JAPAN 
 
 BEING 
 
 A SKETCH OF THE HISTORY, GOVERNMENT 
 AND OFFICERS OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 BY 
 
 WALTER DICKSON 
 
 WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS 
 
 EDINBURGH AND LONDON 
 
 MDCCCLXIX 
 
PKEFACE. 
 
 IN the preparation of the following Work the Author 
 has to acknowledge the assistance which he has 
 received from a Japanese gentleman in Yokuhama, 
 whose name, for obvious reasons, it is prudent not 
 to mention. 
 
 With his knowledge of the history and institu- 
 tions of his country, the Author was able to fill up 
 the blanks in short notices of history contained in 
 elementary Japanese books. He was further en- 
 abled 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 in- 
 stitutions induces those who have any pretensions 
 to learning in China and Japan to master and retain 
 by memory the names and duties of the different 
 offices in the various departments of Government ; 
 and they are frequently found to be good authorities 
 
 463104 
 
VI ? PREFACE. 
 
 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 only authorities relied upon; while in 
 the more recent events contemporary publications 
 have been used. 
 
 In taking notes from the conversation of a 
 Japanese 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. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 I. THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT, ... 1 
 
 II. THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT, . . . 66 
 
 III. HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE TO THE DEATH OF NOBU 
 
 NANGA, 97 
 
 IV. GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA, .... 155 
 V. GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS, . . . . .201 
 
 VI. HISTORY TO THE EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY, . 220 
 
 VII. THE LAWS OF IYEYAS, 241 
 
 VIII. THE POSITION AND COURT OF THE SHIOGOON, . . 281 
 
 IX. THE DAIMIOS, ....... 288 
 
 X. THE DAIMIO CLASS, . . . . . . 354 
 
 XI. THE HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE CONTINUED, . . 383 
 
 APPENDIX, 479 
 
 INDEX, 483 
 
JAPAN. 
 
 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 sub- 
 due creation, was ever inclined to lo ok upon the great 
 forces of nature as difficulties in his path and ob- 
 stacles 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 attainment 
 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 expanse, and with no knowledge of the 
 winds and no experience 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. Provided 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. 
 
 A 
 
2 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 Still the China Sea, with its typhoons and its mon- 
 soons 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 summer 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 separation between islands and 
 continents, has become what the Mediterranean Sea 
 was to the Old World a link of connection, a high- 
 way 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 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 3 
 
 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 demands 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 vigour. 
 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 che- 
 mistry, whether by the aggressive forces obtained in 
 the manufacture of munitions of war, or by the more 
 widely extended but silent beneficial operation of 
 such an agent as quinine, steam with all its ramifica- 
 tions of wealth, the telegraph 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 a quantity of information or of 
 knowledge, a condition of things in the mass which 
 makes that mass kneadable 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 min- 
 gling of ranks in the social system, the disturbance of 
 creeds in 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 
 
4 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 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 
 Democracy, 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, ten- 
 ures of land, orders in the Church, and, above all, 
 the question of primogeniture, cannot fail to be put 
 on trial. The different sections in the religious and 
 political world seem gradually separating themselves 
 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 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, 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 5 
 
 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 men, 
 or 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 con- 
 stitution 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 pub- 
 lished 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 information are 
 produced. 
 
 The position of the Emperor (Spiritual Emperor, as 
 he is sometimes erroneously called), as the first in the 
 empire, must be recognised; the office held by the 
 Temporal Emperor, the Shiogoon (or Tycoon, as he 
 has been named), must be correctly and distinctly 
 
6 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 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 and posi- 
 tion 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 Hattamoto. Without some know- 
 ledge of these the reader is lost in a maze of unmean- 
 ing 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 glance at the picture, by a native artist, at the 
 beginning 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 Stotsbashi 
 and the great Daimio Owarri, both in a similar posi- 
 tion of prostration ; while beneath, in the open court, 
 are military officials of the Imperial Court standing 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 7 
 
 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. 
 
 In the lower part of the same picture may be seen 
 the Shiogoon on his progress to the capital, surrounded 
 by the nobles of his court and attendants, and amid 
 the general prostration, upon the public road, of his 
 countrymen and fellow-subjects. 
 
 It may almost be a matter of wonder that so little 
 was known of Japan until the advent of the Portu- 
 guese. Men were in old times adventurous travellers, 
 and yet, except what is contained in the pages of 
 Marco Polo, written in the thirteenth century, no- 
 thing more was known of the existence of the country. 
 The Buddhism of India had permeated China, Corea, 
 and Japan, but it brought nothing back. Mahomed- 
 anism, 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 writings nor by the early native accounts do 
 they seem to have reached the shores of Japan, or, at 
 least, ever to have returned 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 
 
8 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 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 menda- 
 cious, 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 TEglise du Japon ' there is an 
 excellent summary of occurrences 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 Jesuits and Eoman Catholic doctrines from the 
 empire, there are accounts from time to time published 
 by the officers connected with the establishment kept 
 up by Holland at Nagasaki. Caron, Fischer, Meylan 
 but, above all, Keempfer 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. 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 9 
 
 Ksempfer has given a most interesting and instruc- 
 tive account of what he saw in the country during a 
 long residence, and upon more than one progress to 
 the courts at Miako and Yedo. His delineation of 
 the manners and customs 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 unintelligible. 
 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 Klaproth of the 'Annales des 
 Empereurs de Japon' is a most valuable work, and 
 contains a wonderful amount of information, being, as 
 it were, the complement of Kaempfer's work, drawn 
 entirely from books and not from personal observa- 
 tion. 
 
 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 arid 
 thorough appreciation of the natural beauties and 
 delights of the country. To this the genial climate, 
 the rich soil, and the variety of the surface 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 sup- 
 plied in unstinted profusion rearing splendid timber, 
 
10 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 or capable, when nearly entirely withdrawn, of keeping 
 life and vigour 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 upwards 
 of thirteen thousand feet in height, and it would ap- 
 pear 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 chang- 
 ing from hour to hour, as it is seen from thirteen pro- 
 vinces, 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 varia- 
 tions of atmospheric density make 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 vapour 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 downwards of a 
 flattened shell, the pure white snow filling the valleys 
 from the top, the haze of the morning half concealing 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 1 1 
 
 the hill beneath. 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 insular position gives an idea of a de- 
 finite time or period at which the peopling of a large 
 island must have taken place. The freedom of pos- 
 session of boundless wealth presents every inducement 
 to the immigrant to remain, while distance and diffi- 
 culties repel the idea of return. In Japan this im- 
 migration may in all probability have commenced by 
 a gradual spreading from the north of inhabitants 
 of Mantchouria 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 in the 
 hands of men who have devoted themselves to a life 
 of retirement, and seclusion 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 ancestors 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 fellow- 
 
12 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 men, have generally endeavoured to clothe the deities 
 from whom they profess to have sprung with virtues 
 which were to be emulated by their descendants, or to 
 inculcate through them, by precept, a purity of moral 
 conduct to be practised 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 ashi- 
 warra no nakatsa kooni." " Wo kwo," the country of 
 peace, is used by the Chinese for Japan. " Ho," pro- 
 nounced " Yamato," and used for one province, is fre- 
 quently applied in Japan to the whole country. 
 
 The name Nippon Nits pon " Yutpone " in Can- 
 tonese, " Jih pun" in the Mandarin dialect, by which the 
 whole empire is now known is of Chinese origin, and 
 has probably been conveyed to the country by the first 
 Chinese settlers. 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, harmonious, was more 
 likely to have originated with the natives. " Akitsu 
 sirna " 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 conveyed by the name "Kami no 
 kooni." " Awadsi sima " refers 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 trans- 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 13 
 
 lated into Chinese by the new immigrants. To these 
 new-comers 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 my- 
 thology suited to the genius of the people. This my- 
 thology, which we may suppose to have been composed 
 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 
 ancestry. 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 splendour of the sun/' four dis- 
 tinct 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 generations of spiritual beings who ruled 
 the universe as it then was, during a period extending 
 over millions of years, ending in a male and a female, 
 respectively named Issanaghi and Issanami. These 
 seem equivalents to or representatives of the male and 
 the female principles which, according to the Chinese, 
 pervade all animate creation. They are allegorically 
 represented as producing the islands of Japan, the 
 mountains, seas, and other natural objects therein. 
 Subsequently 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 ancestry for the reigning 
 
14 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 family. At the time when, according to tradition, 
 the genealogy merged in mortal men, the country was 
 found to be peopled, and there is no attempt to show 
 whence these people came, though described as hairy, 
 uncivilised, 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 Sanscrit 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 worshipped ; Compera ; the five hundred 
 "Bakhan" 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, &c. 
 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 panthe- 
 istic, and there are many other gods and divinities, 
 even down to shapeless stones. 
 
 To "Ten sho dai jin" is attributed the origin of 
 the imperial house, as is shown by the words of the 
 Emperor, in a letter recently written on the political 
 position of affairs, "I am grieved, standing as I do 
 between 'Ten sho dai jin' and my people." 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 15 
 
 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 Channel. This part of 
 the islands is well suited for trading purposes, and it 
 is also well adapted for the landing of an invading 
 force; and it is not unlikely that Zinmu either origin- 
 ally came from China, or was the son of some Chinese 
 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 uncivilised, but under the rule of a 
 head man 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 gradu- 
 ally 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. 1 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 
 
 1 Aino, the name given to the hairy inhabitants of Yezo by the 
 Japanese, means "between," and has reference to a contemptuous 
 idea of the origin of these people from a dog. 
 
16 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 argument in favour of a previous mixing of two 
 different races; the one of which had extended 
 southwards from the Kurile Islands and Siberia, 
 hairy and broad-featured; while the other had ori- 
 ginated from the south, with Indian features and 
 smooth skins. 
 
 The Japanese themselves do not pretend that there 
 is any native documentary evidence in support of their 
 history at the date of Zinmu, and the best writers 
 allow that no writings prior to the seventh century 
 are authentic. The introduction 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 ex- 
 isted 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 
 embassy 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 em- 
 bassy 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 read- 
 ing and writing. This Corean, Onin, may have been 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 17 
 
 brought over to replace or to reteacli 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 
 became tradition had at one time been committed to 
 writing, and that, corroborated as it is at some points 
 by Chinese history, 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. 
 
 THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN. 
 
 The line of gods carried on through godlike mortal 
 descendants 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 
 
 B 
 
18 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 Miazaki in Fiuga, 1 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 comparatively bar- 
 ren 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/' Chinese) of the empire 
 having been frequently changed, but never removed 
 to any great distance from the spot originally 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 centre 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 water is rolled 
 down by the confluence of several rivers, which at one 
 time were dispersed into several mouths and branches; 
 
 1 Though the Japanese language is not divided into the many dia- 
 lects of China, yet there are slight differences of pronunciation in 
 different parts of the country. The principal of these are the pronun- 
 ciation of g, as if it were ng, as in Nagasaki or Nangasaki Fiuga or 
 Fiunga ; / is frequently pronounced h or sh, as Fiuga or Shiunga, Fizen 
 or Hizen. Ri is commonly spoken as if a d were before it, as in d'rio 
 goku. This causes a difference in spelling at times, as one may have 
 been accustomed to a certain dialect. 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 19 
 
 but by labour these have been collected and confined 
 within two outlets. There is, in consequence, a large 
 extent of alluvial ground producing rice and wheat 
 for a numerous population. The inland water-com- 
 munication extends to the large lake Owomi up- 
 wards of 60 miles in length and 18 in breadth; and 
 thence, with an interval of a few miles only of land- 
 carriage, to the port of Tsurunga, on the northern 
 coast ; while to the south-east, the natives report that 
 there is uninterrupted water-communication to Owarri, 
 and thence to Sinano, and, with a short interval of 
 land-carriage, even to Yedo whence, again, it ex- 
 tends northwards 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 rapture. 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 present stands. 
 
 The imperial residence in Japan is a very differ- 
 ent structure 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 destroyed 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 
 different habitation from his predecessor, removing 
 
20 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 from one site to another, but generally keeping with- 
 in 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. 
 
 The palace of the Emperor of Japan is called, as a 
 whole, " Kinri go sho." 1 Though built of fine and ex- 
 pensive timber, it presents no appearance of that out- 
 ward splendour 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 enclosure of wooden boarding. This en- 
 closure 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 enclosure (with other gates), in the centre of 
 which stands the wooden building, the "Shi shin 
 den/ 5 or imperial office, in which the Emperor re- 
 ceives the highest officers of the empire. This he 
 appears to do almost in the open air, as represented 
 in the frontispiece to this volume. 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. 
 
 1 " Kioo chin " is also a common name for the emperor's palace ; 
 also " Gosho and Dairi," Kinri, or Chotayee. 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 21 
 
 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 enclosure, 
 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 framework of wood. Before 
 it stand an orange and a cherry tree. Between these, 
 six steps lead up to the wooden gallery or verandah, 
 which goes round the hall under eaves projecting 
 five or six feet from the supports. A low balustrade 
 surrounds this verandah. Under this large canopy 
 of roof, almost in the open air, the emperor sits 
 while he receives homage. The " Shi shin deng " 
 occupies the red enclosure, having on the east side 
 a small wooden building for covering the car used 
 in processions ; to the east of that is the building in 
 which the " three jewels " are kept, the " Naishi 
 dokoro." Within the "Shi shin deng" all extra- 
 ordinary formal business of importance is transacted. 
 The Shiogoon here presents himself to the emperor. 
 In the long hall to the west of the " Shi shin deng," 
 the " Say rio deng " (" Tsing liang tien ") or " Him 
 no ma/' the mid-day room, ordinary business is trans- 
 acted. Immediately in the rear of the " Shi shin 
 deng " is the " Nai go bansho," or inner hall for busi- 
 ness. 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 apart- 
 ments of the elder women. "Nanga Hashi no Tsubo 
 nay 7 ' is the room in which levees are held, where 
 rank is given, and degradations or punishments are 
 
22 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 awarded. Formerly all the offices of the different 
 departments of government were in the neighbour- 
 hood 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 enclosure, is the Gaku- 
 monjo, or imperial school. 
 
 To the south-east of the whole is another enclosure, 
 the " Ko een go sho," the palace of the Emperor after 
 he has abdicated, when he is known as Kubo, cover- 
 ing a space of ground nearly as large as the palace 
 enclosure. 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 south-west is that of the empress 
 dowager, and the females of the old Emperor's court. 
 The Shi sin wo, or four royal families, are located 
 in the neighbourhood, while all around are the resi- 
 dences, with enclosures of ground, belonging to the 
 " Go sekkay," or " five assisting " families. Among 
 these also is found a small enclosure, 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 high officers are built in 
 a much more durable manner. The Shiogoon's resi- 
 dences at Osaka, Miako, and 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 re- 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 23 
 
 spective 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 neighbourhood. 
 Any display of splendour 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 defence 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 an- 
 ointed, and not to be touched, and that no subject, 
 however great he may be, or however firmly he may 
 have grasped the power of the empire in the convul- 
 sions of a revolutionary period, may contemplate 
 
24 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 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 set up 
 a representation of himself to be worshipped, 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 emperor 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 
 empire 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 com- 
 mander-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 necessity, the creation of a duality or double power. 
 The weak condition to which the imperial court de- 
 scended, 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 ignor- 
 ance, and the fields to barrenness; but this seems only 
 a consequence of having no enemy, no near neighbour 
 with whom, by a process of constant watching and 
 battling, as in Europe, the sinews of a nation are 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 25 
 
 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 politics, the wars, and the intrigues of the 
 state. It is not a matter of wonder that the hands 
 which held the sceptre should have become feeble 
 during the fierce civil wars which raged in the six- 
 teenth century. The country would seem to have 
 been driven by necessity to have two Emperors or, 
 at least, two opposing interests ; and when the he- 
 reditary commander-in-chief had in turn become a 
 nonentity, one adventurer after another started up 
 first, Nobunanga ; secondly, Taikosama ; thirdly, 
 lyeyas, all able men. The first battled with the Bud- 
 dhist priesthood, the second turned his arms against 
 Corea, the third, the ablest of all, devised that dual sys- 
 tem 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 honours 
 remained with the Emperor in Miako. The con- 
 figuration of the islands prevents 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 language suited to Oriental ideas, the illus- 
 trious 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 translated - into Chi- 
 nese, "tsun." The word Mikado is more commonly 
 
26 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 used now, and is translated by the Chinese "Ti," or 
 Emperor. The word "0" or "Wo" is the Chinese 
 "Wang," Emperor; and the word "ten," or heaven, 
 is commonly added " Ten wo," the heavenly ruler ; 
 or the combination "Ovvo," 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. "0-ooji," the great family, is sometimes 
 applied to the Emperor. The common people talk 
 of the Emperor as "Miyako sama," in contradistinc- 
 tion to " Yedo sama," the Shiogoon, the Lord of Yedo. 
 " Ooyaysama," 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 in- 
 clude 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," ta, and " inner," nai. The latter seems the 
 more common. " Gosho" is a word sometimes applied 
 to the palace, at others to the Emperor and the gov- 
 ernment. The word "in," or "een," is a Buddhist 
 word, added to the posthumous name of some 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," &c. 
 
 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 im- 
 perial power, as palladia of the empire. In one of 
 the treatises upon the Emperor's court it is said of 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 27 
 
 these mysterious emblems :" In that early time the 
 heaven - illuminating god arrived at Kashiwabarra, 
 then the capital, and placed an 8 -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, fearing the sacredness of 
 the divine presence, took these two efficacious sym- 
 bols, 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 possession 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 
 
28 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 were stolen, 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 recognised 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 Koongay Hashimoto, who brought them 
 out at the risk of his life and the expense of a severe 
 burning of his face and hands. 
 
 In Japan it is usual to perform a ceremony at the 
 time when the boy assumes the toga virilis and be- 
 comes 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 under- 
 goes this operation (known as "Gembuko;" Ch., "yuen 
 fuh ") about the age of ten or eleven, when he, accord- 
 ing 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 Em- 
 peror, the heir-apparent, it becomes national. At the 
 inauguration of the Emperor (according to Klaproth) 
 his height is measured with a bamboo, which is de- 
 posited 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 opera- 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 29 
 
 tion is effected by a mixture of sulphate of iron and 
 some astringent bark. The state dresses of the Em- 
 peror are generally of very rich strong silk of a bright 
 green colour. The shape, the colour, the pattern are 
 all fixed, and not left to choice. His under garments 
 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 during the day in which necessity demands 
 a change. These white silk dresses are the perquisites 
 of one of the servants, 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 generally been described. 
 Twelve days of the month are set apart for conversa- 
 tions 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 Emperor is supposed to move out of his 
 palace and the grounds and gardens adjoining only 
 
30 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 twice a-year once during spring, and once in autumn 
 when he goes in a covered car, enclosed 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 accom- 
 panied 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, 
 afterwards Jin - ko, dressed like a common man. 
 The excuse for this was that his palace was being 
 rebuilt, after having been burnt 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 plain- 
 tively for her mate. On the 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 backwards on 
 their knees. 
 
 Some writers have alleged that the Emperor is 
 looked upon as a god, and that the people think that 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 31 
 
 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 honoured 
 because the first spirit dwelt there. At this meeting 
 the spirits arrange the sublunary and mundane busi- 
 ness of Japan for the subsequent eleven months. 
 The inhabitants of Idzumo 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 honours upon the 
 dead ; but he is not looked upon as above the " Tento 
 sama," or Lord of heaven, showing that a lower posi- 
 tion is assigned to the kami (or " Shin " of the 
 Chinese) than to the highest deity. But no one of 
 any ordinary education in Japan believes 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, &c., 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 joined in matrimony and knot them together. 
 So we speak of marriages being made in heaven while 
 the hymeneal knot is tied in earth. From this the 
 
32 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 month is called " Yeng moosoobi tski" i.e., Tie-the- 
 knot month. 
 
 Abdication from positions of active life is very com- 
 mon among all ranks in Japan. No position seems 
 to be more easily renounced than that of the occupa- 
 tion of the throne. In a country where the heir may 
 have the misfortune to be brought up in the lap of 
 luxury, and amidst sensual excitements and indul- 
 gences 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 vigour 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 eleva- 
 tion. 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 neighbourhood 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 unpre- 
 tending structures, consisting of a basement, upon 
 

 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 33 
 
 which a single stone is erected of no great size. Such 
 is the tomb of Yoritomo, the great hero, in the neigh- 
 bourhood 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 country- 
 men and subjects the remembrance of their primeval 
 simplicity. 
 
 As to the succession to the throne, the laws or 
 regulations in Japan do not seem to be very decided. 
 The frequent abdication of the ruler gives the oppor- 
 tunity for securing 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 suddenly left the 
 throne vacant, the eldest son is supposed to be the 
 rightful heir. But when, as frequently has happened, 
 his mind and body have been enfeebled by dissipation, 
 and he has neither wit nor vigour to seize the reins of 
 power, he has too often been supplanted by the ambi- 
 tion of a brother, or a wife of his father. When the 
 Emperor leaves only a daughter, she is married to a 
 member of the _f our imperial families, and her husband 
 in 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 im- 
 perial family most favourable to their continuing in 
 power. 
 
 The genealogy of the Emperors is considered true 
 and authentic as published in the Eed 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 
 
 c 
 
34 
 
 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 35 
 
 small book giving the pedigrees and crests of the 
 Emperor's family, and of the koongays or nobility. 
 Two crests or coats-of-arms are used by the Emperor 
 the one, " kiku " (kiuh), for outside imperial govern- 
 ment business, like the flower of a chrysanthemum, 
 with sixteen petals ; the other, the " kiri " (t'ung), is 
 used for the palace matters personal to the Emperor 
 and his family. No notice seems to be taken of the 
 common assumption of the imperial crest, but no one 
 dares to use the cresfc of the Shiogoon except by per- 
 mission. 
 
 The following sayings give some idea of the rever- 
 ence with which the Emperor is spoken of : " Mik- 
 ado ni ooji nashi," is a saying to express that the 
 Emperor is of no family. " Tenshi foo bo nashi " 
 " The Emperor has neither father nor mother." " In 
 heaven there is one sun, on earth there is one Em- 
 peror/' is a Confucian saying in accordance with the 
 ideas of the country. "0 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 rever- 
 ence 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 concubines, who are generally the daughters 
 of the poorer nobility. The throne can be, and has 
 frequently been, occupied by a female. The Emperor 
 is supposed to receive, as an allowance from the 
 
36 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 Shiogoon, 100,000 kobangs, equal to 70,000 per 
 annum. This he receives from the Yedo govern- 
 ment, 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 conducted formerly by the Por- 
 tuguese 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, 
 Kawadsi, 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 gov- 
 ernment. These men have fifty soldiers under them. 
 Under them are nine " Toritsungi," generally men of 
 some rank and position. 
 
 The Emperor's own private establishment consists 
 of the following officers : 
 
 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 ; gene- 
 rally 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. 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 37 
 
 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 Em- 
 peror. 
 
 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 sin wo " (" sz tsan wang ") are " four im- 
 perial relatives/ 7 or royal families of Japan. This 
 name denotes four families of imperial descent set 
 apart, with allotted residences and revenues, as sup- 
 porters 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 succession to the throne, at all times an 
 object in Eastern countries for daring ambition to aim 
 at, and a fruitful source of revolution and misery to 
 the people, is regulated and guarded in Japan on a 
 basis wide enough to secure a succession, and pre- 
 served by such safeguards as to put it out of the 
 
38 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 power of collaterals to hope for success from in- 
 triguing ambition. One of these safeguards is sup- 
 posed 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 suc- 
 ceed. If there be a daughter, she marries one of the 
 members of these four families, and he becomes Em- 
 peror. Jinko, the father of the late Emperor, suc- 
 ceeded 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 deter- 
 mined 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 Emperor 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 reasons 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 afterwards. 
 
 But even with this wide matrimonial basis allowed 
 to the Emperor, there may be a failure of heirs direct. 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 39 
 
 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 families of Sin wo, two having 
 become extinct by failure of heirs. They are, how- 
 ever, only dormant, as it is a part of the policy 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 (relations) wo (imperial). The sons of these fami- 
 lies are called Sinwo O'nkatta, or O'nkatta sama, 1 
 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 fac- 
 tors 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 O'nkatta is used as an address of respect to ladies, and also to Sinwo 
 and high officers in personal attendance on the Emperor. 
 
40 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 1016 koku 1 of rice, but he has probably twenty or 
 thirty thousand 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 character of a masonic connection. In 
 the relation of a child he is called Koboong ; of a 
 father, Oyaboong; of brothers or sisters, Kiodai- 
 boong : 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 severed as it is made, but it is often 
 strictly adhered to. It is generally made by drink- 
 ing formally out of the same cup, each taking half 
 of the liquor. It may be severed by cutting off the 
 queue, or simply by formally intimating that it is at 
 an end. 
 
 2. Arisungawa Nakatskasa 2 no kio, or head of the 
 Central Board. His nominal income is 1000 koku, 
 but his real revenue is much larger. 
 
 3. Katsura ; the revenue is 3006 koku. 
 
 4. Kunnin; the revenue is nominally 1006 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 
 
 1 The koku, or "stone," contains 5.13 bushels; is the measure by 
 which revenue is estimated ; is the standard value of the country ; and 
 is generally considered equivalent to one gold kobang. The only in- 
 variable 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. 
 
 2 The title of Kami, or chief officer, of the three provinces, Kowotsuki, 
 Kadsusa, and Fitatai, is reserved for the Sin wo alone. 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT, 41 
 
 Japan, the abdication and retirement, of the Emperor. 
 But, at the same time, the arrangement has its dis- 
 advantages. 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 carry- 
 ing on intrigues for their own advancement, and 
 for the gratification of their ambition. Within the 
 last few years much disquietude 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 mon- 
 asteries 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 en- 
 dowed 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. Nobunanga, who at one 
 time was inclined to favour the foreign priests, had 
 always a great jealousy of, and bore a great illwill to, 
 the Buddhist priesthood. He destroyed their temples, 
 killed the priests, and confiscated their revenues, and 
 thus gave a blow to their power from which they 
 have never recovered, and under which they are 
 withering more and more every day. 
 
42 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 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 surveillance 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 revenues ; 
 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 accumu- 
 late, the reverend holder has sufficient for his wants 
 and those of a respectable retinue. They are then 
 called Sinwo Monzekke (Muntsih). 
 
 1. The first is Rinnoji Monzekke, or abbot of Einoji 
 temple. 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 appointment), 
 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 Mnaji no mia, otherwise called Omuro. 
 The income is 1502 koku. The incumbent is of the Fusimi 
 family. He is head of the Singong sect, and was appointed 
 to the office in 1843, 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 IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 43 
 
 The Monzekke is of the Kunnin family. He is head of the 
 Tendai sect of Buddhists, and is known as Tendai zass. 
 
 5. Sho ngo in no Monzekke is head of the Yamabooshi 
 religion. He is of the Fusimi family, with an income of 
 1430 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 1330 koku. This 
 young man, born about 1837, has not taken kindly to the 
 office. He was engaged in intrigues to displace the Emperor 
 about the year 1858. He allowed his hair to grow, and laid 
 aside his ecclesiastical garb. But he was afterwards confined 
 to his room in arrest. He seems to have been liberated, as 
 he has since then eloped with a young lady, a cousin of his 
 own. They were taken in the province of Harima, and 
 brought back to Miako. 
 
 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 FusimL 
 
 11. Kaji ee Monzekke, of the Tendai sect. Of the family 
 of Fusimi, with an income of 1600 koku. 
 
 12. Manjo in Monzekke is vacant. 
 
 13. 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 
 Eastern, 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 
 
44 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 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. Kay gan ji, held by one of the Fusimi family, who has 
 the title of Mo-wo, or Queen of Nuns. 
 
 6. Yenshoji, in Narra, the ecclesiastical metropolis of Japan. 
 
 7. Kin kinji. 
 
 8. Chiu goji and 16 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 honour, reserves to himself the sole right of confer- 
 ring 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 busi- 
 ness connected with this power is great, and may be 
 said to have been for many years the sole occupation 
 for the Miako court. A special office and officers are 
 set apart within the palace enclosure for carrying on 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 45 
 
 the correspondence, and settling disputes connected 
 with the department. 
 
 RANKS OF MEN IN JAPAN. 
 
 Every individual in Japan, whether noble, priest, 
 or peasant, is supposed to know the rank in which he 
 stands relatively to those about him. The marks of 
 respect to superiors 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 permis- 
 sion 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 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 
 
46 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 Chonin). The latter class comprises merchants, arti- 
 sans, workmen, &c., 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 ; in the latter 
 this is not allowed. This last two-sworded class is 
 known as " Samurai" (Ch. Sz), which may be trans- 
 lated " an officer and a gentleman," and is an import- 
 ant distinction conferring valuable rights and pri- 
 vileges 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 Shio- 
 goon's government, 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 {. 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 5th rank, military 
 or civilians who are not merchants or artisans. There 
 are others who have the right to wear two swords, 
 such as Goshi, large farmers or landed proprietors 
 whose ancestors were Daimios. These are strongest 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 47 
 
 in the provinces of Kahi, Etsjiu, and Dewa, some 
 being very wealthy as Homma in Dewa, and Hana- 
 gura 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 as- 
 sumed, is not readily relinquished, seeing that a two- 
 sworded man has the privilege of travelling at a much 
 cheaper rate than other members of society, pays no 
 tolls or taxes, and not unfrequently pays nothing for 
 food and lodging, 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 " Eonin " or " floating- 
 man." These men are most imperious and domineer- 
 ing towards others not having the same privileges as 
 themselves, and this power compels wealthy traders 
 and others to enrol themselves in the retinue of some 
 Daimio, or take some other roundabout mode to pre- 
 vent themselves being insulted. This is not the char- 
 acter of every Ronin, many of whom are respectable 
 members of society, holding their privileges in abey- 
 ance until called upon to give feudal service by some 
 superior. 
 
 The people of Japan are divided generally into the 
 following classes : 
 
 1. Koongays, or Miako nobility. 
 
 2. Daimios, or Yedo nobility. 
 
 3. Hattamoto Lower Daimio class. 
 
48 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 4. Hiaksho Farmers and landed proprietors without rank 
 or title. 
 
 5. Shokonin Artisans, carpenters, &c. 
 
 6. Akindo Merchants. 
 
 7. Kweiamono Actors, beggars, &c. 
 
 8. Yayta Tanners, shoemakers, leather- workers, skinners. 
 
 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 Daim- 
 ios 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 recognised 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 honoured with titles by the Emperor, or 
 performing duties about the court, are divided into 
 classes or ranks. In China the mandarins are di- 
 vided into nine classes. Each of these classes is again 
 subdivided into a first and secondary division. The 
 same division and subdivision are found in Japan, with 
 this difference, that there are six classes, each subdi- 
 vided 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, San-mi, 
 Shi-i, Go-i, and Eoko-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." Those are subdi- 
 vided again into two upper and lower "jio" and 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 49 
 
 "gay," the Chinese "shang" and " hia." The full 
 description of men of the first and seccyad ranks would 
 be respectively " Jo itchi-i no jio " arid " 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 honour 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 distinguishing dresses 
 and colours, or devices upon black dresses, and they 
 are entitled in virtue of their rank to have a spear 
 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 Daimios are 
 higher than the first subdivision of the fourth rank. 
 The Shiogoon himself is elevated from one rank to 
 another by the favour of the Emperor, at times not 
 rising higher than the first subdivision 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 acquisition of a title conferred by 
 the Emperor. But as some titles, though not recog- 
 nised at court, are used by the daimios as holding 
 territory under the Shiogoon, there is a distinction 
 observed between the two. The holder of titles con- 
 ferred 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 pro- 
 vinces. An imperial title in the address is always 
 placed before the territorial title. 
 
 D 
 
$0 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 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 ori- 
 gin of this class will be somewhat obscure, some trac- 
 ing their pedigree back upwards of 1500 years. Many 
 of the Koongays are descendants of younger sons and 
 cadets of the imperial family branching off at former 
 periods, while the surnames of some of the other fami- 
 lies 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 
 assistants, .brothers in arms, and mainstays of his 
 throne and power, the soil about the centre of the 
 empire was divided among them, and they thence- 
 forward 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 in the same way as the Daimios of the 
 present day. But when the vigour of rule relaxed, 
 and power fell into the hands of a commander-in- 
 chief, or mayor of the palace, with uncertainty in 
 the rulers, there followed division in the aristocracy. 
 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 posi- 
 tion by writing. The large tract of country to the 
 north and north-east of Yedo, called the obscure or 
 impenetrated way, was comparatively unknown and 
 uninhabited, and was divided into four or five large 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 51 
 
 territories, under princes who seldom heard of, and 
 more rarely visited, the court at Miako. The dissen- 
 sions 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 upwards of 200 years. 
 During the Onin war families were destroyed, terri- 
 tories were lost, might was everywhere right, and 
 though several of the oldest and noblest families 
 among the Koongays retained their honours and titles 
 and places about the court, they lost their property, 
 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 splendour; but their representatives continued 
 to struggle on with poverty, proud in the possession 
 of an ancient lineage, and of their names being en- 
 rolled 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 painting, basket- 
 making, and other manual employments, affording, 
 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 Heralds' Office or Patent Office of 
 England. A book, the 'Koongay no Kayzu,' or 
 Pedigree of the Koongays, is printed in Japan, giving 
 all these particulars, and is generally by the natives 
 
52 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 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/ giving 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 fam- 
 ilies 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 in- 
 cluded " Ten jio bito," " Sho daibu," 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. Ttchijio. 
 
 5. Takatskasa. 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 53 
 
 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 importance ; but since the 
 commencement of foreign relations the political tide 
 has rather flowed towards Miako, and from Yedo, 
 and they have increased in political power as well as 
 in wealth, as the Daimios and office-seekers of Yedo 
 endeavour 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 vigour of the constitution 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 imagi- 
 native 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 
 
54 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 this way have been derived the lines known as the 
 "Say wa Genji," the " Ooda Genji," and the "Mura- 
 kami 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 honours 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 attain- 
 able 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 mem- 
 bers, at one time, all the offices of religion. Only one 
 Koongay family, Fusinami, now represents this old 
 clan. In point of antiquity, if not of lustre of name, 
 the Sungawara family, commonly called Kwang kay, 
 ranks only second to Fusiwara. The members of this 
 family are rarely found in military employment, 
 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 Koongays belong to this clan. All the Minna- 
 moto Koongays are descended from younger sons of 
 former Emperors. One of these, the " Say wa," Min- 
 namoto, assert that their line is the same as that of the 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 55 
 
 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 1 during many years of civil war, includes five 
 families. 
 
 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 
 forty years ago, Kitta koji (of the clan Oway), whose 
 family for three generations had filled the office of 
 Kurodo, was elevated to the rank. 
 
 LIST OF THE KOONGAYS OF JAPAN, WITH THEIR 
 
 onoyay 
 Koojio 
 
 RESPECTIVE SALARIES. 
 
 All of the Fusiwara clan 
 
 Itchijio 
 Takatskasa 
 
 Do. 
 
 Koonga 
 
 Daigo 
 
 Sanjio 
 
 Saiwanji 
 
 Tokudaiji 
 
 Kwasan in 
 
 Owi no Mikado 
 
 Imadegawa Kikute 
 
 Hirohatta 
 
 Okimatchi Sanjio 
 
 Naka no in 
 
 Sanjio no nislii 
 
 1 Otherwise known as Heji and Genji. 
 
 Income. 
 Koku. 
 
 2860 
 
 2043 
 1708 
 2044 
 1500 
 
 700 
 300 
 460 
 597 
 410 
 750 
 400 
 1355 
 500 
 200 
 500 
 520 
 
56 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 Okimatchi 
 Shigay no ee 
 Anega koji 
 Shimidzu tanni 
 Yotz otsuji 
 Owo goora 
 
 Kawajiri 
 Anno 
 Hashimoto 
 Hanazono 
 Ooratsuji 
 M'mayzono 
 Yama nioto 
 Owomia 
 Kaza haya 
 Moosha no koji 
 Oshi koji 
 Takamatz 
 Sono ikay 
 Yaboo 
 
 Mshi y otsuji 
 Naka Zono 
 Taka oka 
 
 Namba 
 
 Assukayee 
 
 Nakayama 
 
 Imaki 
 
 Nonomia 
 
 JSaka no Mikado, 
 called " Matzu 
 noki " 
 
 Ji mio in 
 
 Sono 
 
 Kuniiin kay. All 
 are Oorin kay or 
 military 
 
 Kunnin kay. All 
 are Oorin kay or 
 military 
 
 Kwasan in kay 
 all of imperial 
 descent, and mili- 
 tary 
 
 Naka no Mikado 
 kay 
 
 Income. 
 Koku. 
 
 
 352 
 
 
 180 
 
 y Fusiwara 
 
 200 
 
 clan. 
 
 200 
 
 
 200 
 
 
 150 
 
 X 
 
 150 
 
 
 478 
 
 
 200 
 
 
 150 
 
 
 150 
 
 
 150 
 
 
 150 
 
 
 130 
 
 > Do. 
 
 Koora mei l 
 
 
 130 
 
 
 130 
 
 
 K. m. 
 
 
 K. m. 
 
 
 180 
 
 
 K. m. 
 
 
 150 
 
 J 
 
 K. m. 
 
 X 
 
 300 
 
 
 928 
 
 Do. 
 
 200 
 
 
 180 
 
 
 200 
 
 Do. 
 
 341 
 
 200 
 
 180 
 
 1 Koora mei is rice supplied to these dignitaries out of the storehouses 
 of the Emperor. They have no income in money, and only receive so 
 much rice annually. 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 57 
 
 Hingashizono 
 
 Miboo 
 
 Takano 
 
 Iwano 
 
 Ishiyama 
 
 Rokaku 
 
 (Kami) Rayzay 
 (Simo) 
 Fusitanni 
 Eeriyay 
 
 Hino 
 Hirohashi 
 Yanangi wara 
 Karassu maro 
 Takaya 
 Hino nishi 
 Kangay no kowoji 
 Oora matz 
 Mimurodo 
 Toyama 
 Toyo-eka 
 Kita koji 
 
 Kanroji 
 
 Hamuro 
 
 Kwadjuji 
 
 Made nia koji 
 
 Sayganji 
 
 Naka no Mikado 
 
 Bojo 
 
 Shibba yama 
 
 Eekay jiri 
 
 M'mega koji 
 
 Okasaki 
 
 Honnami 
 
 Tsutsumi 
 
 Naka no Mikado 
 
 Mikosa kay 
 
 Hino kay Mayka, 
 servants of the 
 Go sekkay all 
 civilians can - } 
 not hold mili- 
 tary appoint- 
 ments 
 
 Kwadjuji kay 
 
 Income. 
 Koku. 
 
 
 180 
 
 
 130 
 
 Fusiwara 
 
 150 
 
 clan. 
 
 K. m. 
 
 
 K. m. 
 
 
 K. in. 
 
 
 300 
 
 Do. 
 
 180 
 200 
 
 
 K m. 
 
 
 1153 
 
 
 850 
 
 
 202 
 
 
 954 
 
 
 180 
 
 Do. < 
 
 200 
 130 
 
 
 130 
 
 
 130 
 
 
 K. m. 
 
 
 K. m. 
 
 
 K. m. 
 
 
 200 
 
 
 183 
 
 
 708 
 
 
 309 
 
 
 180 
 
 
 200 
 
 > Do. 
 
 108 
 
 
 200 
 
 
 K. m. 50 
 
 
 K. m. 50 
 
 
 K. m. 30 
 
 
 K. m. 
 
 
 K. m. 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 Income. 
 Koku. 
 
 Sisjio 
 
 
 
 180 
 
 Yama shima 
 
 
 
 300 
 
 Nishi oji 
 Wash! no 
 Abura no koji 
 
 y Si jio kay mili- 
 tary 
 
 Fusiwara 
 clan. 
 
 100 
 180 
 150 
 
 Kooshigay 
 
 
 130 
 
 Hatch! jio 
 
 
 150 
 
 Minassay 
 
 
 
 631 
 
 Hstchi jio 
 Match! jiri 
 Sakura-i 
 
 ^ Minassay kay 
 military 
 
 Do. < 
 
 200 
 K. m. 100 
 K.m. 100 
 
 Yama no-i 
 
 
 
 K. m. 100 
 
 Takakura ^ 
 
 
 812 
 
 Hori kawa 1 Takakura kay 
 
 "Do 
 
 180 
 
 Hi gootsi | military. 
 
 J~S\Jm ' 
 
 200 
 
 Tomino koji ) 
 
 
 200 
 
 These ninety-five families are all of the clan Fusiwara. 
 
 Take no ootchi, of the Say wa Genji family, 
 
 187 
 
 Niwatta 
 Ay a no koji 
 Itsutsuji 
 Owohara 
 Jikoji 
 
 Koonga 
 
 Naka no in 
 
 Eokujio 
 
 Iwakura 
 
 Tchikoossa 
 
 Kooze 
 
 Hingashi kooze 
 
 M'medan ye 
 
 Otagee 
 
 Ooyaymatz 
 
 Of the Ooda Genji, or Ooda 
 Minnamoto, or Oomi Genji 
 
 Murakami Genji or Minna- 
 motto 
 
 350 
 200 
 200 
 
 K. m. 100 
 K. m. 
 
 700 
 500 
 265 
 150 
 150 
 200 
 K. m. 
 150 
 130 
 130 
 
 Shira kawa 
 
 Kwassan Genji 
 
 200 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 59 
 
 
 Income. 
 Koku. 
 
 Takatsuji 
 Gojio 
 Karahashi 
 Hingashi Bojio 
 Ki-oka 
 
 Sungawara ooji civilian 
 
 200 
 HI 
 182 
 300 
 K. m. 
 
 Kuwabara 
 
 
 K. m. 
 
 Funabashi 
 Fushiwara 
 Sawa 
 
 Called Kiowara ooji ; commonly 
 called Say kay 
 
 : 400 
 
 230 
 ( K. m. 
 
 Fushiwara, Kuwabara, Hingashi Bojio, are now teachers of 
 the Emperor. 
 
 Nishi-no-to-in 
 
 
 260 
 
 Hira matz 
 Nangatani 
 Kowono 
 
 Taira ooji, otherwise Hay 
 (He) kay civilian 
 
 200 
 K. m. 
 K. m. 
 
 Iwa yee 
 
 130 
 
 Fusi nami, of the nakatomi ooji civilian, . 
 
 . 1000 
 
 Yoshida 
 
 1760 
 
 Hangi wara 
 Mshi ki wori 
 Fusi yee 
 
 Of the Oorabbe ooji civi- 
 lian 
 
 1000 
 K. m. 
 Km. 
 
 Tsutchi Micako } Of the Abbe ooji-civilian . 
 Kurahashi f 
 
 f 177 
 ) 150 
 
 Mshiki koji, Tanba ooji ; said to be of the line of the 
 
 Emperor of China who fled to Japan, . . . K. m. 
 
 Kitta koji, of the Oway ooji, 
 
 K. m. 60 
 
 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 Koongays. 
 
 In the above statement there is assigned to each 
 
60 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 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 are some among them who have other 
 sources of wealth. In old times the Koongays pos- 
 sessed 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 portions 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. Eesiding 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 Kono- 
 yay dono, and he levies a tax upon the exports and 
 imports ; and, in addition to the customs, he receives 
 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 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 6l 
 
 acquired money, lie 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 comparatively few 
 retainers, they are not obliged to make the ostenta- 
 tious 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 exist- 
 ence in a variety of ways, honourable enough, but not 
 contributing much in the way of worldly wealth. 
 Assukayee teaches playing at " mari," a sort of foot- 
 ball, which is a fashionable game at court, and which 
 is probably derived from the Chinese shuttlecock, 
 varied according to the difference in the style of boots 
 and shoes. In playing at this game in Miako, the 
 court turns out in gorgeous dresses. Jiraio-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, 1 and in the latter a highly cultivated taste. 
 Eayzay teaches poetry and composition. Sijio dono 
 teaches the art of dressing dinners and cookery, which 
 is considered in Japan the occupation of a gentleman. 
 
 1 A fir-tree has been seen in perfect vigour, bearing a cone, and eight 
 years old, and only an inch in height. In the arranging of flowers, 
 they do not make a nosegay or bouquet, but one branch of a flower, or 
 at most two flowers, with leaves, or with a branch of a tree, all inserted 
 in a holder. 
 
62 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 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 individuals 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 gentle- 
 men the customs and language of the court. Of these 
 ladies there are generally one or more at the residence 
 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 division under each of the five. 
 
 Konoyay has under him 48 Monrio. 
 Koojio 20 
 
 Mjio 4 
 
 Itchijio 37 
 
 Takatskasa 8 
 
 If any of those in a position of Monrio have any 
 business with the court, such must be despatched 
 
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 63 
 
 through his head, who then communicates with the 
 Emperor. 
 
 It has been shown above that the Sin wo and sons 
 of the imperial families are provided 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 tem- 
 ples 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 follow the usual cus- 
 tom in shaving the head. Civilians do not carry a 
 sword ; military carry one called " tatehi." In ordi- 
 nary times a Koongay is not likely to be put to death, 
 however 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 posi- 
 tion 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 surrounded by the members of the old families, 
 
64 THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 
 
 among whom lie distributed honours. There was to 
 be seen a supposed prefect form of government, the 
 history of which is written in the * Annals/ Proba- 
 bly 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 ter- 
 ritories belonging to these lords were always under 
 the entire rule each of its own master, and acknow- 
 ledging 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 pro- 
 vinces, 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 advanced 
 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 expected 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 IMPERIAL FAMILY AND COURT. 65 
 
 the officers of the imperial court were looked to as 
 the arbiters or umpires, and acquired and retained so 
 firm a position in 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. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE EIGHT BOARDS 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 government was carried on. The 
 arrangements are of very ancient date, and seem to 
 have been more or less in actual use until the separa- 
 tion of the empire into two at the end of the sixteenth 
 century. At that time the executive department 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 fulfil- 
 ling 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 towards 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 
 
THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 67 
 
 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 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 departments, 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 Ba- 
 takd Chikafusa, and in use at the present day as a 
 concise account of the government of Japan. 
 
