received a telegraphed message from 
 Li Hung Chang to the effect that no help need be looked for. 
 After the terms of surrender were agreed upon, the Chinese 
 admiral committed suicide. After the fall of Wei-hai-Wei, 
 the Japanese in Manchuria continued their advance, and 
 captured the twin city of Newchang, thus placing them- 
 selves between Mukden and the Chinese capital. When
 
 382 HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 spring was about to open, they possessed an army of 100,000 
 men, ready to move upon Pekin, and there is no doubt that 
 they could have taken the city speedily and easily. Two 
 months previously, the Chinese had sent to Tokio a pre- 
 tended peace mission with inadequate powers, but now, the 
 Pekin government, recognizing the impossibility of resist- 
 ance, appointed Li Hung Chang plenipotentiary, and dis- 
 patched him to Shimonoseki, which he reached on March 20, 
 1895. Luckily for the success of his mission, he was shot in 
 the cheek by a fanatic four days after his arrival, while he 
 was returning from a conference with Count Ito, the repre- 
 sentative of Japan. This outrage aroused great sympathy 
 for Li Hung Chang, and, to prove the sincerity of his regret, 
 the Mikado consented to an armistice, and sensibly modified 
 the terms of peace upon which he had originally insisted. 
 On April 17, 1895, the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed, 
 and, on May 8, the ratifications were exchanged at Chefoo. 
 The provisions of the treaty may be briefly summed up as 
 follows: The Chinese were to surrender the islands of For- 
 mosa and the Pescadores, and also, on the Asiatic mainland, 
 the southern part of the province of Shingking, including the 
 Regent's Sword peninsula, and, of course, the naval fortress 
 of Port Arthur. By way of pecuniary indemnity, China 
 was to pay 200,000,000 Kuping taels, or, say, $170,000,000, 
 in eight installments, with interest at the rate of five per 
 cent on those unpaid. The commercial concessions were to 
 include the admission of ships under the Japanese flag to the 
 different rivers and lakes of China and the appointment of 
 consuls; and the Japanese were to retain Wei-hai-Wei until 
 the whole indemnity had been paid and an acceptable com- 
 mercial treaty had been concluded. These terms were by no 
 means excessive, in view of the completeness of the Japanese 
 triumph, but they gave great umbrage to Russia, which fore- 
 saw that the presence of the Japanese on the Regent's Sword 
 peninsula would prove an obstacle to its plans of southward 
 extension through Manchuria, and to the attainment of an 
 ice-free port. Moreover, had the Japanese been suffered to
 
 THE WAR WITH CHINA. 383 
 
 remain on the mainland of Asia, they, instead of the Rus- 
 sians, would have become preponderant at Pekin. Accord- 
 ingly, the Czar's advisers, having secured the co-operation 
 not only of their French ally, but also of Germany, pro- 
 ceeded to make a diplomatic move, the aim of which was to 
 despoil the Mikado of a part of the fruits of victory. Scarcely 
 was the ink dry on the Treaty of Shimonoseki, when Japan 
 received from the three European powers just named a polite 
 request, which veiled, of course, a threat, that she should 
 waive that part of the Shimonoseki Treaty which provided 
 for the cession of Port Arthur and the Liau-tung peninsula. 
 Japan would doubtless have repelled the demand, had she 
 been assured of Great Britain's support. But no assurance 
 to that effect was forthcoming from Lord Rosebery, then 
 British Prime Minister, and, accordingly, the Mikado con- 
 sented to resign his claim to the Liau-tung peninsula for the 
 additional indemnity of $30,000,000. The final installment 
 of the indemnity was paid in May, 1898, whereupon "Wei- 
 hai-Wei was evacuated by the Japanese, and, soon after- 
 ward, was ceded by the Pekin government to Great Britain. 
 Since the compulsory revision of the Shimonoseki Treaty, 
 the attitude of the Tokio Foreign Office has been marked by 
 much reserve and dignity. Japan has employed the years 
 that have since elapsed, and the money received from China, 
 in prosecuting extensive military and naval reforms. Nor is 
 the time distant when, with the warships built at home or 
 purchased in foreign shipyards, she will have a navy only 
 second to that possessed by Great Britain in the Far East, 
 and will be able to place half a million thoroughly trained 
 and equipped soldiers on the mainland of Asia. In Corea, 
 she has obtained increased freedom of action, Russia having 
 practically waived her claims to ascendency in that country ; 
 Japan has turned the opportunity to account by building a 
 railway from Chemulpo to Seoul, which should materially 
 help her to maintain control of the Hermit Kingdom. What- 
 ever may be the Mikado's ultimate intention, he has, as yet, 
 given no conclusive proof of a wish to participate in the game
 
 384 .HISTORY OF JAPAN. 
 
 of partition now being played in China. No protest camo 
 from him when, toward the close of 1897, Germany seized 
 the harbor of Kiao Chou, or when, on March 27, 1898, a 
 convention signed at Pekin gave the Russians the usufruct 
 of Port Arthur and Talien-wan. In September, however, 
 the Marquis (formerly Count) Ito was dispatched as a spe- 
 cial einbassador to the Chinese capital, for the purpose, as 
 it is believed, but not positively known, of arranging an al- 
 liance between the Japanese and Chinese empires, which 
 should put an effectual stop to further encroachments on 
 the part of Russia. Then occurred the palace revolution at 
 Pekin, whereby the young Emperor Kwangsu was virtually 
 dethroned, and the supreme authority usurped by the Em- 
 press Dowager, Tsi An. There being, thenceforward, no 
 hope of effecting the desired arrangement, the Marquis Ito 
 returned to Japan, soon after which namely, on October 
 31 the homogeneous Ministry which had taken office in 
 June of this year the first Ministry of the kind, by the 
 way, since the establishment of the Constitution in 1889 
 was compelled to resign, and was succeeded by an eclectic 
 cabinet even more thoroughly representative of the Japanese 
 desire to play a great role in the Far East. On November 
 6, an envoy deputed by the Mikado to present certain gifts 
 to the Chinese Emperor insisted upon obtaining an audience, 
 and thus succeeded in discovering that the unfortunate 
 Kwangsu was still living. 
 
 It remains to note that the Tokio Foreign Office has at 
 last succeeded in inducing the principal Western powers to 
 abolish the exterritoriality clauses in their respective treaties, 
 whereby their subjects were exempted from the jurisdiction 
 of the Japanese tribunals. With the disappearance of these 
 clauses, which are still exacted not only in the case of China, 
 Siam, Persia and Morocco, but also in the case of Turkey 
 and Egypt, the Mikado's empire may be said to have taken 
 a recognized place among highly civilized nations. 
 
 THE END
 
 23065 
 
 University of California Library 
 Los Angeles 
 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. 
 
 - 
 
 HOV 

 
 DC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 A 001 116712 9 
 
 003)0 NVf