 The study of such a subject is rather dry and unin- 
 teresting, but it is necessary for any one who wishes 
 to make himself 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. Afterwards, the Emperor 
 Kwo toku, in the fifth year of his reign (A.D. 650), 
 
68 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 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 Kamatariko 1 (canonised as Kassunga 
 dai 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 
 ministers, the c Nai dai jin' and the ' Chiu nagoon/ ex- 
 isted before 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 c Jin ngi kwang' or 
 * Kami no tskasa/ answering to the f Ta chang sz ' 
 in China. The two officers who superintended the 
 rites in worship of the gods were above all other 
 officers. This was the pristine custom in the king- 
 dom 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 estab- 
 lished the capital within the bounds of the province 
 of Yamato, at Kashiwarra. At that time, in the be- 
 ginning, 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 
 
 1 His family name was Nakatomi, but he was honoured by the family 
 name of Fusiwara. 
 
THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 69 
 
 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 (B.C. 97-30), who, fearing the ma- 
 jesty 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. 1 
 
 " At that time the 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 depart- 
 ment 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 
 
 1 This is the most sacred temple in the empire. 
 
70 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 capable of filling the office, Nakatomi 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 
 (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 Govern- 
 ment of the Empire/ What follows is the names of 
 the different offices, and ranks of officers, whether civil 
 or military, stating 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, &c. 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 depute, and is added or prefixed to an- 
 other title. This is the word K'iin in Chinese, with 
 
THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. Jl 
 
 the meaning of power, balance, temporary substi- 
 tute. 
 
 With these explanations it may be possible to under- 
 stand 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 ren- 
 dered unnecessary by the introduction of Buddhism, 
 and has been practically done away with the higher 
 titles and largest emoluments being absorbed by the 
 younger sons of royal families, while the working part 
 of the board has been joined with the highest board, 
 Dai jo gwang. 
 
 The Dai jo gwang, 1 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 depart- 
 ment 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, 2 first given 
 A.D. 880. The Kwanbakku is always near the Em- 
 peror's person, and not engaged so much as others on 
 
 1 Chinese, Ta ching kwan. 
 
 3 Lit., The white boundary-line. 
 
72 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 public business. If the sovereign 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 
 generally intended that he is to marry her, and be- 
 come 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 jin as Nai or Dai foo sama. There 
 may be only one of the three titles, Dai jio dai jin, 
 Kwanbakku, or Sessio, conferred at a time ; but who- 
 ever 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 lengthened 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 : 
 
 1. Dai jo dai jin. 
 
 . .. >- formerly called M'mo sono tayu. 
 
 3. Oodaijm, ) 
 
 4. Dai na goon (ta nah in). 
 
 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 middle great minister. This office is 
 filled up if there be no Dai jio dai jin ; but if other- 
 wise it remains in abeyance. 
 
 Since 1780 the Shiogoon has generally been ele- 
 vated to be Oodai jin or Sadai jin. 
 
THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 73 
 
 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 con- 
 sultation with the board. They are generally Koon- 
 gays. 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 communications to other boards : they 
 are both military and civil. 
 
 Gayki or Kwanmu five officers who act as secre- 
 taries 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 between high officers, 
 they seem to write out a statement of the case on both 
 
74 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 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, Mt and 
 right, Sa and Oo dai ben. This is a very responsible 
 office; all the business 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 beo 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 official 
 dress, which is very handsome, and are at once recog- 
 nisable on the street. 
 
 Shi, eight men. Their business is to act as book- 
 keepers 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 of government under the Dai jo 
 gwang are 
 
 1. Nakatskasa no sho. 
 
 2. Siki bu sho (Ch, Li po). 
 
 3. Ji bu sho (Ch., Li po). 
 
THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 75 
 
 4. Min bu sho (Ch., U po). 
 
 5. Hio bu sho (Ch., Ping po). 
 
 6. Gio bu sho (Ch., Ying po). 
 
 7. Okura no sho (Ch., Ta fu sz). 
 
 8. Koo nai sho (Ch., Kung po). 
 
 I. NAKA TSKASA NO SHO, or NAKA NO MATSURI 
 KOTO SURU 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. 
 gonno tayu is always a Mayka no 
 
 tenjio bito koongay. 
 
 Nakatskasa no shoyu. 
 
 gonno shoyu. 
 
 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, 
 &c. 
 
 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 
 subordinates and successors of the former. 
 
 Kemmootz, Dai and Sho, two men. 
 
 These are the reporters or spies (ometskys) upon 
 
76 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 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, &c. 
 
 Kangee no tskasa, keepers of the keys, now done 
 away with. 
 
 Included under this department are the establish- 
 ments 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 Jcowu goo siki. 
 
 That of the wife having a child, Kwo tai kowu goo 
 siki. 
 
 That of the wife before she has a child, Chiu 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, &c. 
 
 Odoneri no kami, Ske, &c. 
 
 Dsu sho rio, surveying office for plans of houses, 
 maps of towns, country, harbours, seas, &c. 
 
 Dsu sho no kami, Ske, &c. 
 
 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, &c. 
 
 Noo ee rio superintends the making the clothes 
 and sewing generally of the palace. 
 
 Noo ee no kami, N. no ske, N. no gonno ske, &c. 
 
THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 77 
 
 Ong yo rio (literally, clear obscure office), depart- 
 ment of astrology composer of the almanac ob- 
 servers of the heavens. 
 
 Ong yo no kami, 0. no skd, &c. Ong yo no haka 
 se' and Gonno haka s6, 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, &c. 
 
 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 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 handsomely dressed. The 
 class belongs to the Ikkoshiu sect of Buddhists. Some 
 of the men following this trade are very rich. In Osaka, 
 Teikoya and in Yedo Siroyama 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 
 
78 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 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 private chapel or Bootzu 
 dang is said to be the finest in Yedo. 
 
 II. SIKI BU SHIO (Chinese, Shik po shang ; Chinese 
 equivalent office, Li po), the Board of Civil Office. 
 Has legislative functions, and under this board is 
 the department of public instruction and the col- 
 lege. 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 provinces to report on the 
 government of each. They were changed every four 
 years, but the custom has become obsolete. 
 
 Siki bu no Tayu. 
 
 Gonno Tayu, both men of high rank, 
 who practically carry on the business of the board. 
 
 Siki bu no Sho yu and Gonno sho yu, &c. 
 
 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 
 Japan and a little of India and Ceylon, as Buddhist countries. 
 
 2. Migio, religion originally Sinto religion only. 
 
 3. Mio bo, laws and jurisprudence. 
 
 4. Santo, mathematics, arithmetic. 
 
THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 79 
 
 These are called the four paths, Shi do. 
 Besides these officers there are teachers or professors 
 named Haka se (pok sz). 
 
 1. Munjo haka 6, two men ; teachers of history, otherwise 
 called Shiu sai. 
 
 2. Mio gio haka s, teacher of religion and the works of 
 Confucius. 
 
 Jokio, two men. 
 
 Chokko ko, two men. 
 
 On no haka s, two men, teachers of music. 
 
 Sho haka s6 y two men, teachers of writing. 
 
 3. Mio bo haka s6 y two men, professors of jurisprudence. 
 
 5. Sang no haka s teachers of mathematics, arithmetic 
 two men. Is always in two families, Mio shi and Otsu 
 ngi. The former teaches arithmetic and the ahacus ; the lat- 
 ter teaches the science of taxation. 
 
 III. Ji BU SHIO (Chinese office, Lai po). This board 
 deals with the forms of society, manners, etiquette, 
 worship, ceremonies for the living and the dead, &c. 
 
 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, &c. 
 
 Oota rio (Ch., Ya yoh), a department of the board 
 superintends music and poetry in all its branches. 
 
 Oota no kami, &c. 
 
 Gengba rio is another department, called also shi 
 maro wo dono : takes charge of embassies from outer 
 countries Corea, China, and India ; looks after 
 Buddhism. All business connected with foreign 
 countries comes within the scope of this office. 
 
 Genba no kami, head officer, Ske, &c. 
 
80 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 Misasaki rio, an officer to look after the tombs of 
 the emperors. 
 
 Misasaki no kami is head officer. 
 
 IV. Mm 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, census. In this office is kept a book or 
 register for the registration 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/ 
 
 Min bu kio, head officer, of high rank. 
 
 Min bu no Tayu. 1 M. Gonno Tayu. 
 sho, &c. 
 
 Kadzuye rio, the office for taxes paid in money. 
 Officers Kami, Ske, jo, and sakkan. 
 
 San shi, office for money taken in country places 
 only. 
 
 ChiJcara rio, somewhat similar to the above ; taxes 
 paid in kind, rice, &c. 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 depart- 
 ment. 
 
 Hio bu kioh, the head officer, is sometimes of the 
 imperial blood. 
 
 Hio bu no tayu. H. no Gonno tayu, sho, &c. 
 
 Hyato no tskasa, seems to be a sort of police in 
 case of war. 
 
 1 This is the title of the young man living in Paris in 1867. Com- 
 monly called brother of the Tycoon. 
 
THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 8l 
 
 Hyato no kami, ske, and sakkan. 
 
 VI. Gio BU SHIO (Chinese office, Ying po), board of 
 punishments. The name is changed to Ke be ishi, 
 which includes the criminal courts, with the ma- 
 chinery necessary to their working, but the titles 
 remain. 
 
 Gio bu Kioh, head of the office. 
 Tayu, Gonno tayu, sho, &c. 
 
 Dai hanji, 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 goJcu ji prison department. 
 
 Shiu goku no kami, ske, &c. 
 
 As this title is supposed to convey some disgrace 
 with it, no one considers it an honour, and therefore 
 it is generally combined with some other. 
 
 VII. Okura no shio (Chinese office, Tafu sz), officer 
 over the imperial storehouses and granaries. 
 
 kura kio is an officer of high rank. 
 
 no tayu, kura no Gonno tayu, &c. 
 Ori be no tskasa, weavers of the imperial silks. 
 Ori be no kami, &c. 
 
 VIII. Koo nai shio, the board of the interior of 
 the palace, was formerly a department of the Naka 
 tskasa shio. Superintends the furniture, food, path- 
 ways, &c. 
 
 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. 
 
 F 
 
82 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 Koo no dai jo and sho jo, &c. 
 
 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. 
 no ske and Gonno ske. 
 
 This was formerly the highest ske at court. 
 
 Mokoo rio, officer of carpenter and wood- work about 
 the palace. 
 
 Mokoo no kami, high rank. 
 Gonno kami, &c. 
 
 San shi, book-keepers. 
 
 Gee rio, purveyor of food for the gods of the 
 palace. 
 
 Oee no kami, one man. This is said to be a lucra- 
 tive office ; probably much is provided and little con- 
 sumed. 
 
 Oee no ske and Gonno ske, &c. 
 
 Tonomo rio, department for superintending the 
 cleaning of the palace. 
 
 T. no kami, &c. 
 
 Ten yaku rio medical department two apothe- 
 caries, medical attendants upon the Emperor, &c. 
 
 Ten yaku no kami, &c. 
 
 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 shti), scavenger depart- 
 ment in the palace. 
 
THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 83 
 
 Kammon no kami the Daimio Ee holds this title. 
 In 1859 this Daimio was regent under the Shiogoon's 
 government, and was assassinated in the streets of 
 Yedo. 
 
 Kammon no ske, &c. 
 
 Kimi tskasa, chamberlains to the Sinwo or royal 
 families. 
 
 Kimi no kami is hereditary in the family of Owo. 
 
 Nai zen shi, purveyor of provisions for the imperial 
 household. 
 
 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, &c. 
 
 Ooneme tskasa, overseer of the female officers of the 
 palace, 0. no kami and 0. no sakkan. 
 
 Hondo no tskasa, superintends the water supplied 
 to the palace, M. no kami, M. no sakkan. 
 
 These (the Ooneme and the Hondo) 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 power, acting apparently as 
 police of the empire, the business being to arrest 
 
84 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 criminals of all descriptions. The office is within the 
 enclosure 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, &c. 
 
 Sa kio siki, office of the left half of Miako. 
 
 Sakio no daibu, mayor or governor of high rank 
 now has but little power, as the business is trans- 
 ferred to the Kebe ishi office. 
 
 Under the Sa kio siki is To itchi tskasa, superin- 
 tendent of the east market. 
 
 To itchi no Kami. 
 
 Go kio siki, office of the right half of Miako ; simi- 
 lar to the above. Oo kio no kami, and the office of 
 Sei itchi tskasa, superintendent of the west market. 1 
 
 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, &c. 
 
 Shuzen Rang, 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. 
 
 1 Every large town lias an itchi niatchi or market-place, where mar- 
 kets are held six times a-month. 
 
THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 85 
 
 Isse no sei goo rio, or Sei ki no mia no tskasa. 
 This was an old office in connection with the Em- 
 peror's daughters, who officiated as priestesses at Issd 
 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 honour of Ten shio dai jin. 
 He gave her the title of Seigoo or Sai koo. 
 
 Shuri siki (Ch., siu li chih), carpenters of the Bud- 
 dhist temples. 
 
 Shuri no daibu. This office is filled by the Daimio 
 of Satsuma, " Shimadzu shun no daibu." 
 
 Sh. no gonno daibu, &c. 
 
 Kangay yushi. This seems to be a military board 
 of deliberation. 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. 
 
 K6 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 
 
86 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 Kokushiu Daimios, the Dai jo gwang, Giobusliio, 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 say- 
 ing 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 recog- 
 nise them at once by their dress. 
 
 Then follow the titles of men as heads of some of 
 the large families or clans of Japan. 
 
 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 Kwan- 
 bakku 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 sama 
 and his son. 
 
 Genji no Choja, the head of the family of Gen. 
 Gen and Minnamoto are the same name (Ch., tin, 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 honour, especially under the present dynasty of 
 Shiogoons, who call themselves Minnamoto. 1 
 
 1 In Japan every family has a book of its pedigree, called Kay dzu. 
 There are some books containing all the principal families' pedigrees, 
 such as the Koongay no Kaydzu, Kamakura no Kaydzu, Hankampu, 
 Say shi roku. These three last are of the Daimios. 
 
THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 87 
 
 The Shiogoon is Minnamoto no choja, and as hold- 
 ing 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 col- 
 lege 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 
 Emperor's food, of high rank. 
 
 Mi dzu shi dokoro no bettowo, superintendent 
 of the kitchen in the palace, is always Kura no 
 kami. 
 
 oota doJcoro 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 
 in 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 de- 
 partment in the palace. The Emperor Saga, A.D. 
 810, commenced the office. The officers seem to be 
 noble attendants 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. 
 
88 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 Kurodo no To (or Tono kurodo dokoro), two offi- 
 cers, one Ben gwang, one military. 
 
 Go-i (fifth rank) kuro do dokoro, three officers, civil- 
 ians, always rise from this to higher rank : first, to 
 Hatch shio no ske, then to Kangay yri 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 colour 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 perquisite the kikuji no ho, the used outer 
 clothes of the Emperor, of yellow and green colours 
 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 
 
THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 89 
 
 time Japan was wild and barbarous. He fought his 
 way to Yamato, and made his capital Kashiwara. 
 
 At the time of the tenth Emperor, Shiu jin, Kashi- 
 wara 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 
 afterwards called " Koku shiu, " and again were 
 known as " Kami to yu." 
 
 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, Kowodsuki; 
 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 
 
90 THE EtGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 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 succeeded, created the office of 
 Azetshi shi ; and the Emperor Sio mu added Ohinji 
 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 Ch. no shiogoong. 
 The Daimio 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 Jcai do. Western sea route in Kiusiu. Eleven 
 provinces: 1, Tsikuzen ; 2, Tsikugo ; 3, Hizen; 4, 
 
THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 91 
 
 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 Go k. 9 office of the left and right 
 guards. A military office is Jing, or Goong, or Go 
 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. 
 
 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. 
 
 Sho jo (small general), major-general. Of these 
 there are eight or ten. Are also of high rank, espe- 
 cially 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. 
 
92 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 The office is Sa (and Oo) ye mon no foo. The 
 Emperor Sanga changed the name from Ye ji no foo. 
 
 Sa ye mon no Kami. 
 
 Sa ske, &c. 
 
 Sa (or Oo) hio ye no foo is another office. 
 
 ,, Kami is head officer of high 
 rank. This officer is frequently mentioned by the 
 Jesuits. 
 
 Sa hio ye no ske. 
 
 Oo &c. 
 
 Soma rio or Sa-oo ma rio. The office of right or 
 left superintendent of the cavalry. 
 
 Sa ma no Kami. 
 
 Oo Both of high rank. 
 
 Sa ma no gonno Kami. 
 
 Oo 
 
 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. 
 
 H. no Kami. One officer. 
 
 Gay boo no Kwang. The outer military depart- 
 ment. 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 honours and title as Kashima Mio jin in 
 Hitatsi province. The title of Shiogoon (tsiang 
 kiun) was first used by the Emperor Shiu jin B.C. 
 50. In the Emperor Kei ko's time, his son, Yamato 
 
THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 93 
 
 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 Shiogoon, an officer who is general and com- 
 mander-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 5000 men. 
 
 Chinji foo no fooku shiogoon is an officer called 
 out only during war. 
 
 Chinji foo no goon kan, &c. 
 
 Se i dai Shiogoon (Ch., Tsing i ta tsiang kiun), tran- 
 quilliser 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 northern part of Japan 
 under rule. This is the officer known to foreigners 
 as Tycoon. 
 
 Se i shi. The office of the tranquilliser of bar- 
 barians. 
 
 Se ifu 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 
 
94 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 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 position, and reascended 
 the throne as Shio toku after one abdication. 
 
 Daijodaijin, Kwanbakku, Sessio, Sa and Go daijin, 
 previously explained. 
 
 S/io 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 independent of trade or farming. 
 
 The Emperor's wife has the title of Ko-ngoo 
 widow Nioying. 
 
 daughter Nei shin wo. 
 
 The female attendants are called Jo wo TO. 
 
 inferiors Ko jowo TO and 
 
 Chiu ro. 
 lowest class Gay ro. 
 
 Then follow the titles of Buddhist officials in 
 temples, such as 
 
 1. Dai so jo, equal in rank to Sanghi. 
 
 2. Ho yin. 
 
 3. Ho-moo. 
 
THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 95 
 
 4. Sowodz and Gonno Sowodz. 
 
 5. Ho-ngong. 
 
 6. Eis shi. 
 
 There are different titles of inferior orders of 
 priests who have to do with ritual, worship, funerals, 
 &c. 
 
 The above gives an imperfect sketch of the offices, 
 with the titles, ranks, and degrees, of the officers con- 
 nected with the government of Japan. Such infor- 
 mation 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 sub- 
 ject. 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 
 acquainted with the names in common use by the 
 people, some such information is very needful. Thus 
 we find, among many others, they speak of Toronos- 
 qui as Cauzuye dono, and of Don Austin as Chikara 
 dono, titles which are rendered 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 government of 
 Miako, which has been supplanted by the more recent 
 imitation of it at Ye do. 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 relations with foreign countries, the 
 difficulty of the double government is hanging over the 
 rulers, who have not yet seen that one must be swept 
 
96 THE EIGHT BOARDS OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 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 in the way of smooth progress. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 HISTORY OF TUP: EMPIRE TO THE DEATH OF 
 NOBU NANGA. 
 
 THE period of the history of Japan which has most 
 interest to a European, is that during which intercourse 
 was carried 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 succession of bloody 
 civil wars, during which the whole empire was del- 
 uged with blood, lasting long enough to make the 
 country a desert, the inhabitants savages, when agri- 
 culture was totally 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 his family worthy of the highest honours. 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 labour in 
 peace, may well rank lyeyas as among the illustrious 
 of men. 
 
 G 
 
98 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 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 important 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, com- 
 mander-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 specially 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 invasion and conquest of the southern part of 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 99 
 
 Corea by the Empress Jingu kogu, known by her 
 husband's name as Chiu ai ten wo, in the third cen- 
 tury. The Emperor, her husband, was the son of the 
 above-mentioned Yamato. She accompanied 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 pregnant, but she was fortunate 
 enough to find a stone which delayed her accouche- 
 ment 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 pro- 
 mise to pay annual tribute to Japan, she returned to 
 bury her deceased husband, and was soon after de- 
 livered of a son, who was afterwards the Emperor 
 sin, known better by his posthumous title of Hatchi- 
 mang. Two older sons of her husband by a concu- 
 bine, 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 worshipped under the name of Kashi no dai 
 mio jin ; but though her victories threw more lustre 
 over the arms of Japan, in foreign warfare, than any 
 previous reign, or, it may be added, any subsequent 
 one, she does not seem to rank so high in the estima- 
 tion of her subjects, or in the company of the gods, 
 
100 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 as her son. During his reign, Wonin descended 
 from one of the Emperors of China of the Han dynasty 
 is said to have introduced for the first time Chinese 
 letters from Corea. His tomb stands in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Osaka, and divine honours 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, in 313 A.D., divine honours 
 were paid to him. He was styled and worshipped as 
 the god of war, and under the title Hatchimang-dai 
 Bosats he is represented as an incarnation of the 
 Buddha of the eight banners. The largest temples 
 have been raised in his honour, and every village, 
 almost every hill, has its Hatchimang goo or shrine in 
 honour of Hatchimang, the god of 'war. 
 
 The introduction of Buddhism was the next event 
 of importance in the history of Japan. This is said 
 to have taken place towards the middle of the sixth 
 century. But it may be presumed, when the Emperor 
 receives the posthumous honour of a Bosat, or Bod- 
 hisattwa, 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 imperial 
 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 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. ioi 
 
 ignorance of these doctrines. To Corea, therefore, 
 Japan was again indebted for a religion. In the year 
 552, during the feign 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 
 Buddhist books to the Emperor. The priests of the 
 old Sinto religion 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 emblem 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 master 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 propagation of the 
 faith ; while Nakatomi, then in power, and of 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) pre- 
 vailed. He was appointed regent during the reign of 
 the Empress Sui ko. He was a very gentle character, 
 strictly acting up to the injunctions 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 
 
102 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 of the Nengo (Nien hau i.e., year-name) for mark- 
 ing events and dates was one of the customs intro- 
 duced in the year A.D. 646. A woman ruling as 
 Empress was another of the changes, and was prob- 
 ably used as a means for the consolidation of the new 
 religion. Under the Empress Sui ko the degrees of 
 rank among the officers of government, similar to 
 those used in China, were introduced about A.D. 604. 
 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 colour of the dress. They were 
 called by the allegorical names of Virtue, Humanity, 
 Manners, Faith, Justice, Wit. The first Empress was 
 followed in no long time by a second, Kwo kogoo, 
 and during her reign she had the good fortune to have 
 as a minister and counsellor Nakatomi-kamatari ko. 
 He was not a Buddhist, but had no doubt felt the 
 influence which the spread of this doctrine had exer- 
 cised over Japan, and is reputed to this day one of 
 Japan's greatest men, and looked up to as the founder 
 of her laws. During a long life he seems to have 
 steered safely through the difficulties of politics- 
 acting as counsellor 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 demeanour. The last-named Emperor 
 deplored his loss, and gave him the hereditary name 
 of Fusi wara, a family of which he was the founder. 
 He was canonised after death, and worshipped as 
 Kassunga dai mio jin, his temple being near Narra. 
 During his life, and the reign of Kwotoku, the eight 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 103 
 
 boards were completed after the model of the Lok po, 
 or six boards of China. 
 
 Another change, which commenced after the intro- 
 duction 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 successively 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. 1 
 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 ; Eeizan, a weakly 
 lad of eighteen ; Yenwou, at eleven ; Go itsi, at nine ; 
 Konye, at three ; and Eokusio, at two. But at 
 intervals when a man ascended the throne, as the 
 Emperor Ten si, it is a relief to see that some 
 energy remained in the members of the royal family ; 
 and at times the national vigour was shown, and the 
 military spirit, which the people are always proud of 
 asserting, was fanned, by wars with Dattang (or Tar- 
 tary) and Corea in 658 A.D. 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 
 
 1 Such as the enormous copper figures of Buddha at Narra, Kama- 
 kura, and Miako. The latter has been melted down and a wooden figure 
 substituted. 
 
104 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 hitherto barbarous provinces of Mootz and Dewa, in 
 the north of Nippon. Revolts in the island of Kiusiu 
 about 740 A.D. demanded fresh action from the centre, 
 and tend to show what a loose hold this central power 
 had at that time over the extremities of the country. 
 Not till the year A.D. 794 was this central power 
 finally fixed at Miako. About this year the Emperor 
 Kwan mu built a large palace there, finding that the 
 magnitude 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 Bud- 
 dhism and Chinese literature we may ascribe the 
 completion, by Fusiwara (Tankai ko), who died 720 
 A.D., of the " Kitz Kio," 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 Sanuki A.D. 774, and who died 
 in 835. He was canonised as Kobo dai si, and is vene- 
 rated as one of the holiest saints of the Japanese 
 calendar, and consequently was very much abused by 
 the Jesuits. 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 Bud- 
 dhist books. The enduring 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. 1 
 
 1 The Issyekio or catalogue of all Buddhist canonical books has been 
 lately republished. 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 105 
 
 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 licence. 
 The power, numbers, and wealth of the Buddhist 
 monasteries had vastly increased. They threatened to 
 monopolise the land of the empire ; and the head of a 
 monastery was equal or superior to one of the most 
 powerful princes. Not only were the priests them- 
 selves living off these lands, but each of these estab- 
 lishments had a number of retainers and soldiers 
 sufficient to change the tide of success in any engage- 
 ment. 
 
 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 Fusi- 
 wara, Sungawara, Minnamoto, Tatchibanna, and 
 others. Names which are regarded as illustrious in 
 history, arid 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 Sunga- 
 wara 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, Toki hira 
 obtained an order for his banishment to Dazai fu, in 
 the island of Kiusiu. Here he retired to the hill 
 Ten pai zan, in Tsikuzen, and endeavoured to get 
 a letter conveyed to the Emperor, but failed in doing 
 
106 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 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 Baku 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 litera- 
 ture was held in by the Japanese, and how it was con- 
 sidered the standard of excellence. Ten mang occu- 
 pies in Japanese schools a somewhat similar position 
 to that held by Confucius in the Chinese. He is 
 worshipped 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 posthu- 
 mous title is Ten mang dai ji sei ten jin. His de- 
 scendants are 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 renewed every fifty years. There is in 
 it a large library, with many old pieces of armour 
 and spoils taken during the wars 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 iy 
 (son of Yori yoshi, Prince of Mootz), one of the Minna- 
 moto family, born A.D. 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 Ashi- 
 kanga, in the province of Simotsuki, and is the com- 
 

 TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 107 
 
 mon ancestor of the celebrated families of Ashikanga 
 and Nitta. 
 
 In 1008 the Empress was one of the great clan of 
 Minnamoto, which was rising to power. The distant 
 parts of the empire were being consolidated by oper- 
 ations 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 province, as well as all 
 the Kwanto, 1 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 A. D. 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 2 families. 
 The Minnamoto family, or Gen ji, stood on the broad- 
 est basis, and had risen to the greatest fame, and 
 had recently occupied the highest positions in the 
 state. The Empress had been of the family, and the 
 memoirs of the family had been written for her 
 
 1 The provinces "east of the barrier of Hakonay" are called Kwanto. 
 
 2 He and Taira are the same word in Japanese writing, meaning 
 " peace," the former being the pronunciation of the Chinese word ping. 
 
108 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 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 
 honoured for its prowess and its activity in the im- 
 perial service. 
 
 Yoshi tomo and Kio mori were rising step by step 
 to higher rank and power, when the abdication of 
 Toba no A.D. 1123, and the question as to his succes- 
 sor, threw everything into confusion. His immediate 
 successor was his son Sho toku, in A.D. 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 seven- 
 teen. The latter had been elevated to the throne by 
 the intrigues of Bi fouk mon, his mother, and she sus- 
 pected 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 in- 
 duced her son on his deathbed to adopt his half-brother 
 Go ziro kawa. A younger son was thus in actual pos- 
 session, while his nephew and the eldest son of the 
 elder brother were displaced. The lineal heir endeav- 
 oured to regain his rights. He raised an army, and 
 on his side were ranged as leaders many of the higher 
 members of the Minnanioto family. On the other side 
 was Kio mori, of the Taira family, and, of the Minna- 
 mota 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 oppo- 
 

 TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 109 
 
 nents, 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, per- 
 haps, to the one arm being shorter than the other), 
 and, in his subsequent life, as a rover over the South- 
 ern seas. He was the first historical occupier of the 
 islands to the south of Japan, Hatchi jo and its chain, 
 linked on to the south-eastern promontory, and the 
 Liookioo Islands, with the chain joined by links to the 
 south-western 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 assist- 
 ance. From this time mutual jealousy seems to 
 have grown up between these two. But the ability 
 of the reigning Emperor, who thenceforward took the 
 reins into his own hands, seems to have kept down 
 their smouldering jealousy. As to the prince who 
 was endeavouring to resume his lawful rights, he and 
 his father, the Emperor Sho toku, were banished to 
 the province of Sanuki, where the latter died in the 
 year 1164. 1 
 
 The banished Emperor Sho toku was devoted to his 
 worship, and since his death he has to many worship- 
 pers taken the place of Compera. 2 Immediately after 
 
 1 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. 
 
 2 Compera is a name much worshipped in Japan as a god. As a 
 hideous idol with a long nose he has temples erected to his worship 
 in every village. 
 
1 10 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 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 magnificent temple was raised by his 
 son and grandson on Dzo dzu Hill (Elephant's Head 
 Hill), at Matzuyama, near Marungame, 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 com- 
 posing 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 re- 
 ference 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 submit. Some 
 have thought Kapila and Buddha to be the same per- 
 son. His anniversary day is the tenth day of the 
 tenth month. He is revered for his great strength, 
 which he exerted in favour 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. Fu- 
 dowo mio is according to some the same as Compera. 
 Many persons worship him because his name begins 
 with "gold." 
 

 TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. Ill 
 
 Kio mori turned out to be the ablest and most 
 unscrupulous minister of the time, but the Emperor, 
 who had abdicated, still took the principal manage- 
 ment 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 servant, 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 after- 
 wards a well-known hero. His nickname when a boy 
 was Ushi waka, or young ox or calf. Yoritomo, while 
 a boy, was known as Sama no kami, or captain of the 
 left cavalry. 
 
 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 penin- 
 sula of Idzu, and attempted to raise a rebellion ; but 
 his men were overcome, and he himself committed 
 suicide. A temple was raised to his memory, and he 
 
112 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 is worshipped 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 daughter, 1178, had a son, and in the fol- 
 lowing 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 according 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 Minnamoto. Once more a conspir- 
 acy was set on foot to destroy the family of He*, by 
 one of the royal princes, who had suffered from the 
 arrogant insolence of Kio mori. Letters were obtained 
 from the old Emperor and secretly despatched to Yori 
 tomo, 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 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 113 
 
 of Dewa, and was residing in that province with Hide 
 hira, Mootz no kami. Yoritomo had married the 
 daughter of Hojio Toki massa, in whose charge he 
 was during his banishment. Through her father she 
 was descended from Kwan mu, Emperor, and was after- 
 wards 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 
 jim a, in the inland sea, in the province of Aki, then 
 belonging to Kio mori, that the conspirators were able 
 to get the letters despatched. 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. 
 W T hile remaining 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) volunteered 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. 
 
 H 
 
114 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 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 immedi- 
 ately, 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. 
 
 Meantime 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 Aw T a, south-east of Yedo, whence he de- 
 spatched 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. 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 a strong will, but had received 
 no education ; and having been brought up in the 
 province of Idzu, had acquired the dialect of the dis- 
 
 1 This beautiful classic spot is within two hours' ride of Yokuhama, 
 and shows now little trace of having once been the residence of a court. 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 115 
 
 trict. The mountain-pass of Hakkone is considered 
 the key to the eastern provinces, and if it were suffi- 
 ciently strongly guarded, his position would be one 
 of comparative safety, at a distance of a day's march 
 from the pass. His relation, Yori Yoshi, had formerly 
 resided there, and he had probably looked upon it, 
 when a boy, as the family property. From his resi- 
 dence here he was called by the people of Kwanto, 1 
 Kama kura dono, a name by which he is spoken of to 
 this day. 
 
 Forces were sent from Miako by Kio mori to op- 
 pose Yoritomo, but at this time his relative Hojio 
 met him with a large reinforcement, 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 favour of the 
 Gen party. But so long as Kio mori lived the cause 
 of his opponents 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 afterwards reconciled to Yoritomo, and 
 rendered him great assistance, being everywhere vic- 
 torious in the northern provinces of Etsjiu and Kanga. 
 Thence he rapidly pushed on to the capital, and 
 
 1 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 run- 
 ning down the promontory of Idzu viz., Segami, Musasi, Simotsuki, 
 Kowotsuki, Simosa, Kadsusa, Awa, and Fitatsi. It is called also Kwang 
 hasshiu. 
 
Il6 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 seized the extensive monastery of Hiyaysan. The 
 Emperor An toku fled westward with his wife, 
 Kio mori's daughter. His grandfather, the old Em- 
 peror 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 confiscated and divided among the mem- 
 bers of the Gen family. Antoku remained about Da 
 zai foo, the station from which military superinten- 
 dence of the island of Kiusiu was regulated, but 
 from this island the He party was driven out and 
 crossed over to Sikok. Still they were able in dif- 
 ferent 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 support their cause 
 in the capital. Yosi 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 Yosi 
 naka suddenly came upon them, seized and impri- 
 soned the Emperor, and beheaded the abbots of the 
 religious houses. He caused himself to be created 
 Sei dai Shiogoon, and finally set himself up in op- 
 position to Yoritomo. Yoshitzune and Nori Yori, 
 brothers of Yoritomo, were immediately despatched 
 from the Kwanto to Miako to attack him, and set 6 
 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 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. II? 
 
 western provinces, and had assembled an army of 
 100,000 men and fortified themselves. Nori Yori 
 and Yoshitzune 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 Yoritomo ordered his son-in-law, 
 son of Yoshi naka, to be put to death, and Yoshi- 
 tzune 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 between 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 centre of the island of 
 
Il8 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 Kiusiu, between Fiuga and Higo, is a high table-land, 
 partly marsh, extending from twenty to 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 investi- 
 gation being made, it was discovered that these were 
 remnants of the He ji, who had fled there at this 
 period, and had isolated themselves 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 general- 
 ship of Yoshitzune. Yoritomo 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 married 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 creatures. Yoshitzune left 
 the capital and retired to Oshiu to his old friend Hide 
 Hira, governor of the province. Yoritomo was en- 
 raged 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', being unprepared and seeing no way 
 of escape, destroyed himself, after first killing his wife 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 119 
 
 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 resi- 
 dence. 
 
 In 1190 he went to Miako, where he had built a 
 palace, and in great state visited the Emperor ; but 
 after a month's 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. Sus- 
 pecting 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 returned to Kamakura, from which place 
 he virtually ruled the empire. He fell from his horse 
 towards the end of 1198, and died shortly after, in 
 1199, at the age of fifty-three. He is generally re- 
 garded as the greatest hero in Japanese history. 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 
 
120 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 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 dispens- 
 ing 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 
 empire, a retreat which he chose probably on account 
 of its retired and defensible situation. Standing upon 
 the sea, the place is enclosed 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 pointed out. Here stands a fine temple to Hatchi- 
 mang, erected since the days of Yoritomo, and upon 
 the spot where his son was assassinated. It is known 
 as Suruga oka Hatchimang. 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, worshipped everywhere in Japan ; another to 
 the spirit of Yoritomo ; another to 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 THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 121 
 
 to this infatuation. The tomb of Yoritomo, an un- 
 pretending slab, is in the neighbourhood. A small 
 hill opposite has the name of Kinoo hari yama, taking 
 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 ser- 
 vants >f Yoshitzune. About half a mile from the 
 temple of Hatchimang, on the road to Fusisawa, is 
 the fine old temple called Kenchoji, built by order of 
 Moone taka Sinwo, son of the Emperor Sanga. Far- 
 ther on is a nunnery or convent for ladies, the Mat- 
 zunga oka. Looking towards the sea, the little island 
 or peninsula of Eeno sima is visible. On the road in 
 this direction is a temple built by a daughter of Mito ; 
 a little beyond is a place famous for the manufac- 
 ture 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 earth- 
 quake a rush of the sea over a temporary subsidence 
 of the land swept away everything but the massive 
 figure and 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 
 
122 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 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. Toki- 
 masa assassinated Hatake yama, and afterwards had 
 designs upon Sanne tomo's life at the instigation of 
 his wife ; but they were discovered by Sanne tomo's 
 grandmother, 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 descending the stairs of the large 
 temple of Hatchimang goo, at Kamakura, after wor- 
 shipping 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 afterwards changed to 
 Kwan rei, or minister to the Shiogoon at Kamakura, 
 and began to assume a similar position towards the 
 Shiogoon that the latter held towards the Emperor. 
 Hojio and Masago 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 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 123 
 
 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 
 Kamakura. The Hojio family (Fosio of Klaproth) 
 at this time absorbed the chief authority in the 
 empire. 
 
 The historical notes which follow are taken from a 
 native almanac with the assistance of a native, and 
 are in themselves 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 Japan- 
 ese history down to the time of Nobunanga, when a 
 military genius arose to extract order out of confusion, 
 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 others from the 
 abyss below. That some information is contained in 
 these notes, may be an excuse for placing them here in 
 such a meagre and unentertaining form. But the 
 names of individuals, of places, of temples, become 
 interesting as more is known of the history of the 
 country and the religion of Japan. 
 
 In 1260 the Nitsi ren sect of Buddhists was intro- 
 duced 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. 
 
124 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 Hojio Toki yori, minister of the Slriogoon, one of 
 the great men of Japan, died in 1263, aged thirty- 
 seven ; and the Shiogoon Moonetaka was forced to 
 resign, and his son, Kore Yassu, a child, raised to 
 the office. 
 
 In China, the Mokoo (or Mongol), about 1276, had 
 overthrown 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 ex- 
 peditions 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 as- 
 sistance of the god at Isse (whence he is called Kase 
 mo mia, or god of the wind), the vessels were knocked 
 to pieces, and 30,000 men taken prisoners and killed. 
 One of the ambassadors 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 suc- 
 ceeded by his son, aged fourteen years ; so that at this 
 time it would appear that the country was governed 
 by a deputy or assistant of a boy, the deputy or min- 
 ister of the commander -in -chief under the reigning 
 Emperor, with the advice and assistance of one, and 
 perhaps two, abdicated Emperors. 
 
 This state of things could not be expected to con- 
 tinue, and could only exist in a country with no 
 external relations and with no neighbours. The 
 divided government made up to some extent for this 
 want, but it left so many opportunities for individuals 
 

 TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 125 
 
 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 deposing the Emperors and Shiogoons 
 when they pleased, and electing whomsoever suited 
 them. 
 
 So early as A.D. 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 
 ambassador, 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 after- 
 wards 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 Kama- 
 kura as Emperor. 
 
 In 1312 the Kwanrei Hojio Sada toki died, much 
 respected, and the place of minister was kept for his 
 son, Sada toki, for 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 successor to the Emperor, and he came to the throne 
 when he was thirty- one years of age. He very soon 
 began to be irritated 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. 
 
126 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 In 1321 the office known as the Ki rokusho was 
 established in the palace at Miako. 
 
 Taka toki, the young Kwanrei, was very dissipated, 
 passing 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 Kamakura excited intense ill-will 
 at Miako, and the attempt to overthrow this power 
 gave rise to the troubles known as the war be- 
 tween the North and South Emperors, which deso- 
 lated 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, 
 determined 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 armour 
 again when occasion offered. He afterwards, under 
 the name of Mori Yoshi, was Shiogoon. 
 
 1330. The Emperor still 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 fortress of Kassangi in Yamato, 
 to be seen to this day ; but his design was discovered, 
 and he was obliged to fly to this fort, whence he sent 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 127 
 
 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 Emperor. Ko gen was called "Tenwo" 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 
 assemb]ed 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 governor, whose life was saved, but all 
 the other members of the Hojio family, who had been 
 so overbearing during their period of rule, were mas- 
 sacred by the people. Their authority, 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 
 improved 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 Ashikanga Taka ooji, who had entered 
 into a conspiracy against him, and who afterwards 
 became the most powerful man in the empire and 
 
128 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 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 Shio- 
 goon, but at the instance of Ashikanga was imprisoned 
 and deposed. The Emperor had been warned against 
 Ashikanga by Madenga koji chika foossa, his minister, 
 in vain. 1 
 
 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 Emperor after another, while the war raged 
 under generals who were fighting for the office of 
 commander-in-chief rather than for the empire. Ashi- 
 kanga and Nitta, Koosinoki and Hossokawa, Kikoot- 
 chi 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 abdicated in favour 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 theatre 
 of war changed to the neighbourhood of Miako. Yoshi 
 mitz, afterwards the great Ashikanga, was appointed 
 
 1 This minister was the author, in 1341, of the ' Shoku gen sho,' 
 the red book of the court of Miako. 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 129 
 
 Shiogoon 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 prin- 
 ciple 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 Kiu- 
 siu the family of Satsuma largely increased its power 
 and possessions at the expense of Kikootchi. 
 
 In the year 1392, by the mediation of 0-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 first troublous times Ashi- 
 kanga had been strengthening his position, enriching 
 himself and rising in rank and favour 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 different 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 ^.e.,as the Emperor's second 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 
 
 I 
 
130 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 his head, retired under the Buddhist name of Zensan, 
 or Heavenly Mountain. He moved about with a style 
 and equipage similar to that used by the Emperor. 
 He sent an embassay 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 Shiogoon became hereditary in the family of 
 Ashikanga, and henceforth the position of Kwanrei 
 or Minister to the Shiogoon was aspired to as convey- 
 ing 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 Hosso- 
 kawa, Hatake yama, and Ooyay soongi the family 
 of Hossokawa being at this time the most power- 
 ful. 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 government throughout 
 the empire, but would appear to have held 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 another rising to seize the reins at one 
 time at Miako, at another at Kamakura. No one chief 
 was able to reduce the whole empire to a settled state 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 131 
 
 of tranquillity. If one rose a little above his compeers, 
 they combined against him ; while the monasteries 
 and religious sects were so powerful as to be able 
 to insure success to whatever side they gave their 
 influence and assistance to. This state of things con- 
 tinued 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 Kama- 
 kura, 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, 
 jealousy was excited, and this kept up a state of con- 
 stant 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 
 himself invited the Dai Shiogoon to a banquet and 
 assassinated him. He in turn committed suicide, and 
 his territory was divided. 
 
 In 1444 the three emblems were stolen, but were 
 afterwards 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 borrowed money largely. 
 Whether it was carried to the full extent stated may 
 
132 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 be doubted, but it has been the cause of much trouble 
 and anxiety. 
 
 In 1452 Ashikanga nari ooji, son of the former Shio- 
 goon of Kamakura, was obliged to fly to Ko nga in 
 the province of Simotsuki. 
 
 In 1466 the war known in history as the " Onin" 
 commenced, 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 smouldering flame arising in the 
 desire on the part of the wife of the abdicated Shio- 
 goon 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 ex- 
 cesses being committed, during which houses, temples, 
 libraries, and documents of value were destroyed, and, 
 as might have been expected, a famine occurred in 
 1472. This, together with the death of the generals 
 commanding on both sides Yamana Sozeng and 
 Hossokawa 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 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 133 
 
 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. 1 
 
 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 0-ooji, then chief of the western pro- 
 vinces of Nippon. 
 
 About 1494 the family of Hojio of Odawara took 
 its rise in the person of Zinkio, who had been a mer- 
 chant in Isse, but whose genius seems to have been 
 military, and who was known afterwards 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 unfortunate 
 country was not only desolated by civil war and all 
 its horrors, but it suffered severely in addition from 
 convulsions of nature. In 1472 a famine arose as the 
 concomitant of war. In 1475 a very extensive earth- 
 quake occurred on the 6th day of the 8th month, 
 when a wave from the sea, during a temporary sub- 
 sidence 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 empire, 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 7000. 
 A similar disease had visited Japan in 1406, exactly 
 an hundred years before. In 1514 severe drought 
 and dreadful thunderstorms were followed in 1515 by 
 earthquakes over the whole country. 
 
 1 See Capt. Osborn's Jap. Fragments. 
 
134 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 The new century brought no cessation from war 
 and assassination. Hossokawa, then prime minister, 
 was assassinated by his servant Kassai. 0-ooji, from 
 the western provinces, marched upon Miako, bringing 
 his protege* the late Shiogoon with him, and, seizing 
 the capital, caused the Emperor to instal 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 attempt 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 afterwards became very powerful as Ooyay 
 Soongi Kengshing. Hossokawa and 0-ooji drove 
 one another alternately out of Miako, but ultimately 
 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 Em- 
 peror made a public appearance. The officers and 
 court were both impoverished. The land was barely 
 and sparsely cultivated. The young were growing up 
 in perfect ignorance. Hossokawa brought Yoshi haru 
 to Miako, and made him Shiogoon, and put the Shio- 
 goon, 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 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 135 
 
 a trade with China at Ningpo. 0-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 Portuguese 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 neighbourhood of Osaka, 
 when the former was defeated, taken prisoner, and 
 put to death. 
 
 1532. Ham moto, whom Mioshi had placed as 
 Kwanrei in Miako, took offence at some of the pro- 
 ceedings of the latter, and ordered him to be killed. 
 
 1536. At this period the Emperor was very poor, 
 and his expenses were defrayed by 0-ooji, the lord 
 of the western provinces, to whom the Emperor gave 
 the title of Da zai no dai ni. 1 
 
 To this date the annals of the Emperors are brought 
 down. Since the accession of the present dynasty of 
 Shiogoons, the printing of every work relative to gov- 
 ernment is prohibited. There are slight notices of 
 remarkable occurrences during each year published in 
 an almanac form ; as, for instance, it is noted that in 
 1533, on the 10th month, 8th day i.e., November 
 there were observed an extraordinary number of falling 
 
 1 The Emperor Go Tsutchi died in such poverty that his body lay 
 unburied for some days for want of money. 
 
136 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 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 Hiyay- 
 san monastery, and those of the Hokkay or Nitchi ren 
 sect. The former burnt 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 * History 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 Tanega 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 
 wonderful that the year should have been noted in 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 137 
 
 the Japanese calendars as that in which fire-arms 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 southerly mon- 
 soons, 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 customs from their own sailors trading to China 
 and Singapore. 
 
 1540. Mowori Moto nari, ancestor of Choshiu of 
 the present day, and founder of the family, was em- 
 broiled with his feudal superior, Amako of Idzumo, 
 and gave in his allegiance to 0-ooji. This state of 
 disturbances is noted in the earliest letters of the 
 Jesuits, written from Amangutchi, the capital of 
 these provinces, which was afterwards visited by 
 Francis Xavier. 
 
 1542. 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 recep- 
 tion 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 pub- 
 
138 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 lished from time to time by Europeans, become of 
 interest. Kagosima, the port of Satsuma 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 Owotomo 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 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 approaches. 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 ; who- 
 ever did attempt to live there, ran the risk of being 
 burnt, killed, or starved. The Koongays left, and 
 generally settled under the protection 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 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 139 
 
 ' History 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 excite- 
 ment which seemed to have characterised his career, 
 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 disheartened 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 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 con- 
 dition of affairs threatened it with total destruction. 
 All the neighbouring princes were combined against 
 the Cubosama, and nothing was to be heard but the 
 noise of armies. However, he endeavoured 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 
 
140 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 name of a monarch, and that the Cubo was absolute 
 only in the Tensa and Gokinai, he saw it was nothing 
 but lost labour and expense to have his leave to preach 
 over all Japan when he was not master." 
 
 1550. Yoshi haru, late Shiogoon, died. Mioshi 
 tchokay burnt Hingashi yama, or Hiyay san, a collec- 
 tion of monasteries and temples near Miako. 
 
 1551. 0-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 Koon- 
 gays 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 
 0-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," foreign- 
 ers 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 con- 
 tests 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 Court 
 of Miako, or that of some of the neighbouring princes. 
 Yedo was almost unknown, except as a village de- 
 pendency 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 beginning of commerce with China 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 141 
 
 had been going on for some years past, and was con- 
 ducted with Ningpo. It was not likely, therefore, 
 that at the first landing upon Tanegasima the country 
 and people of Japan were unknown to the Portuguese 
 buccaneers upon the coast of China. Not many years 
 had elapsed 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 testimony the men 
 who sailed about these seas were not exactly the men 
 best suited to spread a healthy commerce, or to pro- 
 pagate 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 farther and farther. Europe 
 had just been convulsed by the throes of delivery of 
 the Church of Eome. Twin children had been born 
 by the Keformation to the Church, and the schismatic 
 operations of Luther without gave rise to the crafty 
 strengthening process of Loyola within the Church. 
 The propagandist 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 nought 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 
 
142 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 and all their foreign possessions. The whole power, 
 political and ecclesiastical, in the East, was allowed 
 by other nations to be in the hands of the King of 
 Portugal : without his permission no bishop could be 
 appointed ; no episcopal see created without his con- 
 sent ; 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 in the East until it had received 
 the approbation of the King, who in return was sup- 
 posed 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 
 annulled 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 
 minister 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 0-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. Nobunangaput 
 to death his own younger brother Nobu yuki. 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 143 
 
 1558. Oki match! 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 Kagd tora, a large feudal 
 chief, went to Miako from his province of Etsingo to 
 pay his respects to the Emperor, and to claim his in- 
 stallation into the office of Kwanrei, when his name 
 and designation was changed to Ooyay Soongi teru 
 tora. 
 
 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 in- 
 clined to face him with a small number such as he 
 then had with him ; but Hideyoshi persuaded him to 
 join issue, and by skill and stratagem they defeated 
 and killed Ima ngawa, and Nobu nanga took posses- 
 sion of all his territory. 
 
 1561. lyeyas w r as infeft by Nobu nanga in the pro- 
 vince of Mikawa, and made the castle of Okasaki his 
 residence. 
 
 1562. Mowori 1 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 Shiogoon, who sent down a 
 messenger to restore peace, through a matrimonial 
 alliance and enlargement of Owotomo's territories. 
 
 1563. Fighting was going on in the neighbourhood 
 of Yedo between Sattomi, who possessed large terri- 
 tories 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 
 
 1 Mori dono History of the Church. 
 
144 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 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 Kawa- 
 saki, 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 terri- 
 tory, 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 the ' History of the Church') and 
 Mioshi attacked Yoshi teru, Shiogoon, who was sur- 
 prised, 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 Mi- 
 oshi, who was attempting to assassinate him, Yoshi 
 aki 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 
 metropolitan residence. 
 
 1570. Nobu nanga was fighting with the lord of 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 145 
 
 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 discern- 
 ing 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 
 vigour of his character 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 Eoman Catholics, and the spread of their doc- 
 trines, was probably hailed by many as a relief from 
 the extravagant pretensions and power of the monas- 
 teries, and it was hoped that they might in some 
 measure balance the power of the Buddhist priest- 
 hood. All over the country these monasteries had 
 become very wealthy. The monks, bonzes, or bozans, 
 were very numerous, and their retainers and depend- 
 ants formed an army sufficiently powerful to cope 
 with any single chief. The policy of the Eoman 
 Catholics seems to have been from the first of an 
 aggressive character, attacking vehemently the native 
 priests, abusing their characters, and getting up dis- 
 cussions in public, and thus unnecessarily irritating a 
 
 K 
 
146 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 very powerful body in the kingdom. Nobu nanga 
 was very jealous of the power of these Buddhist mon- 
 asteries, 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 enclosing thirteen 
 valleys ; and at the time the Jesuits arrived in the 
 country there were said to be five hundred temples 
 within the area of the monastery. Nobu nanga burnt 
 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 
 Tootomi, was fighting with lyeyas. A great mor- 
 tality 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 Ashikanga 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 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 147 
 
 the pursuit, and 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 fighting between Katzu yori, son of Takeda Sin- 
 geng, 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 Kiu- 
 siu 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 Hashiba, 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 Oomi ; 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 Shimadzu of Satsuma, the result 
 being that Owotomo was defeated, and his territory 
 much diminished. 
 
 1579. The two Buddhist sects, Jodo shiu and 
 Nitchi ren shiu, held a great discussion upon religion 
 
148 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 before Nobu nanga at Azutchi, known as the "Azutclii 
 rong." x 
 
 Akitchi mitzu hide, one of Nobu nanga's best officers, 
 seized the province of Tanba. The Ikko shiu, a Bud- 
 dhist 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 pursuasive in- 
 terference 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. 
 
 1581. Hideyoshi this year overran the province of 
 Harima, destroying the castle of Miki, and began to 
 build the chateau of Himeji for himself in that pro- 
 vince ; while Nobu nanga, assisted by lyeyas and 
 Hojio of Odawarra, completely 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 complexion, with a heart 
 and soul that supplied all other wants; ambitious above 
 all mankind ; brave, generous, and bold, and not with- 
 out many excellent moral virtues ; inclined to justice, 
 
 1 Church of Japan, 341. 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 149 
 
 and an enemy to treason. With a quick and penetrating 
 wit, he seemed cut out for business; excelling in mili- 
 tary 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 screening 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 pictures drawn of him by the Japanese. 
 Hating the Buddhist priests, he patronised the Jesuits 
 as a counterpoise, encouraging them to build even in the 
 neighbourhood of his own palace at Azutchi. Under 
 the encouragement thus given, the Jesuit priests rose to 
 favour and power at court. The efforts of the fathers 
 to extend their influence were crowned 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 
 Society Meaco, Anzuquiama (Azutchi-yama in Oomi), 
 and Takagu 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 
 
150 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 Christians round about; the other instructed the young 
 gentlemen in the seminary, teaching them their Cate- 
 chism, and to read and write in Latin, Portuguese, and 
 the language of the country. In Tacuuqui (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 dependencies 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 ex- 
 pressly against the king's pleasure. 
 
 The second part of Japan is that which they com- 
 monly call Ximo (Kiusiu). There the Christians had 
 most churches, and the Jesuits most houses. In the 
 city of Funay, the metropolis 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 noviceship stood 
 at Yosuqui, 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 w^hole country with evangelical mission- 
 aries. Moreover, they had a house at Facata, in the 
 kingdom of Chicuzen, that was tributary to Bungo ; 
 but Aquizuqui, having made himself master of that 
 country, soon beat them out of those quarters. The 
 kingdom of Chicungo, bordering upon Chicuzen, had 
 
TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 151 
 
 only one church, which was governed since Kiozogi's 
 conquest by a devout Christian, that prince being un- 
 willing to entertain any Jesuits in his states. In the 
 kingdom of Fingo, which Aquizuqui and Eiozogi parted 
 betwixt them, there were two houses of the Society 
 one in Amacusa and the other at Fort Fundo ; and 
 these two residences 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 5000 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 content 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 
 
152 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE 
 
 young nobles, amongst whom was the King of Finn- 
 gas' 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 ; and the third at Cochi- 
 nozi, 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 king- 
 dom of Ximo upwards of 30,000 Christians. 
 
 " The third part of Japan (Sikok) contains only four 
 kingdoms, 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 overrunning 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 temple. 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 worshipping any other idol, 
 and ordered all to resort to this place on his birthday 
 to worship 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 
 

 TO THE DEATH OF NOBU NANGA. 153 
 
 of his most prominent and successful generals, and 
 was at this time in the neighbourhood of the capital. 
 Nobu nanga had despatched 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 
 common 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 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. Ac- 
 cordingly, he marched, but instead of taking the route 
 indicated, 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 Ad- 
 zutchi yama. He then suddenly wheeled round upon 
 Miako, 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 con- 
 sumed with the building. Thus died Nobu nanga, at 
 
154 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE, ETC. 
 
 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 
 successor, 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 signalised by the rise and success of 
 the Jesuits, whom he countenanced, according to their 
 own showing, rather from hatred to the Buddhist priests 
 than from love for the doctrines of Christianity, or re- 
 spect for the Eoman Catholic priesthood. When he 
 died, the tide of prosperity turned and ebbed till it 
 gradually swept the whole doctrines, priests, and pro- 
 selytes 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 com- 
 mand. He had gained over the troops placed in his 
 charge by the promise of plunder. He marched them 
 upon the city of Azutchi yam a, 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 key- 
 stone 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 engaged, 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 ac- 
 knowledging any submission to the executive at Miako, 
 also in command 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 prospect 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, 
 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 Hide- 
 yoshi. 
 
 lyeyas Mikawa no kami seems, during his career, 
 to have occupied a position apart in the empire. This 
 
156 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 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 posi- 
 tions in the hopes 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 command. 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 position ; 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 Em- 
 peror. 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 estimation 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 con- 
 ceived by the sun, and thence her child was called 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 157 
 
 Hi yoshi maro. He was commonly called Ko chikoo 
 i.e., small boy. His face was very small, and lie was like 
 a monkey, whence he got the nickname of Saru matz ; 
 and, even long afterwards, when he was Kwanbakku, 
 he was called Saru 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 1 " 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 afterwards 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 master, observing the talent 
 in the boy, recommended him to turn a soldier. He 
 afterwards 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-general 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 Em- 
 peror. But he seems never to have used it, and is 
 known by that of Toyo tomi, given him by the Em- 
 peror. 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 
 
158 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 officer on retiring, and was known by the name of 
 Taiko sama, or the Taikosama. After the destruc- 
 tion of Azutchi, the city of Nobu nanga, Hideyoshi 
 fixed upon Fusimi and Osaka as his places of resi- 
 dence, taking possession of the castle of Osaka, which 
 commands the town, adding to its strength by immense 
 fortifications, and building in the centre 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 past 
 Osaka, by which the importance of the town as a 
 commercial capital, as well as its strength as a fort, 
 was materially increased. In Miako he built another 
 magnificent palace, known as Jui raku ; and had an- 
 other at Fusimi, between Miako and Osaka. He had 
 married, during his youth, a woman of his own rank. 
 He afterwards 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 
 " quse est primaria Taici conjunx carissima erat et con- 
 junctissima." But notwithstanding this plurality of 
 wives, it was never pretended that he had a son till 
 his old age. He had a step-brother, Hide nanga, and 
 a step-sister, who married Musasi no kami, and had 
 two sons, Hidetsoongu (who was adopted by Hide- 
 yoshi) and Gifoo sho sho. Another step-sister had 
 a son, Hide toshi, who was adopted by Hidenanga. 
 Hidetsoongu (nephew of Taiko by his step -sister), 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 159 
 
 who was afterwards Kwanbakku, was first adopted 
 by Miyoshi Yamashiro no kami, and afterwards by 
 Taikosama. Taikosama also adopted Hideyuki 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 am- 
 bitious, seeing his master 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 government, 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 interest, for a colour of 
 his ambition he took upon him the title of tutor and 
 governor to the young prince and heir to the empire, 
 and put him into a fortress with a train answerable to 
 his birth. Nobu nanga's third son soon smelled out his 
 design, and not able to brook one of his father's sub- 
 jects in the government of his kingdoms, he leagued 
 with several of the lords who were grown jealous of 
 Faxiba's power, and resolved to make it a trial of 
 skill ; but Faxiba, who was an old experienced cap- 
 tain, 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 
 
160 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 latter, without much talent, had wit enough to ask 
 lyeyas to assist him. He came to his assistance, and 
 in the battles of Koinaki and Nangakute, with greatly 
 inferior forces numerically, defeated, first, Hidetsoongu, 
 Taikosama's nephew, and afterwards Taikosama him- 
 self. 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 retainers, set fire to the castle, first killing 
 his wife, his children, and the female servants ; and his 
 friends, following his example, afterwards committed 
 suicide, ' and lay there wallowing in their blood till 
 the fire kindled and burnt them to ashes/ '' Some 
 of the arms and clothes which were found unburnt, 
 are said to be all kept to the present day as they were 
 found after this catastrophe. 
 
 " Faxiba, being now in peaceable possession of the 
 Tense (or imperial provinces), and all Nobu nanga's 
 other kingdoms, to give colour to his usurpation, he 
 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 inten- 
 tions ; and not long after, they too were quieted of 
 all their fears ; for, knowing very well how respectful 
 they had been to Nobu nanga, either out of real affec- 
 tion, 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 favour. He knew 
 the Christians in his service to be famous, both for 
 

 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. l6l 
 
 their piety and their courage ; and, above all, he 
 showed a particular respect for Justo Ucondono (pro- 
 perly 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 cere- 
 mony as Nobu nanga had done before him ; and for 
 instance of his real intentions, he appointed them a 
 place for building a church and seminary (in Osaka), 
 as was done before in Anzuquiama. The Queen, his 
 lady, had also several of the Christians among her 
 maids of honour, whom Faxiba particularly respected 
 for their singular modesty and piety. He permitted 
 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, de- 
 clared 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 posi- 
 tion 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 favour 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 San- 
 hoshi, the infant grandson of Nobu nanga, as a claim- 
 ant to the throne. Mowori in the west was quiet, 
 lyeyas in the east was occupied in attacking Hojio of 
 
 L 
 
162 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 Odawarra, who was supposed to be in opposition to 
 the government. 1 
 
 In the year 1583 the Jesuit fathers prevailed upon 
 the Christian converts Arima and Omura and Owo- 
 tomo Boongo no kami 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 the 22d February 1583, 
 they, going by Macao and Goa, reached Lisbon on the 
 10th August 1584, and after an interview with Philip 
 at Madrid, arrived in Eome on the 20th March 1585, 
 where they were received by the Pope, and kissed his 
 feet. They re-embarked at Lisbon the last day of 
 April 1586, with seventeen religious of the Society, 
 reaching Goa on the 29th May 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 theatre of war. 
 Eiozoji held an office, now done away with, as governor 
 
 1 Hqjio was superior in the number of his forces, but inferior in the 
 ability 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 superior forces, were 
 protracted till lyeyas attacked, defeated him, and took the Castle of 
 Odawarra. 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 163 
 
 of the island. He had formerly been a vassal of the 
 small lordship of Arima, but now had large landed 
 possessions in the island; and being too desirous 
 of extending his own territory at his neighbours 7 
 expense, they joined together and rooted him out. 
 
 In 1585 Taikosama received from the Emperor the 
 family name of Toyotomi. He called himself Fusi- 
 wara, 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 too powerful, not- 
 withstanding the demolition of Hiyayzan, the large 
 monastery near Miako, and the slaughter of great 
 numbers of priests by Nobu nanga, together with the 
 appropriation as a castle of the large monastery in 
 Osaka. The sect of Negoros 1 at Kumano, in the 
 province of Kii, occupied a very large monastery, to 
 which the whole of the province belonged in territo- 
 rial right, the military retainers of the monastery 
 being noted for prowess and skill in fighting. Taiko- 
 sama having found or made some cause of quarrel, 
 moved against them, defeated them, and destroyed 
 the monastery. 2 
 
 This year Taikosama sent Nobuwo 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, 
 
 1 Negroes in the Church of Japan. 
 
 2 Most of these retainers were removed to Yedo, where to this day 
 they form part of the guard of the Shiogoon. 
 
164 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 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. " Sumitanda," 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 despatched 
 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 instigation of his instructors; and " in 1577 the 
 lord of the island of Amacusa issued his proclamation, 
 by which all his subjects 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 than twenty 
 churches in the kingdom. God wrought miracles 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 kon- 
 yay no kami. His seat was Takaski, in the province 
 of Setsu, where " he laboured with a zeal truly aposto- 
 lical 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 begone 
 immediately out of his country, for he would acknow- 
 ledge none for his subjects but such as adored the 
 true God. This declaration obliged them all to 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 165 
 
 accept of instruction, which cut out work enough 
 for all the fathers and missionaries at Meaco." 1 
 Taikosama still continued his wonted favours 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 Eoman Catholics set the example of intoler- 
 ance, 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, with 
 his father and mother, were baptised in 1584. 
 
 Taikosama, wishing to keep Takaski, gave Taka- 
 yama 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 themselves at the Queen's feet. 
 The Queen, touched with an ardent zeal for her reli- 
 gion, spoke to the King in their behalf. But Faxiba, 
 who was no bigot, answered her briskly, that he had 
 absolutely given Justo that place in change of Taca- 
 cuqui ; and for the rest, every one was free to dispose 
 of his own. Let the bonzes, if the idols be trouble- 
 some, drown them in the sea, or dry them for fuel. 
 Don Justo, much pleased with Faxiba's answer, took 
 
 1 Ch. of Japan, 419. 
 
166 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 then a resolution to oblige all his subjects to become 
 Christians," and thus first taught them a lesson 
 which they afterwards practised upon himself. Justo 
 had the merit, in his religious zeal, of being uncon- 
 nected with any seaport town. All the other lords 
 who had been brought over to the Eoman 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 following 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 succeeded and prospered since they 
 came amongst us. What blessing did I ever receive 
 from your gods since I began to serve them ? Be- 
 gone! and never speak ill of those I love and respect." 
 This Boongo no kami on one occasion during war 
 destroyed a most prodigious and magnificent temple 
 with a colossal statue, burning 3000 monasteries to 
 ashes, and razing the temples to the ground. " This 
 ardent zeal of the prince is an evident instance of his 
 faith and charity/' says the Jesuit writer. 1 
 
 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 Taiko- 
 sama. "To make the way more easy, he exposed, 
 
 1 History of the Church, 437. 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 167 
 
 according to the custom of the country, his presents 
 for the King and Queen. He was introduced (his 
 majesty accepting the presents) to Taikosamaseated 
 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 in those parts the law of their God. He 
 gave them supper. 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 empire, 
 and withal oblige his subjects universally by public 
 edict to become Christians. 
 
 " He afterwards conducted them through his palace 
 to the ninth storey of a pyramidal building, whence 
 they had a beautiful view of the country round Osaka. 
 He then alluded to the famous discussion between F. 
 Froes and the Buddhist high-priest, saying that at the 
 time he was so incensed 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 
 Taikosama, which he is said by the Jesuits to have 
 
1 68 , GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. ' 
 
 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 embrace 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 
 licence to preach, not only in his own kingdoms, but 
 through all Japan, as lords and sovereigns of the 
 whole empire/' 
 
 Such being the inclinations and views of Taikosama 
 towards 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, even by their own state- 
 ments, they seem to have played their cards badly. 
 
 " Eeligion in Japan within this thirty-eight years 
 past, when St Francis Xaverius sowed the first seeds 
 in that uncultivated soil, has now grown so fair and 
 flourishing that one might well compare it to an 
 orange-tree loaden on all sides with fruits and blossoms. 
 It was a field cultivated by the workmen of the vine- 
 yard, 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, amongst whom were several per- 
 sons of distinguished merit kings, princes, generals 
 of armies, principal lords of the court, and, in a word, 
 the flower of the Japonian nobility. Moreover, what 
 by Cambacundono's [Taikosama's] esteem of our reli- 
 gion, and kindness to the missioners that preached it, 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 169 
 
 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 con- 
 siderable 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 countenancing 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 humour of being instructed, 
 and the number of the proselytes was so great that 
 the fathers could not rest neither day nor night. 
 They were taken up continually with preaching, bap- 
 tising, and instructing such as earnestly desired this 
 sacrament, amongst whom was Cambacundono's own 
 nephew, a prince about nineteen years of age, pre- 
 sumptive heir to the crown. 
 
 " While the Church was in this profound peace, the ( 
 devil, foreseeing an entire conversion of the whole 
 empire must follow, 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 
 
I/O GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 the pilots or officers of the ship. The unlucky mer- 
 chants, 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 
 Cambacundono, who had notice of it, began to con- 
 ceive an ill opinion of the Christian religion, and con- 
 cluded the fathers only used it for a sconce to some 
 underhand intrigue of reducing 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 contradic- 
 tion/' 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 captain 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 be- 
 cause the Christian faith was contrary to the received 
 and established religion of Japan, that he had long 
 since designed to abolish it, and only deferred the ex- 
 ecution 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 
 discovered afterwards two main reasons that put him 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 171 
 
 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 en- 
 raged against the whole religion, and resolved to be 
 revenged on the whole body of Christians." This bo- 
 zang, Jacunin (or Shiaku), had probably been a resident 
 on the estate of Takayama, or Justo Ucondono, at Tak- 
 aski, 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 Taka- 
 yama. " 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 under- 
 hand form a league against the state." The conse- 
 quence was, that a despatch was immediately for- 
 warded to Takayama, confiscating his estate, depriving 
 him of his offices, and reducing 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 temporised 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 
 
172 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 and mother, men, women, children, and servants im- 
 mediately put themselves 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 pro- 
 clamation : " Being informed by the lords of our 
 Privy Council that certain foreign religious were 
 entered into our states, where they preach a law con- 
 trary to the established religion of Japan, and impu- 
 dently presume to ruin the temples of the Cam is 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 after- 
 ward 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 suddenly, 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, j Sis lieutenant, Taikosama, totally illiterate, 
 
 1 From this it may be pleaded that the merchants were not the cause 
 of the change. 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 173 
 
 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 gener- 
 ation the rudiments of the written character. 
 
 When the Jesuits appeared with meek and lowly ap- 
 pearance, Nobu nanga was charmed with the prospect 
 of establishing them as a counterpoise to the haughty 
 and insolent Buddhists. He nourished them, shower- 
 ing favours upon them, and in every way encourag- 
 ing them, more especially borne, as they were, on the 
 wings of wealth and trade. They found Japan, so far as 
 religions went, a free country, where all religions 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 XIIL, 28th January 1585, all 
 priests and religious whatever except Jesuits were pro- 
 hibited from going to preach in Japan. This was 
 confirmed by Clement VI II., 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 sanction. 
 He had the power of putting his veto on the appoint- 
 ments made by the Pope. The fires of the Inquisition 
 
174 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 were blazing. The wish of the Jesuits was, that 
 those who differed from them in religious views 
 should be burnt as heretics, to be damned ; their hope 
 was that they themselves, holding the true faith, might 
 be burnt 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 
 everything in their letters for truth, or, on the other 
 hand, accepting 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, arid 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 favour 
 of Taikosama put several of the principal lords in 
 a humour of being instructed, and the number of 
 proselytes was so great that the fathers could not 
 rest day or night preaching, instructing, and baptis- 
 ing such as earnestly desired this sacrament " (among 
 whom was Cambacundono's own nephew, Hide- 
 tsoongo), it might be asked, What sort of converts 
 were these ? and how could these fathers abuse this 
 sacrament in baptising persons to win the favour of 
 such a master ? 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 175 
 
 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 parties, grow together. They at- 
 tacked 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 per- 
 suaded 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 
 hypocrisy 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 con- 
 demn these priests, without trying to hold them con- 
 stantly up to the scorn of their own people and 
 followers. From the commencement of the Eomish 
 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 addresses to the people. 
 
 It cannot be wondered at that a body which was 
 politically strong enough to cause uneasiness to the 
 
176 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 monarch. Q 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 Con- 
 fucianism, or of Taouism in the Yamabooshi, or of 
 the different sects among themselves; but with the 
 new sect, this Roman Catholicism, which broke its 
 neighbour'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 OAvn 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, burnt 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 burnt the temples, and 
 were now attempting to make converts in the palace 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 177 
 
 itself, being in such favour as to be received by Taiko- 
 sama, as lie 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 Negoros 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 that which was 
 threatening to be the cause of renewed disturbance 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 Eoman Catholics. He found that 
 two of his own servants were of that faith ; they 
 were speared at the temple of Hatchimang at Haka- 
 zaki. The padres were sent away. Thirteen churches 
 were destroyed. At that time the province of Tsik- 
 uzen belonged partly to Owotomo and partly to Sat- 
 suma. Taikosama took it from both, and gave all 
 Hizen and Tsikuzen to Nabeshima, formerly a servant 
 of Eiozoji, and whose descendants hold it to this day. 
 He now fixed that Nagasaki was to be the only place 
 where foreign trade was to be permitted. 
 
 M 
 
178 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 The proclamation of 1587 caused the greatest dis- 
 may in the minds of the Christians. The heads of 
 the Church determined 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 arrived, 
 and the ship ready, the captain excused himself from 
 carrying the fathers this year, as his ship was already 
 overladen, sending a letter to Taikosama, which did 
 not reach him for several months. He was very 
 angry, and took down the churches in the neigh- 
 bourhood 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 in August 1587, at 
 which the heads of the Church decided that the pro- 
 clamation of 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 rendered 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 forbad all quarrels and private heats, 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 179 
 
 on grievous penalties, and whoever were found trans- 
 gressing 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 neighbours, 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 
 justice done immediately on all criminals, without 
 regard to birth, quality, services, or any alliance what- 
 ever ; 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 addicted to women, 
 nevertheless he pretended that none had a right to 
 use these debauches but himself, and expressly forbad 
 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, &c., 
 knowing very well that the humour of the great ones 
 is always restless and unquiet if their thoughts are 
 not taken up about other business. As for the sol- 
 diers, 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 in submission and dependence. As for kings, 
 lords, and governors, he made frequent alterations and 
 
180 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 changes to break their measures, and hinder them from 
 growing popular. Above all, he studied the humour 
 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 peace- 
 able, 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 
 favours. These were his principal ways and means 
 of maintaining peace in his governments." 
 
 A very little consideration of the position in which 
 Taikosama, 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 country uninvited. They had 
 found the country in the possession, 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, persecuting spirit, 
 with a tendency to re-embroil the country in war, out 
 of which it was only now emerging. They had in- 
 sisted on every one coming into subjection to them, 
 with the alternative of leaving house and home in 
 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 ves- 
 sels 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 en- 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. l8l 
 
 croachments and persecuting system, to retaliate upon 
 themselves, and then gloried in considering themselves 
 martyrs. They were, 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 govern- 
 ment, 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 Christians to live among heathens, it is necessary 
 to have an "exterritoriality" power; but that is equi-\ 
 valent to saying simply that the Christian power is the j 
 strongest, and it means to enforce what it thinks 
 
 right. 
 
 According to the resolutions of the meeting at 
 Firando, the Eoman 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 
 servant of Yoritomo ; and a portion of Satsuma's terri- 
 tory was given to him, after which the family rose to 
 greatness during the wars between the Emperors of 
 the North and South. About 1374 A.D. 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 Eo- 
 man 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 pro- 
 
1 82 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 prietors 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 ter- 
 ritory 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 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 patronised the Jesuit 
 priests ("our Maecenas," as they call him), and after- 
 wards had been converted and baptised, had died in 
 the year 1587. He had abdicated in favour of his 
 son, but at one time resumed the reins; but before 
 his death had the pain of witnessing the diminution 
 of the family estates by powerful and rapacious neigh- 
 bours. His son, after losing part of his estates and 
 the favour of Taikosama, thought to regain both by 
 showing some activity in acting up to the recent pro- 
 clamation. He was the first to commence the perse- 
 cution 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 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 183 
 
 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 promul- 
 gation of the edict, he received most graciously Father 
 Valignan, Provincial of Japan and the Indies, as am- 
 bassador from the Viceroy of India, and as associate 
 with the four young ambassadors 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 in- 
 creased 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 5000 
 families resident, besides merchants and tradesmen 
 who came there in June from all parts on the arrival 
 of the fleets. 
 
 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 temerarious enterprise, infinitely hazardous, 
 if not morally impracticable." It is difficult to see 
 what motive existed for this invasion. Being a man 
 of war from his youth, and knowing nothing else, he 
 perhaps longed for new conquests. The Jesuit writer 
 attributes 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 be- 
 lievers in the new doctrines. Another reason they 
 
184 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 give was his wish, to rival the greatest hero of the 
 empire, now worshipped as the god of war Hatchi- 
 mang who had conquered Corea through his mother. 
 He made great preparations, 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 Emperor, the title of Kwan- 
 bakku. 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 for- 
 mer were several Christian lords, Arima, Omura, Ama- 
 cusa, Boongo, Tsussima, Don Austin's son-in-law, and 
 others, with an army of 40,000 men. The total num- 
 ber 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 Nangoya 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. Taiko- 
 sama 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 sup- 
 port. The Coreans seem to have shown 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 au- 
 thorities, still jealous of the body of Christians, especi- 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 185 
 
 ally 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 immedi- 
 ately in order that he might follow in spring. This 
 is said to have been a ruse to shut off their return. 
 
 Meantime the large force in Corea was being ne- 
 glected ; they were left without provisions or ammuni- 
 tion. Their men, deserting, were taken and killed, and 
 at length Don Austin was forced to fall back, and, 
 after several engagements, signed an agreement with 
 the Coreans by which the latter were to send two 
 ambassadors to Taikosama, and the Japanese were to re- 
 tire, 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 ambassadors ac- 
 companied Don Austin to Japan. The following de- 
 mands 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 
 despatched from Manilla to lay complaints against the 
 Portuguese 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 
 
1 86 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 brought by Father Valignan had been an Arab horse. 
 The blood of these presents has probably influenced 
 the breed in Japan. 
 
 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, be- 
 ing resolved not to obey him, gave no promise, but 
 made a low reverence. Shortly after, the governor 
 of Miako sent to the Jesuit fathers 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 secu- 
 lar people to build a little house for their own private 
 convenience. He did not carry his edict into execu- 
 tion against them, but referred them to the governor 
 of Miako, who assigned " them a very sweet seat with- 
 out the walls of Miako, commanding that they should 
 neither preach nor hold assemblies of Christians, ac- 
 cording to Taikosama's orders. But the fathers, with- 
 out regard to either the governor's advice or Taiko- 
 sama'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 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 187 
 
 Taikosama, saying, " He feared tliat these religious, 
 who call themselves ambassadors from the Philippines, 
 intend to preach like the rest." "They won't," re- 
 plied 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 suc- 
 cessful, wrote to Manilla 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 Taiko- 
 sama for two sick to change air. The governor said 
 in case of health they were free to go 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 Fran- 
 ciscan fathers should fix a residence in their jurisdic- 
 tion without their consent; while the lieutenant-gov- 
 ernor, having received 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, con- 
 sidering 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 favour. Taikosama 
 was delighted ; but as soon as this first feeling was 
 
188 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 over, alarm at thinking lie was a Christian, and as 
 such could command the services of a very large 
 body of his countrymen at a word from the Jesuit 
 priests, seems to have been the most prominent feel- 
 ing in his mind. He knew by experience that the 
 Buddhist priests had been able to keep the armies of 
 Nobu nanga at bay for several years. He therefore 
 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 Eegent while Taiko should 
 be away in Corea. Of this young man a somewhat 
 extraordinary account is given in the Jesuit letters. 
 In 1587, when Taiko chose to make a great show of 
 favour to the Koman Catholics and the missionaries, 
 the fathers were taken up continually with preaching, 
 baptising, and instructing such of the principal lords 
 as desired earnestly this sacrament, amongst 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 desired in a young prince. He had a quick 
 and penetrating wit, and excellent judgment, and 
 withal a most courteous and obliging behaviour. 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 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 189 
 
 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 standing, 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 
 pistols 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 mothers' 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 ( His- 
 tory of the Church ' a full account is given of their 
 meetings in Miako. " Taikosama sent to his nephew 
 to say he would invest him with full power, Hide- 
 tsoongu prepared a magnificent 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 persuaded to go, and went 
 
IQO GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 with great magnificence in a triumphal 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 be- 
 lieved 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 pre- 
 parations which had been expected of him long before." 
 But he was betrayed by the first of the nobles to whom 
 he applied 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 questions, and in the mean time 
 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 retreat by 
 exiled nobles. He marched, accordingly, all night. 
 The prisoner was treated as badly as possible ; and in 
 August 1795 an order came from his uncle that he 
 and his servants should rip themselves up. Hide- 
 tsoongu 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 sabre 
 and cut off his head, and then stabbing himself, fell 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 191 
 
 on his body. Father Froes seems to have been on the 
 spot at the time. 
 
 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 execution ; 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 prevailing upon the Emperor of China to send an 
 embassy to Japan, and, to his own surprise, his am- 
 bition 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 earthquake 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. Eecurring at midnight of the 1st Sep- 
 
IQ2 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 tember with awful violence, all the magnificent build- 
 ings raised by the Taiko were in a moment thrown 
 down two lofty eight-storeyed buildings, visited by 
 the fathers, being destroyed. Stones, each of which 
 had required the united efforts of 1500 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 Bud- 
 dhist priesthood. In doing so, he gives some insight 
 into the tenets inculcated in their sermons by these 
 Buddhist priests. " He was preaching on the evening 
 prior to the earthquake with such a torrent of elo- 
 quence as to bear all before him, and the main drift 
 of his discourse was the mercy and bounty of his god 
 towards 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 dis- 
 tinction or exception 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 
 convulsion 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 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 193 
 
 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 downwards 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 every- 
 thing 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 FrancisA 
 can fathers who had recently arrived from Manilla. ) 
 The Jesuits' letters say, " The Eecollects of the regular / 
 observance of St Francis, who were lately settled at 
 Miaco, being now conversant in the language of the 
 country, began to preach publicly in the churches, to 
 hear confessions and baptise the infidels, without any 
 regard to the Emperor's orders. Had religion been 
 on the same footing as heretofore, the zeal and labour 
 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 persecution 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 Emperor's threats, or even to the advice of their 
 friends, who counselled them all along to act in con- 
 
 N 
 
194 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 cert 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 savouring 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 ambassad- 
 ors from one of the greatest monarchs of the world, 
 they continued their functions with new fervour 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 privately 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 
 vigour to their zeal, so desirous were they of suffering 
 martyrdom for Christ. The Viceroy sent for two of 
 these friars to the palace, and reprimanded them 
 severely for slighting the Emperor's desires. This 
 notwithstanding, they went on with 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 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 195 
 
 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, conscience, 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 cer- 
 tain, they both preached and administered the sacra- 
 ments after that more publicly than before." 
 
 These men, under the quality of ambassadors, had 
 come to the country, and under the same name were 
 remaining in Japan to insult the supreme power, and 
 to irritate the government into taking the only means 
 in its power of supporting its own dignity viz., 
 putting them out of the way. " Guenifoin" (probably 
 Kio no kami, or governor of Miako), " who had all 
 along favoured the Christians, foreseeing the ill-con- 
 sequences of this refractory humour, suspended still 
 the execution of his threats, and did not so much as 
 hint at it neither to the Court. However, the busi- 
 ness was discovered at last, and the friars were 
 betrayed by their friend Faranda, the person who 
 invited them over from the Philippines. " They 
 intrigued with this man, who seems to have used 
 his knowledge of the Spanish language and his 
 acquaintance with the Eoman 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. forbidding all priests (the Society 
 excepted) to preach in Japan. All the able men 
 whom they consulted agreed that ambassadors w r ere 
 not included in this decree ; and Sextus Quintus 
 having given leave to the religious of St Francis to 
 
196 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 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 
 nave exposed them to the notice of the government. 
 There is little need for drawing into the question 
 of the treatment of these ambassadorial 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 mis- 
 sionaries; and so soon as they had gained a sufficient 
 number of proselytes, the King followed with his 
 troops, and, joining the new converts, made a con- 
 quest 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 or- 
 der; but the Gi boo no sho wrote to Nagasaki to the 
 governor, in the name of Taikosama, 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 baptise, or hold assemblies. 
 
 The Father Provincial of the Jesuits, considering 
 this condition 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 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 197 
 
 from Miako to Nagasaki to be there executed, under 
 the following sentence : 
 
 " Seeing that these men have come from the Philip- 
 pine Islands in the quality of ambassadors, yet have 
 continued residing at Meaco 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 time to come. Let all know 
 this, and farther that it be carried into execution. 
 But if any one will not obey my edict, he, with all his 
 family, shall be punished." 
 
 The punishment of the cross is inflicted by tying 
 the criminal to a cross, and transfixing the lungs and 
 heart with two sharp spears. The twenty-five were 
 thus executed at Nagasaki on February 5th, 1597. 
 The religious of St Francis, together with the three 
 Jesuits, were all placed in the Catalogue 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 follow- 
 ers 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 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 Jesuits, favoured it. The bishop, to whom no doubt ex- 
 traordinary external reverence would be shown by the 
 Eoman Catholics, was an occasional visitor at Taiko- 
 sama's court. F. Eodriguez was apparently in constant 
 attendance as interpreter. The desire to continue to 
 participate in the advantages of foreign trade was 
 being counterbalanced by the probable dangers of 
 the ascendancy of such a power in the state, and 
 Taikosama was becoming alarmed. There was a 
 strong party opposed to the Koman 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 command; the priests, whose flocks were 
 being withdrawn, and their incomes thereby dimin- 
 ished; 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 over- 
 throw the political structure which these foreigners 
 were attempting to raise. 
 
 During the life of Taikosama these men, with their 
 native associates, were the only sufferers for disobedi- 
 ence to his edict. 
 
 While Taikosama seemed every day becoming more 
 timid and afraid of what steps might be taken by the 
 Christian party, an embassy arrived from Manilla, to 
 whose demand he replied that " he put to death the 
 Franciscans because they preached the Christian re- 
 ligion in his empire contrary to his express command." 
 But he did not pursue his harsh measure sany further. 
 He wished to get rid of such disturbers of the empire; 
 and " hearing that Spain and Portugal were now under 
 
GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 199 
 
 one prince, he became jealous to the last degree that 
 the Jesuits of these two nations concerted together, 
 under the colour of religion, to bring Japan under the 
 same yoak." He determined, therefore, while all the 
 Christian princes were in Corea, to send away by ship 
 all the foreign priests. But still he allowed a few to 
 remain in Nagasaki, 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 country, or to preserve 
 it from once more undergoing all the horrors 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 
 subjects, and have carried out his wishes in ridding 
 Japan of them by a more summary method of perse- 
 cution. 
 
 During the summer of 1598 Taikosama was attacked 
 by dysentery, and w^as 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 grand- 
 daughter of lyeyas, thinking he would thereby in- 
 duce the latter to throw his whole weight into the 
 scale on behalf of his own grandchild and her hus- 
 band, and that thus the power would descend to his 
 
200 GOVERNMENT OF TAIKOSAMA. 
 
 own family. The marriage was immediately cele- 
 brated; and lyeyas swore that he would turn the 
 government 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 acknow- 
 ledge 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 Goboonyo, or five rulers. 1 
 
 On his deathbed, such little animosity as he may 
 have had towards the foreign priests seems to have 
 been mitigated, as he sent for, or allowed, Father 
 Kodriguez 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 him- 
 self, 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 the 15th 
 September 1598; all his nobility, according to the 
 fathers, " being much better pleased to see him on the 
 list of dead gods than in the land of living men." 
 
 1 There have been various proposals made of late to return to the 
 forms of government established by Taikosama. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 
 
 WITH the removal of Taikosama, the hopes of the 
 Eoman 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 posi- 
 tion of his 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 youthful 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 country re- 
 sidences 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 compelled to give up some of his terri- 
 tories, and to pay his respects at the court. Satsuma 
 had suffered during the recent wars in Kiusiu. lyeyas 
 
 
202 GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 
 
 alone had kept aloof from Taikosama. He had kept 
 his court and established himself at Yedo, where he 
 was allowed to remain undisturbed, an object of jeal- 
 ousy as well as of fear. Still he seems to have been 
 occasionally about the court of Taikosama, as he is 
 mentioned 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 dissembling are 
 often the most credulous, and Taikosama was catching 
 at a straw when he summoned lyeyas to his deathbed, 
 lyeyas had refused to visit him on a former occasion 
 without 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 im- 
 pending, 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 Eoman 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 mentioned to Yedo, or in the Kwanto ; 
 no interpreter is sent to the court of lyeyas ; no con- 
 versions 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. 
 
GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 203 
 
 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 general belief was that this child was not 
 the son of Taiko, but he himself appears to have firmly 
 regarded him as such. Eecollecting his own origin 
 and rise to the pinnacle of power, and knowing the 
 turbulent spirits among the lords, his countrymen, 
 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 at 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 general 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 regents (the Gotairo), 
 who were divided among themselves, to keep fair with 
 them. Above all, Samburandono (Sanhoshi), grand- 
 son 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 
 Christian 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 in the 
 
204 GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 
 
 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 gover- 
 nors appointed 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 depended upon the will of 
 the one man, and with how little favour it was re- 
 garded by the people of Japan. This brought back 
 to the island of Kiusiu a strong reinforcement of 
 Christians with Don Austin at their head; and his 
 bitter foe, Toronosuqui, the strong opponent of the 
 Eoman Catholic party. 1 
 
 In the letters written by the Jesuits at this period, 
 the Taiko had generally been spoken of as the Em- 
 peror, and very rarely is any notice taken of the real 
 Emperor, then living at Miako. Still less notice is 
 accorded to the Shiogoon, 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 
 become an empty title, was not conferred on any of 
 his relations. The family is still represented by in- 
 dividuals at Miako, who, though receiving some privi- 
 leges, live in poverty and obscurity. The death of 
 
 1 Corea still sends an embassy to Japan, or to the island of Tsusima, 
 once in three years ; hut there seems to he little or no trade between the 
 two countries. On the strength of this treaty between the two coun- 
 tries, Earl Russell in 1862 tried to get Great Britain included as a co- 
 trader with Japan to Corea. 
 
GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 205 
 
 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, J 
 near Osaka). Dutch pilots had been navigating those 
 seas during several years past ; some of the accounts 
 given by Linschoten being the results of observations 
 by Dutchmen. William Adams, the English pilot of 
 the Dutch fleet of five sail, which left the Texel on 
 the 24th of June 1598, did not reach Boongo till 
 April 1600, with only nine or ten 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 instil into the ears of those to whom 
 they had access malicious reports against these new- 
 comers. 
 
 Meantime, it was impossible that affairs should con- 
 tinue long peaceably on the present critical footing. 
 The Jesuits, however, were elated with the appear- 
 ance of things. " (Gieiaso) lyeyas ko, 1 now called 
 Dai fusama" (another name for Nai dai jin), "spoke 
 favourably 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 
 
 i Ko, coming after a name, has the meaning of " a high personage," a 
 title of honour. 
 
206 GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 
 
 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 fol- 
 lowers with Jiboo no sho, and the rest with Asano 
 dan jo. Several of the lords and Daifusama himself 
 laboured hard to compose the difference, and at last 
 sentence was given in favour 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 Jibo no sho and 
 Daifusama, 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 domain. lyeyas an- 
 swered 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 
 opponents 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 declared between Jiboo no sho and the regent, 
 every one armed himself and his followers, until they 
 reckoned in the two towns 200,000 combatants, be- 
 
GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 2O/ 
 
 sides 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 stroak 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 
 (otherwise Ishida mitzu nari), knew very well that 
 would not serve Daifusama'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 sud- 
 denly that neither the garrison, nor Jiboo no sho, 
 who lived hard by, had time to put themselves in a 
 posture of defence. 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 temporary 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 con- 
 tinuing to retain their empty titles. The Eoman 
 Catholics applied to lyeyas, who received them so 
 kindly that they were generally of a persuasion that 
 he intended to restore the churches and permit the 
 fathers to preach the gospel, " so very easie are we to 
 believe what we have a mind should happen." 
 
 However, at this moment they were annoyed by the 
 
208 GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 
 
 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 sceptre, 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 alleged intention of each of the con- 
 tending parties. The one party was made up of those 
 chiefs or lords who had been about Taikosama durino- 
 
 o 
 
 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 engaged 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 
 
GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 209 
 
 mortified them to the quick; however, as soon as Ji boo 
 no sho was retired [to his castle of Sawoyama, by orders 
 of lyeyas], they all returned back to Osaka and Fusimi, 
 Cangerafu only excepted, 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 immediately 
 to the young prince on pain of being proseciited 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 de- 
 spatched to Ji boo 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 " Dayfusama's 
 army; and all things being in readiness, they wheeled 
 round upon Osaka, and so secured most of the nobility 
 to their party. The governors, flushed with their suc- 
 cess, sent a manifesto to Dayfusama, with heavy com- 
 plaints 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 punishment falling on their relatives and 
 property. This order brought about the death of a 
 Christian lady, Grace, wife of Itowo Tango no kami, 
 
 o 
 
210 GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 
 
 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, think- 
 ing it indecent to die in the same room as their mis- 
 tress, 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 contrived to set it on fire, and in a few hours was 
 consumed " this splendid and last monument of Taiko- 
 sama's greatness, the richest and noblest palace in all 
 Japan.' 7 After this they felt themselves strong enough 
 to take the field, and hazard a battle, if necessary, 
 which should decide the fate of parties. " 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 counter-marches 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 
 
GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 211 
 
 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 oppon- 
 ents had been reinforced 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 labours of the Portuguese missionaries 
 who had a residence upon the hill. From this hill 
 flows to the east the waters of the Kisso 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 north-west. Here on this plain or open rolling ground 
 the two armies met ; but before the most decisive battle 
 in Japanese history was fought they lay thirty days fac- 
 ing one another, " and durst not strike a stroke." 
 
 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 before 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 
 reinforcement 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 com- 
 menced an attack upon the army of the governors, 
 commanded by Ji boo no sho and Don Austin. " No 
 sooner had the armies begun to move than several of 
 
212 GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 
 
 the general officers, with the troops under their com- 
 mand, 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. Dayfusama, perceiving 
 them in disorder, gave word for his men to advance ; 
 and making his way through the lines, which made 
 very little opposition, gained a complete victory al- 
 most without the trouble of striking one stroke for 
 it. None beside the general officers and some of the 
 leading men had the courage to face the enemy at 
 the first onset. These partly despatched themselves, 
 partly were killed by the enemy, and partly were 
 taken prisoners. Among these latter was the cele- 
 brated 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 bearing all down before him, till, 
 wounded from head to foot, and overpowered by num- 
 bers, he was forced to yield to fate and surrender himself 
 prisoner, together with Ji boo no sho, who had not the 
 heart (as he confessed himself afterwards) to open his 
 belly after the example of the worthies above mentioned. 
 "As for Don Austin, nothing but conscience could 
 possibly have hindered him from such an attempt; 
 and therefore choosing, as he did, to pass for heartless 
 and a coward, and to expose himself to an ignomini- 
 ous 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 Eoman Catholic priests 
 
GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 213 
 
 on the hill of Ee buki yam a, 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 endeavouring to coil round lyeyas. 
 His opponents were scattered and their hands para- 
 lysed, lyeyas was master of the situation. He lost 
 no time in marching westwards to gain possession of 
 Osaka. He seized Sawoyama, a castle then belonging 
 to Ji boo no sho, and now known as Hikonay, 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 honour 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 dispute with lyeyas the posi- 
 tion of regent. But he was panic-struck, and, though at 
 the head of 40,000 men, gave up the place and surren- 
 dered 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 
 occasionally 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 considered that potentate's successor, a position 
 which he could not hold without the assistance of 
 lyeyas, his wife's grandfather. lyeyas had felt that 
 the peace of the state was depending upon him, and 
 that, from the position which the regents had taken up, 
 either he or they must yield, and neither would give 
 
214 GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 
 
 way without an appeal to arms. The Jesuits seem all 
 along to have shown a want of foresight in omitting 
 to see that he was the coming man, and made a mis- 
 take in placing their trust in Don Austin, whose posi- 
 tion 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 mention- 
 ed by the Jesuit writers) were in the army of lyeyas, 
 while Don Austin and others took the opposite side. 
 
 Ishida, Ji boo no sho, being now a prisoner, was 
 not likely to receive much mercy at the hands of 
 lyeyas. Letters 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 him- 
 self at the head of the army of the confederates. He 
 had again failed, and now found himself a prisoner 
 in an ignominious and dishonourable 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. 1 
 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 position by 
 Taikosama in Corea. He had subsequently been de- 
 graded at the instigation of his rivals, and afterwards 
 reinstated for the accomplishment of schemes requir- 
 ing the utmost acuteness in diplomacy, as well as for 
 the execution of plans requiring military skill and 
 
 1 He was the son of a drug merchant in Sakkai. 
 
GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 21$ 
 
 prowess. He had shown himself capable of both. 
 As an evidence of the position to which he had raised 
 himself was the marriage of his son to the grand- 
 daughter 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 would after his victory 
 have pardoned such a rival and family connection ; 
 but there were hungry wolves who personally hated 
 Don Austin, who gloated over his downfall, and cast 
 longing eyes on his territories, about to be confiscated. 
 Chief of these was Toronosqui, " Vir ter execrandus," 
 as the Jesuits style him, one of the coarsest men 
 of Japanese history, but since his death canonised as 
 a saint in the Japanese calendar as Say sho go sama 
 of the Nitchi ren sect of Buddhists. Hitherto known 
 by this name of Toronosqui, he figures in the subse- 
 quent letters of the Jesuits as Canzuge dono, or pro- 
 perly, as the title now is, Kazuyay no kami. 
 
 After his capture Konishi seems to have been 
 treated with great rigour not being allowed to see 
 any of his relatives or any foreign priest and was 
 beheaded, along with the Ji boo no sho, at Awata 
 ngootchi, the common execution -ground at Miako. 
 His young son was shortly afterwards 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 dis- 
 gusted, and Mowori in the end was stripped of the 
 greater part of his possessions. 
 
2l6 GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 
 
 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, Dayfusama, being 
 naturally of a meek and easy temper, took quite dif- 
 ferent 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 harbouring 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 province of Higo was handed over 
 Vto Katto Kiomassa, or Toronosqui, who, as has been 
 
 I 
 
GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 217 
 
 said, was a virulent opponent of the Christian reli- 
 gion. While Don Austin held this territory, by the 
 advice of his spiritual superiors every one had been 
 compelled to be baptised and turn Christian, or to 
 leave the territory. It was now the turn of the 
 opposite party to use the same tactics, and most mer- 
 cilessly they followed the example set by these Spanish 
 priests both in Japan and in Europe. 
 
 Satsuma, who had escaped from the field of Seki- 
 ngaharra, expected that the weight of the victor's 
 wrath would shortly fall upon him, and he prepared 
 for it. The subjection of Kiusiu was intrusted to 
 Kuroda Kahi no kami and Terasawa Sima no kami, 
 with the lesser lords who had territories in the island. 
 Satsuma was obliged to yield, and submitted to lyeyas, 
 receiving back from him the greater part of the terri- 
 tory 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 towards 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 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. 1 On a summer-house in the gar- 
 
 1 The Kikioh gate is a relic of the time of Owota. 
 
218 GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 
 
 den of the castle is a couplet in poetry which is looked 
 upon as a prophecy of coming events with reference 
 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 round 
 Miako and Narra and Osaka as the capitals, impe- 
 rial, 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 remov- 
 ing 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 government at that time had crum- 
 bled 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 ruling 
 an extensive territory of his own, combined with what 
 observations he might make upon the system of 
 Taikosama. In the settling of that system, doubt- 
 less, he had a large share ; but he went further than 
 Taikosama, and, disregarding the old associations con- 
 nected with Miako, he removed the seat of the execu- 
 tive 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 con- 
 tempt as savages of the east " Azuma yebis." The 
 
GOVERNMENT OF IYEYAS. 219 
 
 city, when 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 commercial importance. 
 Although Yoritomo, and the Shiogoons and Kwan- 
 reis 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 internal improvements, especially in the highways 
 of the empire. 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 distances along the 
 road, for the accommodation of Daimios and others 
 travelling 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 travelling. 
 
 In the year 1603 to lyeyas was given the hereditary 
 title and power of Se i dai shiogoon, or tranquilliser of 
 barbarians and commander-in-chief. The last who had 
 held this office was Yoshikanga Yoshiteru, who died in 
 1597. Hideyori was made Naidaijori. 
 
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 empire. 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 unexampled 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 government 
 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. Gro- 
 tius says of Englishmen of that time, that they obey 
 
HISTORY TO EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 221 
 
 like slaves and govern like tyrants. Towards the 
 latter part of the century, the bigotry of Philip II. 
 was raising powers against him in Europe, before 
 which the then colossal but ujiwieldy empire under 
 his rule was destined to crumble to pieces. The same 
 intolerant policy which his emissaries in Japan were 
 pursuing was being carried out by the old man, in 
 the conscientious belief that he was furthering and 
 hastening the kingdom of heaven, by fierce persecu- 
 tion 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 coun- 
 tries. At the same time, the Eeformation 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 col- 
 
222 HISTORY TO EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 lision on the Eastern seas, and the former were vic- 
 torious, and one after another of the large Portu- 
 guese carracks fell to the English and Dutch pri- 
 vateers. 
 
 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 acknowledging their rights in the 
 Eastern seas; -and in 1598 the Dutch fleet sailed, of 
 which William Adams of Gillingham 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 message was despatched 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 from England upon the eighth voyage, under 
 the command of Captain Saris, in 1611, with the in- 
 tention of opening a trade with Japan. There seemed 
 at this time every prospect of the Portuguese monopoly 
 being broken up, and of the trade of this distant coun- 
 try being thrown open to the Western world. Amidst 
 the broils and quarrels with which Japan was torn, 
 whether among the lords, or between the Buddhists 
 and Roman Catholics, or the natives and Portuguese 
 merchants, or the Portuguese and Dutch and English, 
 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. 
 Rising, after five years of obscurity and hardship, on 
 the ground of his simple strength of character and 
 
HISTORY TO EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 223 
 
 practical training, William Adams seems to have be- 
 come the trusted confidant and referee of lyeyas on 
 foreign questions. Eesiding in Yedo, at the south- 
 west corner of the Nihon bashi, or bridge of Japan, 
 the street where he lived retains to this day the dis- 
 tinguishing name of " The Pilot's," or Anjin. He seems 
 to have afterwards removed to the street Yaiyossu, 1 in 
 close proximity to the castle moat. Here his knowledge 
 of geometry, navigation, and mathematics, with some 
 acquaintance with shipbuilding, brought him under 
 the notice of lyeyas, by whom he seems to have been 
 employed as interpreter, shipbuilder, and general con- 
 fidant on foreign affairs. He was ultimately raised to 
 the position of a small Hattamoto, or lesser baron, with 
 ground equal to the support of eighty or ninety fami- 
 lies, 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 neighbour- 
 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 
 Portuguese and of the Eoman Catholic priests was 
 changed in Japan. The converts of Nagasaki would 
 see foreigners coming 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 dis- 
 
 1 Both Anjin and Yaiyossu may be corruptions of the name Adams. 
 In Cantonese dialect, an cham is a word for a compass, and " Adams " 
 might be written with these characters. 
 
224 HISTORY TO EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 posal 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 foreigners to their shores, who were likely 
 to prove centres of disaffection, and to instil 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 Eoman Catholic Church in Japan at 
 the different points where churches or seminaries 
 had been erected, and it may thence be gathered in 
 what manner they treated their neighbours, 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 up- 
 roars, broils, and murders among the foreigners, 
 requiring ever and anon the intervention of the 
 native authorities. 
 
 lyeyas was in all probability ignorant of all these 
 circumstances, which were effecting an indirect change 
 upon those resorting to the country. At the Eoman 
 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 neighbourhood of Miako they did not 
 dare of late to make any public displays. In 1604 
 
HISTORY TO EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 225 
 
 there were of the Jesuits 120 in Japan. They flat- 
 tered themselves that "as for religion, it flourished 
 everywhere, and made vast progress through all the 
 kingdoms under so easie and peaceable a government. 
 Notwithstanding, two obstacles still existed the one 
 Taicosama'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 
 unfortunate, inasmuch as the vessels bringing the 
 yearly supplies, as well as the large annual carrack 
 from Macao to Japan, were taken by the Dutch pri- 
 vateers ; 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 Toronosqui, 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 intoler- 
 ance had been shown by Don Austin (under the 
 instruction of foreign priests) to his countrymen, and 
 
 p 
 
226 HISTORY TO EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 where they were obliged either to adopt the Eoman 
 Catholic doctrines or leave the country, that the plan 
 was retaliated upon themselves. 
 
 Native accounts tell : "In 1608 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 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 internal economy of the empire improving the 
 public roads, placing inns upon them, and strength- 
 ening 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 cir- 
 culation. 1 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 com- 
 pletely 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 in- 
 vestiture of his son with the title of Shiogoon, he 
 expressed the thought that Hideyori ought to pay 
 
 1 Tavernier makes the value of the koban in his day 2, 5s. 3d., and 
 of the oban Q, 11s. lOd. 
 
HISTORY TO EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 227 
 
 him a visit to compliment him ; but his mother re- 
 fused 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 doctrines promulgated. But at the 
 same time there were men in power not unfavour- 
 able to them, and they were always able to keep 
 anything obnoxious out of view. Such were Ko- 
 wotsuki no kami, the favourite 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 honours given to one of their own bishops of 
 royal blood. However, this favour did not seem to 
 last long. The mother of Hideyori, incensed at some 
 of her ladies having declared themselves Christians, 
 appealed to lyeyas. This was an opportunity of 
 pleasing her not to be missed, and he issued forthwith 
 the following proclamation : 
 
 " The Cubosama hearing that several of his sub- 
 jects, contrary 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 embrace that new 
 doctrine ; and for such as have already done so, let 
 them change immediately upon notice hereof. 24th 
 of the 4th moon" (A.D. 1606). 
 
228 HISTORY TO EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 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 previous year above 
 300,000 hands in the works about the castle of Yedo. 
 The towers of the castle were nine storeys high and 
 gilt at the top, together with delicious gardens, ter- 
 races, galleries, courts, and magnificent works. 1 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 
 (Cumamura, as it is called by the fathers), " where the 
 Cubos and Xogoones formerly kept their courts. It is 
 currently reported that there were upwards 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 return- 
 ing favour to the Jesuit fathers, the opposition to con- 
 version increased as the profits from trade decreased. 
 The ruling powers in the island of Kiusiu were now 
 more or less against the Romish priests, who incul- 
 cated a line of conduct which was incompatible with 
 living at peace with a neighbour, if 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- 
 
 1 By these fathers the mountain Fusiyama is mentioned as an active 
 volcano, " a mountain of fire, famed for its beauty, height, and whirl- 
 ing flames." 
 
HISTORY TO EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 229 
 
 ternities a house of mercy and an hospital which 
 diffused a sweet odour of sanctity all over Japan." But 
 this odour did not extend to the Portuguese who fre- 
 quented the port, and in consequence of some act of 
 misconduct, lyeyas ordered Arima (Don Protase, as he 
 is called by the Eoman Catholic writers) to burn a 
 large Portuguese vessel then lying in the harbour. 
 The consequence was that the captain left the place. 
 He was pursued by an overwhelming force, and, over- 
 taken during a calm, w r as 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 probably no proofs, as he 
 was not generally communicative before action. He 
 marched from Soonpu to Miako at the head of up- 
 wards of 70,000 men. The general suspicions of his 
 countrymen 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 remembrance of his 
 father's kindness. The visit was returned in a few 
 days, preseDts were interchanged, and the prince 
 returned to his mother at Osaka overjoyed with his 
 reception. 
 
 The Jesuit writers notice that during the same year 
 died Canzugedono, King of Fingo (Toronosqui), the 
 persecutor of the Christians ; " and, as Heaven would 
 
230 HISTORY TO EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 have it, he was seized with an apoplexy on the very 
 day he was intending to renew the persecution against 
 the faithful." Native accounts attribute his death to 
 poison administered by order of lyeyas at Fusimi. He 
 had thrown out some seditious and rebellious threats 
 against lyeyas. 1 He was, as has been stated above, 
 canonised in the Japanese calendar by the title of 
 Say sho go sama probably on account of his oppo- 
 sition to foreigners, and the zeal with which he tried 
 to root out Christianity. 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 patronised than any other temple in the place. 
 Processions in his honour are among the most pro- 
 minent indications of religious feeling, and the sect to 
 which he belonged, the Nitchi ren shioo, has profited 
 largely by excitement and enthusiasm. 
 
 During the year, at Nagasaki, notwithstanding the 
 proclamations 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 resided in the 
 town. The next day the bishop officiated in pontific- 
 alibus, and the ceremony concluded with illuminations 
 of joy. The same order was observed at Arima. 
 
 During the following year the Shiogoon Hide tada, 
 
 1 Among other things stated against him, he refused, when ordered, 
 to shave off his whiskers at court. 
 
HISTORY TO EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 231 
 
 the son of lyeyas, married the sister of Kita Mando- 
 coro, wife of Taikosama, mother of Hideyori, and niece 
 of Nobu nanga. 
 
 Hideyori had still many adherents, who were at- 
 tached 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 Jesuits 
 allege that the Dutch encouraged him in these views, 
 explaining how the Society had been driven out of 
 their countries by the princes of Germany and Hol- 
 land as disturbers of the public peace. 
 
 In 1612 he determined to get rid of these ever- 
 disquieting agents, the more excited thereto by find- 
 ing 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 in- 
 triguing 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. Fourteen were condemned to death, 
 but the sentence was commuted to perpetual banish- 
 ment 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 permitted 
 them to carry on their worship and preaching undis- 
 
232 HISTORY TO EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 turbed, now saw which way the wind was blowing, 
 and acted accordingly. This severity was earned 
 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, fearing to lose possession of his father's 
 dominions, informed against him, accusing him of 
 crimes, and suborning witnesses against him. Upon 
 the proof offered he was beheaded. 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 territories 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 intolerant, the tables were turned upon them. 
 In the province of Boongo, at one time the strong- 
 hold of the Roman Catholics, the same action was 
 being taken ; and about this time, in Yedo, the Shio- 
 goon, on the representation of informers, 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 burnt near his castle by slow fires. 
 
 In 1614, lyeyas was stimulated by the opponents 
 of Christianity to take action against those who pro- 
 
HISTORY TO EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 233 
 
 fessed 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 Fusimi, and retire to Nagasaki. Hojo Segami 
 no kami was ordered to see that this order was exe- 
 cuted; 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. Accordingly, 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 despatched to the island of Kiusiu upwards 
 of 10,000 men, under three leaders, for the purpose of 
 overawing the Christians and putting down any at- 
 tempts 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 advan- 
 tages of trade were proportionably greater in the eyes 
 of the proprietors. But as in the outset these lesser 
 lords had favoured what seemed to them a source of 
 revenue, when things turned against the religion 
 they distinguished themselves by zeal in putting down 
 what in the end threatened to deprive them of every- 
 thing. In them the government found the most active 
 and zealous assistants. Many of these lords or their 
 
234 HISTORY TO EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 parents had been baptised. The Jesuits had there 
 most sway, and had used it with the most intoler- 
 ance ; and lyeyas determined, before striking a blow at 
 Hideyori in Osaka, to remove any chance of a diversion 
 being made in his favour 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 endured by professing 
 natives must be looked on with admiration. The 
 better classes lost everything lands, position, com- 
 forts, 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 towards the Christians ; and 
 upon the 25th of October 1614, three hundred persons 
 in a word, all the Jesuits, except eighteen fathers 
 and nine brothers, with a few catechists (who lay hid 
 in the country for the help of the faithful) were ship- 
 ped 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 poli- 
 tical aspect threatening to the state. The very ladies 
 of his household had been supported by these foreigners 
 in opposition 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 
 
HISTORY TO EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 235 
 
 Chinese vessel with some Spanish priests and some 
 Japonian clerks, and set sail for Manilla, where he 
 died shortly after his arrival. 
 
 The step of removing from the capital and its 
 neighbourhood all the foreign fathers was, in its re- 
 sults, 'of the utmost importance to the cause of reli- 
 gion. During the rule of Nobu nanga and Taikosama, 
 Father Eodriguez, the interpreter, 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 Eodriguez had maintained his 
 place, that he was in communication with the highest 
 officers at court, and exercised an unseen but potent 
 power in behalf of his brethren. With such a person 
 at court, opposition cannot so easily gain head. Evil 
 reports are warded off, occasional words in favour 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 defence of the policy 
 
236 HISTORY TO EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 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 circum- 
 stances. 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 priest- 
 hood with the national concerns. The truth is, that 
 the doctrine of the Papal supremacy is an " exter- 
 ritoriality clause" of itself, which, operating in a 
 country professing another faith, creates an imperium 
 in imperio, which becomes very embarrassing to a 
 government, whether it be Japan or England. The 
 confiscation of abbey-lands in England may be com- 
 pared with, or was analogous to, the confiscation of 
 the lands of the lords of Japan, while informers in 
 each were rewarded by a gift of the property belong- 
 ing 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 dan- 
 gerous 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 endeavoured for some time to make Hideyori 
 spend his revenues so freely as to impoverish his ex- 
 chequer. 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 presented a large bell to the temple, 
 
HISTORY TO EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 237 
 
 upon which, it is said, that a wish was engraved that 
 Yedo might be destroyed. 1 This was made a pretext 
 for a quarrel, and as the deserters from the castle 
 reported that it was unprovided, it was forthwith in- 
 vested, 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 lye- 
 yas; but it seems to have been demanded only to 
 give time. The surrounding 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 the 3d of June 1615. In the 
 account of the Jesuits, two of whom were present, the 
 army of lyeyas was on the point of defeat, when, pro- 
 bably through treachery, the castle was set on fire, 
 the troops of Hideyori became panic-struck, and a 
 total rout and general slaughter ensued. In the rela- 
 tion by Trigautius it is stated that in no battle in 
 Japanese history did so much slaughter take place as 
 in this. The populous neighbourhood, the density of 
 the city, the lawlessness of -the troops, all combined 
 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. Eeports 
 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, 
 
 1 This bell is never struck. 
 
238 HISTORY TO EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 the common report is likely to be correct. His natu- 
 ral son was taken and beheaded. After this decisive 
 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 the 8th of March 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 Shio- 
 goon. He was buried in the hills of Nikko, a short 
 distance north of Yedo, with great splendour. 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 Illustrious Gem (a Buddhist title for a deified be- 
 ing) 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 endeavoured, shortly be- 
 fore the death of lyeyas, to open a trade with Japan, 
 and the letters of Captain Saris, Cocks, and others, 
 give an interesting account 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 privi- 
 leges of trade, and the settling of a factory in Japan, 
 and confirmed these under his broad seal for the better 
 determining thereof. This document, a facsimile of 
 the original, is to be seen in Purchas. For sufficient 
 
HISTORY TO EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 239 
 
 reasons, 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's letter, which 
 corroborates the accounts received through the Eoman 
 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 fearful particu- 
 lars detailed by Trigautius and others : 
 
 " The persecution in this country, which before pro- 
 ceeded 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 primitive persecutions ; and 
 such was their 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 adversaries) 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 de- 
 molished, and heathen pagods were erected upon their 
 
 ruins." 
 
 Edict after edict emanated, or at least were said to 
 
240 HISTORY TO EXPULSION OF CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 emanate, 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 surrounded by hungry wolves, who 
 might invent edicts in order to profit by the confisca- 
 tion of property, whose interest it was that the infant 
 heir should be destroyed with his father, and who 
 were further incited by the priests, or bozangs, who 
 gnashed their teeth in the hour of victory over ene- 
 mies who had lorded it so proudly over them in the 
 short days of their prosperity. By such ferocity, com- 
 bined 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 inhabit- 
 ants, having all their lives professed Christianity, at 
 last in desperation resolved rather to fight than submit 
 to such a system of persecution. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 
 
 IYEYAS had shown himself an able commander, and an 
 astute, if a somewhat unscrupulous, diplomatist. He is 
 known in Japan 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 he intended to act as 
 the executive throughout the empire. He, to this 
 end, issued one hundred rules or directions as his 
 testament, to be bequeathed to his descendants in 
 power, as a guide to them in the office which he 
 hoped would be hereditary in his family. It is said 
 that lyeyas was assisted in drawing up this code by 
 Nijio 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 ministers 
 of state shall ever see them. These rules are com- 
 monly called " Bookay hiak kadjo" the hundred lines 
 or rules for the military class. The title is Go yu i 
 jo wo or Yu i geng 1 or gong the last testament of 
 Tosho goo, in one hundred sections. 
 
 1 The old pronunciation. There is always an old as well as a modern, 
 pronunciation of Chinese words in Japan. 
 
 Q 
 
242 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 
 
 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 or- 
 phans, and persons without relatives, every one should 
 assist with kindness and liberality, for justice to these 
 four is the root of good government. 
 
 ~*Bespect 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, 1 together with 
 the older and most able servants of the Kubosama, are 
 to meet together, and, no matter whether he be dis- 
 tantly 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 
 
 1 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 Em- 
 perors " a Buddhist title. These are probably the four Maharajah of 
 Buddhism. 
 
THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 243 
 
 my disposal) 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 remain- 
 ing 8,900,000 koku shall belong to the Kubosama. 
 
 "* It is the duty of the Kubosama to guard from 
 danger the Emperor and his palace, and to preserve 
 peace and tranquillity in the empire in every direction. 
 
 * 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 re- 
 mained steadfast, are Tozamma (CL, ngoy yeong), out- 
 side lords. Of Tozamma there are eighty-six, of Fudai 
 eight thousand and twenty-three, and of Kammong, 
 or relations of my family, thirteen. Of visitors (lords 
 who visit lyeyas on equal terms, called Okiaksama or 
 Hin re-i), five, who are : 
 
 1. Kitsure gawa dono, 1 _ 
 
 J- descendants of Yontomo. 
 
 2. Iwa matz manjiro, J 
 
 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 afterwards adopted by Yuki. 
 
 4. Tatchibanna hida no kami of a very old, illus- 
 trious family. He was military teacher of lyaymitz 
 ko, third Kubosama, and would not acknowledge 
 lyeyas as his superior, but had not much power, and 
 was not disturbed by lyeyas. 
 
244 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 
 
 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 f u 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 
 north-west lies the second, Kuko or Maro ; to the north 
 lies the third ; to the west, the fourth ; to the south- 
 west, the fifth. 
 
 The ban goomi, or large guard of the Kubosama, 
 consisting of twelve companies, may be likened to the 
 twelve gods (the Yakushi riorai). 
 
 The Sho eeng bang the lesser guard of ten com- 
 panies are like the ten stars. 
 
 The Dzeng 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 Eo 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 : 
 
THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 245 
 
 1. Tori yee. 8. Sakakibarra. 
 
 2. Itakura. 9. Sakkye. 
 
 3. Owokubo. 10. Ishikawa. 
 
 4. Todda. 11. Kooze. 
 
 5. Honda. 12. Katto. 
 
 6. Ogassawara. 13. Abbd 
 
 7. Akiinoto. 14. 
 
 Of these families, if able men can be found among 
 them, the Gorogiu or cabinet is to be chosen. Tozam- 
 ma Daimios, however able they may be, cannot have 
 seats in the Gorogiu, or take any part in govern- 
 ment. 
 
 * 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), 
 however badly they conduct themselves, unless they 
 turn rebels or traitors. 
 
 * In regard to the Koku shiu, Eio 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 castle. This is the 
 duty of the Shiogoon alone. 
 
 * Among officers the different ranks are to be ob- 
 served, 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 l must be selected 
 as being a man of the clearest mind and best disposi- 
 tion ; and once every month it shall be the duty of 
 
 1 A deliberative court in Yedo with judicial powers, about which 
 hereafter. 
 
246 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 
 
 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, mura, 
 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, Eio 
 shiu, Jo shu, or Ji to wo (ground-head, ?'. e., landed pro- 
 prietor, not eligible to office). 
 
 ~*A11 Daimios and Hattamotos not in office (i.e., 
 not residing at Yedo), whether Tozamma or Fudai, 
 are commanded not to be unjust towards 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. 1 
 
 * The repairing the Shiogoon's residence, the keeping 
 in repair public roads, keeping up ferries, &c., is Fu- 
 shin ; Daimios are sometimes called shokowo ; when 
 they are acting 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: 
 
 1 The business connected with Daimios, and going to and returning 
 from Yedo, is all called wakitay ; going to Yedo is sangkin, returning 
 from Yedo is kotai. 
 
THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 247 
 
 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 offi- 
 cers are to try to discover who are worthy men, and 
 they are to be rewarded with territory, titles, and 
 rank. Criminals are to be punished by branding (or 
 marking), or beating, or tying-up, and, in capital 
 cases, by spearing or decapitation; but the old punish- 
 ments of tearing to pieces and boiling to death are 
 not to be used, 
 
 * When I was young I determined to fight and 
 punish all my own and my ancestors' enemies, and I 
 did punish them ; but afterwards, by deep considera- 
 tion, 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 
 objections, it may be done according to the laws in 
 force in the time of Yoritomo ; but if objections are 
 made (by neighbours 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 afterwards be reopened. 
 
 * Among officers outside and inside there are at 
 times unseemly brawls as to rank, but these are all fco 
 
248 
 
 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 
 
 be settled now, and I settle them accordingly in the 
 following order : 
 
 Tai 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). 
 
 Mshi maro russui. 
 
 Owo metskd 
 
 Kotai yori ya'i. 
 
 Hira toshi yori (obsolete). 
 
 Kanjo boonyo. 
 
 Matchi boonyo. 
 
 Oku ko sho ngasliira. 
 
 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 ina tsu may bang. 
 
 Fuyo no ma yakunin. 
 
 Tskyebang. 
 
 Ki roku sho yakunin, and 
 
 Hio moku no mono. 
 
 Ten shoo bang, 
 
 Hozo bang. 
 
 Hatta boonyo. 
 
 Katana ban gashira. 
 
 Motchi yumi ngasliira. 
 
 Motchi tsudzu gashira. 
 
 Sakitay gashira. 
 
 Yari boonyo. 
 
 Kooshi boonyo. 
 
 Ma ya betto. 
 
 Funatay ngashira. 
 
 Makanai gashira. 
 
 Jusha. 
 
 Eeshi. 
 
 Fushing boonyo. 
 
 Tan sz boonyo. 
 
 Do bo ngashira. 
 
 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 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. 
 
THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 249 
 
 "'"There are men who always say Yes (i.e., agree 
 with me), and there are others who sometimes say 
 No (i.e., express 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 re- 
 warded, 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 shoot- 
 ing, 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, especially such 
 songs as 
 
 "Taiheraku. 
 Sen shiu raku," &c. 
 
250 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 
 
 or of music 
 
 Eari owo ; 
 
 Genjo raku, " the return from war ; " 
 
 Man zai raku, 1 "give me 10,000 lives ;" 
 
 and others. 
 
 * I am descended from the Emperor Saywa Ten wo, 2 
 but my family had lost all its property through the 
 power of our enemies, and had sunk down to Matz- 
 daira ; 3 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 battles, and narrowly escaped 
 with my life eighteen times. Having so escaped, I 
 therefore out of gratitude erected eighteen temples, 4 
 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 
 
 1 Alluded to in the Lit. Indie of Maffseus. 
 
 2 Saywa made the laws as to the Shinwo and royal families. His 
 sixth son was Sadadzuini 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, Sadad- 
 zumi ; 2, of his son Tsune 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 (other- 
 wise called Hatchimang taro), and of his son Yoshi Kooni (whose 
 descendants divided into the Nitta and Ashikanga lines). The temple 
 was erected for the reception of those tablets, to which worship is offered 
 every morning. 
 
 3 A small village in Mikawa, from which the family of lyeyas takes 
 its name. 
 
 4 These temples are still standing, such as Zozoji in Yedo, Konrio ji 
 at Kamakura, Den zo eeng at Yedo, Dai zonji at Hatch oji. 
 
THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 251 
 
 to instal as chief-priest a Sinwo 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 honours acceded to him : 
 he lives in To yay zan, a residence formerly the pro- 
 perty 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., 
 Christians). Now any one of the people can adhere 
 to which he pleases (except the Christian) ; and there 
 must be no wrangling among sects, to the disturbance 
 of the peace of the empire. 
 
 * The families of Minna moto, Taira, Fusiwara, 
 Tatchibanna, Soongawara, Oway, Ariwara, and Kio- 
 wara, 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, cowardly, and ignor- 
 ant 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. 1 
 
 * To insure the empire peace, the foundation must be 
 
 1 Of the Minna moto or Genji, four families are spoken of 1, Sanga 
 G. ; 2, Saywa G. ; 3, Mura kami G. ; 4, Ooda G. The Taira family is 
 descended from Kwan mu tenwo. The Fusiwara (Tai shoku Kwang) 
 is of the Kama tariko line. Tatchibanna is from Kadzuraki wo. 
 
252 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 
 
 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, ac- 
 cording 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 minis- 
 ters of the Buddhist religion committed crimes, and 
 were liable to punishment, the people thought that 
 to punish them was the same as punishing the gods. 
 They are to think so no more, but the military offi- 
 cers are to punish such offenders without fear. 
 
 '* Booffoo, Osaggi, Booggi, Itchiko Meeko, Nobooshi, 
 Yamabooshi, Gozay, 1 Maykura, and vagabonds who 
 go about without 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 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, A.D. 1592 to '96, the 
 two officers Ogochi and Assano surveyed all Japan. 
 They made a report, which was laid before the 
 
 1 These are different kinds of impostors, fortune-tellers, diviners, 
 fox magicians, mesmerisers, clairvoyants, &c. &c. 
 
THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 253 
 
 Emperor. A survey of the provinces, counties, dis- 
 tricts, and parishes was made, together with the 
 forests, mountains, rivers, and a calculation was made 
 of the value. 
 
 If a man possess land yielding 1000 koku, he is to 
 provide five horsemen. 
 
 If 10,000, 50 horsemen. 
 
 If 50,000, 250 horsemen. 
 
 If 100,000 koku, 1000 horsemen. 
 
 This is one " goon " or regiment. 
 
 3000 horsemen make one battalion, over which is 
 placed one general or Jo sho. Over 2000 is placed a 
 Lieutenant- General, or Chiu sho. 
 
 Over 1000 is placed a Kasho, or Major-General. 1 
 
 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 presented 
 him with a gold Sai hae; 2 and I made Honda "Kasho," 
 and gave him a paper Sai hae. 
 
 The above arrangement all military officers are to 
 make themselves acquainted with. 
 
 * If disputes arise as to the boundaries of the ter- 
 ritories (Rioboong of Daimios or of Hattamoto), these 
 are to be referred to an Owometske and the Kanjo 
 boonyo, the head of the Treasury. But if the disput- 
 ants 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 
 Daimios even if they have large landed possessions, 
 
 1 All this is altered now. 
 
 2 A baton like a fan, used by high military officers. 
 
254 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 
 
 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. 
 
 * If a man employs another to commit a murder, if 
 a man poisons, and wishes to make profit or advan- 
 tage 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 Byshings, who also are Kimi and Shing, master and 
 servant. If among any of these an inferior 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 to- 
 gether 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 examination must be made 
 as to the parentage and line of descent of the be- 
 trothed, and thus the way of heaven will be adhered to. 
 
THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 255 
 
 * If a man have no son he may adopt one, but the 
 father must be fifteen years of age before he adopts a 
 son. 1 If a Daimio or Hattamoto have no son or adopt- 
 ed 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 pro- 
 vinces.) 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 Ko- 
 koshu and Daimios, if they keep the same territory 
 for a very long time, they become proud, and oppress 
 the people, therefore in the case of these latter it is 
 well to change them occasionally from one territory 
 to another. 
 
 '"Among Hyaksho, Shokonin, and Akindo i.e., 
 farmers, artisans, and merchants if their wives 
 secretly commit adultery, the law of nature is broken ; 
 and whether the husband report the matter to the 
 officers or not is of no consequence, 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. 
 
 1 The heir of the Mikado is called To goo or Tai shi. The heir of 
 the Shiogoon is Choko ; of a Daimio, Say shi. 
 
256 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 
 
 * In Japan there is an old saying that the same 
 heaven cannot cover a man and the enemy (mur- 
 derer V) 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 l 
 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 
 considered 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 extirpated root and branch. If a servant 
 has made the attempt, even if unsuccessful, the family 
 is to be extirpated. 2 
 
 * In regard to wives and concubines, the law and 
 customs are the same as between master and ser- 
 vant. The Mikado is allowed twelve concubines. 
 Daimios and Hattamotos 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 
 China). At times very foolish and bad men have made 
 the way of the Rai ki dark, and have addicted them- 
 selves 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. 
 
 1 This is a department which takes cognisance of criminal matters. 
 
 2 Kando is to take the name of a family out of the book of Japan. 
 
THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 257 
 
 [It is a common error with writers upon Japan to 
 allege that the Japanese are indifferent to the respect- 
 ability 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 perform 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 blessing, and not to be lightly entered 
 upon for the gratification of temporary or transient 
 feelings. On the other hand, intercourse between 
 parties not married is looked upon as disreputable, 
 , 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 approval. In China 
 the first wife is the only wife ; the others who may 
 be taken afterwards 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 the educa- 
 and mixing with the world in conversation gives 
 
 K^on 
 
258 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 
 
 them often a cleverness and power of pleasing which 
 are often wanting in the ladies 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 observ- 
 ance of this leads to the peace or smooth-working 
 of the empire. If these relations 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 Iwatski, 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 
 centre. 
 
 * 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. 
 
THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 259 
 
 " r In the provinces round Yedo there are sixteen 
 gates where travellers 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 towards 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 abeyance. I now command Shim 
 adzu and Nabeshima (Satsuma 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 l officers, care must be taken 
 to note such as are diligent and such as are indolent, 
 and they are to be rewarded or punished accordingly. 
 Those who are rich are to be put into situations en- 
 tailing 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 extraordinary service. 
 
 ~* Foreign ships are allowed to come to Nagasaki. 
 Old and trustworthy officers are to be sent there. 
 The kimbang or guards are to be four captains, 
 whose official income shall be more than 3000 kokus 
 each. There are to be both foot and horse soldiers. 
 As the expenses are great there, the Yakunins or 
 
 1 Those who are officially on duty in Yedo. 
 
260 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 
 
 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 re- 
 pairing these ravages and paying the labourers 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 1 ). 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 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 cus- 
 tom 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, &c., are not to be used by the mili- 
 tary department, but are reserved for the Mikado's 
 treasury. 
 
 * It is not allowed to any one to build a house in 
 the middle of wheat or rice fields, as the shadow of 
 the house and trees spoils the surrounding ground, and 
 renders it unproductive. If any dare so to build, all 
 the building is to be swept away, and he is to be con- 
 fined for 100 days. 
 
 1 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 intro- 
 duced the second. 
 
THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 261 
 
 * 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 circumference. Atarashi yama, 
 or new plantations, are trees which are less than three 
 feet at the level of the eye. 1 
 
 "" If a large tree overshadows a neighbour's house or 
 drying -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, &c., 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 be- 
 come proud and to dislike their work : but every one 
 is to do faithfully the work assigned to him, and not 
 to throw his work or duties on another. 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 (Con- 
 fucianism), 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 watch is 
 to be kept as to this. But as to Itchiko (divination) 
 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 
 
 1 At one time this was a source of great trouble in Japan. 
 
262 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 
 
 these are like caterpillars or locusts in tlie 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 per- 
 petual 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 offences 
 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. 1 
 
 * When a master dies, his servants think it their 
 duty to commit suicide. This is an old custom, but it 
 is quite unreasonable, and nothing can justify a man in 
 so acting. Sometimes, instead of committing suicide, 
 there is a custom of putting into the grave figures re- 
 presenting 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 mould men to his use, The 
 
 1 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 Eegent to a conference, and 
 then ordering him to be cut to pieces. After his death, Kio mori, seeing 
 no one to oppose him, regardless of everything, acted according to his 
 own pleasure. 
 
THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 263 
 
 master of men must know what each is useful for. 
 Men are like instruments one cannot do the work 
 of a chisel with a hammer ; 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 empire have peace. This is always to be kept 
 in memory. 
 
 * If one man rises to be full of, or puffed up with, 
 military power (Boo i ippai), he will try to make him- 
 self equal with or superior to the highest, the Mikado. 
 This is a very serious error : there is always a tend- 
 ency 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. 1 
 
 * 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. 
 
 1 This is intended for his successors, the Shiogoons, who might be 
 puffed up with their position. 
 
264 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 
 
 * As to the Hinrei Skiaku, 1 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, 2 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. 
 
 * Daimios with incomes of 100,000 koku, and the 
 Eoshin or Gorojiu, and officers upon outside business, 
 and all captains of the guards, are to be of the same 
 rank as Kokushu. 
 
 * In regard to Fudai and Tozamma, and wealthy 
 retainers of Daimios (Byshings and Karo), in going 
 from and returning 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 splendid train, 
 neither is a man with small income to go with a very 
 meagre 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 dis- 
 tances, and also as to weights to be carried ; but all 
 
 1 The descendants of old Shiogoons, such as Ashikanga, Hojio, and 
 others, to whom rank and territory have been assigned. 
 
 2 Known now as Owarri, Kii, and Mito, the San kay, or " three 
 families," sons of lyeyas. 
 
THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 265 
 
 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 exceed 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 abilities and dispositions, 
 but they must be rewarded or punished according to 
 their actions. 
 
 *When I built the Danring (eighteen temples) 
 before mentioned, I put, or I made them, San mong 
 (hill-doors). 1 The Ten dai no zass (head of the Bud- 
 dhists) asked me why I had built these San mong or 
 hill-doors, saying that he was the same as the centre 
 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 
 
 1 The San mong temple of Hiyay san near Miako is a copy of the 
 Tien Tai shan of China. 
 
266 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 
 
 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. 1 
 
 "* All 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 observed. 2 
 
 * 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 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 offen- 
 der, and dealt with accordingly ; but in these offences 
 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 
 
 1 This San mong must allude to some kind of Buddhist temples of 
 that name. 
 
 2 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. 
 
THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 267 
 
 severely punished by death ; and if any one sets 
 houses on fire, forges seals or signatures, poisons, coins 
 false money such shall be either burnt 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 reference to this, followed the customs of 
 the Tong dynasty of China, and had recourse to in- 
 formers, offering rewards to such as should give in- 
 formation 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 government of the Emperor is obscure. If crime 
 abounds, the Shiogoon shows himself destitute of exe- 
 cutive 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. 1 
 
 1 Such as making a fort : that at Kanagawa was thus made by Oki no 
 kami. 
 
268 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 
 
 * Upon the death of the Kinri (the Emperor), or 
 Sento (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 cessa- 
 tion shall be. 1 
 
 * When a new Emperor ascends the throne, the ex- 
 penses 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 every- 
 thing is in good order that horses and horse-furni- 
 ture 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 immedi- 
 ately informed, 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 Tozamma, Fudai, 
 Shing, and Sso. This mode of government is accord- 
 ing to the way of heaven. This I have done to show 
 
 1 Mourning for the Emperor lasts for thirteen months. 
 
THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 269 
 
 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 communi- 
 cations, and therefore they are not to be in correspond- 
 ence with each other. 
 
 * If punishments and rewards are distributed un- 
 justly, 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. 
 
 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 examina- 
 tion, 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 minister, of a 
 father and son, of husband and wife, of elder and 
 younger brothers, and between friends ; and upon 
 the principle 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 inwards and examine 
 one's self is prominent in the writings of Mencius. 
 
 Mencius said people have this common saying 
 
2/0 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 
 
 " 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 recognised 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 
 acquainted 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 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 capa- 
 city for dealing with men and for conducting war, was 
 

 
 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 2/1 
 
 selected to take the command of those who saw these 
 qualities in him, and confided in his ability to prose- 
 cute 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 conciliate 
 men as well as to control them. He divides the 
 spoils among his followers, allowing to each a propor- 
 tion according to his merit. 
 
 A larger portion was retained by the chief, because, 
 independently of being able to appropriate it, he was 
 to rule over all, and to incur expenses on behalf of all 
 in the general control 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 mak- 
 ing 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 subdivision a feudal 
 kingdom was cut up into many small but semi-inde- 
 pendent baronies. The execution of legal decisions be- 
 came difficult, offenders escaping to other jurisdictions. 
 
 Through the greater expenses falling upon the king, 
 his 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. Honours and even 
 offices became hereditary. 
 
272 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 
 
 So long as weapons of war were in each man's pos- 
 session, 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 
 personal strength and activity of comparatively small 
 value, it increased the expense falling upon the leader. 
 Trained skill required time, and education was neces- 
 sary. Large guns, requiring expensive ammunition, 
 called for a more expensive 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 
 neighbours 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 sepa- 
 ration of interests between the Mikado, the fountain 
 of honours, and the executive, by whatever name the 
 head officer might be called, whether Kwanrei or 
 Shiogoon. 
 
 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 overwhelm- 
 ing. There was in Japan no call for great expenses, 
 either in keeping up fortifications, armaments, or a 
 standing army or navy. No ambassadors were de- 
 spatched to foreign courts, to consume the revenues 
 
THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 273 
 
 of the empire. Against the tendency to the aggran- 
 disement 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 quan- 
 tity was allotted to each baron, according to his rank 
 or rights. But one great difference between this sys- 
 tem 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 prevent 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 honours in the state. 
 
 The barons in Japan are bound to bring a certain 
 number 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 com- 
 mon over the East of adoption is allowed, and all the 
 rights of a son are conferred 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 
 
 s 
 
274 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 
 
 to change them from one barony to another. He 
 would no doubt have gladly laid down a similar prin- 
 ciple 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 another with the same revenue ; or perhaps, 
 if there be some cause for reproof, a Daimio will be 
 transferred to a territory 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 Shiogoon ; and, as under the feudal system, pre- 
 sents 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 ex- 
 pected. At first an officer was deputed by the Shio- 
 goon to reside in the territories 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 virtually 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 distinc- 
 tive badge of wearing a long sword, which they are 
 warned never to forget. By this sword the class is 
 
THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 275 
 
 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 expense of the agricul- 
 tural class along the highroads. Under these laws all 
 two-sworded men are allowed to demand carriage 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 by purchase or marriage, these may be in- 
 creased at the will and by the favour of the Shiogoon, 
 or they may be diminished by his fiat. While, if any 
 officer has been thought deserving of a little punish- 
 ment, 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 time act as a pecuniary fine 
 upon the person upon whom the honour is conferred. 1 
 
 One of the strongest measures of control used by 
 the Shiogoon towards 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 inti- 
 
 1 The fort at Kanagawa was built in this way. 
 
276 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 
 
 mation 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 (generally 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 towards 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. AJ1 
 those about him, therefore, insist upon his abdication; 
 and he, feeling himself alone and forsaken, is obliged 
 quietly to yield, and thus trouble to the whole pro- 
 vince is averted. But in the case where the 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 the highest government. This has lately taken 
 place in the case of Choshiu against the Shiogoon : while 
 
 J. O O * 
 
 the cases of Satsuma, Owarri, and others, who were 
 deposed by the Kegent in 1858, show how the power 
 is at times exercised. 
 
 As a farther means of warding off intrigue and 
 
THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 277 
 
 plotting among these powerful and wealthy barons, 
 the plan was adopted by which all were brought to 
 the court of the Shiogoon, as inferiors or vassals, to 
 pay homage. The custom among these vassals of pay- 
 ing their respects once a-year had been long in use in 
 an unsettled and desultory way at Miako, but hence- 
 forth 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 in- 
 sisted that his court should be looked upon as the 
 natural residence of these lords, by their having their 
 wives and families always resident in Yedo. And it 
 was this law which rendered such stringent measures 
 to be taken at Hakonay and other gates to prevent 
 the passage outwards of females. By this constant 
 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 
 intercourse being carried on between these Daimios 
 one with another, 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 
 
278 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 
 
 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, prevent intercommunication 
 being kept up or leagues being formed between conti- 
 guous 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 em- 
 pire during the rule of those who had preceded lyeyas ; 
 but he seems to have gathered what he thought good, 
 and strengthened what seemed weak, so as to provide 
 a firm basis on which to place his dynasty, and enclose 
 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 government 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 deal- 
 ings with or allusions to all ranks and relations of 
 life. 
 
 Except in the cases of high treason or open rebel- 
 lion, the families of the feudal barons were not to be 
 attainted. Primogeniture 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 LAWS OF IYEYAS. 279 
 
 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 
 business (the Hio josho), was settled. 
 
 The punishment of crimes was modified, and the 
 old cruel modes of death done away with. Clemency 
 towards 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 towards the Emperor was inculcated by 
 the 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 Shio- 
 goon 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 tendency to the idea that the 
 priesthood, and priests as individuals, were hedged 
 in by a divinity, which gave them a licence for the 
 committal and an immunity from the punishment 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 honourable responsibility. 
 
 The empire was surveyed, and good maps were 
 made of every district. 
 
280 THE LAWS OF IYEYAS. 
 
 The power of judging of what was insolence from an 
 inferior 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 towards 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. 
 
 Eoads come under regulation, and the building of 
 farmhouses. 
 
 The government is considered as bound to do its 
 best to provide cheap food for the people. Mourning 
 for the Emperor, religious sects, foreigners, prostitu- 
 tion, suicide, all come in for recognition in the Boo- 
 kay Hiak Kadjo. 
 
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 existence 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 honours conferred upon sub- 
 jects all equally his servants. 
 
 After the royal family (the Shin wo), the highest sub- 
 ject 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 
 
282 POSITION AND COURT OF 
 
 platform, 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 the divisions 
 of the army in China. 1 
 
 The past history of the empire has shown that the 
 Emperor himself was originally the leader or com- 
 mander-in-chief of his own armies, but that in course of 
 time the office was conferred upon one of the younger 
 members of the imperial family. It was afterwards 
 transferred to the man who in a lawless and revolu- 
 tionary period showed himself capable of seizing and 
 holding the command of the army. Thus Yoritomo 
 held it, and so it afterwards 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 its 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 without 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 
 
 1 In ancient times in Japan the title of the commander-in-chief was 
 Mono nobe. 
 
THE SHIOGOON. 283 
 
 rules over all, and that among other subordinate 
 powers he rules over the spirits of the country. He 
 rules overmen, and is to them the fountain of honour; 
 and this is not confined to honours 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/' 1 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 opportunity 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 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, sig- 
 nifying " the great prince, sovereign, or exalted ruler," 
 implying that the bearer of the title is the great sove- 
 reign 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 
 assumed 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 Kubo- 
 sama, and the Xogune, &c. There was, indeed, in their 
 
 1 Address in the beginning of the Bible. 
 
284 POSITION AND COURT OF 
 
 case, some difficulty, as of the three lyeyas alone was 
 Shiogoon, and that towards the end of his life. Ku- 
 bosama, 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 inconsistent 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 speak- 
 ing of him, or in addressing him officially. That used 
 by the Daimios in addressing him is Eioo 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 mean- 
 ing a bamboo shoot of a thousand years. He gene- 
 rally 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 the principal patron or rector of 
 the two colleges of June wa and Shoongaku. This 
 title is assumed as his being the "Genji no choja"- 
 i.e. t the head of the Gen or Minnamoto family. He 
 maybe spoken of as Minnamoto no choja as such he 
 considers himself as the first of all the military fami- 
 
THE SHIOGOON. 285 
 
 lies of the empire. These titles he assumes, and they 
 may be called family and literary honours. 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 na- 
 goon, from which he is raised to Naidaijin, Oodaijin, 
 and Sadaijin, and may be raised to the highest, Daijo- 
 daijin ; but this is generally reserved for the Kwanbak- 
 ku. The military 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 heredi- 
 tary, is only an honorary title. To this title is some- 
 times added the two words Se i (Ching i of the 
 Chinese), the chastiser or tranquilliser of the barbar- 
 ians or of foreigners i.e., outside people at a distance 
 from court. This title was originally given with re- 
 ference 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 despatches, as when 
 he says, " I have given you the title of Se i ; why 
 do you not fulfil the expectations which I had of 
 you ? " Se i f hoo, 1 the office of the pacifier of bar- 
 barians, 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. 
 
 1 The word I or Ee is the Chinese word to the use of which excep- 
 tion has been taken in late treaties with that country. It seems origin- 
 ally to have meant persons living beyond an imaginary line of 10,000 
 li from the court, and thence came to be applied as barbarians. 
 
286 
 
 POSITION AND COURT OF 
 
 The titles of lyeyas were Jin itchi-i, first of the 
 second grade. 
 
 Oodaijin, the great minister of the right. 
 
 Se i dai Shiogoon, tranquilliser of foreigners and 
 great commander-in-ehief. 
 
 June Va, 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 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 dif- 
 fering 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 enclosed 
 in a circle. This is used in all official matters issuing 
 from the office. No one is allowed to use it but those 
 
THE SHIOGOON. 287 
 
 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 Eokungo 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 
 Hoonganji, and the residence of Buddhist priesthood, 
 afterwards converted into a castle or fort by Taiko- 
 sama, is in possession of the Shiogoon. 
 
 At Surunga, the castle formerly belonging to Ima- 
 gawa is kept up at his expense. 
 
 In Kahi, the castle of Kofu, formerly the property 
 of Takeda, 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 magnifi- 
 cent temple was reared in his honour, to which repair 
 at certain times his descendants and the officers of 
 the dynasty to pay reverence to his manes, to com- 
 memorate his greatness, or in the way of official 
 duty. 
 
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 signifying " 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 income from land held of the Shiogoon 
 of the annual value of 10,000 koku of rice and 
 upwards. 1 There are many men whose incomes are 
 upwards 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 Daimio, 
 known sometimes as " By shing." 
 
 1 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=nearly 4,000,000 Ib. 
 
THE DAIMIOS. 289 
 
 The offices and officers of the court of the Shiogoon 
 have continued, with but little change, from the time 
 of lyeyas down to the recent opening of the country 
 in 1858. The order in which these officers took 
 rank was settled by lyeyas ; but the offices seem to 
 have been more or less in use during the time of 
 his predecessor Taikosama, and had probably existed 
 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 mean- 
 ing low, on a level with the earth. The Shiogoon 
 himself is Jee ngay until he has been ennobled by the 
 Emperor. Till recently, Daimios, except the few 
 whose presence 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 recognised four classes viz., Koku 
 shiu, Ka mong, To sama, and Fudai. The highest 
 class Koku shiu (Kwoh chu) " province lords," 
 
 T 
 
2QO THE DAIMIOS. 
 
 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 con- 
 ciliate 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 pro- 
 vince lords, to which number four have since been 
 added. 
 
 The second class Ka mong (Kia mun), family doors 
 or gates consisted of relatives 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 
 of considerable landed property, and who sided with 
 lyeyas during his struggle for power. 
 
 The fourth the Fudai (Pu 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 are 
 allowed to take a part in official business. In rare 
 cases To sama have given up their rank and privileges 
 in order to participate 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 income from land, as has been said, of 
 10,000 koku of rice. 
 
 The standing of Daimios as a distinct nobility is not 
 recognised at Miako, and it is therefore an object of 
 
THE DAIMIOS. 2QI 
 
 ambition to them to obtain imperial honours at the 
 hand of the Emperor, such honours 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." 1 
 This gives rise, as mentioned before (page 45), 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 endeavouring to obtain a 
 title from the Emperor. If an officer has both de- 
 scriptions of titles, the Kio kwang always takes pre- 
 cedence, 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 carpenters' office. In addition to these 
 designations from provinces by which Daimios are 
 generally known, the Shiogoon has thought to confer 
 higher honour upon some, and to attach 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, 2 but the branch to which lyeyas 
 belonged was known as Matzdaira (a village in Mi- 
 kawa). When the ruling officer is powerful, these 
 
 1 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. 
 
 2 A river and place in the province of Simotsuki. In the same 
 neighbourhood lie the small places called Ashikanga and Nitta, from 
 which originate these family names. 
 
292 THE DAIMIOS. 
 
 lords are proud to use this name ; when he is insigni- 
 ficant, 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 Matzdaira,Daizen no dai bu. 
 
 The higher class of the lords (the Koku shiu), who 
 generally rule over one or more provinces, are fre- 
 quently 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 entrance in Chinese, 
 Chang mun, Japanised into Cho mong. The latter 
 word is dropped, and instead of it " shiu," or province, 
 is added whence Cho shiu, the name by which he 
 is frequently spoken of. Satsuma is thus Sas shiu, 
 Owarri, Bishiu, &c. 
 
 One difficulty in completely understanding the use 
 of the various titles in Japan arises from a confusion 
 in the application of the word " kami." As a title, this 
 word is conferred 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 understood by a native. 
 
 But this is quite a different word from that found 
 in the title of Ee Kamong no kami. This is an im- 
 perial 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 verandahs and outside pathways 
 about the palace. 
 
THE DAIMIOS. 293 
 
 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 em- 
 ployed, implying that he is commander 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 evident 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 such an office as Gengba, which 
 is the office for foreign affairs. 
 
 The term "tono" is still frequently applied to Dai- 
 mios 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 Kwanbakku. The Portuguese writers 
 frequently use " dono." 
 
 " Sama" is the Chinese " yang," and was at first con- 
 ferred upon Ashikanga 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 common 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 restricted 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 
 
294 THE DAIMIOS. 
 
 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 published 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, Oee no ske, Yoshi shigay, 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 Matzdaira. 
 
 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 
 
THE DAIMIOS. 295 
 
 was given to Taikosama, 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 province of 
 Etsizen. 
 
 4. Hidetada ko married a daughter of Taiko, and 
 succeeded his father as Shiogoon. 
 
 5. Tada yoshi ko, commonly called Matzdaira Sat- 
 suma no kami. He got Kioss, in Owarri, a place 
 formerly belonging to Nobu nanga. 
 
 6. Nobu yoshi. 
 
 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 
 families." 
 
 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 
 f hoossa, 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 daughter, married Hideyori, the son of Taiko- 
 sama. 
 
 2. A daughter, married Komatzu. 
 
 3. A daughter, married the son of Etsizen, the third 
 son of lyeyas. 
 
296 THE DAIMIOS. 
 
 4. A daughter, married Kiogoku. 
 
 5. A son, died in infancy. 
 
 6. lyaymitz ko, the third Shiogoon. 
 
 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 midzu no. 
 
 9. Hoshima, Higo no kami, Massa yuki, founder of 
 the family now known as " Aidzu." 
 
 III. 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, Sanaa 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 em- 
 ployed 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, succeeded as Shiogoon. 
 
 VI. lyay nobu, appointed in 1710. He had three 
 children 
 
 1st and 2d were sons, who died young. 
 
THE DAIMIOS. 297 
 
 The youngest 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 Tsnatoshi, 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 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 generally 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. 
 
 XL lyay nari ko, 1787. He had fifty-one children ; 
 
298 THE DAIMIOS. 
 
 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, married Owarri. 
 
 The 3d was lyay yoshi ko, the twelfth Shiogoon of 
 his line. 
 
 The llth, a daughter, married Mito. 
 
 The 13th, a son, became Kii, Dainagoong. His son, 
 lyay mutchi ko, was Shiogoon in 1858 to 1866. 
 
 The 17th, Asahime, married Matzdaira, Etsizen no 
 kami. 
 
 The 26th, Ta yass, afterwards 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, Mikawa no kami, known afterwards 
 as Kakudo sama. He was adopted by Matzdaira 
 Etsigo no kami, and is considered a very able and 
 judicious man, much respected. A party recently 
 wished (in 1858) to make him Shiogoon, but he 
 declined. He has republished, for Japanese use, 
 Kanghi's ' Dictionary of the Chinese Language/ 
 
 The 39th, a daughter, married to Matzdaira, Aki no 
 kami. 
 
 The 41st, a daughter, 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 afterwards 
 became Kii, Dainagoong. 
 
 The 46th, a son, adopted by Etsizen no kami. 
 
 The 47th, a son, adopted by Awa no kami. 
 
THE DAIMIOS. 299 
 
 The 49th, Okura no tayu, adopted by Yamato 110 
 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, 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 himself after- 
 wards adopted a son of Mito, which son was recently, 
 until his abdication (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 Haru taka, 
 son of Kii, thirteenth child of the eleventh Shiogoon, 
 succeeded to the office. The death of lyay sada with- 
 out 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 Tokungawa, Mimboo 
 kio, the ninth son of the twelfth Shiogoon ; the other 
 was the eldest surviving son of the eleventh Shiogoon, 
 and who had been adopted by Kiishiu. It became, 
 
300 THE DAIMIOS. 
 
 therefore, a struggle between the two houses of Mito 
 and Kiishiu, and the Eegent 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 Tokungawa has terminated. 
 
 It has been stated above that the offices about the 
 court of Yedo were all settled by lyeyas. In his tes- 
 tamentary 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 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 
 
THE DAIMIOS. 301 
 
 paid a yearly income by the Shiogoon, each having 
 a separate little court. The three princes are respect- 
 ively 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 mem- 
 ber of his family, it is not likely soon to be filled up. 
 The Go San kio are not styled Daimios. 
 
 The Go TAI no, or EEGENT. In a hereditary juris- 
 diction, 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 founda- 
 tion-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 
 government 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. Pre- 
 vious to the accession of the thirteenth Shiogoon, lyay 
 sada, Ee had gradually crept into 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 
 
302 THE DAIMIOS. 
 
 Begent. Intrigues were rife in Yedo and Miako, and 
 in consequence of his leaning towards 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 no emu, or TOSHI YORI (the senior central 
 officers, or the " Cabinet," as they may be called), con- 
 sists 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 mentioned 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 honour to have been ten years in office, and 
 the Shiogoon in such a case raises the territorial in- 
 come of such officer. This is the most responsible 
 office, and too often in times past has entailed upon 
 its possessors the mistaken duty of retrieving an 
 error by the cowardly retreat of suicide. They are 
 responsible for the whole acts of government, which 
 are supposed either to have originated with them or 
 to have been carried out with their cognisance. 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 
 
THE DAIMIOS. 303 
 
 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 opening up of trade with 
 foreigners, the larger Daimios and Koku 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 towards 
 Miako, where before long the power and responsibility 
 will fall to the corresponding office at the imperial 
 court. 
 
 The Japanese have a saying, that a wealthy man 
 should have little power in the state, but that com- 
 paratively 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 departments. This is the highest 
 office filled by Hattamoto. 
 
 WAKA TOSHI YOKE literally, the younger elders 
 or senators. They are generally five in number, a 
 second Cabinet, or Under-Secretaries of State. They 
 are Fudai Daimios, or Hattamoto. They are fre- 
 quently 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 con- 
 siderable 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 
 
304 THE DAIMIOS. 
 
 of some of the families of distinction in ancient times, 
 such as Nobu nanga, Ashikanga, Yoritomo, Arima, 
 &c. 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 1000 koku per an- 
 num. They are looked upon as men of high rank but 
 little power, being neither Daimios nor Koongays, but 
 between the two. They are occasionally employed to 
 act as proxies for the Shiogoon in state visits to the 
 temples of Nikko or Issd, and have attempted of late 
 to assert their right to act as ambassadors to foreign 
 countries. There are about eighteen Kowokay at 
 present. 
 
 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 Gran no ma Daimios. 1 
 
 JEE SHA (Ch., Sz shie) BOONIO, temple governors. 
 These are described by Ksempfer as " imperial com- 
 missioners, inspectors, protectors, and judges of all the 
 temples and the monks belonging thereunto. This 
 employment is, after the Emperors 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 con- 
 sidered 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 re- 
 ceived, and the like are brought daily in great num- 
 ber to be decided in this court. Again, all criminal 
 cases as rebellion, disregard of the imperial procla- 
 mations and commands, and in general all capital 
 
 1 The room being painted with representations of wild geese. 
 
THE DAIMIOS. 305 
 
 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 con- 
 sent 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 repair, 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 
 registered) in some temple, and whenever he removes 
 his residence, the Nanushi, or head man of the temple, 
 gives a certificate. 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 be- 
 tween priests of one temple with those of another; 
 between Daimios in disputes about boundaries ; be- 
 tween Samurai and Hattamoto, but not between 
 merchants or farmers. The prison under their charge 
 is better kept and under milder restrictions than 
 other prisons. 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 interests with gra- 
 duated degrees of ruling power in Japan render 
 great tact necessary in disputes between these interests. 
 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 neces- 
 
 U 
 
306 THE DAIMIOS. 
 
 sary, 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. 
 
 Eussui are Hattamoto officers, but rank as Dai- 
 mios, who have charge of the apartments of the Shio- 
 goon, 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 Daimios 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 body-guard 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 Hattamoto, each having thirty men under 
 him. 
 
 Owo METSUKI literally, great or senior attached 
 eye. Of these there are five head men. Beneath 
 these are the Metsuki, and an inferior body of men 
 called Katchi metsuki. 
 
THE DAIMIOS. 307 
 
 This is a very important department of the govern- 
 ment 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 understanding 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 customs of officers in reference to 
 state dress, their intended marriages, going and com- 
 ing to Yedo, and visiting elsewhere ; death and mourn- 
 ing of officers ; receiving reports sent in by the 
 branches of the office in the provinces as to the mili- 
 tary equipment of Daimios, the uniforms, devices, 
 flags, which they use ; in regard to religion, and 
 especially the Eoman 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 in a separate 
 branch of the office, under the Do chiu boonio. The 
 book of laws or orders is the Do chiu boonio koko- 
 roee, and, in its present form, seems to have been pub- 
 lished about thirty years ago. 
 
 There were formerly five highways, afterwards 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 travelling. 
 In every village or town along the road these rules 
 are affixed in the To iya or government office, for all 
 
308 THE DAIMIOS. 
 
 the villages upon these highroads are to a certain ex- 
 tent under the control of the government, 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. 
 
 As to children travelling, two in one cango, or 
 mother and child. 
 
 As to members of the Gorochiu when travelling. 
 
 As to different customs, if such officer be travelling 
 on private or public account. 
 
 As to giving a passport to a traveller (Saki buray) ; 
 as to where he is to sleep, and at what hotels he is 
 to stop on the road. 
 
 As to travelling during the night, if it be necessary. 
 
 Kules as to sleeping at towns. 
 
 Eules 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 travelling 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. 
 
 Eules as to going into and leaving hotels on the 
 road. 
 
 Eules as to government goods carried upon the 
 roads. 
 
 As to officers who travel at government expense 
 as the Tenso, Emperor's messengers, &c. 
 
 As to how many porters each Daimio is entitled to, 
 
THE DAIMIOS. 309 
 
 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. 
 
 Eules as to tenants of government lands when they 
 come to Yedo. 
 
 Kules as to the dress and.payment of meshi mori onna 
 that is, servant- women who occasionally act in both 
 capacities in inns. 1 
 
 Laws as to thieves and robbers on the highway. 
 
 1 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 regulations laid down for public women, known as Joro. This 
 name is only applied to those who are kept in government establish- 
 ments 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 regu- 
 lation of the morals are very different in different parts of the empire. 
 In the territories 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 range of prices chargeable by public women is laid 
 down ; a book or directory is published, giving the names of the houses, 
 of the women, of the singing-women, of the servants, of the little girls 
 growing up, of the tea-houses within the enceinte, and the prices 
 chargeable by these tea-houses for things provided. No woman is to be 
 paid more than half a boo ; but the officers wink at the Oayrang, or higher 
 class of women, charging for five or six servants. The finest women 
 in Japan are said to be in Etsizen and Idzumo, where they are famed 
 for the fineness of their complexions and smoothness of skin, with higher 
 noses and little or no 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 offi- 
 cers in Yokuhama seized 108 young women who were suspected of 
 leading immoral lives without a licence from government. The most 
 beautiful public women of Yedo annually take a prominent part in 
 the processions, or matsuri, and their portraits are sold and hung up 
 about the large temples and places of resort. 
 
310 THE DAIMIOS. 
 
 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 re- 
 sponsible for knowing where the path of safety lies, 
 and when it is unsafe 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. 
 
 "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, &c. 
 
 As to servants of Daimios who have died upon the 
 road. 
 
 As to behaviour 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. 
 
THE DAIMIOS. 311 
 
 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 travelling. 
 
 As to porters who have become sick, or who may 
 have run away. 
 
 When sometimes a passport has not been previ- 
 ously given on the road, the Daimio to give to the 
 keeper of the government inn his seal and a paper 
 to this effect. 
 
 Some officers travel free on the road, and their ex- 
 penses become a tax upon the people living in villages 
 along the road, and who are supposed to benefit by 
 the travellers. 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, tra- 
 velled 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., 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 travelling. 
 
 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 dis- 
 tances from Yedo, as Nagasaki and Hakodadi. 
 
 As to Koongays and such high officers when travel- 
 ling. 
 
 As to Eay kayshi, or messengers sent annually to 
 Nikko by the Emperor. 
 
312 THE DAIMIOS. 
 
 As to carriage of ingredients for making gun- 
 powder. 
 
 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 expense with 35 horses and 50 porters. If 
 they require more, they must defray the expense them- 
 selves. 
 
 The " three families," and higher Daimios and Em- 
 peror's messengers, are allowed 100 horses and 100 
 
THE DAIMIOS. 313 
 
 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 insults 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 
 member of the Gorochiu, or the Shoshidai, or tea-jars, 
 &c., must wait till such dignitary is past. Byshing 
 not entitled to a spear are under the same customs as 
 common people. 
 
 Two-sworded men singly meeting the tea -jars, 
 Gorochiu, &c., stop and take off the hat only, but do 
 not kneel down. 
 
THE DAIMIOS. 
 
 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 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, with 
 20 horsemen 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 horsemen and 60 foot- 
 men, is allowed 100 porters; and so downwards in 
 proportion. 
 
 When a Daimio meets a Gromiodai, 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, 
 
THE DAIMIOS. 315 
 
 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 kneeling down, or, if he be 
 riding on horseback, from dismounting. 
 
 To lower Koongays the Daimio must give half the 
 road. 
 
 If a Byshing or Hattamoto is on government busi- 
 ness 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 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 exact- 
 ness must be insisted upon in travelling 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. Not long ago the young Eeyee Kamong 
 
3l6 THE DAIMIOS. 
 
 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. Eeports of everything that goes on through- 
 out the empire are sent in to this office for the infor- 
 mation 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. 
 
 By law every innkeeper is obliged to keep a book 
 (Yado cho), in which every traveller is noted down, 
 and what he may do or say that may be thought 
 worth reporting. Similar 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, &c. These are all for the use of this 
 office. 
 
THE DAIMIOS. 317 
 
 The prevention of the spread of the Eoman Catholic 
 or Jashiu mong sect is one of the cares of Dai Kwang 
 department of the Owo metski office. The names, 
 with the genealogy, of all the families among which 
 there were known to be Eoman Catholic converts, are 
 carefully kept. Boards, called Christang hatto kaki, 
 on which are printed a prohibition of the Christian 
 religion, are put up in every large temple. Indivi- 
 duals belonging to the families under observation are 
 not allowed to move their place of residence with- 
 out permission 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 certifi- 
 cate. 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 Christians all 
 over the western provinces once in three years. When- 
 ever a child is born in a family formerly Christian, 
 notice must be given to the office. Marriages must 
 be reported ; and also the intended adoption of a son. 
 Adopted sons are sometimes thrown back again by 
 the adopting parents, 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 Koman Ca- 
 tholics, but have of late fallen into desuetude ; 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 de- 
 partment, while sitting with others, report, but have 
 neither a voice nor a vote. 
 
 MATCHT BOONIO. The street governors, or, as they 
 
318 THE DAIMIOS. 
 
 may be called, governors or mayors of Yedo. (The 
 Shiogoon himself is considered governor of Yedo, and 
 Mito is hereditary 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-s worded gentry. 
 Their duties are with the streets and police of Yedo. 
 They sit as judges alternately, and take cognisance 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 Goro- 
 chiu, 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 ac- 
 counts 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, superin- 
 tendents 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 honourable occupation. 
 
 Besides these, there are Shta boonio and Fusim 
 
THE DAIMIOS. 319 
 
 boonio, wlio superintend the carpenters of the offices 
 and women's apartments, the wells in the castle, pro- 
 viding tables, boxes, mats, &c. 
 
 GOONG KAN. The naval department has two go- 
 vernors Goong Kan boonio. These may be called 
 Lords of the Admiralty, but until recently the office 
 was one of comparatively minor consideration. There 
 were four naval instructors 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 re- 
 modelled. The government has invested largely in 
 steam- vessels, and has erected steam-works for making 
 and repairing 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 exca- 
 vated 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 HAE. This seems to be an office for 
 young unemployed Hattamoto officers, where records 
 
320 THE DAIMIOS. 
 
 are kept of what each excels in, for the information 
 of government. 
 
 SHIN BAN KASHIRA. School for teaching young 
 officers about the court riding and rifle-shooting, &c. 
 
 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 Nengoro, or, as the translator of the letters writes 
 it, Negroes, in the large monastery of Kumano, in the 
 province of Kii ; and after their buildings were burnt 
 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 manu- 
 facture of bows and arrows, and muskets, rifles, and 
 cannon. 
 
 Another office has the charge of balls, shells, powder, 
 &c. ; and another has the charge of the armoury, con- 
 taining 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 Shiogoon. Six officers keep it when he leaves it 
 temporarily. 
 
 Ni NO MARO RUSSUI BAN. Keepers of the part as- 
 signed 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 
 
THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 321 
 
 one to a district ; each under the charge of a 
 Daimio. 
 
 These guard against fires in the castle, the govern- 
 ment godowns in the town, and the large temples 
 where the tombs of the Shiogoons are. Each bri- 
 gade 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 salamander. 
 Each brigade has overcoats with distinguishing marks, 
 and masks the better to stand the heat. How- 
 ever, in wooden buildings their organisation 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-brigades in Yedo under the Matchi 
 boonio. The town is divided into forty-eight districts, 
 corresponding to the letters of the alphabet I, Eo, Ha, 
 to each district, and there is a brigade. If a fire breaks 
 out in the Ro district, all the men of the Eo brigade go 
 to it. The rest of the town unburnt pays each man of 
 the brigade employed four tenpos, or about 6d., after 
 the fire. 
 
 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 em- 
 ployment. 
 
 At one time fires occurred so frequently in Yedo 
 that a notification was issued that the proprietor of 
 the first house in which a fire should thereafter origi- 
 nate should be transported to the islands. The first 
 offender was Mito. It would not do to transport him, 
 
 x 
 
322 THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 
 
 so he fell upon the plan of borrowing, through the 
 priesthood, on payment of a large sum, 30,000 days 
 from eternity, beyond which time he had little pro- 
 spect 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 depart- 
 ment, 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 NGASHIEA. The officer who superintends 
 the men lining the streets when the Shiogoon goes 
 out, a ceremony, however, which has been recently 
 done away with. 
 
 Jiu EI si HO meaning "ten miles in four direc- 
 tions." Men whose duty it is to take care that no 
 one shoots within ten ri i.e., 25 miles of the castle. 
 Even within this distance there are places in which 
 native sportsmen are allowed to shoot, for which per- 
 mission is given upon application. 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 our recent relations with Japan. 
 This is a sub-branch of the Owo metski office. 
 
 SHIU MONG AEATAME is the branch of the same office 
 which examines into the religion of individuals, espe- 
 cially with the object of restraining the spread of 
 Christianity. 
 
 Do CHIU BOONIO is the officer who has charge of the 
 highroads, bridges, &c., under the Owo metski. 
 
 To ZOKU (Tau tsih catch thief) Hi TSKE is the same 
 
THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 323 
 
 as Kai yaku i.e., reforming officers. This is, in its 
 subordinate 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 government. The whole 
 of society in Japan is permeated by officers 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 a,t 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 exercise, the use of weapons of war, fortification, 
 and military tactics generally, are taught to young 
 officers. There are three officers over the establish- 
 ment, 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 favourite amusement with young officers. They 
 have sticks with basket guards, with which they prac- 
 tise. Before beginning, each puts on an iron wire 
 grating over the head, a bamboo -and -leather belt 
 
324 THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 
 
 round 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 rifle is also very 
 common in the government schools, and in the 
 grounds of Daimios about Yedo. There is a large 
 parade-ground or open country to the back of Yedo 
 for the use of the military, called Hiro ; but so long 
 as the country and its military power are divided 
 among the Shiogoon and so many Daimios, no one is 
 wealthy enough to keep a standing army properly 
 equipped. 
 
 NAKA KAWA BANSHO. An office for the examination 
 of boats coming from and passing to the interior by the 
 communicating branch of the river the Naka gawa. 
 Upon this stream boats can go to the provinces on the 
 north-west, 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 quan- 
 tity of land as gardens that an officer may hold in 
 Yedo is regulated by his official income. 1 
 
 1 (One tsubo=36 square feet.) An income of from 
 
 300 to 900 koku may have 500 tsubo= 18,000 sq. ft. 
 1000 to 1900 700 25,200 
 
 2900 1000 36,000 
 
 4000 1500 54,000 
 
THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 325 
 
 And so on up to 150,000, whose allotment is 7000 
 tsubo, or about 500 feet square. 
 
 There are sword-keepers of the Shiogoon, and also 
 keepers 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 frequently handsome presents are 
 voluntarily made by Daimios, perhaps in some cases 
 for favours 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 
 symbol 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 delicacy. 
 
 On the fourth and eighth months, the same fish pre- 
 served in vinegar. 
 
 On the sixth month, the first day, ice. It is a cus- 
 tom in Japan to use ice upon that day. 
 
 On the sixth and seventh months, musk melon. 
 
 In hot weather, in summer, anything he thinks may 
 please. 
 
 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. 
 
326 THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 
 
 A present from an inferior to a superior, as from a 
 Daimio 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 
 business, and others for government business. 
 
 There are professors or teachers of the works and 
 writings of Confucius. There is a school or college 
 for the study of foreign books ; but the school was 
 lately entirely remodelled, and greater encouragement 
 given to the study of foreign languages, books, and 
 arts and sciences. 
 
 There is an observatory, with astronomers, com- 
 pilers of the almanac, &c. 
 
 Nineteen physicians attend upon the Shiogoon, five 
 of whom practise after the European system, and 
 fourteen after the Chinese. There are five surgeons, 
 of whom one practises according to the European sys- 
 tem, and medical officers for treatment by accupunc- 
 ture 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 
 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 doc- 
 tors 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. 
 
THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 327 
 
 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 Shiogoon, and keeps the accounts of the expendi- 
 ture 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. 
 
 KAMA 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 sea-side. It is one 
 of the places offered to the foreign ministers for resi- 
 dences in Yedo, and refused by them upon, possibly, 
 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 medi- 
 cinal herbs, and officers who have charge of the 
 curtains used for concealment or privacy. These 
 "macu" have been sometimes thought by foreigners 
 to be intended to represent forts ; but they are con- 
 stantly used in Japan by pleasure -parties and others 
 
328 THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 
 
 wishing to be in the open air, and yet to enjoy a little 
 privacy ; and it is considered rude to look over the 
 edge of one at the party enclosed. 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. 
 
 KOOKA BOONIO. Officers in charge of the rice store- 
 houses 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 degrad- 
 ing to speak of paying money in salary. Even pre- 
 sents 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 1 ngo of rice ; now it is only 5 ngo, or about 
 2 Ib. 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 production. Retainers 
 are paid 30 piculs a-year, and half a sho (1^ Ib. of 
 
THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 329 
 
 rice) per diem. In government payments the rice is 
 measured in boxes, not weighed. The Chinese picul 
 is equal to 133 lb., but the Japanese was generally 
 larger, and ranged from about 150 to 160 lb. The 
 koku, therefore, would be 450 to 500 lb. According 
 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 planting, cutting, &c. Special officers 
 have charge of the Shiogoon's pleasure-barges on the 
 river. A tax or licence is imposed upon all boats 
 plying on the river at Yedo, collected by another 
 officer. 
 
 TATTAME BOONIO. Officer to look after thematsabout 
 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 sea-coast. 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 partition- 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 extensive 
 building such as the palace is. 
 
 There is a jeweller to the court, and auditors of 
 
330 THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 
 
 accounts, who are also assayers or examiners of gold 
 and silver. 
 
 There are teachers~of riding to the Shiogoon, and 
 veterinary surgeons and horsebreakers. 
 
 KATCHI ME TSKI. A low class of spies. These are 
 kept secretly by government, and are employed in 
 nominal employments, in houses, shops, or wherever 
 information is likely to be obtained. They are fre- 
 quently grooms, as in this capacity they accompany 
 their masters wherever they go. They write down 
 whatever they hear or see that is suspicious : 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 
 sufficiently 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 found upon 
 them, they are put to death and the paper is sent to 
 the government. No notice is afterwards taken of 
 such a deed. It is looked upon as a dangerous pro- 
 fession, and they know the risk, but they are gene- 
 rally well paid. Daimios use them also. Mito had 
 a man some years ago (1862) in the employ of Ikeda, 
 then governor of Yedo. He watched his master in- 
 triguing against his lord, and assassinated him. An 
 officer was long in the employ of H.M. Consulate at 
 Yokuhama, 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 
 
THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 331 
 
 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 govern- 
 ment officers 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. 
 
 TOSHIBA BOONIO. Toshiba is the name of a penal 
 establishment on the island of Tsukudajima, at the 
 mouth of the Tedo 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 con- 
 sidered government officials conducting the business 
 of their departments in offices in Tedo. But as the 
 office of Shiogoon is in abeyance, and there is not 
 much probability in the altered circumstances of the 
 State of such an office being restored, it remains to be 
 seen in what manner the government is to be here- 
 after carried on ; and whether the Court of Miako, 
 which is now temporarily removed to Tedo, 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 Shiogoon in Tedo. 
 
 THE Hio jo SHIO the Board of Deliberation. This 
 is a large place of meeting for deliberation in Tedo, 
 outside of the palace-moat, and close to the residences 
 of the Gorochiu. On fixed days of every month cer- 
 tain officers sit here for the discharge of their duties. 
 
332 THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 
 
 These seem to be to receive complaints against offi- 
 cers, and to decide cases brought before them for 
 judgment. Upon other fixed days, all Daimios or 
 Hatamoto upon duty in Yedo seem to have the right, 
 or are called upon as a duty, to meet for the discus- 
 sion of political matters laid before them. Hio jo 
 means to deliberate or hold a consultation ; and at 
 these times the Gorochiu, AVakadoshi yori, Owo me 
 tski, and other officers, meet here for general talk and 
 deliberation upon affairs affecting the government. 
 
 Within the palace Daimios meet in rooms accord- 
 ing 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 occasion 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 dis- 
 position, and that once in every month it should be 
 the duty of the Shiogoon to go to the assembly 
 without previous intimation, and there act as judge 
 in such cases as were brought before him. 
 
 Immediately in front of the building stands a box, 
 known as the Mayassu hako. Into this box any one 
 may put a paper of complaint upon any subject which 
 he wishes to bring before the assembly. These papers, 
 
THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 333 
 
 " Mayassu," are taken out and examined, and those 
 which are signed are discussed, those which have no 
 signature are burnt. There are similar boxes at Miako 
 and Osaka. 
 
 The following may be taken as a sketch, "or very 
 imperfect translation, of the matters which come 
 under the cognisance 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 belong- 
 ing to, a temple, and which is frequently let as shops, 
 &c. ; or in reference to Go rio, ground belonging to 
 the Shiogoon ; or Shi rio, ground belonging to Dai- 
 mios 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 governor of Yedo. 
 
 3. In the Kwang hasshiu, or eight provinces imme- 
 diately around Yedo Awa, Kadsusa, Simosa, Hitatse, 
 Simotsuki, Kowotsuki, Segami, and Musasi disputes 
 between the tenants of the Shiogoon and those of 
 Daimios or Dai kangs are to be referred to the treas- 
 ury governor. These three governors 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 
 decision has been given. 
 
 7. In regard to petitions from friends to let a 
 
334 THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 
 
 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. 
 
 1 0. 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 political business is discussed. The 4th, 13th, 
 and 25th, " Tatchi yeibi," the officers meet as judges 
 to decide cases. On the 6th, 18th, and 27th, "Uchi 
 yori yeibi," secret meeting - days, the officers meet 
 to examine and discuss secret political matters 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 reference to complaints against the 
 Gorochiu, Wakatoshiyori, or Owometski. 
 
 14. Complaints against Yakunins, or officers on 
 duty outside of Yedo, are to be referred to the 
 Shiogoon. 
 
 15. Disputes as to water for irrigation, and em- 
 bankments 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 compared with the " Midzu cho " 
 (water book, or register), kept in the Daikang Office for 
 the registration of boundaries and property. 
 
THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 335 
 
 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, &c., 
 which is a common offence. 
 
 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 entertained in cases of arson, theft, murder, 
 either as principal or accomplice, striker of father or 
 mother or master, gamblers, head men of villages con- 
 victed of extorting money, mikassa (literally three 
 hats), l and men who have bought young girls se- 
 cretly. These crimes are not to be pardoned. 
 
 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 offence is committed. 
 
 24. In cases of discovery of a long antecedently 
 committed murder. 
 
 1 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 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 pur- 
 chaser marks ten, and speculates upon his hitting some or all of the 
 same as were marked at the office. 
 
336 THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 
 
 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 
 Hakonay and Aral, without the knowledge of the offi- 
 cers stationed 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 vil- 
 lage. If a man wishes to shoot or sport near Yedo, he 
 must get a licence 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 natures > on the hunting -lands of the 
 Shiogoon. 
 
 29. In towns, if a man have committed a small 
 offence, 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 enrol 
 his name in the official register. 
 
 32. If a man offer a bribe to an officer he is to 
 be severely 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 
 remonstrance against his oppression to the Hio jo 
 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 culti- 
 
THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 337 
 
 vation, 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 
 government taxes upon ground occupied by them. 
 
 39. In regard to loans of money, of which twenty 
 different kinds are alluded to to a friend, to a 
 temple, &c. 
 
 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 in- 
 terest 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 theatres quarrel; if a collector uses sub- 
 scriptions 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 dis- 
 missed. 
 
 44. If one creditor refuses to have a composition. 
 
 45. The officers may settle the time to be allowed 
 to pay off a debt, after which the securities may be 
 
 Y 
 
338 THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 
 
 taken. For 1000 cobangs, 12 months to be allowed; 
 for 30 cobangs, 40 days. 
 
 46. When property already mortgaged is given in 
 security. 
 
 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 rela- 
 tives 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 
 responsible. 
 
 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 
 
THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 339 
 
 it and exposes 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. Nanushi often have much power 
 and become wealthy. lyeyas in his laws tried to pre- 
 vent 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 
 generally 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 punish- 
 ment. 
 
 61. If a man sells his wife to the Yosiwara without 
 reason, he is to be beheaded. But if the wife agrees 
 to be so sold, and they are very poor, they may make 
 such an arrangement. 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 attempt and do not succeed, they are to be ex- 
 
340 THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 
 
 posed 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. (A few 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 transported. What these may mean 
 it is difficult to find out; but possibly they are names 
 for some form of religion, either Christianity or Maho- 
 medanism. 
 
 66. No one is allowed to introduce new forms of 
 religion 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 
 gambling, 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. 
 
THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 341 
 
 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 some- 
 times done in Yedo), on meeting a respectable man, 
 suddenly accuses him of striking him, or says he is 
 married to his daughter, 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 sus- 
 tained. 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 burnt to death. 
 
 84. A reward to be given to the man who detects him. 
 
 85. As to murder of different kinds. In cases of ac- 
 cidental 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-defence. 
 
 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 accident, he is banished from 
 towns and villages. 
 
 88. If a man is angry with another for marrying a 
 
342 THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 
 
 girl he is in love with, and breaks in the door and 
 causes a disturbance. 
 
 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 offences 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 arrested and confined, but this Chinese plan is not 
 commonly used in Japan. 
 
 98. Go wo mong examination by torture, as strik- 
 ing, 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. 
 
 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. 
 
THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 343 
 
 105. If he is ejected a second time lie 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 Naga- 
 saki) 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 drunk 
 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 Tsukudajima for one thousand days, and 
 at the end of that time the profits of his labour 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. Eules as to pawning and pawn-shops. Pawn- 
 shops charge very high interest about 10 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. 
 
344 THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 
 
 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, 
 
 117. If a man tries to conceal or prevent the con- 
 fiscation of his ground. 
 
 118. When the son of a criminal of high rank 
 wishes to shave his head and become 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 
 difference 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 com- 
 plaint is made, he is to be punished. 
 
 121. What is to be done with criminals who have 
 been confined for slight offences upon their liberation. 
 
 122. Different kinds of punishment for different 
 offences. Of these there are specified forty-six. 
 
 In case of disputes between persons belonging to 
 the four provinces round Miako, Yamasliiro, 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 governor of 
 Osaka. 
 
THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 345 
 
 No taxes are paid in Miako. 
 
 If a murder or arson be committed within the ter- 
 ritory 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 trans- 
 portation, 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 JIG SHIO RUSSUI are four officers who have charge 
 of the building when not used. 
 
 Eo BAN. Keeper of the prison (roya). The 
 execution-ground is at the south-east corner of the 
 prison, under a willow-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 em- 
 bankment, to prevent fires reaching it. If a fire 
 occurs within the building the prisoners are all libe- 
 rated, and those who return have their punishment 
 mitigated. 
 
 Jo wo no SAMA. These are female officers. They are 
 twelve daughters of Koongays in Miako, who reside 
 in the palace at Yedo to superintend all the females, 
 servants, &c., and to look after their manners and 
 morals. They are always unmarried while in office, 
 but sometimes marry Daimios. They generally come 
 to the palace young, and are instructed there in their 
 
 
346 THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 
 
 duties. They have the opportunity of having great 
 power, being at liberty to write to Miako about any- 
 thing they may deem improper either in the conduct 
 of the ladies, women, or men of the court of Yedo, or 
 of the Shiogoon himself. 
 
 OFFICEKS 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, maintaining 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 Shio- 
 goon 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 tendency to be won over to the 
 party of the Emperor was great, and it is now gene- 
 rally intrusted to a Fudai. His duty is to act as a 
 go-between or ambassador 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 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 Shio- 
 goon gave him an addition to his income of 10,000 
 koku per annum. He fell into disgrace with the Em- 
 peror, and committed suicide in 1862. The Emperor 
 accused him of telling him falsehoods, while Sakai 
 did not know that the accounts furnished him were 
 
THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 347 
 
 not true. Had he not committed suicide, his property 
 would have been taken from his son. His father com- 
 mitted 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. 
 
 Nuio DZEI BAN. The castle of the Shiogoon in 
 Miako is called Mjio. Two Daimios, and men under 
 them, are appointed guards or governors of the castle. 
 
 There is a keeper of the storehouses in Miako be- 
 longing 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 licences 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 altogether keepers of the castle of Osaka. 
 
 OSAKA MATCHI BOONIO is street governor of Osaka. 
 
 FUNATE is head officer over the boats and boatmen. 
 
 KOHOO, or KOFU. The capital town of Kahi pro- 
 
348 THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 
 
 vince, or Koshiu, where the Shiogoon has a large castle, 
 built by Takeda Singeng. Hattamoto that have fallen 
 into the black books of the government for vicious 
 conduct, or immorality, drinking, &c., are sent to this 
 castle. Sometimes as many as 500 Hattamoto are 
 there in a sort of arrest, under surveillance before 
 being again employed. 
 
 NAGASAKI BOONTO. 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. 
 
 NAERA BOONIO. Governor of Narra, the ancient 
 and ecclesiastical capital of Japan, a short distance 
 from Miako. 
 
 SOOKPU (Suruga no fu) is the castle of Suruga, built 
 by Imangawa, and occupied by lyeyas some years 
 before his death, and which is now 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 prede- 
 cessors 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 gate-keeper. In the province of Isse, at the 
 great temple there, the Shiogoon is represented by an 
 officer, Yamada booDio. 
 
 Over the town of Sakkai, near Osaka, is a governor. 
 
THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 349 
 
 OORAGA BOONIO. The " gate " or seaport of Yedo 
 below Kanagawa, in the bay of Yedo ; has two gover- 
 nors. At Ooraga all junks and boats are examined 
 by customhouse officials. 
 
 SADO BOONIO. Two governors of the island of Sado, 
 where are the gold-mines. 
 
 NEEGATA BOONIO. One governor of the town. This 
 port 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 harbour, and was 
 one of the ports opened to foreign trade by treaty; but 
 the harbour was found, or supposed to be, too shallow 
 for large ships. It has fallen off considerably in trade 
 and wealth since government took possession 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 generally very modest and unassuming 
 memorials. From the roof of the temple at Nikko 
 is hung a large chandelier presented 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 are of recent appointment, as a conse- 
 quence 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 
 
350 THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 
 
 connected with trade. They are Hattamoto of rental 
 varying from 150 to 3000 koku per annum. 
 
 KANAGAWA BOONIO. There are two Hattamoto, 
 governors of this village, now risen into importance. 
 The one is a man of 5000 koku, the other of 1200. 
 
 SEKI SHO. In the different provinces of Japan 
 there are passes upon the roads, where, 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 them. They are 
 
 Hakonay upon the Tokaido. Sengo ku bara. 
 Neboo kawa. Kawa mura. 
 
 Yangura sawa. Tanega mura. 
 
 In the province of Towotomi there are three gates 
 Imangiri, Arai, and Kenga. 
 
 In Kowotsuki are fourteen barriers 
 
 Fkushima. Kawa mata. 
 
 Go shina. Sarunga harra. 
 
 Owo watari, and Owo sassa. 
 
 another. Dai-ito. 
 
 Oossui. Kari jigu. 
 
 Yoko-ngawa. Minami maki. 
 
 Koori. Tokura. 
 
 In Etsingo province are five barriers 
 
 Itchi foori. Mooshi kawa. 
 
 Hatchi dzaki. Yama ngootchi. 
 
 Seki ngawa. 
 
THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 351 
 
 In the province of Sinano six 
 
 Kiu ooclii ji. Ono ngawa. 
 
 Nami ai. Fkushima. 
 
 Obi kawa. M engawa. 
 
 In the province of Simosa four 
 
 Seki yado. Fusa kawa. 
 
 Matsudo. Nakatta. 
 
 In the province of Musashi four 
 
 Kobo toki. Itchi kawa. 
 
 Ko iwa. Kana matchi. 
 
 In the province of Owomi three 
 
 Yama naka, Yana ngassay, and another. 
 
 At these barriers no woman is allowed to pass with- 
 out a passport from the governor of Yedo. No Daimio 
 is allowed to bring cannon or muskets past a barrier 
 without permission. 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 pro- 
 perty of government, on the Kisso hills, under charge 
 of Chimura, a Hattamoto. 
 
 KOONDAI (Kiun tai) is an officer who has the 
 superintendence of all the Shiogoon's Jand in the dif- 
 ferent 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 similar to and under the Koondai. They look 
 after the ground and crops on the ground belonging 
 to government. They calculate the amount payable 
 
352 THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 
 
 by rice-fields. To ascertain this they frequently cut a 
 tsubo (six feet square) dry, and thrash it, and calcu- 
 late the product of the whole field therefrom. They 
 receive the rents, make leases, and act as factors 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 san in Tajima, and from Iwami province. In 
 some of the territories 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, pre- 
 viously mentioned which prevents the natives using 
 cither 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 jewellery of any kind neither 
 ear-rings, 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 realise their 
 
THE COURT OF THE SHIOGOON. 353 
 
 value, must take them to the only market, which is go- 
 vernment. The government thus has the power of de- 
 claring what value it will put upon these precious metals, 
 and pays accordingly for silver bullion thirty per cent 
 below the value which is afterwards put upon the coin. 1 
 
 Lastly, among the establishments kept up by the 
 Shiogoon 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 entirely to 
 conceal the interior. The water is brought from a 
 considerable distance from the Tarn a 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 Ovvometski and Kanjo 
 office. The Nishi maro is intended for the occupation 
 of the child or children of the Shiogoon, or for his 
 father if he have abdicated. It is therefore frequently 
 empty, and in that case officers have charge of the build- 
 ing, who are known as Nishi maro russui. 
 
 Within the circuit of the castle grounds are the 
 residences of the Gosankioh the three princes, Stots- 
 bashi, Tayass, and Saymidzu. 
 
 1 In the reports from H.M. Treasury and the consuls in Japan, this 
 despotic action of government has not been taken into consideration. 
 In these reports " bullion " is spoken of as if it were the same as bul- 
 lion in Europe ; but this shows two kinds of bullion existing with us, 
 the silver or gold as extracted from the mines and melted into bars, 
 and the silver or gold used as articles of luxury or ornament. It is 
 this latter bullion which gives the value to the precious metals. The 
 Mint in Japan has all along desired to insist upon dollars and foreign 
 coin being reckoned on par with their own silver bars, in order that 
 it may not lose its thirty per cent profit out of recoinage. 
 
 Z 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 IN the official list of Daimios published at Yedo the 
 pedigree 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 Shiogoon and Gorochiu ; the shape and 
 colour of the leather covering 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 
 carries on his ships, and the large mark upon his 
 sails ; the amount of his territorial income ; the pro- 
 vinces in which his property lies ; the distance of his 
 
THE DAIMIO CLASS. 355 
 
 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 fami- 
 lies (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 Mi to. 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, Musashi, 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. 
 
 List of Daimios in 1862. 
 The first in the list is 
 
 1. Owarri, 
 
356 
 
 THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 
 Rank. 
 
 Province. 
 
 City. 
 
 Income n 
 Koku. 
 
 1. Owarri, Jiu san mi, Chiunagoon. 
 
 S. K. 
 
 Owarri Nagoya 
 
 610,500 
 
 He is commonly spoken of as 
 
 
 
 
 "Bishiu," from the Chinese sound 
 
 
 
 
 
 of the word Owarri. * The present 
 
 
 
 
 
 Daimio is a boy who was placed 
 
 
 
 
 
 in the position by the Regent Ee, 
 
 
 
 
 
 when he obtained the degrada- 
 
 
 
 
 
 tion and disgrace of the preced- 
 
 
 
 
 
 ing holder as a political oppon- 
 
 
 
 
 
 ent. He is a son of Matzdaira 
 
 
 
 
 
 Setsu no kami, and was a rela- 
 
 
 
 
 
 tive of the previous Daimio. The 
 
 
 
 
 
 territory of each Daimio is a small 
 
 
 
 
 
 government within itself, having 
 
 
 
 
 
 a minister or secretary, called 
 
 
 
 
 
 Karo, and gentlemen retainers, 
 
 
 
 
 
 or Byshing, having more or less 
 
 
 
 
 
 wealth, rank, and power in the 
 
 
 
 
 
 territory. They confine them- 
 
 
 
 
 
 selves to the business of their 
 
 
 
 
 
 masters' territory; but their po- 
 
 
 
 
 
 sition is sometimes recognised by 
 
 
 
 
 
 the Yedo government, as having 
 
 
 
 
 
 a responsibility with their lord, 
 
 
 
 
 
 that the State should take no de- 
 
 
 
 
 
 triment through their actions. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Some Byshing are wealthier men 
 
 
 
 
 
 than the majority of the Daimios, 
 
 
 
 
 
 dwelling in splendid castles, one 
 
 
 
 
 
 of which may be seen at Mihar- 
 
 
 
 
 
 ra, in the inland sea. There are 
 
 
 
 
 
 ten Byshing in Owarri, some of 
 
 
 
 
 
 whom are descendants of men 
 
 
 
 
 
 well known in native history, 
 
 
 
 
 
 such are Takegoshi at Kioss, Nar- 
 
 
 
 
 
 ussay at Eenooyama, Ishikawa, 
 
 
 
 
 
 known as Watanabe Hanzo, &c. 
 
 
 
 
 
 2. Matzdaira Han jiro, son of Matzdaira 
 
 Kam. 
 
 Mino 
 
 Takass 
 
 30,000 
 
 Setsu no kami, a cadet of Owarri. 
 
 
 
 
 
 3. Kii Jiu san mi, Chiunagoon, known 
 
 S. K. 
 
 Kii 
 
 Wakayama 
 
 555,000 
 
 as Kiishiu one of the San Kay. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Has six Byshing, of whom Ando 
 
 
 
 
 
 Hida no kami has territory yield- 
 
 
 
 
 
 ing 38,000 koku, and is the lineal 
 
 
 
 
 
 representative of the family of the 
 
 
 
 
 
 late president of the cabinet, Ando 
 
 
 
 
 
 Tsussima no kami. 
 
 
 
 
 
 4. Matzdaira, Sa Kio no daibu, a 
 
 Kam. 
 
 lyo 
 
 Seijo 
 
 30,000 
 
 cadet of Kii. He married the 
 
 
 
 
 
 All the Kokushiu are spoken of thus, as G-ayshiu, Choshiu, Sasshiu, &c. 
 
THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 357 
 
 
 Rank. 
 
 Province. 
 
 City. 
 
 Income in 
 Koku. 
 
 daughter of the late Kwanbakku 
 
 
 
 
 
 Itchi jo. 
 
 
 
 
 
 5. Matzdaira Sa Hio yay no kami. 
 
 Kam. 
 
 Kowotsuki 
 
 Yada 
 
 10,000 
 
 6. Mito, Jiu san mi, Chiunagoon, is 
 
 S. K. 
 
 Hitatsi 
 
 Mito 
 
 350,000 
 
 Fooku Shiogoon, orVice-Shiogoon 
 
 
 
 
 
 for Yedo. Married a daughter of 
 
 
 
 
 
 a Koongay, Hirohatta. Thefamily 
 
 
 
 
 
 has allied itself by marriage to 
 
 
 
 
 
 the highest in the empire the 
 
 
 
 
 
 Emperor and the Gosekkay. The 
 
 
 
 
 
 present Shiogoon (1868) was 
 
 
 
 
 
 adopted by Stotsbashi from the 
 
 
 
 
 
 Mito family. There are five 
 
 
 
 
 
 wealthy Byshing in the territory. 
 
 
 
 
 
 7. Matzdaira Sanuki no kami, a ca- 
 
 Kam. 
 
 Sanuki 
 
 Takanaatz 
 
 120,000 
 
 det of Mito. The last Daimio 
 
 
 
 
 
 was murdered in bed by a concu- 
 
 
 
 
 
 bine from Mito, as a political vic- 
 
 
 
 
 
 tim to his friendship for his 
 
 
 
 
 
 father-in-law, the Regent Ee. 
 
 
 
 
 
 8. Matzdaira Dai Kaku no kami, a 
 
 Kam. 
 
 Mootz 
 
 Moriyama 
 
 20,000 
 
 cadet of Mito. 
 
 
 
 
 
 9. Matzdaira Harima no kami, a ca- 
 
 Kam. 
 
 Hitatsi 
 
 Futchiu 
 
 20,000 
 
 det of Mito. Married a daughter 
 
 
 
 
 
 of Nijio dono. 
 
 
 
 
 
 10. Matzdaira Oee no kami Chosan no 
 
 Kam. 
 
 Hitatsi 
 
 Sisido 
 
 10,000 
 
 daibu. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Etsizen Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 11. Matzdaira Mikawa no kami. 
 
 Kam. 
 
 Mimasaka 
 
 Tsuyama 
 
 100,000 
 
 12. Matzdaira Etsizen no kami, a 
 
 Kok. 
 
 Etsizen 
 
 Fookui 
 
 320,000 
 
 young boy who succeeded upon 
 
 
 
 
 
 the degradation of his relative in 
 
 
 
 
 
 1858. After the assassination of 
 
 
 
 
 
 the Regent the latter rose again 
 
 
 , 
 
 
 
 to power under the title of Shoon- 
 
 
 
 
 
 gaku Sosai. By his influence and 
 
 
 
 
 
 intrigues he undermined the power 
 
 
 
 
 
 of the Shiogoon, and overthrew 
 
 
 
 
 
 the whole system founded by 
 
 
 
 
 
 lyeyas of Daimios being alter- 
 
 
 
 
 
 nately at Yedo and in the pro- 
 
 
 
 
 
 vinces, and thereby brought about 
 
 
 
 
 
 the unsettled state of things at 
 
 
 
 
 
 present existing. 
 
 
 
 
 
 13. Matzdaira Jitzu no ske. 
 
 Kam. 
 
 Etsingo 
 
 Itoingawa 
 
 10,000 
 
 14 Matzdaira Dewa no kami. He was 
 
 Kam. 
 
 Idzunio 
 
 Matsuyay 
 
 186,000 
 
 adopted as son to marry the 
 
 
 
 
 
 "lyay no Moussmi," or daughter 
 
 
 
 
 
 of the house a common method 
 
 
 
 
 
 of securing the inheritance in 
 
 
 
 
 
 Japan and China. 
 
 
 
 
 
358 
 
 THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 
 Rank. 
 
 Province. 
 
 City. 
 
 Income in : 
 Koku. 
 
 15. Matzdaira Sado no kami. Kara. 
 
 Idzumo 
 
 Hirossay 
 
 30,000 
 
 16. Matzdaira Setsu no sing (or ske). 
 
 Kam. 
 
 Idzumo 
 
 Mori 
 
 10,000 
 
 17. Matzdaira Yamato no kami. 
 
 Kara. 
 
 Musashi Kawagoi j 170,000 
 
 18. Matzdaira H iobu no Tayu. 
 
 Kam. 
 
 Harima 
 
 Akashi 100,000 
 
 19. Matzdaira Higo no kami, generally 
 
 Kok. 
 
 Mootz 
 
 Aidzu 230,000 
 
 known as " Aidzu." 
 
 
 
 20.'*'Hoshina Dan jo no chiu. 
 
 Kam. 
 
 Kadsusa Eeno 20,000 
 
 Mayedda Family. 
 
 
 1 
 
 21. Kanga Jiu san mi, Chiunagoon. He 
 
 Kok. 
 
 Kanga Kanesawa 1,027,000 
 
 married a daughter of the Shio- 
 
 
 
 
 
 goon. His son has married a 
 
 
 
 
 
 daughter of the late Kwanbakku 
 
 
 
 
 
 : Takatskasa. The family say that 
 
 
 
 
 
 lyeyas promised to divide the 
 
 
 
 
 
 chief power with their ancestor. 
 
 
 
 
 
 His house at Yedo is called a 
 
 
 
 
 
 Koya, and considered a fort. 
 
 
 
 
 
 22. Matzdaira Cho matz. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Etsjiu 
 
 Toyama j 100,000 
 
 23. Matzdaira Hida no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Kanga 
 
 Daishoji 
 
 100,000 
 
 24. Mayedda Tango no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Kowotsuki 
 
 Nanukaitchi 
 
 10,000 
 
 Shimadzu Family. 
 
 
 
 
 25. Matzdaira or Shimadzu Shuri no 
 
 Kok. 
 
 Satsuma 
 
 Kagosima 
 
 710,000 
 
 daibu, is unmarried, young. He 
 
 
 Ohosumi 
 
 
 
 was installed as Daimio in 1857 
 
 
 Hiuga 
 
 
 
 by the Regent (who degraded his 
 
 
 Liookioo 
 
 
 
 uncle). This boy is the son of 
 
 Islands 
 
 
 
 Shimadzu Saburo, who was brother 
 
 
 
 
 
 of the last Daimio, who is said to 
 
 
 
 
 
 have committed suicide at Fu- 
 
 
 
 
 
 shimi. The father of the late 
 
 
 
 
 
 Shiogoon married a daughter of 
 
 
 
 
 
 Saburo, but she had no children. 
 
 
 
 
 
 The family of Shimadzu have been 
 
 
 
 
 
 for a very long time in Kiusiu, 
 
 
 
 
 
 and are, in addition, rulers of the 
 
 
 
 
 
 Liookioo Islands. Shimadzu Sa- 
 
 
 
 
 
 buro is the man who killed Mr 
 
 
 
 
 
 Richardson in 1862. The family 
 
 
 
 
 
 crest is still, as it was in the days 
 
 
 
 
 
 of Francis Xavier, a white cross in 
 
 
 
 
 
 a circle. 
 
 
 
 
 26. Shimadzu Awadsi no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Hiuga Sadoharra 
 
 27,070 
 
 Datte Family. 
 
 
 
 
 27. Matzdaira Mootz no kami, com- 
 
 Kok. 
 
 Mootz Sendai 
 
 325,600 
 
 monly known as "Sendai." One of 
 
 
 1 
 
 | 
 
 the three large Kokushiu May- 
 
 
 ; 
 
 
 edda, Shimadzu, and Datte. He 
 
 
 
 
 married a daughter of Mito, but 
 
 - 
 
 
 
 has no son. He is also Chinji foo j 
 
 
THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 359 
 
 Rank. 
 
 no Shiogoon, the military com- 
 mander-in-chief for the north. 
 There are several wealthy By- 
 shing under Sendai. 
 
 28. Tamura Iwajiro. ! Toz. 
 
 29. Datte, Towotomi no kami. j Toz. 
 
 30. Datte, Wakasa no kami, married Toz. 
 
 Shitnadzu Awadsi no kami's sister. 
 He is one of the few Daimios 
 that have the reputation of being 
 wealthy not having bis lands 
 burdened with debt. 
 
 Province. 
 
 City. 
 
 Hossokawa Family. 
 
 31. Hossokawa Etsjiu no kami. He 
 
 married the daughter of one of 
 the highest Koongays, Itchi jo 
 Sadaijin 
 
 32. Hossokawa Wakasa no kami. 
 
 33. Hossokawa Shumay no ske". 
 
 34. Hossokawa Genba no kami. 
 
 Kurodti Family. 
 
 35. Matzdaira Mino no kami. 
 
 36. Kuroda Toku no ske". 
 
 37. Kuroda Isse no kami. 
 
 38. 
 
 39. 
 
 Family. 
 
 Matzdaira Aki no kami. He is 
 known as "Gayshiu," from his 
 province. His mother was daugh- 
 ter of the eleventh Shiogoon. 
 
 Matzdaira Owomi no kami. 
 
 Mowori Family. 
 
 40. Matzdaira Dai zen no daibu, com- 
 
 monly called "Choshiu," from 
 the Chinese sound of Nagashiu. 
 He is an adopted son, and married 
 the daughter of one of his Byshing, 
 and his heir is an adopted son. 
 He is guardian of the straits of 
 Simonoseki. The territories of 
 the family have dwindled down 
 from the time when he opposed 
 lyeyas, and ruled over eleven pro- 
 vinces. He has lately got into 
 difficulties with the Shiogoon and 
 foreigners, but is looked on with 
 favour by the Emperor. 
 
 41. Mowori Awadsi no kami. He 
 
 married Choshiu's sister, and 
 
 Kok. 
 
 Toz. 
 Toz. 
 Toz. 
 
 Kok. 
 Toz. 
 Fud. 
 
 Mootz 
 
 lyo 
 
 lyo 
 
 Higo 
 
 Higo 
 Higo 
 Hitatsi 
 
 Tsikuzeii 
 Tsikuzen 
 Kadsusa 
 
 Kok. Aki 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Kok. 
 
 Itchinoseki 
 
 Ooajima 
 
 Yoshida 
 
 Aki 
 
 Nagato and 
 Suwo 
 
 Kumamoto 
 
 Shinden 
 
 Oodo 
 
 Yatab6 
 
 Fookuoka 
 Akidzuki 
 Kuroori 
 
 Hiroshima 
 
 Near Hiro- 
 shima 
 
 Toz. i Suwo 
 
 Tokuyama 
 
360 
 
 THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Rank. 
 
 Province. 
 
 City. 
 
 income in 
 Koku. 
 
 adopted the son of the next on 
 
 
 
 
 
 the list, who has married the 
 
 
 
 
 
 heiress. 
 
 
 
 
 42. Mowori Sa kio no ske*. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Nagato 
 
 Futchu 
 
 50,000 
 
 43. Mowori Sanuki no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Nagato 
 
 Kiossuyay 
 
 10,000 
 
 Mowori Family of another line. 
 
 
 
 
 
 44. Mowori Awa no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Boongo 
 
 Sayeki 
 
 20,000 
 
 Nabeshima Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 45. Matzdaira Hizen no kami is one 
 
 Kok. 
 
 Hizen 
 
 Saga 
 
 357,000 
 
 of the guardians of Nagasaki ; is 
 
 
 
 
 
 a conjoint Viceroy of Kiusiu with 
 
 
 
 
 
 Satsuma. The retired Daimio was 
 
 
 
 
 
 lately Sosai or Regent. 
 
 
 
 
 
 46. Nabeshima Kanga no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Hizen 
 
 Koshiro 
 
 13,290 
 
 47. Nabeshima Kahi no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Hizen 
 
 Hassuikay 
 
 52,625 
 
 48. Nabeshima Bizen no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Hizen 
 
 Kashima 
 
 20,000 
 
 1st Ikeda Family, in Inaba. 
 
 
 
 
 
 49. Matzdaira Segami no kami. 
 
 Kok. 
 
 Inaba 
 
 Towotori 
 
 325,000 
 
 About 1854" the house on the 
 
 
 
 
 
 hill, Goteng yama, near Yedo, 
 
 
 
 
 
 belonged to the mother of Matz- 
 
 
 
 
 
 daira Dewa no kami, and Segami 
 
 
 
 
 
 no kami wished to have it. The 
 
 
 
 
 
 Gorochiu turned the lady out for 
 
 
 
 
 
 him, and she committed suicide. 
 
 
 
 
 
 H.B.M. Minister wished to have 
 
 
 
 
 
 the ground in 1862, and Segami 
 
 
 
 
 
 was dispossessed. So arubeki 
 
 
 
 
 
 hazu, or " served him right," 
 
 
 
 
 
 the natives say. 
 
 
 
 
 
 50. Matzdaira Isse no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Inaba 
 
 Shinden 
 
 30,000 
 
 51. Matzdaira Sayaymon no ske. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Inaba 
 
 Shinden 
 
 15,000 
 
 2d Ikeda Family, in Bizen. 
 
 
 
 
 
 52. Matzdaira Koora no kami. He is 
 
 Kok. 
 
 Bizen 
 
 Okayama 
 
 315,200 
 
 known as "Bizen dono." His 
 
 
 
 
 
 ancestor is reputed to have got 
 
 
 
 
 
 all his territory by his sword. 
 
 
 
 
 
 He is much respected. He was 
 
 
 
 
 
 adopted from Okudaira ; his father 
 
 
 
 
 
 was adopted from Satsuma; his 
 
 
 
 
 
 grandfather was adopted from 
 
 
 
 
 
 Sakakibara. The gate of his 
 
 
 
 
 
 residence in Yedo at Dai mio 
 
 
 
 
 
 ko ji is all of camphor- wood. 
 
 
 
 
 
 53. Ikeda Sinano no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Bizen 
 
 Shinden 
 
 25,000 
 
 54. Ikeda Showo maro. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Bizen 
 
 Shinden 
 
 15,000 
 
THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 
 Rank. 
 
 Province. 
 
 City. 
 
 Income in 
 Koku. 
 
 Eeyee Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 5. Eeyee Kamong no kami married a 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Owomi 
 
 Hikonay 
 
 350,000 
 
 daughter of Owarri. He is head 
 
 
 
 
 
 Fudai Daimio. First of the Si 
 
 
 
 
 
 ten wo, or "four Celestial Em- 
 
 
 
 
 
 perors" i.e., four head Fudai 
 
 
 
 
 
 Daimios. Is generally, if com- 
 
 
 
 
 
 petent, appointed Regent, if such 
 
 
 
 
 
 officer is required. His father, 
 
 
 
 
 
 while Regent, was assassinated 
 
 
 
 
 
 in 1859. Is head of the Tomari 
 
 
 
 
 
 no ma, the room in the palace 
 
 
 
 
 
 where the Fudai meet. 
 
 
 
 
 
 56. Eeyee Hio bu no sho. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Etsingo 
 
 Yoeeta 
 
 20,000 
 
 Towodo Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 57. Towodo Idzumi no kami is a power- 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Isse 
 
 Tszu 
 
 323,900 
 
 ful Daimio, and perhaps should be 
 
 
 
 
 
 called a Kokushiu. His father 
 
 
 
 
 
 was much respected, and passed 
 
 
 
 
 
 laws for his territories by which 
 
 
 
 
 
 orphans were taken care of, found- 
 
 
 
 
 
 ling hospitals were established,and 
 
 
 
 
 
 no beggars, sorcerers, or brothels 
 
 
 
 
 
 were permitted. In the councils, 
 
 
 
 
 
 it is alleged, Towodo never speaks. 
 
 
 
 
 
 58. Towodo Sado no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Isse 
 
 Hissayee 
 
 53,000 
 
 HatcMska Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 59. Matzdaira Awa no kami was adopt- 
 
 Kok. 
 
 Awa of Sikok 
 
 Tokushima 
 
 257,900 
 
 ed from the Shiogoon's family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 He married a daughter of Takats- 
 
 
 
 
 
 kasa Kwanbakku. The first of 
 
 
 
 
 
 the family was a highway robber, 
 
 
 
 
 
 and fell in with Taikosama asleep 
 
 
 
 
 
 on a bridge, as mentioned before. 
 
 
 
 
 
 They both rose to eminence in war. 
 
 
 
 
 
 The family is more respected since 
 
 
 
 
 
 the last adoption and marriage. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Yamano Ootchi Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 60. Matzdaira Tosa no kami married a 
 
 Kok. 
 
 Tosa 
 
 Kowotchi 
 
 242,000 
 
 daughter of Choshiu. His terri- 
 
 
 
 
 
 tory is said to have been gathered 
 
 
 
 
 
 by shrewdness and cunning. It 
 
 
 
 
 
 is told that the first of the family, 
 
 
 
 
 
 when lyeyas was coming down 
 
 
 
 
 
 the tokaido, listened through the 
 
 
 
 
 
 partition to a consultation among 
 
 
 
 
 
 Daimios as to how he was to be 
 
 
 
 
 
 treated. Kattowo proposed to 
 
 
 
 
 
 give up his castle for his use. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Tosa's castle came first at that 
 
 
 
 
 
362 
 
 THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 
 Rank. 
 
 Province. 
 
 City. 
 
 Income in 
 Koku. 
 
 time, and lie immediately offered 
 
 
 
 
 it. lyeyas was so much pleased 
 
 
 
 
 
 that he gave him large additions 
 
 
 
 
 
 to his territory. It is said of him 
 
 
 
 
 
 that he stole Kattowo's ideas. 
 
 
 
 
 
 61. Yamano Ootchi Towotomi no kami. 
 
 Toz. Tosa 
 
 Shinden 
 
 13,000 
 
 1st Arima Family (Minnamoto). 
 
 
 
 
 62. Arima Nakatskasa noTayu married 
 
 Kok. Tsikugo 
 
 Kurime 
 
 210,000 
 
 a daughter of Takatskasa Kwan- 
 
 
 
 
 bakku, when she was living as a 
 
 
 
 
 Joro at the castle at Yedo. This fa - 
 
 
 
 
 mily originally came from Harima. 
 
 
 
 
 63. Arima Hiogo no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Shimotski 
 
 Fukiangay 
 
 10,000 
 
 2d Arima Family (Fusiwara). 
 
 
 
 
 
 64. Arima Sa Hio yay no sk6. This is 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Etsizen 
 
 Maro oka 
 
 50,000 
 
 the descendant of the friend of the 
 
 
 
 
 
 Jesuits in the sixteenth century in 
 
 
 
 
 
 Hizen. The Daimio was formerly 
 
 
 
 
 
 a Tozama, but a few years ago 
 
 
 
 
 
 became Fudai to enable him to 
 
 
 
 
 
 take office. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Sataki Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 65. Sataki Oo kio no daibu. Sataki is 
 
 Kok. 
 
 Dewa 
 
 Akita 
 
 205,800 
 
 a very old house, descended from 
 
 
 
 
 
 Hatchimang taro. The territory 
 
 
 
 
 
 of the family was of old that 
 
 
 
 
 
 w r hich now belongs to Mito, who 
 
 
 
 
 
 insisted upon getting it. This 
 
 
 
 
 
 Daimio declined taking the name 
 
 
 
 
 
 of Matzdaira when offered by the 
 
 
 
 
 
 Shiogoon. 
 
 
 
 
 
 66. Sataki Iki no kami, commonly 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Dewa 
 
 Akita 
 
 20,000 
 
 called "Ko" i.e., little Sataki. 
 
 
 
 Shinden 
 
 
 Iwalti Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 67. Iwaki Sa kio no daibu. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Dewa 
 
 Kameda 
 
 20,000 
 
 Nambu Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 68. Nambu Mino no kami. This is 
 
 Kok. 
 
 Mootz 
 
 Morioka 
 
 200,000 
 
 originally the same line as Sataki. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Both have much wealth from gold, 
 
 
 
 
 
 silver, copper, lead, and tin mines, 
 
 
 
 
 
 rice and silk. 
 
 
 
 
 
 69. Nambu Tanba no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Mootz 
 
 Morioka 
 
 11,000 
 
 70. Nambu Towotomi no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Mootz 
 
 Hatchinohay 
 
 20,000 
 
 Ooyay Soongi Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 71. Ooyay Soongi Dan jo no dai shitz. 
 This is an old family from Etsingo 
 
 Kok. 
 
 Dewa 
 
 Yoonesawa 
 
 150,000 
 
 in the time of Ashikanga. 
 
 
 
 
 
 72. Ooyay Soongi Suruga no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Dewa 
 
 Yoonesawa 
 
 10,000 
 
 
 I 
 
 Shinden 
 
 
THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 363 
 
 
 Rank. 
 
 Province. 
 
 City. 
 
 Income in 
 Koku. 
 
 1st Matzdaira Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 73. Hissa matz Matzdaira or Matzdaira 
 
 Kam. 
 
 lyo 
 
 Matzyama 
 
 150,000 
 
 Oki no kami. Having only one 
 
 
 
 
 
 daughter, he adopted from To- 
 
 
 
 
 
 wodo Idzumi no kami a son, who 
 
 
 
 
 
 married the heiress. He was 
 
 
 
 
 
 ordered by the Shiogoon or Re- 
 
 
 
 
 
 gent to build the fort at Kanagawa 
 
 
 
 
 
 as a punishment or line. 
 
 
 
 
 
 74. Matzdaira Etsjiu no kami. 
 
 Kam. 
 
 Isse 
 
 Koanna 
 
 110,000 
 
 75. Matzdaira Suruga no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 lyo 
 
 Imabarri 
 
 30,000 
 
 76. Matzdaira Boongo no kami. 
 77. Matzdaira Simosa no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 Fud. 
 
 Simosa 
 Musashi 
 
 Tako 
 Oshi 
 
 12,000 
 100,000 
 
 78. Matzdaira Setsu no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Kowotsuki 
 
 Obatta 
 
 20,000 
 
 Okudaira Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 79. Okudaira Daizen no daibu. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Boozen 
 
 Nakatz 
 
 100,000 
 
 2d Matzdaira Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 80. Matzdaira Ookon no shogen. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Iwami 
 
 Hamado 
 
 61,000 
 
 81. Matzdaira Kahi no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Yamato 
 
 Koriyama 
 
 151,288 
 
 82. Yanangisawa Mimbu no sho. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Etsingo 
 
 Kurokawa 
 
 10,000 
 
 83. Yanangisawa Shotaro. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Etsingo 
 
 Mikaitchi 
 
 10,000 
 
 Sakakibarra Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 84. Sakakibarra Siki bu no tayu. He 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Etsingo- 
 
 Takatta 
 
 150,000 
 
 is one of the four highest Fudai. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Honda Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 85. Honda Miuo no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Mikawa 
 
 Okasaki 
 
 50,000 
 
 86. Honda Higo no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Harima 
 
 Yamadake 
 
 10,000 
 
 87. Honda Noto no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Mootz 
 
 Idzumi 
 
 20,000 
 
 88. Honda Hoki no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Suruga 
 
 Tanaka 
 
 40,000 
 
 89. Honda Shuzen no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Owomi 
 
 Zezzay 
 
 60,000 
 
 90. Honda lyo no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Isse 
 
 Kando 
 
 15,000 
 
 91. Honda Boongo no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Sinano 
 
 Eeyama 
 
 20,000 
 
 Ongassawara Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 92. Ongassawara Daizen no daibu. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Boozen 
 
 Kokura 
 
 150,000 
 
 93. Ongassawara Owomi no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Boozen 
 
 Kokura 
 
 10,000 
 
 
 
 
 Shindeu 
 
 
 94. Ongassawara Kowomatz maro. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Harima 
 
 Anji 
 
 10,000 
 
 95. Ongassawara Sado no kami. His 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Hizen 
 
 Karatz 
 
 60,000 
 
 son, Ongassawara Dzusho no 
 
 
 
 
 
 kami, was made member of the 
 
 
 
 
 
 Gorochiu in 1863, while his 
 
 
 
 
 
 father was a member, a thing 
 
 
 
 
 
 unprecedented in Japanese his- 
 
 
 
 
 
 tory father and son both Dai- 
 
 
 
 
 
 mios, and in the ministry at the 
 
 
 
 
 
 same time. 
 
 
 
 
 
3^4 
 
 THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 
 Rank. 
 
 Province. 
 
 p if _ Income in 
 Uty - Koku. 
 
 Hayashi Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 96. Hayashi Higo no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Kadsusa 
 
 Josai 
 
 10,000 
 
 97. Oiigassawara Sa yaymon no ske". 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Etsizen 
 
 Katzuyama 
 
 22,270 
 
 Sakkai Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 98. Sakkai Oota no kami. One of the 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Harima 
 
 Himeji 
 
 150,000 
 
 Si Tenwo, or four head Fudai. 
 
 
 
 
 
 99. Sakkai, Shimotsuki no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Kowotsuki 
 
 Ishizaki 
 
 20,000 
 
 100. Sakkai Wakasa no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Wakasa 
 
 Obama 
 
 112,580 
 
 101. Sakkai, Oo kio no ske. In 1860 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Etsizen 
 
 Tsuroonga 
 
 10,000 
 
 this man carried on the com- 
 
 
 
 
 
 munications with European en- 
 
 
 
 
 
 voys. He was afterwards de- 
 
 
 
 
 
 graded, as he was a friend of the 
 
 
 
 
 
 Regent. 
 
 
 
 
 
 102. Sakkai, Sho jiro. He is married, 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Awa 
 
 Katzuyama 
 
 12,000 
 
 but has no rank or title. His 
 
 
 Boshiu 
 
 
 
 father was Sakkai Aki no kami ; 
 
 
 
 
 
 his grandfather, Sakkai Etsizen 
 
 
 
 
 
 no kami ; his great-grandfather, 
 
 
 
 
 
 Sakkai Yamato no kami. The 
 
 
 
 
 
 titles of Daimios not being ne- 
 
 
 
 
 
 cessarily hereditary. 
 
 
 
 
 
 103. Sakkai, Sa yay mon no jo. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Dewa 
 
 Shoonai 
 
 140,000 
 
 104. Sakkai, Dai kaku no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Dewa 
 
 Matzyama 
 
 25,000 
 
 
 
 
 | 
 
 Owokubo Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 105. Owokubo Kanga no kami. Oda- 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Segami 
 
 Odawara 
 
 153,000 
 
 wara formerly was the seat of 
 
 
 
 
 
 the great Hojio family. After 
 
 
 
 
 
 their downfall it fell to Owokubo. 
 
 
 
 
 
 In 1686 they lost it, but have 
 
 
 
 
 
 since then regained the terri- 
 
 
 
 
 
 tory. 
 
 
 
 
 
 106. Owokubo, Nagato no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Segami 
 
 Han gee no 
 
 13,000 
 
 
 
 
 Yamanaka 
 
 
 107. Owokubo, Sado no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Shimotsuki 
 
 Karassu- 
 
 30,000 
 
 
 
 
 yama 
 
 
 Inaba Family, or Yodo In aba. 
 
 
 
 
 
 108. Inaba, Nagato no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Yamashiro 
 
 Yodo 
 
 102,000 
 
 109. Inaba, Hio bu no sho. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Awa 
 
 Tatteyama 
 
 10,000 
 
 2d Inaba Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 110. Inaba lyo no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Boongo 
 
 Usuki 
 
 56,000 
 
 TatcTiibana Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 This is a very old family. This Dai- 
 
 
 
 
 
 mio (with Niwa), when lyeyas rose to 
 
 
 
 
 
 the highest power, would not recognise 
 
 
 
 
 
 him. He was at that time where he is 
 
 
 
 
 
 now; but lyeyas sent him to the quasi- 
 
 
 
 
 
THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 365 
 
 
 Rank. 
 
 Province. 
 
 City. 
 
 Income in 
 Koku. 
 
 penal territory of Tanagura, but he was 
 
 
 
 
 
 afterwards reponed. 
 
 
 
 
 
 111. Tatchibana Hida no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Tsikugo 
 
 Yamangawa 
 
 119,600 
 
 112. Tatchibana Idzumo no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Mootz 
 
 Shimotedo 
 
 10,000 
 
 Niwa Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 113. Niwa Sa kio no daibu. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Mootz 
 
 Nihonmatz 
 
 100,700 
 
 1 14. Niwa Nagato no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Harima 
 
 Mikoosa 
 
 
 Tsoongaru Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 15. Tsoongaru Etsjiu no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Mootz 
 
 Hirosaki 
 
 100,000 
 
 116. Tsoongaru Siki bu no shio. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Mootz 
 
 Kuroishi 
 
 10,000 
 
 Sanada Family. 
 
 
 
 
 
 117. Sanada Sinano no kami. He was 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Sinano 
 
 Matzushiro 
 
 100,000 
 
 Tozama, but has become Fudai 
 
 
 
 
 
 to enable him to act as an officer 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 
 of Government. 
 
 
 
 
 
 118. *Abbe Harima no kami. 
 
 Ftid. 
 
 Mootz 
 
 Sirakawa 
 
 100,000 
 
 119. Abbe Kadsuyay no kami, ne- 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Bingo 
 
 Fukuyama 
 
 110,000 
 
 phew of Abbe" Isse no kami, who 
 
 
 
 
 
 was at the head of the Gorochiu 
 
 
 
 
 
 when Commander Perry made 
 
 
 
 
 
 his treaty. He was killed by 
 
 
 
 
 
 his servant, by order, it is sup- 
 
 
 
 
 
 posed, of the Kokushiu. 
 
 
 
 
 
 120. Abb6 Inaba no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Kadsusa 
 
 Sanuki 
 
 16,000 
 
 121. Ambay Setzu no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Musashi 
 
 Okabe"! 
 
 20,200 
 
 122. Toda Ooneme no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Mino 
 
 Owogaki 
 
 100,000 
 
 123. Toda Awadzi no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Mino 
 
 Owogaki 
 
 10,000 
 
 
 
 
 Shinden 
 
 
 124. Toda Etszin no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Shimotsuki 
 
 Ootsunomia 
 
 77,000 
 
 125. Toda Stchi no ske. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Shimotsuki 
 
 Ashikanga 
 
 11,000 
 
 126. Aki inoto Tajima no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Kowotsuki 
 
 Tatebayashi 
 
 60,000 
 
 127. Hotta Ko no ske, a son of Hotta 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Simosa 
 
 Sakura 
 
 11,000 
 
 Bitsjiu no kami, a member of 
 
 Fud. 
 
 
 
 
 the Gorochiu, who was degraded 
 
 
 
 
 
 by the Regent. 
 
 
 
 
 
 128. Hotta Setsu no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Shimotsuki 
 
 Sano 
 
 16,000 
 
 129. Hotta Kanga no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Owomi 
 
 Miagawa 
 
 13,000 
 
 130. Sso Tsussima no kami. His rev- 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Island of 
 
 Futchiu 
 
 100,000 
 
 enue from land is in name only. 
 
 
 Tsussima 
 
 
 
 He receives from the Shiogoon 
 
 
 
 
 
 annually 12,000 cobangs. His 
 
 
 
 
 
 domain consists of the island 
 
 
 
 
 
 of Tsussima, between Corea and 
 
 
 
 
 
 Japan. 
 
 
 
 
 
 131. Kitsure ngawa Yo itchi maro. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Shimotsuki 
 
 Kitsuregawa 
 
 
 This is the descendant of Ashi- 
 
 
 
 
 
 kanga Taka ootchi. He is some- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 * Below this the family nances correspond with the surnames. 
 
366 
 
 THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 Rank. 
 
 Province. 
 
 City. 
 
 Income in 
 Koku. 
 
 times called " Ko-nga Kubo- 
 sama." He was adopted from 
 Mito ; his father was adopted 
 from Hossokawa.his grandfather 
 fromKiusiu; and his great-grand- 
 father from Katto. He is not 
 properly a Daimio. He visits 
 Yedo only once during his life, 
 when his expenses are paid by 
 Mito and Hossokawa. He re- 
 ceives money from the Shiogoon 
 for his ordinary expenses. He 
 formerly had a castle near Sayki 
 yado, not far from Yedo, where 
 the ruins are still visible. 
 
 132. Tsuchiya Ooneme no kami. 
 
 133. Doee Gee no kami. 
 
 134. Doee Osumi no kami. 
 
 135. Doee Noto no kami. 
 
 136. Makino Bizen no kami, 
 
 137. Makino Towot<3mi no kami. 
 
 138. Makino Etsjiu no kami. 
 
 139. Makino Sanuki no kami. 
 
 140. Nakagawa Shuri no dai bu. He 
 
 is head of the Yanangi no ma, 
 or room where the lower Toza- 
 
 ina meet. 
 
 Matzdaira Family. 
 
 141. 
 
 Matzdaira Hoki no kami. The 
 proper name of the family is 
 Honjo, descended from the vege- 
 table-seller, father of the wife of 
 the fourth Shiogoon. The pre- 
 sent man was poor, but clever. 
 Since his marriage it is said that 
 his wife, who was a widow when 
 he married her an unusual thing 
 for a Daimio to do has been eco- 
 nomical, and put the retainers 
 into cotton, and he is now rich. 
 His country-seat is "Ama no 
 hashi date"," noted as one of the 
 three most beautiful scenes in 
 Japan ; the other two being 
 Matzsima in Mootz, and Itsu- 
 kujima, an island in the inland 
 sea, belonging to Oki. The silver 
 mines at Ikimo ginsan are in his 
 territory. 
 
 142. Honjo Koonai no sho. 
 
 143. Matzdaira Idzu no kami. This 
 
 Fud. 
 Fud. 
 Fud. 
 Fud. 
 Fud. 
 Fud. 
 Fud. 
 Fud. 
 Toz. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Hitatsi 
 
 Simosa 
 
 Mikawa 
 
 Etsizen 
 
 Etsingo 
 
 Sinano 
 
 Hitatsi 
 
 Tango 
 
 Boongo 
 
 Tango 
 
 Tsuchioora 
 
 95,000 
 
 Ko-nga 
 
 80,000 
 
 Kariya 
 
 23,000 
 
 Ono 
 
 40,000 
 
 Nagaoka 
 
 71,000 
 
 Komuro 
 
 15,000 
 
 Kasama 
 
 80,000 
 
 Tanabe 
 
 35,000 
 
 Oka 
 
 70,400 
 
 Miadzu 
 
 70,000 
 
 
 
 .Fud. 
 Fud. 
 
 Mino 
 Mikawa 
 
 Takatomi 
 Yoshida 
 
 10,000 
 70,000 
 
THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 367 
 
 Rank, j Province. 
 
 City. 
 
 Income in 
 Koku. 
 
 family is Nangasawa Matzdaira. 
 
 
 
 
 Owogootchi is the proper name. 
 
 
 
 
 This man is looked upon as very 
 
 
 
 
 
 clever, and is called Chiyeh Idzu, 
 
 
 
 
 
 or Idzu with the brains. It was 
 
 
 
 
 
 his ancestor who took the castle 
 
 
 
 
 
 of Simabara, and slaughtered 
 
 
 
 
 
 27,000 Christians. He hated 
 
 
 
 
 
 Buddhism as much as Christian- 
 
 
 
 
 
 ity. He broke the idol of Bu- 
 
 
 
 
 
 ddha at Miako, and destroyed 
 
 
 
 
 
 Taikosama's grave. 
 144. Matzdaira Oribay no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Kadsusa 
 
 Owotaki 
 
 20,000 
 
 145. Matzdaira Kio saburo. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Kowotsuki 
 
 Takasaki 
 
 82,000 
 
 146. Matzdaira Tonomo no kami. 
 
 Fuel. 
 
 Hizen 
 
 Simabara 
 
 70,000 
 
 Called otherwise, Fooku Midzu 
 
 
 
 
 
 Matzdaira. 
 
 
 
 
 
 147. Matzdaira Tanba no kami. He 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Sinano 
 
 Matzmoto 
 
 60,000 
 
 is called Toda Matzdaira. His 
 
 
 
 
 
 retainers were on guard at the 
 
 
 
 
 
 British Legation in 1862 when 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 the sentries were assassinated. 
 
 
 
 
 
 He is connected with Satsuma 
 
 
 
 
 
 by marriage. 
 
 
 
 
 
 148. Matzdaira Idzumi no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Mikawa 
 
 Nishiwo 
 
 60,000 
 
 149. Matzdaira Sa yaymon 110 jo. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Boon go 
 
 Foona'i 
 
 21,200 
 
 150. Matzdaira Hio bu sho. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Mikawa 
 
 Okudono 
 
 16,000 
 
 151. Matzdaira Noto no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Mino 
 
 Iwamura 
 
 30,000 
 
 152. Matzdaira Yo juro. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Sinano 
 
 Ooyayda 
 
 53,000 
 
 153. Matzdaira Yamashiro no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Dewa 
 
 Kami no 
 
 30,000 
 
 
 
 
 yama 
 
 
 154. Matzdaira Buzen no kami. Called 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Tanba 
 
 Kameyama 
 
 50,000 
 
 Katahara Matzdaira. 
 
 
 
 
 
 155. Matzdaira Tango no kami. Called 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Suruga 
 
 Ojima 
 
 10,000 
 
 Serata Matzdaira. 
 
 
 
 
 
 156. Matzdaira Suwo no kami. He 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Mootz 
 
 Tanagura 
 
 60,000 
 
 formerly lived in Iwami. He 
 
 
 
 
 was found to be secretly trading 
 
 . 
 
 
 
 with Corea, so he was exchanged, 
 
 
 
 
 
 as a punishment, to the territory 
 
 
 
 
 
 of Tanagura. 
 
 
 
 
 
 157. Matzdaira Towotomi no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Setsu 
 
 Amangasaki 
 
 40,000 
 
 Called Sakurai Matzdaira. 
 
 
 
 
 
 158. Matzdaira Osumi no kami. Call- 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Boongo 
 
 Kitsuki 
 
 32,000 
 
 ed Nomi Matzdaira. 
 
 
 
 
 
 159. Midzuno Idzumi no kami. His 
 
 Fud. ; Dewa 
 
 Yamaugata 
 
 50,900 
 
 father was Midzuno Etsizen no 
 
 
 
 
 kami. Remembered for having, 
 
 
 
 while president of the Gorochiu, 
 
 
 
 
 
 issued laws enforcing economy on 
 
 
 
 
 
 the people, and passing the "To- j 
 
 
 
 kusayay," mentioned before. 
 
 
 
3 68 
 
 THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 
 Rank. 
 
 Province. 
 
 City. 
 
 Income in 
 Koku. 
 
 160. Midzuno Dewa no kami. 
 
 Fud. Suruga 
 
 Numadzu 
 
 50,000 
 
 161. Midzuno Hizen no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Kadsusa 
 
 Tsurumaki 
 
 15,000 
 
 162. Midzuno Hiuga no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Simosa 
 
 Yuki 
 
 18,000 
 
 163. Neito Gonno sho gen. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Hiuga 
 
 Nobeoka 
 
 70,000 
 
 164. Neito Katsu no jo. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Mootz 
 
 Yoonagaya 
 
 15,000 
 
 165. Neito Kii no kami is of a different 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Etsingo 
 
 Mura kami 
 
 50,010 
 
 family from the two last ; is de- 
 
 
 
 
 
 scended from a younger brother 
 
 
 
 
 
 of lyeyas. 
 
 
 
 
 
 166. Neito Kin stchiro. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Mikawa 
 
 Kuromo 
 
 20,000 
 
 167. Neito Suruga no kanii. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Sinano 
 
 Takato 
 
 33,000 
 
 168. Neito Sima no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Sinano 
 
 Iwamurada 
 
 15,000 
 
 169. Tosawa Kadsusa no ske". 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Dewa 
 
 Mongami 
 
 68,000 
 
 
 
 
 Sinjio 
 
 
 170. Ando Tsussima no kami was in 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Mootz 
 
 Iwakidaira 
 
 50,000 
 
 the Gorochiu in 1862, when an 
 
 
 
 
 
 attempt was made to assassinate 
 
 
 
 
 
 him, and he was nearly killed. 
 
 
 
 
 
 The attempt was said to have 
 
 
 
 
 
 been made on account of his 
 
 
 
 
 
 giving up the Gotengyama, a hill 
 
 
 
 
 
 near Yedo, for the use of foreign 
 
 
 
 
 
 ministers. He was, previously to 
 
 
 
 
 
 being in office, known as "bimbo 
 
 
 
 
 
 Ando, " or poor Ando, on account 
 
 
 
 
 
 of his poverty. In his territory 
 
 
 
 
 
 large supplies of good coal have 
 
 
 
 
 
 been found recently. 
 
 
 
 
 
 171. Matzu oora Hizen no kami. This 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Hizen 
 
 Ilirado 
 
 61,700 
 
 is the family which encouraged 
 
 
 
 
 
 foreign trade in the sixteenth 
 
 
 
 
 
 century at Hirado. 
 
 
 
 
 
 172. Matzu oora Boongo no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Hizen 
 
 Hirado 
 
 10,000 
 
 
 
 
 Shinden 
 
 
 173. Soma Daizen no sk6. This is a 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Mootz 
 
 Nakamura 
 
 60,000 
 
 very ancient family in the pro- 
 
 
 
 
 
 vince. 
 
 
 
 
 
 174. Ishikawa Tonomo no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Isse 
 
 Kameyama 
 
 60,000 
 
 175. Ishikawa Wakasa no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Hitatsi 
 
 Shimodate 
 
 20,000 
 
 176. Kiogoku Sado no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Sanuki 
 
 Marungami 
 
 51,500 
 
 177. Kiogoku Iki no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Sanuki 
 
 Tadotz 
 
 10,000 
 
 178. Kiogoku Hida no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Tajima 
 
 Toy o- oka 
 
 15,000 
 
 179. Kiogoku Bitsjiu no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Tango 
 
 Mineyama 
 
 15,000 
 
 180. Inooyay Kawadsi no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Towotomi 
 
 Hamamatz 
 
 60,000 
 
 181. Inooyay lyo no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Hitatsi 
 
 Shimotsima 
 
 10,000 
 
 182. Inooyay Tsikugo no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Simosa 
 
 Tagaoka 
 
 10,000 
 
 183. Koozay Yamato no kami. His 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Simosa 
 
 Sekiyado 
 
 68,000 
 
 predecessor committed suicide in 
 
 
 
 
 
 1862, on account of his connec- 
 
 
 
 
 
 tion with the conclusion of the 
 
 
 
 
 
 treaty with foreigners. 
 
 
 
 
 
 184. Wakisaka Awadsi no kami. His 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Harima 
 
 Tatsuno 
 
 51,080 
 
THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 369 
 
 
 Rank. 
 
 Province. 
 
 City. 
 
 Income in 
 Koku. 
 
 father was in . the Gorochiu in 
 
 
 
 
 
 1862 : always took a strong side 
 
 
 
 
 
 against foreigners. 
 
 
 
 
 
 185. Okabay Tsikuzen no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Idzumi 
 
 Kishi no 
 
 53,000 
 
 
 
 
 wada 
 
 
 186. Itowo Sa kio no daibu. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Hiuga 
 
 Obi 
 
 51,000 
 
 187. Itowo Harima no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Bitsjiu 
 
 Okada 
 
 10,300 
 
 188. Kattowo Dewa no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 lyo 
 
 Ozu 
 
 60,000 
 
 189. Kattowo Okura no sho. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 lyo 
 
 Niya 
 
 10,000 
 
 L90. Kattowo Etsjiu no kami was for- 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Owomi 
 
 Minnakoot- 
 
 25,000 
 
 merly Tozama, but has become 
 
 
 
 chi 
 
 
 Fudai. This family is descended 
 
 
 
 
 
 from Samanoske, brother of Kat- 
 
 
 
 
 
 towo kio massa (Toronosqui), the 
 
 
 
 
 
 Daimio noted for his persecution 
 
 
 
 
 
 of the Christians. The family of 
 
 
 
 
 
 Toronosqui was degraded, and is 
 
 
 
 
 
 extinct. 
 
 
 
 
 
 L91. Awoyama Inaba no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Tanba 
 
 Sassayama 
 
 66,000 
 
 192. Awoyama Okura no tayu. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Mino 
 
 Hatchimang 
 
 48,000 
 
 
 
 
 Goozio 
 
 
 193. Manabay Simosa no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Etsizen 
 
 Sabayay 
 
 50,000 
 
 194. Itakura Suwo no kami. His an- 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Bitsjiu 
 
 Matzayama 
 
 50,000 
 
 cestor was killed while command- 
 
 
 
 
 
 ing the army before Simabara on 
 
 
 
 
 
 the first day of the year 1637. 
 
 
 
 
 
 195. Itakura Kadzuyay no kami. His 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Kowotsuki 
 
 Annaka 
 
 30,000 
 
 property lies in the best silk- 
 
 
 
 
 
 district, Mayabashi, the well- 
 
 
 
 
 
 known market for Annaka silks 
 
 
 
 
 
 and cocoons. 
 
 
 
 
 
 :96. Itakura Setsu no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Bitsjiu 
 
 Niwassay 
 
 20,000 
 
 .97. Itakura Neizen no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Mootz 
 
 Fkushima 
 
 30,000 
 
 .98. Akita Awa no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Mootz 
 
 Mihara 
 
 50,000 
 
 99. Misongootchi Shuzen no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Etsingo 
 
 Shibatta 
 
 100,000 
 
 The castle of Shibatta is noted 
 
 
 
 
 
 for the suicide of the Daimio 
 
 
 
 
 
 and all his followers in the begin- 
 
 
 
 
 
 ning of the seventeenth century. 
 
 
 
 
 
 The clothes and arms are said to 
 
 
 
 
 
 be kept there still. 
 
 
 
 
 
 X). Owota Sojiro, a son of Owoto 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Towotomi 
 
 Kakegawa 
 
 50,037 
 
 Bitsjiu no kami, and is descend- 
 
 
 
 
 
 ant of Owota do Kwang, who 
 
 
 
 
 
 built the Nishi Maro of the castle 
 
 
 
 
 
 of Yedo. 
 
 
 
 
 
 31. Kamai Oki no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Iwami 
 
 Suwano 
 
 43,000 
 
 02. Nangai Hida no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Setsu 
 
 Takatski 
 
 36,000 
 
 03. Nangai Hizen no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Mino 
 
 Kano 
 
 32,000 
 
 04. Nangai Sinano no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Yamato 
 
 Shinjio 
 
 10,000 
 
 05. Kooki Nagato no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Setsu 
 
 Sanda 
 
 36,000 
 
 06. Kooki Osumi no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Tanba 
 
 Ayabay 
 
 19,500 
 
 2 A 
 
370 
 
 THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 
 Bank. 
 
 Province. 
 
 City. 
 
 Income in 
 Koku. 
 
 207. Toki Yamashiro no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Kowotsuki 
 
 Numatta 
 
 35,000 
 
 208. Nishowo Yayki no skg. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Towotomi 
 
 Yokoska 
 
 35,000 
 
 209. Strwa Inaba no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Sinano 
 
 Takashima 
 
 30,000 
 
 210. Kootsuki Owomi no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Tanba 
 
 Fukujiyama 
 
 32,000 
 
 211. Tori ee Tanba no kami. The crests 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Shimotsuki 
 
 Mibu 
 
 30,000 
 
 of Daimios are often,- as with us, 
 
 
 
 
 
 puns or plays upon their names. 
 
 
 
 
 
 The crest of Tori ee is a tori 
 
 
 
 
 
 ee or entrance archway to a 
 
 
 
 
 
 temple literally, a "bird- sta- 
 
 
 
 
 
 tion." 
 
 
 
 
 
 212. Inagaki Sinano no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Shima 
 
 Toba 
 
 30,000 
 
 213. Inagaki Wakasa no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Owomi 
 
 Yamagami 
 
 13,040 
 
 214. Sengoku Sanuki no kami. The 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Tajirna 
 
 Idzushi 
 
 30,000 
 
 founder of this family was Sen- 
 
 
 
 
 
 goku Gombay, a servant of Tai- 
 
 
 
 
 
 kosama, a very powerful man. 
 
 
 
 
 
 About 1820 the Daimio was in 
 
 
 
 
 
 contention with his own retainers, 
 
 
 
 
 
 and they poisoned him. They 
 
 
 
 
 
 were punished, but the Shiogoon 
 
 
 
 
 
 took away half of his territory, 
 
 
 
 
 
 reducing it from 130,000 to 
 
 
 
 
 
 30,000. 
 
 
 
 
 
 215. Matzdaira Idzu no kami. This 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Island of 
 
 Matsmai 
 
 30,000 
 
 was the only Daimio in Yezo. 
 
 
 Yezo 
 
 
 and 
 
 His territories lie in that part of 
 
 
 
 
 18,000 
 
 the island nearest to Japan ; but 
 
 
 
 
 lobays. 
 
 within the last few years the 
 
 
 
 
 
 rest of the island has been placed 
 
 
 
 
 
 more under the supervision of 
 
 
 
 
 
 Daimios. 
 
 
 
 
 
 216. Hori Sa kio no ske". 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Etsingo 
 
 Muramatz 
 
 30,000 
 
 217. Hori Idzumi no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Etsingo 
 
 Seeyeeya 
 
 10,000 
 
 218. Hori Nagato no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Sinano 
 
 Susaka 
 
 10,050 
 
 219. Hori Iwami no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Sinano 
 
 Eedah 
 
 17,000 
 
 220. Akidzuki Nagato no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Hiuga 
 
 Takanabg 
 
 27,000 
 
 221. Koeeday Tchikara. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Tanba 
 
 Sonobay 
 
 26,700 
 
 222. Owomura Tango no kami. This 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Hizen 
 
 Owomura 
 
 27,200 
 
 is the family which patronised 
 
 
 
 
 
 the Jesuits on their arrival in 
 
 
 
 
 
 Japan in the sixteenth century. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Nagasaki lay in his territory, but 
 
 
 
 
 
 was taken from him by Taiko- 
 
 
 
 
 
 sama. 
 
 
 
 
 
 223. Ooyay mura Suruga no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Yamato 
 
 Takatori 
 
 25,000 
 
 224. Kinoshta Bitsjiu no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Bitsjiu 
 
 Ashimori 
 
 25,000 
 
 225. Kinoshta Hida no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Boongo 
 
 Heeji 
 
 25,000 
 
 226. Miura Bingo no kami. 
 227. Massuyama Kawadsi no kami. 
 228. Sagarra Etsizen no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 Toz. 
 Toz. 
 
 Mimasaka 
 Isse 
 Higo 
 
 Katsuyama 
 Nangashima 
 Fitoyoshi 
 
 23,000 
 20,000 
 22,000 
 
 229. Rokugo cho goro. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Dewa 
 
 Honjo 
 
 20,020 
 
THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 371 
 
 
 Rank. 
 
 Province. 
 
 City. 
 
 Income in 
 Koku. 
 
 230. Mori Mimasaka no kama. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Harima 
 
 Ako 
 
 20,000 
 
 231. Mori Idzu no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Harima 
 
 Mikazuki 
 
 15,000 
 
 232. Seki Bizen no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Bitsjiu 
 
 Neemi 
 
 18,000 
 
 233. Otta Hio bu sho. This family is 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Dewa 
 
 Tendo 
 
 20,000 
 
 lineally descended from Nobu 
 
 
 
 
 
 nanga. 
 
 
 
 
 
 234. Otta Yamashiro no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Tanba 
 
 Kaibara 
 
 20,000 
 
 235. Otta Setsu no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Yamato 
 
 Shibbamura 
 
 10,000 
 
 236. Otta Tsikuzen no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Yamato 
 
 Yanangi 
 
 10,000 
 
 
 
 
 moto 
 
 
 237. Wakkebay Wakasa no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Owomi 
 
 Omizzo 
 
 20,000 
 
 238. Owoka Hiogo no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Musashi 
 
 Iwadzuki 
 
 23,000 
 
 239. Owoka Etsizen no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Mikawa 
 
 Nishiwohira 
 
 10,000 
 
 240. Ozekki Higo no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Shimotsuki 
 
 Kurobanne 
 
 18,000 
 
 241. Itchi hashi Iki no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Owomi 
 
 Nishioji 
 
 18,000 
 
 242. Ootchi da To no mo no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Shimosa 
 
 Omigawa 
 
 10,000 
 
 243. Watanabbe Tango no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Idzumi 
 
 Hakatta 
 
 13,500 
 
 244. Kuroshima shoku. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Boongo 
 
 Mori 
 
 12,900 
 
 245. Goto Owomi no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Hizen 
 
 Gotto island 
 
 12,600 
 
 
 
 
 Fookuyay 
 
 
 246. Heezikatta Muko chio. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Isse 
 
 Komono 
 
 11,000 
 
 247. Miakay Bizen no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Mikawa 
 
 Tawara 
 
 12,000 
 
 248. Yunekura Shimotski no kami was 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Musashi 
 
 Kanesawa 
 
 12,000 
 
 formerly Tozama. His ancestor 
 
 
 
 
 
 was one of the followers of Ta- 
 
 
 
 
 
 keda Singeng, known as Koshiu 
 
 
 
 
 
 Kay. His residence is near 
 
 
 
 
 
 Kamakura, about ten miles from 
 
 
 
 
 
 Yokuhama. 
 
 
 
 
 
 249. Owotawara Hida no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Shimotsuki 
 
 Owotawara 
 
 11,400 
 
 250. Katagiri Iwami no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Yamato 
 
 Koeedzumi 
 
 11,100 
 
 251. Yunekeezu Isse no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Dewa 
 
 Murayamaor 
 
 11,000 
 
 
 
 
 Nagatoro 
 
 
 252. Toyama Mino no kami. This To- 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Mino 
 
 Na engee 
 
 10,021 
 
 zama was in 1862 a member of 
 
 
 
 
 
 the Wakatoshiyori, which is con- 
 
 
 
 
 
 sidered a great innovation on old 
 
 
 
 
 
 customs. The castles of all other 
 
 
 
 
 
 Daimios are painted white ; Na 
 
 
 
 
 
 engee is always red. 
 
 
 
 
 
 253. Kanowo Towotomi no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Kadsusa 
 
 Itchi no mia 
 
 13,000 
 
 254. Takagee Mondo no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Kawadsi 
 
 Tannang 
 
 10,000 
 
 255. Mori Kawa Dewa no kami. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Shimosa 
 
 Oyumi 
 
 10,000 
 
 256. Tattebay Takumi no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Harima 
 
 Hyashida 
 
 10,000 
 
 257. Yamagootchi cho jiro. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Hitatsi 
 
 Ooshiku 
 
 10,017 
 
 258. Ho wo jo or Hojio Towotomi no 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Kawadsi 
 
 Sayama 
 
 10,000 
 
 kami. This is the line of the 
 
 
 
 
 
 family formerly in Odowara, at 
 
 
 
 
 
 one time the most powerful in 
 
 
 
 
 
 Japan. 
 
 
 
 
 
 259. Awoki Genjuro. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Setsu 
 
 Asada 
 
 10,000 
 
 260. Tanni Daizen no sk6. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Tanba 
 
 Yamaga 
 
 10,080 
 
372 
 
 THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 
 Rank. 
 
 Province. 
 
 City. 
 
 Income in 
 Koku. 
 
 261. Shinjio Suruga no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Hitatsi 
 
 Asso 
 
 10,000 
 
 262. Stots Yanangi Tosa no kami. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 Harima 
 
 Ono 
 
 10,000 
 
 263. Stots Yanangi Hio bu sho. 
 
 Toz. 
 
 lyo 
 
 Kumatz 
 
 10,000 
 
 264. lyaggiu Tajima no kami,hereditary 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Yamato 
 
 lyaggiu 
 
 10,000 
 
 teacher of fencing to the Shio- 
 
 
 
 
 
 goon. If incapable, a Hattamoto 
 
 
 
 
 
 takes his place. 
 
 
 
 
 
 265. Endo Mimbu no tayu. 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Owomi 
 
 Mikami 
 
 12,000 
 
 266. Tanoma Genba no kami. He was 
 
 Fud. 
 
 Towotomi 
 
 Sagarra 
 
 10,000 
 
 head of the cabinet about thirty 
 
 
 
 
 
 years ago, and did all he could 
 
 
 
 
 
 to encourage profligate manners 
 
 
 
 
 
 among the people. 
 
 
 
 
 
THE DAIMIO CLASS. 373 
 
 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. 11. Isse no Tzu, Towodo. 
 
 5. Kuroda. 12. Awa, Hatchiska, 
 
 6. Aki. 13. Tosa Yamano ootchi. 
 
 7. Nagato Mowori. 14. Sataki. 
 
 8. Hizen Nabeshima. 15. Arima in Tsikugo. 
 
 9. Inaba Ikeda. 16. Nambu. 
 
 10. Bizen Ikeda. 17. Ooyay Soongi. 
 
 Four are new Kokushu : 
 
 18. Etsizen. 20. Idzumo. 
 
 19. Tsuyama. 21. Aidzu. 
 
 The above list comprehends all those who are sup- 
 posed 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 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 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. 
 
374 THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 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 
 consequences. The difficulty of seizing a man of rank 
 in his own territory has probably led to these compro- 
 mises. Therefore the government tries to act through 
 the interest of the retainers 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 relatives 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 dis- 
 turbances consequent upon Ee Kamong no kami's vigor- 
 ous action in 1857 have 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 " for- 
 merly," 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 : 
 
THE DAIMIO CLASS. 375 
 
 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 
 retired list. 
 
 5. Etsizen, saki no Chiujo Shoongaku. He was 
 degraded by the Regent, but was restored, and he has 
 lately been Regent 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 Shio- 
 goon'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 offi- 
 cer of the government in the possession of land valued 
 
376 THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 from 500 to 9999 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 torirni, bird -keepers ; Okatchi, 
 spies and men about the kitchen ; and Yoriki and Do 
 sin. Hattamoto are generally of the fifth rank, or Sho- 
 daibu, 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 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 
 former having from 3000 to under 10,000 koku of land; 
 the latter from 500 to 3000. 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, &c. 
 
 4. Shingo bang. These act as guards to the Shio- 
 goon in Yedo. 
 
 5. 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 7000 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 6000 koku; 
 lives at Izassa in Shimosa. 
 
 Takanoya Matzdaira is the lineal descendant of the 
 
THE DAIMIO CLASS. 377 
 
 Nitta family, with 4500 koku ; lives at Nishirigori in 
 Mikawa. 
 
 Ikoma Tokutaro was, in the time of Taikosama, a 
 powerful Daimio, is now a Hattamoto with 8000 koku, 
 living at Yajima in Dewa. 
 
 Yamano Mondo no ske, also a descendant of the 
 Nitta family ; was, in the time of Ashikanga, power- 
 ful, with 6700 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 5000 koku, and lives at Sawara moto in Yamato. 
 
 Kinoshta. Calls himself of the line of Taikosama, 
 with 5000 koku. His castle is Tateishi in Boongo. 
 
 Yamazaki. Formerly a powerful family, now with 
 5000 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 5000 koku. 
 
 Kowotsuki, at Kowotsuki in Oworni, with 4700, 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 down- 
 wards, such as 
 
378 THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 Minagawa, with 9000 koku. 
 
 Seigo, and others. 
 
 Kondo nobori no ske, with 5400 koku, who is looked 
 upon as first Hattamoto, not by rank, but because he 
 refused to take the rank of Daimio from lyeyas when 
 offered to him. 
 
 Koozai, Foonayoshi. These two are very wealthy. 
 They were formerly engaged in trade with the Portu- 
 guese in the sixteenth century. And many others, with 
 incomes gradually decreasing to 500 koku per annum. 
 
 Hattamoto officers have generally been employed 
 on interviews with foreign ambassadors, or as am- 
 bassadors 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 Hatta- 
 moto. He was afterwards disgraced, but in 1862 was 
 appointed governor 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 naval 
 affairs was of low origin, the son of a Gokennin. 
 He negotiated the treaty with Mr Harris, United 
 States minister. He was in 1862 made a governor 
 for foreign affairs. Hori Oribay no kami was consi- 
 dered an upright man and just in his dealings. After 
 the part he took in signing the treaty, he got into dif- 
 ficulties with Ando and Koozay in the Gorochiu, and 
 committed suicide. Iwasd Higo no kami, a low Hat- 
 tamoto, a very cunning man, since dead. Isuda 
 Hanzaburo was an obscure Gokennin. 
 
THE DAIMIO CLASS. 379 
 
 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 Mi- 
 sonogootchi Sanuki no kami, a high Hattamoto he 
 was appointed in 1862 general in command of the 
 castle of Osaka ; Sakkai oki no kami, a Hattamoto 
 with 2000 koku he is now governor of the exchequer 
 in Yedo; and Matzdaira Djirobe had office in 1862 
 in the castle Kofu. 
 
 The ambassadors who visited Europe were of the 
 rank of Hattamoto : Take no ootchi, Simotski no 
 kami, and others. The embassies were accompanied 
 by agents from the more powerful Daimios, such as 
 Satsuma, Choshiu, and others, who reported their 
 observations to their own masters. 
 
 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 representatives of old families, and re- 
 ceive pay from government. The class is divided 
 into Kimo iri kokay and Omotte Kokay. 
 
 Among the former are Hatake yam a. His ancestor 
 was a partisan of Yoritomo; his tomb is atKamakura. 
 Toki, a general of Ashikanga's time. Yura, a power- 
 ful 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 Su- 
 runga, and builder of Soonpu Castle ; defeated by 
 lyeyas. Takeda, of the family of T. Singeng, who 
 fought against lyeyas, and others. 
 
380 THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 Of the Omotte Kokay There are Owotomo, of the 
 family of Owotomo Boongo no kami, the great patron 
 of the Jesuits in the sixteenth century. At one time a 
 very powerful 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 descendant 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 position; 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 
 government 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 whatever, right or wrong, he is ordered to do by 
 his government. 
 
 It is not permitted to Gokennin, or to officials of 
 
THE DAIMIO CLASS. 381 
 
 lower rank, to ride in Yedo or upon the highroads ; 
 they must walk. 
 
 Such being the details of the officers under the Shio- 
 goon, the government is so well regulated as to have 
 worked with comparative smoothness for 250 years. 
 The safeguards and checks which were devised by lye- 
 yas have been in operation up to recent times. The set- 
 ting apart of three families from the members of which 
 the Shiogoon might be chosen, gives a powerful sup- 
 port to the reigning family. The designation of four 
 families, from out of which a regent might be 
 appointed, 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 personal 
 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 
 the interest of the State as well as of the Koku- 
 shiu that they should continue unmolested in the 
 possession of their extensive territories and jurisdic- 
 tion; 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 
 
382 THE DAIMIO CLASS. 
 
 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 parents, it was kept in 
 force by the strange custom of these powerful lords 
 coming up to the Court at Yedo every alternate year, 
 or, in some cases, every six months. Perhaps this was 
 aided by the dulness of their country quarters com- 
 pared with the gaiety 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 Eegent, and he 
 rules the empire for the time being. A regency, how- 
 ever, has not been frequently 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 generally been 
 terminated by assassination. The Eegent removes 
 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 Kokushiu. 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 threatened 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 XL 
 
 THE HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 
 
 THE history of Japan, during the two and half cen- 
 turies after the death of lyeyas, presents a continu- 
 ous 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 Em- 
 peror 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 in his twofold capacity of trader and mis- 
 sionary. The foreigner as a trader lyeyas wished to 
 retain at his ports, in order that he himself might 
 
384 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 enjoy the benefits of trade, and keep himself ac- 
 quainted with what was going on in the world 
 around him. The foreigners as proselytising mis- 
 sionaries bringing professions of peace and goodwill, 
 but who seemed to be in reality preachers of sedition 
 and organisers of rebellion, 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 Eoman Catholic religion, about which 
 time the evidence of these fathers would lead to the 
 belief that, "from Taycosama's death, 1598, to the 
 year 1614, the fathers of the Society baptised upwards 
 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 separated 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 
 hideous precipices in deep snow. He visited privately 
 the Christians that wrought in the mines, and con- 
 fessed and communicated 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, 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 385 
 
 done quietly, and by the assistance of converts ; but, 
 as heretofore, while some of the different orders of 
 the Eoman Church were disposed to keep quiet till 
 better times should dawn, and carry on their minis- 
 trations in secret as it were, others were still inclined 
 to show a zeal without knowledge, and thus kept up 
 the ardour of 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 govern- 
 ment, 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 as- 
 semble 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 an- 
 other such plate was (and is) kept at Osaka for the 
 purpose of testing suspected persons. This act of 
 desecration is known as " Yayboomi," and was car- 
 ried 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 ele- 
 ment 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 ultimately in des- 
 peration to take up arms in their own defence. Had 
 
 2 B 
 
386 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 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. Eefusing to perform such 
 an act of irreverence 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 upwards of 40,000 men. The 
 most prominent leader among them appears to have 
 been Massida shiro, fourth son of Jimbe, in Kobe- 
 mura, in Hizen province ; and he was assisted by 
 two brothers, Oyano Kozayaymon and 0. Kemmootz. 
 These are probably the two brothers to whom Taver- 
 nier, the great Eastern traveller, alludes in an appen- 
 dix to his work, when he mentions, on the authority 
 of one Father Barr, who seems 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 Tera- 
 sawa, formerly governor of Nagasaki, and under the 
 charge of his retainer Miako tobe. The first move 
 of this Christian army was to seize the castle 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 Naga- 
 saki, 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 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 387 
 
 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, attacked the city upon the first day of the 
 year, and was killed in the attempt, when the com- 
 mand 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 de- 
 rived from their cannon, which are said to have fired 
 from a ship and a battery on shore 426 balls. A 
 great deal has been made of this against the Dutch, 
 as using their influence 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 Toongking ; 
 and there must have been a considerable number of 
 Japanese collected in Macao and its neighbourhood, 
 
388 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 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 re- 
 mains 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 Ja- 
 panese 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 Eoman 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, Kangatsume from Miako 
 and Baba saburo from Nagasaki, were ordered to in- 
 vestigate 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 ambassadors to Japan from Macao in order to 
 endeavour if possible by a last stroke to reopen the 
 trade which had been lost. The four gentlemen, 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 re- 
 ceived. In the Cathedral of Macao may be seen a 
 painting of the execution of these ambassadors. 
 
 Deeply regretting the loss of the trade of Japan, 
 and nothing daunted by the fate of these envoys, 
 King John, upon ascending the throne of Portugal 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 389 
 
 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 despatched 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 histo- 
 rians, " two black ships came to the island of Iwoga 
 sima, south of Satsuma. They said they were all 
 Nanbang men, and that there was not one Koman 
 Catholic [priest 1] among them. The captain said, ( My 
 country's king is now changed. I have a despatch 
 from the new king, and I wish it to be forwarded as 
 soon as convenient to Yedo.' '' Inooyay and Yamagaki 
 were sent from Yedo to make inquiries. They de- 
 manded 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/ There- 
 upon 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/' &c. , 
 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 offence, 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 ; 
 
3QO THE HISTORY OF 
 
 the other was 144 feet long by 36 broad. Each 
 vessel had 20 large guns. After this visit orders were 
 given to the Kiusiu Daimios to have always in readi- 
 ness a force of 55,000 men and 997 guard-boats for 
 the protection of the coasts. In the year 1666 an- 
 other edict was issued against the Eoman Catholics, 
 so that it would appear that some sparks of the 
 faith were still lingering here and there, 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 Kome. With difficulty he found a 
 captain of a vessel trading at Manilla, 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 Chinese, that the abbe had been taken and 
 immured between two walls, and allowed to per- 
 ish 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 Eome 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 assistance during the greater part of his 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 391 
 
 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 Emperor 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 coining to Yedo and 
 returning from it are spoken of as Sankin and Kotai. 
 The custom seems to have 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 
 desuetude 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 re- 
 spected by the Daimios, who still retained the recollec- 
 tion 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 
 
392 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 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 ministers, his suc- 
 cessor. 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 Kofoo under 
 arrest on account of irregularity of conduct. In the 
 year 1716, on the death of the infant Shiogoon, lyay 
 tsoongu, a difficulty occurred as to the succession, 
 when Yoshi mone, who was of the royal house of Kii 
 shiu, was selected by the Kokushu, on the recom- 
 mendation of Eeyee kamong no kami, then Eegent. 
 Having abdicated in 1745, he died in 1751, and is 
 reputed as one of the ablest and wisest of the Shio- 
 goons of the dynasty. The next Shiogoon was lyay 
 hige ; and during the rule of his successor, lyay haru, 
 about 1765, a common foot-soldier, Tanuma, rose to 
 be chief minister, a position and power which he used 
 not only to gratify his own evil propensities, but to 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 393 
 
 disseminate the same corruption over the empire. 
 Preventing all communications with the Shiogoon, he 
 did what was right in his own eyes ; forbad all per- 
 sons to study ; changed the laws ; and devoted him- 
 self 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 princi- 
 pal conspirators were beheaded ; but he was at length 
 put down by Matzdaira Etsjiu no kami, who pub- 
 lished at this time the ' Tenka hatto, mikka hatto/ 
 or three days' proclamation over the empire. 
 
 The Japanese are proud of and delight in the beau- 
 tiful scenery of their country ; and every one who has 
 opportunity, 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 favourable sites 
 amidst woods, and surrounded 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 neighbourhood 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 they 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 palace in Miako, Shoongakuji and 
 
394 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 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 them- 
 selves in a few villages in the neighbourhood 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 re- 
 move his people and offices to the small factory on 
 Desima, " the Outer Island," at the head of the inlet 
 of Nagasaki, and trade was prohibited 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 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 395 
 
 to such a state of terror and devastation, 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 assist- 
 ance of, the government in an attack he meditated 
 upon China; but his 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, mis- 
 sionaries, 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 
 civilisation 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 authenticity. 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 Naga- 
 saki : f Please ask Japan to help us ; we are now shut 
 up as in 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 
 
396 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 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 of the survivors 
 of the Dutch captured in 1662, and if so, it is curious 
 to have such a fact coming to light through Japanese 
 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, 1 and expressed a wish to 
 communicate with the Shiogoon at Yedo. A Dutch 
 interpreter was sent to see if there were any Portu- 
 guese 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. 
 
 1 A facsimile of this document is given in Purchas's Voyages. 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 397 
 
 Then follows a list of articles on board ammunition, 
 which was taken charge of by the Japanese : 
 
 Gunpowder, . . 35 tubs. Matchlocks, .... 47 
 
 Balls, .... 660 Flint muskets, ... 23 
 
 Leaden bullets, . 2 tubs. Spears, 24 
 
 Iron do., .1 Swords, 339 
 
 Small stone do., . 8 
 
 There were on board, as presents for the Shiogoon, 
 "one fine English musket, double-barrelled, 3 feet 3 
 inches in length ; four muskets with very intricate 
 and finely-made locks, besides eight others which can- 
 not be used, but are very well made ; and four moulds 
 for making balls." 
 
 The cargo consisted of cotton, woollen and cotton 
 cloth, furs, fragrant wood, chintz, scented water, quick- 
 silver, looking-glasses, tin, silk, crape, &c. The captain 
 was interrogated as to his religion, as to the Portu- 
 guese, 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 harbour. They were ordered in 
 1639 to leave that port, and in future to resort to 
 Nagasaki, where a small island, which was afterwards 
 connected by a bridge with the town, was appointed 
 them as a place of residence and for trade, being 
 about the same size as the factories at Canton occu- 
 pied by foreigners till 1856. 
 
 Several attempts were made by other nations, at 
 long intervals, to reopen a trade with the country ; 
 
398 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 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 
 between the era of lyeyas and the reopening of the 
 country advert to a number of occurrences of tem- 
 porary 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 en- 
 joyed under the form of government established by 
 lyeyas, and after all complications arising from deal- 
 ings with other nations were forcibly put an end to 
 by the expulsion of foreigners. 
 
 The Daimio Fkushima Massanori was banished in 
 1619 to the island of Hatchi jo for a series of cruelties 
 practised upon his family, his servants, and his people, 
 which show that he was deranged ; and his extensive 
 territories, occupying three provinces, were confiscated. 
 
 In 1621 the Emperor married the daughter of the 
 Shiogoon. 
 
 The temple of To yay zan was built in Yedo for 
 the occupation of the high-priest, who is alluded to in 
 the laws of lyeyas as being appointed to fill that posi- 
 tion as a near relative 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 personage 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 prodigious number of ironstones having fallen from 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 399 
 
 heaven, showing that the meteoric orbit has been cross- 
 ing that of the earth as visibly two hundred years 
 ago as it does now. 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 Tam- 
 angawa 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 substi- 
 tute iron pipes, but the wooden ones still remain a 
 cause of constant expense 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 con- 
 flagration 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 
 selling 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 Eoman 
 Catholic religion; and in 1668 an order was promul- 
 gated prohibiting any new Buddhist temples being 
 erected. In all probability the Buddhist priesthood 
 had been exalted by their victory over the Eoman 
 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 sympathise. Only four years before this 
 
400 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 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, as is 
 asserted, that it was three or four times the size of the 
 figure of Dai boods, near Kamakura (at present exist- 
 ing in copper, and upwards 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 con- 
 tempt for the 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 forthcoming, of raising such 
 edifices as were raised of old by the zeal of fervent 
 worshippers. 
 
 The Buddhist priesthood in 1720, by a great re- 
 ligious festival all over the empire, commemorated 
 the eleventh centenary of the establishment of Bud- 
 dhism. 
 
 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 colonise 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 government fitted out a 
 vessel and carried away all these adventurers, bringing 
 them to Yokuhama, and it seems to find the islands 
 a convenient distance to which they can send vessels 
 to train officers and men. 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 401 
 
 A work was commenced in 1786 which was ex- 
 pected to have proved of great advantage to Yedo. 
 This was the cutting 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 nil ma. About 
 twenty miles above Yedo, the Tonay, coming down as 
 one river from the Tonay district, divides into two. The 
 one branch, receiving afEuents 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 Kiver, 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 
 bifurcation takes place. It was proposed to deepen 
 
 2 c 
 
402 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 the lake, and cut through a passage from it into the 
 bay of Yedo. 1 
 
 The town of Sakura first started the project, and 
 commenced a canal, but did not finish the work. The 
 Shiogoon, seeing the advantages of the proposed cut, 
 ordered the Daimios to cut the remainder of this 
 canal (of about 14 miles in length), each cutting as 
 his share about 360 feet. The work, which was 
 immediately commenced, was in six months half com- 
 pleted, 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 thousand 
 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 Negata 
 waters; while Miako might be joined by water to 
 Tsurunga on the north and Owarri on the south. By 
 private enterprise, in the year 1832, the Yodo ngawa 
 between Miako and Osaka was deepened and improved 
 by the removal 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 private individual, Yodo 
 
 1 The lower part of Yedo is so low that it is liable to be overflowed 
 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 EMPIRE CONTINUED. 403 
 
 yo, cut a channel by which this river now flows south- 
 wards 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 Yokuhama 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 earth- 
 quake shook the whole of the southern part of the 
 island of Nippon, and simultaneously from the side of 
 the mountain Fusiyama 1 issued an eruption of volcanic 
 matter. This eruption continued for fifteen days; 
 and at Yedo, a distance of 70 miles, dust fell to the 
 depth of two feet. Fusiyama had not given any appear- 
 ance of volcanic action for centuries. The projection 
 on the smooth outline of the hill on the north-western 
 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 action, 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 portion of the 
 mountain was swallowed up ; and the boiling sul- 
 phurous springs of Onzen, memorable during the 
 persecutions of the Christians, were dried up. The 
 
 1 Fusi literally " not two," or none such. 
 
404 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 fear of the inhabitants was quickened by the recollec- 
 tion 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 burnt 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 
 immediately took fire, and the unfortunate inmates 
 were burnt, or were confined prisoners. The outline 
 of the coast was completely altered, the country con- 
 verted 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 
 populated district. 
 
 In 1828 a tremendous earthquake and volcanic 
 eruption took place in the province of Etsingo, during 
 which, at Nadatchi, 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 EMPIRE CONTINUED. 405 
 
 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 building, by 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, 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. What- 
 ever 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 earth- 
 quakes for ages. There are pagodas in many parts of 
 the country of seven and even nine stories high. At 
 Kamakura 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 pro- 
 ceedings of the Shiogoon in quest of sport. 
 
 The Japanese appear to be very partial to the theatre, 
 and there seems in the nation an innate aptitude for 
 such representation. But while the government re- 
 
406 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 gulates this, as it does every other branch of the amuse- 
 ments 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 upwards 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 whatever they appre- 
 ciate 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 amusement are open, such as jugglers, mar- 
 rionettes, and tellers of stories. Wrestling by pro- 
 fessionals is another spectacle which always draws 
 a very large concourse of spectators, generally male ; 
 but women are on occasions to be seen viewing 
 the manoeuvres of the contest with the greatest in- 
 terest. These spectacles have been well, though per- 
 haps over, described by Commodore Perry. Besides 
 these full-grown wrestlers, companies go about, hav- 
 ing under tuition boys of from eight to twelve years 
 of age, who wrestle with all the pomp and circum- 
 stance of their full-grown compeers. The same laws 
 regulate the game under the formal umpire. A suc- 
 cessful wrestler is hailed with loud applause; and 
 under the influence of the excitement of the moment, 
 money is frequently thrown to the conqueror, or for 
 want of it men will throw their coats or napkins, 
 which they afterwards redeem. 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 407 
 
 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 to serious trouble. 
 In 1837, Osaka and the neighbourhood were disturbed 
 by a rising which was instigated by an officer, Oshi- 
 wo, who, by distribution of money and by placards, 
 excited the people of the city against the authorities. 
 During the riot, which may be said to have lasted 
 only one day, nearly all the principal shops in Osaka 
 were pillaged and burnt. The ringleader escaped, 
 but was afterwards discovered, but he blew the house 
 up in which he was hiding before he could be ar- 
 rested. Notwithstanding that the government exer- 
 cises such surveillance over the people, and that one 
 fourth of the community seem to be spies upon the 
 remainder, risings of the people do occasionally take 
 place. These riots are especially frequent in the pro- 
 vinces 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 organisation. 
 Officers are in general somewhat afraid of an appoint- 
 ment 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 Yokuhama 
 on the road to Koshiu, as a protection to Yedo. 
 
 In the year 1701 an occurrence took place which 
 terminated in a tragedy, and has ever since been one 
 
408 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 of the national 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 precincts of the Shio- 
 goon's palace, was insulted by a Kokay of the name 
 of Kira, when a quarrel and scuffle took place, dur- 
 ing which Assano drew his sword. This was looked 
 upon as such a heinous offence that he was ordered 
 to kill himself, when the government confiscated his 
 property, reducing 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 com- 
 menced, 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 methodical 
 manner to commit suicide. They are all buried at 
 the temple of Sengakuji, near the temple first occu- 
 pied 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 gratifica- 
 tion of his passions, he became enamoured of Taka- 
 wo, 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, 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 409 
 
 to give consent. He took 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 com- 
 municated 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 Pel- 
 lew, 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 everything 
 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 ab- 
 sorbed by France, Sir Stamford Eaffles sent a vessel 
 from Java with a Dutch officer to take the place of 
 the representative of Holland then at Nagasaki ; but 
 the man in possession was able to prevent his opponent 
 
410 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 landing, and held the place till he was relieved in 
 1817. 
 
 In 1829, the Cyprus, a vessel containing some con- 
 victs 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 
 permission 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, Eussian, 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 experience, at a great disadvantage to 
 Japan, in so far as she had to meet foes greatly in 
 advance of herself in the practical 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 animo- 
 sities of European powers had for a long time drawn 
 them away from the East and concentrated their atten- 
 tion nearer home ; and the history of their withdrawal 
 from the Eastern seas is that of the struggle among 
 European nations for the supremacy of the sea. 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 411 
 
 The English retired from Japan as a field of trade 
 about the year 1623. The hatred of Holland to Spain 
 and Portugal gave vigour 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 com- 
 petitors, however, the Dutch undermined their own 
 position, and deprived themselves of support, moral as 
 well as physical, and fell gradually into a position of 
 contemptible dependence for the retention of a worth- 
 less 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 of the Japanese. Some of these 
 might even be read with benefit by envoys of the pre- 
 sent day. " You shall keep your finest cloathes, 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 pro- 
 vide themselves with little leather pumps and slippers. 
 The floors of the houses are covered with tapestry 
 in Ja,pan, 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 towards Japan has had a wider cosmopolitan 
 influence than any other act since the Declaration of 
 Independence. 
 
412 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 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 Eussians 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 behaviour, if not of genuine hospit- 
 ality, being shown to vessels which required assistance, 
 or which might be wrecked upon the coasts of Japan. 
 
 In 1846 an attempt was made by the United States 
 government to endeavour to break down, if possible, 
 the system of exclusion kept up by Japan by the de- 
 spatch of two vessels of war, under Commodore Biddle, 
 with the view of feeling the way towards 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, 
 determined to make another effort to break down the 
 barrier, and to make such a display as should show the 
 Japanese that he was to a certain extent in earnest, 
 and at the same time prevent any recurrence of such 
 conduct towards 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 endeavoured to overthrow any such 
 claims ; but such great political steps are seldom 
 the result of a sudden outburst of vigour it was 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 413 
 
 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 conver- 
 sion of the Pacific Ocean into a highway of com- 
 merce. 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 Ame- 
 rica. 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'gene- 
 rally peaceful professions on the part of the govern- 
 ment, 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 acquaintance with 
 Orientals learned in the school of China, and he 
 brought this to bear practically upon his 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 
 ostentation and personal consequence that a diplo- 
 matist ought with such persons never to recognise 
 any personal superiority, and ought always to keep 
 aloof from conversation or intercourse with inferiors, 
 and yet cultivate as far as possible a friendly disposi- 
 tion towards the people. 
 
 Commodore Perry left the President's letter on the 
 
4H THE HISTORY OF 
 
 8th July 1853 for the consideration of the Japanese 
 government. He 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 commissioners to treat 
 with Perry. The treaty was signed at Yokuhama, and 
 ratifications were exchanged in February 1855. Al- 
 though the treaty was signed and the negotiations 
 brought to a successful termination, this was not 
 accomplished without difficulty and even danger, as, 
 according to native accounts, a large force was col- 
 lected on the hills overlooking Yokuhama, under the 
 command of different Daimios. These forces occu- 
 pied 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 afterwards 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 Americans, 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 Stir- 
 ling, then admiral on the China station, with H.M.S. 
 Winchester 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 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 415 
 
 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 Shiogoon 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. 
 
 Mr Townsend Harris was appointed consul for 
 America at Simoda, and arrived there in 1856; and 
 being in constant intercourse with the Japanese au- 
 thorities, he concluded a convention by which further 
 advantages were gained by the Americans. The Japan- 
 ese 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 
 articles of a commercial treaty (based upon the treaties 
 with China), which was signed by him and the Japan- 
 ese commissioners upon the 29th of July 1858. After 
 this was settled, Holland, Britain, Eussia, 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 
 
416 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 intended anything further than ostentatious 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 operations. 
 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 European 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 consi- 
 dered 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 in Yedo, which pro- 
 fesses to give some account of the doings in Japan at 
 this time, and which is interesting as showing the in- 
 ternal state of Japan at this most critical time in her 
 history, and the feelings with which the proposed 
 opening of the country was viewed by different poli- 
 tical parties. The views of the Emperor 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 over- 
 throw of the Shiogoon's position and the restoration 
 of the Emperor to the power originally held in the 
 

 THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 417 
 
 imperial hands. 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 
 appointed Eegent in case of necessity. He seems to 
 have been a clever, bold man, to Western ideas un- 
 scrupulous 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 
 " contents " that the Regent sent Manabay Simosa no 
 kami to Miako to seize Takatskasa, the highest officer 
 of the empire, the Kwanbakku and his son Daifu 
 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 
 
 2 D 
 
418 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 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 spring 1860. The 
 name of the author is " Every one drunk." 
 
 The anticipated arrival of the United States squad- 
 ron 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 Omets- 
 kis, 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 inter- 
 course 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 min- 
 ority 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 defence. 
 At present, they alleged, the coasts were weak and 
 defenceless, and " if Japan does not conquer it will be 
 great disgrace, and the country will be defiled. But, 
 high and low, all must be unanimous/' In the first 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 419 
 
 place, it must be ascertained how many men each 
 Daimio can muster, and the strength of each in guns, 
 ammunition, &c. In 1854, in the 10th month, the 
 Ometskis sent letters to all the Daimios to obtain in- 
 formation on this head. 
 
 In 1855, in the 9th month, the Shiogoon sent a 
 commission 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 Shio- 
 goon 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 Em- 
 peror's own letter, 22d day of the 2d mo., 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), 1 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 com- 
 mand 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 favour of 
 the course advocated by the Shiogoon. The Mikado 
 was very angry" (with these others), " and it was with 
 difficulty the Kwanbakku 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 Shio- 
 goon's first Minister of Foreign Affairs and Envoy to 
 
 1 Whose retainers and secretary the Regent had arrested and brought 
 to Yedo. 
 
420 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 Miako, to obtain the Mikado's consent to the Ameri- 
 can treaty, and informed him of the document here- 
 under. 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 honour of the name 
 of the first Mikado it is impossible to agree to it. 
 
 " It is our duty to take care to tranquillise the 
 minds of our people. 
 
 " The Shiogoon should gather every one's opinion, 
 from the three great houses to the humblest subject, 
 and give me 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 
 neighbourhood 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 pos- 
 sible. 
 
 " 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 com- 
 mentator called " puppetism " in the position of the 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 421 
 
 Emperor when he, standing here almost alone in his 
 council of bribed and intriguing officers, who were all 
 in the pay of the Eegent 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 Eegent 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 Shio- 
 goon's government a-bout 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 
 written opinion upon the subject. Only a short time 
 was required to gather every one's opinion ; but, in 
 the mean time, some Kussian and American men-of-war 
 came here, bringing the news that in a short time Eng- 
 lish 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 war- 
 like spirit, and it would be difficult for us to negotiate 
 with them. The American ambassador 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 
 
422 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 French and English, and could save us from all diffi- 
 culties. 
 
 " It was impossible for us to comply with this with- 
 out 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 
 authorised to sign, 1 the American treaty at Kanagawa, 
 which treaty was given up to the American ambas- 
 sador. 
 
 " 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. How- 
 ever, 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 consider 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 flourishing; 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 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, 
 
 1 This expression is somewhat suspicious. 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 423 
 
 but it is impossible to believe it. Hotta will return 
 to Yedo and say that the Mikado has consented to 
 give him a secret authorisation, and he will thus in- 
 duce the other Daimios to follow the party of the Shio- 
 goon. 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 refuse 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 families ' to the lowest give 
 their vote upon the subject." The Daimios gave their 
 vote, and they were generally in favour 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, 1 are unable to perform your 
 duties. You ought to know what the duties of that 
 office are, and yet our foreign enemies (ee teki) 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 business of the empire, then you must 
 despatch some able and experienced officers, that I 
 may hear myself what is doing. At the present 
 moment all Daimio, Shomio, and Shonin (people) are 
 
 1 Barbarian-quelling commander-in-chief. 
 
424 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 in perplexity. Why is this 1 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 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 defences of the empire. It may be pre- 
 sumed that the more powerful of the opposite party 
 were annoyed with his obtaining this appointment, 
 and with showing them their weaknesses, and had 
 caballed against him under the headship of Ee Ka- 
 mong 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 deli- 
 berations were not over till two o'clock in the morn- 
 ing 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. Pro- 
 bably 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 situation, 
 had the first claim. He seems to have all along 
 taken a side opposed to Mito, probably arising out 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 425 
 
 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 conduct 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 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 Kegent, were 
 forthwith carried into execution. The smaller Omet- 
 ski were appointed to see that such sentences were car- 
 ried 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 Hongo Tango no kami, member of the Waka- 
 toshi yori, a similar letter was sent, and he was de- 
 prived 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, 
 
426 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 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 treat- 
 ment 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 Shio- 
 goon 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. 1 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 mili- 
 tated against himself. 
 
 The 9th day of the 9th month was the day chosen 
 for the nominal death of the Shiogoon. Ee Kamong 
 
 1 lyay nari, the llth Shiogoon. 
 
 'IT ~1 
 
 Eldest son, lyay yoshi, Next son (was, adopted by) 
 
 12th Shiogoon. Kii. 
 
 lyay sada. The next son (was adopted Sori, lyay mutchi, 
 Died s. p. by Stotsbashi, Gosankioh, was supported by 
 
 3d son of 9th Shiogoon), the Regent as 13th 
 
 who adopted Yoshi hiro, Shiogoon. 
 
 7th son of Mito, for whom 
 
 his father claims the first 
 
 right, and who became, in 
 
 1867, Shiogoon. 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 427 
 
 no kami was much with the late Shiogoon before his 
 death, and gave out that he had ordered him to act as 
 Eegent during the young man's minority. 
 
 Manabay Simosa no kami, one of the Cabinet, was 
 sent by the Eegent to carry out his schemes in 
 Miako. He returned in the 12th month, and a few 
 days after his return abdicated his honours and his 
 territory. 
 
 Hotta, who had acted as envoy from the Eegent to 
 Miako, was degraded. On the 26th day of the llth 
 month, the two highest officers, Koo jio dono the 
 Kwanbakku, and Ni 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 lyay- 
 rautchi 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, 1 one 
 of the governors of Miako, to seize the following per- 
 sons : Ee kai kitchi, the gentleman in charge of 
 Mito's house in Miako, and his son ; three gentlemen, 
 retainers in the service of the Kwanbakku 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 
 
 1 He afterwards came to Yedo, but in July 1862 he was severely 
 fined for constant intoxication. 
 
428 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 Regent's death, put in charge of the British Legation 
 at Tozenji ; also a retainer 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 Sanjio dono, of Ari- 
 sungawa mia, and of Saiwonji dono respectively. 
 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 Kamong 
 no kami. 
 
 In 1859, on the 2d day, 2d 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 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 429 
 
 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 dili- 
 gent and able, I present him with silver." 
 
 It may be presumed that with the system of es- 
 pionage 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 Shio- 
 goon (or the Eegent 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 the Shiogoon does not approve of 
 your recent conduct." (Mito had written to the Em- 
 peror, with whom he was connected 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 ap- 
 pointed 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 letter to the 
 
430 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 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 canonisation of 
 the late Shiogoon), " we are willing to view your crime 
 with leniency. Your punishment is, that you be 
 henceforth imprisoned 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 dif- 
 ferent, 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 
 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 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 431 
 
 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 en- 
 gaged was entirely for the good of the empire of 
 Japan, and of the greatest consequence, your punish- 
 ment 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 open- 
 ing up of the country to foreign trade. 
 
432 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 Many persons, some of whom were connected with 
 the highest officers in Miako and Yedo, were arrested 
 as being engaged with Mito in intrigues. Among these 
 the head retainer of Mito was kept in confinement, 
 and was commanded to kill himself in prison; 1 
 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 establishment 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. 2 Of the prisoners, the three first were be- 
 headed. 
 
 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 
 
 1 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 
 despatch" seems to have been a felicitous suggestion of some foreigner. 
 It is said to be done by a cut across the abdomen, and sometimes an- 
 other cut is said to be made in the form of a cross. But any one who 
 knows anything of the subject will think this nearly an impos- 
 sibility, from the extreme difficulty of making the two other cuts neces- 
 sary to make a cross. This would be a very butchering and trying job, 
 and would bring on only a lingering death. So far as can be judged 
 from the way it is performed in theatres, the knife, a short well-sharp- 
 ened instrument, is inserted into the abdomen, and then drawn across 
 the back-bone, 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 swallowing 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. 
 
 2 Afterwards assassinated by his servant, an emissary of Mito, who 
 had got into the office as clerk, and kept Mito informed of all that 
 transpired. 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 433 
 
 with the same duties reside at the castles of the other 
 two Sankay, Owarri and Kii : 
 
 " Your house is a very honourable one, and you are 
 a man of talent and experience. You ought to attend 
 more correctly 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 indo- 
 lent. 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 confis- 
 cated. 
 
 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 
 grandson, it was written : 
 
 " Your grandfather has been guilty of opposing the 
 government, and has been degraded and deprived of 
 his territory, and ordered to confine himself to his 
 room. Therefore it is our will that you take posses- 
 sion of his territory, and also of his office." 
 
 It seems to have been the Kegent'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 
 
 2 E 
 
434 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 examined into the offence 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, 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 Kongo 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 5000 koku of revenue, and degrade 
 you." (He had been made a Daimio, with 10,000 
 koku of revenue, by the previous 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 w r as 
 written, depriving him of his honours 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 
 transported to Hatchi jio. His son, being only three 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 435 
 
 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 
 chamberlain, are to be expelled from towns when they 
 arrive at fifteen years of age. 
 
 The Eegent, after thus disposing of his enemies, 
 proceeded, 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. 1 You 
 have been very diligent in a most difficult and import- 
 ant 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.) 
 
 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 Eegent in executing his vengeance. 
 
 In a letter to these officers the Shiogoon expresses 
 satisfaction with the diligence shown by them, and on 
 that account rewards them, at the same time reward- 
 
 1 An obang is a large gold coin worth about 7. 
 
436 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 ing smaller officers who have been similarly engaged, 
 but without specifying them by name. 
 
 To Manabay, who had been formerly Prime Minister, 
 and lately much engaged in ferreting out these in- 
 trigues 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 Eegent 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 cog- 
 nisant 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 act- 
 ing 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 Koon- 
 gays had been arrested, and themselves insulted and 
 degraded. He had degraded five of the highest Dai- 
 mios Owarri, Mito, Satsuma, Tosa, and Etsizen and 
 had severely punished all of lower rank who had in 
 any way countenanced or assisted those opposed 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 overthrow 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 Dai- 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 437 
 
 mios on duty appearing 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 recognised. In the Dai- 
 mios' quarter of the city the guards of the streets and 
 cross streets are the retainers of Daimios. The guard- 
 houses are sometimes divided into two when the guard 
 is divided between two neighbouring 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 
 Sakurada, or outer Cherry gate, opening from that part 
 of the enclosure in which the residences of the Goro- 
 chiu are situated. At this gate the moat is crossed 
 by a bridge which opens upon a wide gravelled road 
 the Tatsu no kutchi bounded on the one side by 
 the moat, on the other by Daimios' residences, and 
 leading by a gentle ascent to the residence of the 
 Kegent, Ee Kamong no kami. 
 
 On the 3d day of the 3d month the Shiogoon 
 was to hold this levee, at which the Eegent, now that he 
 had put down his enemies, would appear in the pleni- 
 tude of his power as the real ruler of Japan. He set 
 out in his norimono towards 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 was made 
 at the train. The bearers set down the norimono. Men 
 
438 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 with drawn swords ordered him to come out. He 
 expostulated. 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 (24th March 
 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 
 daibu'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 arrest- 
 ing 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 Kegent'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 servants of Ee brought the body to 
 the house here." 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 439 
 
 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 neighbourhood, were 
 cognisant 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. 
 
 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 concerned, for all to write 
 similar letters, to prevent the government seizing one. 
 They added : " One Eonin, 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 G-orochiu : "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 Kamong no kami writes himself to the Shiogoon 
 (notwithstanding his having had his head removed 
 several hours previous) : " I 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 afterwards with swords attacked me in my nori- 
 
440 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 mono. 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 num- 
 ber several died. 
 
 Upon receiving intelligence of this attack, the Shio- 
 goon 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 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 Satsuma. 1 
 
 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 
 
 1 His brother is probably the man who assassinated Mr Richardson 
 in 1862. 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 441 
 
 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 Kegent, but were now afraid 
 that the opposite 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. 1 If you, in revenge, should 
 raise disturbance with the followers of Mito, it will 
 occasion much trouble. I will endeavour 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, Baba- 
 saki, and Watakura, were shut. The Tayass gate at 
 Take bashi, the Hanzo and Saymidzu 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 par- 
 tisans of Mito, were lurking about Yedo in numbers. 
 It was known that the head of the Kegent 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 
 
 1 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 re- 
 tainers of the Kegent were afraid of this law being put in operation 
 against them. 
 
442 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 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 possession of it." 
 
 The head of the Cabinet, Neito, wrote to Matzdaira 
 Osumi no kami : " Three days ago a high officer was 
 assassinated 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 residence 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 Eegent and 
 those in favour 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 up- 
 side down, makes of it, "A gentleman's head swept 
 away is very good." 
 
 (Some of these squibs were what is called " Yaba- 
 tai " writing. This name is founded on the following : 
 Abe no naka maro in old times was sent as ambas- 
 sador to China. The Chinese Emperor was angry 
 with him, and said that if he could not read a certain 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 443 
 
 piece of writing, that he would kill him. He failed, 
 and was put to death. Another ambassador 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 writ- 
 ing, now converted into Yabotai, wild-fool writing.) 
 
 The following information as to the assassins ap- 
 pears to have been given to the Gorochiu by Hosso- 
 kawa, the Daimio to whose residence several of the 
 assassins fled, saying that they were men from Mito, 
 and wished to 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 Eegent 
 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, afterwards 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 cognisant 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 Kegent, on the 
 
444 THE HISTORY OF . 
 
 other, were making preparations for a fight. The 
 policy of lyeyas in compelling the lords to be per- 
 sonally in Yedo with few followers, while their strength 
 in men remained at their provincial seats, prevented 
 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. 1 From 
 his lands at Sano, in the province of Simotsuki, 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 Matz- 
 daira 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, dur- 
 ing 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. 
 
 1 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 concubines, servants, &c., reside ; and shta 
 yashiki, where he has a garden, and retainers, servants, and their fami- 
 lies reside. 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 445 
 
 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 Eegent, 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 Eegent at the Sakurada 
 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 Eegent. The 
 answer was : " We have good reasons. From the time 
 of Jin mu tenwo to the present 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 Eegent 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 service, but who were dismissed, have gone this 
 
446 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 morning to the Sakurada gate and killed Ee Kamong 
 no kami. They appear 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 
 establishment, 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 comparatively 
 powerless ; I therefore beg the assistance of the Shio- 
 goon." 
 
 The Shiogoon wrote to Mito on the 4th day of the 
 3d month : 
 
 "Yesterday your servants killed the Gotairo, and 
 now I fear they may attack and kill some of the 
 Grorochiu. 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 
 informed 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 investigate 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 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 447 
 
 my right hand ; ' the other said, ' If you are weak I 
 will do it for you/ and cut off his head, and imme- 
 diately 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 pockets, 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, 1 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, 2d 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. y the day 
 after the assassination Satsuma wrote to the Shio- 
 goon : 
 
 "A servant of mine, Arimura Yooskd, yesterday 
 absconded, and has not yet returned. I find that a 
 man who committed suicide yesterday, near the resi- 
 dence 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." 
 
 On the 3d of the 3d month the Eonins in the 
 service of Mito who had assisted in the murder 
 wrote out the following statement and gave it to 
 Hossokawa : 
 
 "We left our province of Hitatsi on the 18th day 
 
 1 Mito uses the same crest the awoyee, or three leaves. 
 
448 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 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 refer- 
 ence apparently to the men who had banded them- 
 selves together to free their country from the presence 
 of foreigners : 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 449 
 
 " There are sixty honourable 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 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 afterwards come 
 to me to tell me of what you have done. I know no- 
 thing 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 
 
 2 F 
 
450 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 Shiogoon should marry the sister of the Emperor]. 
 If we do so, we can afterwards 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 honour 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 Eegent, given large sums of 
 money to the high, Koongays, the Kwanbakku, and 
 others, to bring over the Emperor to his side. The 
 Emperor was then standing alone, the Kwanbakku hav- 
 ing been bought over. Manabay, on his return, retired 
 from the Gorochiu to his provincial 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 Grorochiu 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. 1 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 
 
 1 These are men at the palace gate who look out for Daimios ap- 
 proaching, 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. 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 451 
 
 looking at the Sode bookang. 1 I heard a pistol-shot 
 in the open space in front, and several shots were fired 
 at the kango. The bearers 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, quarrelling, and scolding; and soon 
 after they cut off Ee's head. While the quarrelling 
 was going on he was not dead, because I saw him 
 moving his hands. Afterwards many of the assassins 
 stamped upon the body, and all kicked it ; and they 
 afterwards 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 So to Sakurada, twenty servants of Mito assassinated 
 Kamong no kami. We 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 attach- 
 ing a small slip of paper to the letter : " We do not 
 require any more soldiers." 
 
 The Shiogoon ordered Sakkai Sayay mon no jo, who 
 
 1 The sleeve peerage, as it is called, a little abridgment of the 
 Bookang, with the crests, names, and offices of Daimios, often used 
 by strangers to recognise Daimios passing. 
 
452 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 was now, by the death of the Eegent, 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 afterwards 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 Kegent's 
 service, went to the Gorochiu with the following 
 letter : " Our master, Kamong 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 
 assassins were servants of Mito and Satsuma. Yester- 
 day 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 Hossokawa 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 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 EMPIRE CONTINUED. 453 
 
 The following letter was addressed to the Shiogoon 
 by the son and servants of the late Eegent on the day 
 of the murder. 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 assass- 
 inated is confiscated. " 3d day, 3d mo. Ee Kamong 
 no kami, when going to the castle to-day, and when 
 near the Sakurada gate, was attacked 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 
 overpowered 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, ac- 
 cording to the old laws of the empire, to be reduced 
 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 preparing to defend themselves and party by 
 an appeal to arms rather than by submission. 
 
 The Shiogoon answered to this : " All your father's 
 territory I restore to you his son." 
 
 Here terminates the native account of the assassina- 
 tion. 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 general tenor of the statements, 
 the extreme hatred of one party in Japan to foreign 
 intercourse is brought out, and the slight which the 
 
454 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 Emperor considered to have been put upon him by the 
 conclusion of the treaty without his consent and against 
 his expressed opinion. 
 
 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 individual removed, or to fill the place 
 which it has made vacant. 
 
 The position of the government upon the death of 
 the Kegent 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, expect- 
 ing and fearing some great political 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 instrumental in, bringing foreigners into the 
 country ; and a civil war or revolution would cer- 
 tainly 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 concentrated all minor 
 feelings, and consolidated them into one great na- 
 tional determination to rid the land of the hated 
 foreigners. This was the one policy which the Em- 
 peror 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 pre- 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 455 
 
 tended to be in favour 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 follow to the death in such a glorious cause. 
 But no such leader appeared. Where was Mito, the 
 rival of the late Eegent \ and why did he not come 
 forward to carry out his own policy at this juncture 1 
 The son of the late Eegent was too young and inex- 
 perienced 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 Kegent, and in the under- 
 hand plotting 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 can admit foreigners, and, if we see fit, 
 afterwards turn them out. But Mito was disliked 
 by the other Daimios, and his name was not sufficient 
 to rally a strong party, while he * and the lately de- 
 graded Daimios were now in arrest in their own houses, 
 in territories which had been transferred to the hands 
 of infants. They had thus no opportunity for in- 
 triguing, having no common place of meeting out 
 of Yedo, as by law they were prohibited 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 time should open up some line of action. 
 The Gorochiu, therefore, with Neito at its head, and 
 
 1 Mito is said to have travelled over the empire incog, at this time, to 
 study the feelings of the people. 
 
456 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 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 Kokushu. Etsizen, after- 
 wards known by his retired title Shoongaku, 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, 1 appointing him 
 and Awa to fill the place of co-regents, under the 
 name of Sosai Shoku or Sodangeite. But the fer- 
 mentation of revolution had already begun to work, 
 and at such a time the first actors upon the stage 
 seldom play the prominent parts they deem them- 
 selves fitted to fill. They generally 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 imperid by the 
 exterritoriality clause was greatly increased by the 
 government attempting to carry on foreign relations 
 
 1 This letter was afterwards considered a forgery. 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 457 
 
 without the consent or against the will of the higher 
 power in Miako. The two powers must work har- 
 moniously ; and so long as the internal affairs of the 
 empire are the only possible 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 towards other nations, it 
 places itself in a wrong position, and foreign nations 
 will not treat with such a pretence. 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 em- 
 pire. 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 
 deserts 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, smouldering 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 foreigners in the country, and 
 foreign ministers in Yedo. The latter assumed a 
 position of superiority to which these lords were quite 
 unaccustomed. They were occupying temples belong- 
 ing to great families, situated in cemeteries consecrated 
 by the burial of their ancestors and relatives, but now 
 polluted by intruders hateful to the spirits of the 
 
453 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 country. The foreign merchants were able to beard 
 these princes on the highroad, and to treat with non- 
 chalance dignitaries who looked for the utmost defer- 
 ence, and who were authorised 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 1000, and Emperor and 
 lord longed to share in such advantages and participate 
 in the profits. The first object which the more power- 
 ful 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. 1 After the boy-Shiogoon had been 
 married to Kadsu mia, sister of the Emperor, Shoon- 
 gaku, 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 generally 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 carried 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 
 
 1 He was a distant relative and the unexpected successor of a Koon- 
 gay, and had spent his early life hanging about the offices of Yedo. 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 459 
 
 were to live at their own provincial seats. This 
 removed from Yedo all the lustre of the Court. At 
 the same time these lords 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 Yokuhama, and pressed 
 one demand after another upon the Japanese govern- 
 ment, already sufficiently occupied with complications 
 arising from intestine difficulties. 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, arid 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 de- 
 manding that residences should be built for them by 
 
460 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 the Japanese government, and insisting that these 
 residences should (in the face of an article 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 
 purpose 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 threatened 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 neighbour- 
 hood 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 opposing 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 suffi- 
 cient 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 meet- 
 ing 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 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 461 
 
 went out on a trip with the Shiogoon in his steam- 
 er, and were astonished 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 govern- 
 ment, and promised to bring forth fruit in a mutual 
 good understanding and co-operation. Stotsbashi 
 sneaked away to Yedo in disgrace, and had to run 
 the gauntlet 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 loyalty 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 countrymen was with 
 them, and they seem to have at last determined to 
 throw themselves into the breach by bringing about 
 a quarrel between the government and some foreign 
 nation. Shimadzu, the father of the Daimio, then a 
 minor, determined to carry out the laws of the country 
 irrespective of any exterritoriality clauses. On leaving 
 Yedo, on the 14th Sept. 1862, he gave out that he 
 would cut down any foreigners he might chance to 
 meet upon the road; when, as he approached Kana- 
 gawa, 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 hun- 
 dred yards, was set upon, fainting from loss of blood, 
 
462 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 and brutally murdered. Justice was asked from the 
 Shiogoon's government and the punishment of the offen- 
 der, who was well known to all Japan. The murder of 
 a merchant by a lord like Satsuma was treated with 
 contempt, and the matter was referred by the British 
 Minister to H.M. Government. The subsequent 
 necessary delay of many months, before instructions 
 came out to demand an indemnity and the punish- 
 ment 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 surveillance 
 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 punish the rebel. This, 
 however, he found to be no easy matter, as the whole 
 troops and populace were in favour 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 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 463 
 
 government upon the position of Japan in its in- 
 ternal and external relations at this juncture : 
 
 "Allow me, notwithstanding your political discus- 
 sions [with the Mikado's envoys], to give you my 
 opinion respecting the troubles which foreigners have 
 given us of late years, in asking all kinds of conces- 
 sions, in addition to the unexpected troubles which 
 exist in our own country. This combination of .diffi- 
 culties 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 be- 
 tween the Shiogoon and Mikado, and obedience to the 
 Mikado's orders, are highly necessary in keeping up an 
 intercourse 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 degradation of the people, who were 
 so brave and constant ten years ago, to the state of 
 quiescence and cowardice to which they are now re- 
 duced 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 
 
464 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 and prepare the country for war, declaring that the 
 Mikado still maintains the old laws of our country, 
 which directs the expulsion of foreigners. 
 
 " Other persons accept, on the contrary, the reopen- 
 ing 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 
 people. Unity is force and strength, and discord is 
 weakness ; therefore it would be imprudent to go to 
 war against powerful and brave enemies with discord 
 in our minds. 
 
 " The closing or opening of Japan is a matter of the 
 greatest 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 menaced and despised by foreign coun- 
 tries. Therefore the opening 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 re- 
 stored 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 bar- 
 barous ages, and arising out of the long peace which 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 465 
 
 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 re- 
 spect ; and the whole nation would honour the Shio- 
 goon, and all troubles would cease, and then only we 
 can be restored to our independence and power. 
 
 " 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 develop- 
 ments of arts and sciences in other countries. The 
 whole nation must devote 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 com- 
 merce 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 in the edicts which 
 have appeared so often during the last seven years. 
 
 " Inventions and improvements pass on with ra- 
 pidity, 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 sud- 
 denly 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 
 
 2 G 
 
466 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 there will be a general quiet restored ; then the dor- 
 mant soul of the whole nation will awake, and will be 
 united in power and in independence ; 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 favours of 
 the Shiogoon, which my ancestors have enjoyed dur- 
 ing centuries." 
 
 The aim of the party opposed to the policy of the 
 Shiogoon and the admission of foreigners, seems to 
 have been to poison the mind of the Emperor against 
 the young Shiogoon, 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. See Colonel Neale's Despatches, Feb. 24, 1863. 
 
 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 im- 
 proper ; and the officers of the Kwanto seem to have 
 lost all knowledge of the right way, and of all plans 
 of action, causing disturbance all over the empire. 
 All my people [Ban nin, 10,000 men] seem about to 
 fall down into mud as black as charcoal. 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 people are agitated, and the Shiogoon has no 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 467 
 
 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 together, 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 sho- 
 sho and Iwakura chiujo, and at the same time granted 
 a general amnesty ; 1 and all the business of the gov- 
 ernment I gave, as in former times, to the Shiogoon. 
 But this business about foreigners [Gway-Ee] is of 
 the first importance to the country. Therefore I said, 
 ' Let all this foreign business come under my care, 
 and I will settle it/ At the time, all the Yedo offi- 
 cials answered to me that the Emperor's proposal was 
 very important and serious, but a speedy answer can- 
 not be given, and that we must wait a little. 
 
 " After this time, several Daimios proposed several 
 different stratagems for driving away foreigners. But 
 of all the Daimios only two viz., Satsuma and Cho- 
 shiu came in person 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], 
 
 1 The Gorochiu would not allow this to be granted, and never pub- 
 lished it. 
 
468 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 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, giv- 
 ing 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 Satsuma 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. (3., 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 Satsuma and Nagato to desire the people to 
 have patience/ 
 
 " I gave a letter to Koozay Yamato no kami, re- 
 questing an answer, and yet none ever came ; and last 
 year I wrote and proclaimed an amnesty, and to this 
 I received no answer. Why has the Shiogoon thus 
 lost the way? I believe it is not he, but his officers. 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 469 
 
 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 weeping. All 
 the officers of the Kwanto [the Shiogoon, Daimios, &c.] 
 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 preparations, 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 medium 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 foreigners. 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 = the Koku- 
 shiu] 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 
 
470 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 preparations must be made ; and so the country 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 business will be well con- 
 ducted, and we shall not blush to think that we are 
 servants to foreigners, and that they have obliged us 
 to cross our coats the right over the left side. 1 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 con- 
 sidered 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 hur- 
 ried down before the arrival of the Shiogoon. The 
 letter bears some internal evidence of being written at 
 their dictation, especially from the proposal made to 
 appoint the two as Lieutenants and Eegent to or over 
 the Shiogoon ; and corroborates the advice which 
 Kanso had given the young Shiogoon viz., that he 
 
 1 The custom in Japan is to bring the left of the dress over the right 
 side in front, "inigi 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. 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 471 
 
 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 Em- 
 press 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 several were 
 sent by Ashikanga and Hojio). Sakkye was very 
 false, and tarnished the bright name of the Emperor, 
 which is a very foul crime. Now their devices have 
 been discovered, 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 mur- 
 der 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 government 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 fol- 
 lowed they began to quarrel among themselves. 
 Seeing their own weakness, however, they instantly 
 began to take what steps they could to bring them- 
 
4/2 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 selves up to a higher standing by the education of 
 their people, and they began by seeking to acquire a 
 knowledge of steam and steam-vessels. Choshiu and 
 Satsuma sent young men to England, arms and am- 
 munition 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 Em- 
 peror and Shiogoon unfortunately did not ripen. The 
 latter returned to Yedo despoiled of much of the former 
 splendour 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 Tokungawa. Yedo itself was 
 falling into the position of a fading capital, and as a 
 place of commercial importance, was dwindling with 
 the departure of its political greatness. A feeble at- 
 tempt 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. 
 
 The defeat of Satsuma by the English navy at Kago- 
 sima 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 de- 
 manded of him, and gave assurances that the offender 
 should be given up when discovered, which was per- 
 haps as much as could be expected from one who, 
 while a murder was being committed by his orders, 
 was quietly sitting within ten feet of his victim. 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 473 
 
 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 chil- 
 dren, 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 sur- 
 rounding the vessel of state. The Daimios would now 
 have little hesitation in withholding their allegiance 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 uncertain sound. 
 The internal resources must be gathered into one 
 treasury. The police, the taxes, must be recognised 
 as national, and not as belonging to one petty chief 
 here and there. The army and navy required recon- 
 struction ; 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 support the Emperor while the lower chiefs 
 impoverished themselves by fighting. He attempted 
 to take a side against the Emperor, but not being 
 aided by a strong party, he was forced in 1867 to 
 give way, and by abdicating retire into temporary 
 obscurity. 
 
474 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 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 offence, 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 determined to uphold the position of the 
 family, and carry out the principles of lyeyas at all 
 hazards. Between these parties 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 fol- 
 lowing terms : 
 
 " The conduct of Tokungawa Yoshi hisa having pro- 
 ceeded 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 penitent, and lives in re- 
 tirement, the excess of the imperial compassion shall 
 be exhausted, and the following commands be enjoined 
 upon him. Let him be respectfully obedient to them. 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 475 
 
 A period of eleven days is granted him in which to 
 comply with all these orders. 
 
 "As the above period of eleven days is already a 
 matter of great clemency, upon no account will any 
 other request or complaint be listened to. The Em- 
 peror having established both his clemency and author- 
 ity, will not allow any claims of alliance to have any 
 influence with him ; so be promptly obedient, and 
 resort to no subterfuges. 
 
 " 1st, Yoshi hisa having, on the 12th month of the 
 last year, and afterwards, insulted the Emperor, at- 
 tacked the imperial city, and fired upon the imperial 
 flag, was guilty of a most heinous crime. The army 
 was accordingly sent out to pursue and punish him. 
 But as he has manifested sincere contrition and obe- 
 dience, has shut himself up in retirement, and begs that 
 his crime may be pardoned : in consideration 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 
 especially of the accumulated meritorious services of 
 Mito zo Dainagoon] the father of Yoshi hisa, and 
 rival of the Eegent] ; for these various considerations, 
 of which we are most profoundly sensible, we give 
 him the following commands, 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 punishment 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 Owari. 
 
476 THE HISTORY OF 
 
 " 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, al- 
 though their crimes are worthy of the severest punish- 
 ment, the sentence of death shall be remitted, but they 
 are to receive such other punishment as you shall de- 
 cide on. Let this be reported to the imperial govern- 
 ment. 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." 
 
 Thus has terminated, in the mean time, the pre- 
 ponderance of the family of lyeyas, and the question 
 of interest is, Who wrote such a letter as the above 
 to the Shiogoon ? The Ernperor is a mere boy of 
 fifteen, and the writer may be looked upon as the 
 head of the empire at the present time. As Koon- 
 gay Ohara was recently sent to take over the castle of 
 Yedo, in all probability the two lords above named, 
 Choshiu and Shimadzu, his confederates, are now 
 determined to break down the power of the family 
 whose feet have been for so long upon their necks. 
 In the mean time the Shiogoon has retired to the 
 castle of Suruga or Soonpu ; and the Emperor has 
 been induced to take up his residence, either tem- 
 porarily or permanently, at Yedo. Before long other 
 changes will have taken place, and the enemies of the 
 late Regent, who are now in power, may be obliged to 
 give way to others, when the Shiogoon may once more 
 
THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 477 
 
 rise to power, and lie will be in a better position to 
 ta'ke a strong part in settling the affairs of the country. 
 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 inevitably 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 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 
 Daimios of their weakness as units in carrying on 
 operations of war; the enormous expense entailed 
 upon them in procuring munitions of war, and in ex- 
 ercise, 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 Shiogoon presented a favourable 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 suf- 
 fered most from the independent system in the very 
 severe punishment which he received in loss of men, 
 
478 HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE CONTINUED. 
 
 destruction of steamers, and payment 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 
 responsible ruling power in Japan, and it may be 
 hoped that in no long time she may be strong enough 
 to defend her own position, and show other nations 
 that she is able not only to control her own people, 
 but is able to resent any insult and repel any aggres- 
 sion with which insolence or cupidity may threaten 
 her. 
 
 Peaceful relations can be kept up only when mu- 
 tual respect is existing between two powers. But 
 it will require a strong hand and a clear head to rule 
 a country which, in like manner with China, Turkey, 
 Persia, Siam, and other heathen nations, has been 
 rendered " sick " by an exterritoriality clause, and in 
 which a native officer can hardly move without ask- 
 ing the consent, or deprecating the displeasure, of 
 some foreign consul or minister English, French, 
 Russian, Prussian, Austrian, Italian, Spanish, Portu- 
 guese, or North American, all of whom seem to have 
 troops most illegally stationed on the beautiful shores 
 of Japan. She can only pray for some European con- 
 vulsion to enable her to cast off the intolerable yoke 
 and insult under which she at present groans. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 NOTE ON THE GEOGEAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY 
 OF JAPAN. 
 
 IN order to comprehend the events mentioned in the work, it 
 is necessary to have some acquaintance with the different 
 names of places in the empire ; and as places in Japan have 
 not unfrequently two names, it is necessary to know both of 
 these. The empire is divided into the three islands of 
 Nipon, Kiushiu, and Sikok, the first being what may be 
 called the mainland ; the second, meaning " the nine pro- 
 vinces," the south-western island ; and the third, meaning 
 " the four states," the southern island. Confusion often 
 arises from the confounding of Kiushiu with Kiishiu, or the 
 province of Kii on the south of Nipon. Kiushiu is also called 
 Sai koku, or western states, in reference to Chiu koku, or 
 middle states i.e., those between Miako and the Straits of 
 Simo no seki and may be confounded with Sikok. By 
 the Jesuits Kiushiu is called Simo or Ximo. The whole 
 country (Sho koku) is divided into seven large districts, as 
 has been stated before, called "Do," or roads ; and the Kinai, 
 or Go kina'i, the five provinces near Miako. These districts 
 are the 
 
 Tokai do, including 15 provinces. 
 Tosan do, ,, 8 
 
 Hoku roku do, 7 
 
 Sangin do, 8 ,, 
 
480 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 San yo do, including 8 provinces. 
 Nankai do, 6 
 
 Sei kai do, 11 including two islands, 
 
 Tsusima and Iki. 
 
 These provinces are spoken of by two names, the one 
 being the Japanese name, and the other generally the first 
 syllable of the Chinese sound, with the word " shiu " (Ch., 
 chau) or province added : 
 
 Go KINAI. 
 
 TOKAI DO. 
 
 TOSAN DO. 
 
 HOKU ROKU DO. 
 
 1. Yamashiro, 
 
 2. Yamato, 
 
 3. Kawadsi, 
 
 4. Idzumi, 
 
 5. Setsu, 
 
 f 6. Iga, 
 
 7. Isse, 
 
 8. Sima, 
 
 9. Owarri, 
 
 10. Mikawa, 
 
 11. Towotomi, 
 
 12. Surunga, 
 ( 13. Idzu, 
 
 14. Kahi, 
 
 15. Sagami, 
 
 16. Musashi, 
 
 17. Awa, 
 
 18. Kadsusa, ) 
 
 19. Simosa, j 
 
 20. Hitatsi, 
 
 21. Owomi, 
 
 22. Miuo, 
 
 23. Hida, 
 
 24. Sinano, 
 
 25. Kowotsuki, 
 
 26. Simotsuki, 
 
 27. Mootz, 
 
 28. Dewa, 
 
 29. Wakasa, 
 
 30. Etsizen, 
 
 31. Kanga, 
 
 32. Noto, 
 
 33. Etsjiu, 
 
 34. Etsingo, 
 
 35. Sado, island of, 
 
 or 
 
 Zioshiu. 
 
 Washiu. 
 
 Kashiu. 
 
 Sengshiu. 
 
 Setsshiu, or Tsu no 
 
 Kooni. 
 Ishiu. 
 Seishiu. 
 Sishiu. 
 Bishiu. 
 Sanshiu. 
 Yengshiu. 
 Soongshiu. 
 Dzushiu. 
 Koshiu. 
 Sawshiu. 
 Bushiu. 
 Boshiu. 
 
 Sawshiu. 
 Tsushiu. 
 
 Goshiu. 
 
 Noshiu. 
 
 Hishiu. 
 
 Sinshiu. 
 
 Joshiu. 
 
 Yashiu. 
 
 Woshiu. 
 
 Owoshiu. 
 
 Syakushiu. 
 
 Yetshiu. 
 
 Kashiu. 
 
 Noshiu. 
 
 Yetshiu. 
 
 Yetshiu. 
 
 Sash iu. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 481 
 
 SANGIN DO. 
 
 SANG YO DO. 
 
 NANKAI DO. 
 
 SEI KAI DO. 
 
 36. Tanba, 
 
 37. Tango, 
 
 38. Tajima, 
 
 39. Inaba, 
 
 40. Hoki, 
 
 41. Idsumo, 
 
 42. Iwami, 
 
 43. Oki Island, 
 
 r44. Harima, 
 
 45. Mimasaka, 
 
 46. Bizen, 
 
 47. Bitsjin, 
 
 48. Bingo, 
 
 49. Aki, 
 
 50. Suwo, 
 
 51. Nagato, 
 
 52. Kii, 
 
 53. Awadsi Island, 
 
 54. Awa of Sikok, 
 
 55. Sanuki, 
 
 56. lyo, 
 
 57. Tosa, 
 
 '58. Tsikuzen, ) 
 
 59. Tsikugo, J 
 
 60. Boozen, ) 
 
 61. Boongo, J 
 
 62. Hizen, [ 
 
 63. Hingo, J 
 
 64. Hiunga, 
 
 65. Oho sumi, 
 
 66. Satsuma, 
 
 67. Iki Island, 
 
 68. Tsusima Island, 
 
 or Tangshiu. 
 
 Ingshiu. 
 
 Hakushiu. 
 
 Ooinshiu. 
 
 Saykishiu. 
 
 Onshiu. 
 
 Banshiu. 
 Sakashiu. 
 
 Binshiu. 
 
 Gayshiu. 
 
 Boshiu. 
 
 Choshiu. 
 
 Kiishiu or Kii no 
 
 kooni. 
 Tanshiu. 
 Ashiu. 
 Sanshiu. 
 Yoshiu. 
 Doshiu. 
 
 Tsikushiu. 
 Boonshiu. 
 
 Hishiu. 
 
 Koshiu. 
 
 Gooshiu. 
 
 Satsshiu. 
 
 Itzshiu. 
 
 Taishiu. 
 
 As the five provinces round Miako Yamashiro, Yamato, 
 Setsu, Idzumi, and Kawadsi are known by one name, so the 
 eight provinces round Yedo are known as the Kwan hats 
 shiu, or eight provinces of the barrier. (These are Awa, 
 Kadsusa, Simosa, Hitatsi, Musashi, Segami, Kowotski, and 
 Simotski.) The district is generally known as Kwanto, or 
 east of the barrier, also as Bando, or east of the hill, which are 
 both old names frequently used by the Jesuits. The first 
 of these refers to the district as being east of the barrier 
 
 2 H 
 
482 APPENDIX. 
 
 of Hakonay, and the second to its being east of the steep 
 ascent of the road at the same place. 
 
 Some districts still retain old Chinese appellations, as 
 in the older accounts of the empire the island of Kiusiu 
 is spoken of as Tsukushi (Ch., Chuk tsz) meaning, probably, 
 "earth of a red colour." On Nipon, the three provinces of 
 Bizen, Bingo, and Bitsjiu were known as Kibi. Naniwa 
 is the old name for Osaka, and is still frequently used, 
 especially in poetry. The provinces of Etsizen, Kanga, 
 Koto, Hida, and Etsingo, to the east, were comprehended 
 under the name of Kosi no chee, " the country of passing- 
 over hills." Simotski and Kowotski were known as Ke no 
 chee ; while Kadsusa, Simosa, and Awa were the " Foossa," 
 or tassel. The northern provinces of Dewa and Mootz were 
 then unexplored, and were, in consequence, called Mitchi no 
 Oku the obscure, unpenetrated road or country. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Abbess, 43. 
 
 Abbot, 42. 
 
 Abdication, 32, 103, 105. 
 
 Adams, W., 205, 222, 223, 226. 
 
 Adoption, 255, 273, 278. 
 
 Adzuma, 98. 
 
 Aino, 285. 
 
 Akamatz, 131. 
 
 Akindo, 48, 254, 255. 
 
 Akitchi mitzu, 148, 152, 154. 
 
 Almanac, 77, 326. 
 
 Alphabet, 104. 
 
 Ama, Shiogoon, 113, 122. 
 
 Amangutchi, 137. 
 
 America, 411. 
 
 Ammunition, 320. 
 
 Aiido, Prime Minister, 460. 
 
 Antoku, Emperor, 112, 116. 
 
 Aqueduct at Yedo, 399. 
 
 Arima, 151, 181, 229, 232. 
 
 Arisungawa, 39. 
 
 Arithmetic, 78. 79. 
 
 Army, 92. 
 
 Artisans, 48. 
 
 Ashikanga, 107, 204, 250,282, 291,471. 
 
 Ashikanga Taka ooji, 127, 129, 284. 
 
 Assano and the forty-seven suicides, 
 
 407. 
 Assassination of Regent, 131, 132, 134, 
 
 436, 441, 444. 
 Astronomer, 77, 326. 
 Austin, Don, 165, 172, 184, 204, 212, 
 
 215. 
 Azutchi, 152, 154, 161. 
 
 Bank-notes, 328. 
 Barbarians, 285. 
 Barriers, 350. 
 Bengwang, 74. 
 Boards, Civil Office, 78. 
 
 ,i Deliberation in Yedo, 331. 
 
 i, eight, 66, 74, 102. 
 
 Boards, Great, of Government, 71. 
 
 Interior of Palace, 81. 
 
 Manners, 79. 
 
 of Interior Government, 75. 
 
 Population, 80. 
 
 Punishments, 81. 
 
 Religion, 71. 
 
 War, 80. 
 Bonin Islands, 400. 
 Book, Great, of the empire, 51. 
 Bookang, 83. 
 Bookay kiak kadjo, 241. 
 Boong, 40. 
 
 Boongo, 137, 140, 1C6, 182, 232. 
 Bowozu, 330. 
 
 Box for complaints, 332, 392. 
 Break-up of the Yedo government, 458. 
 Buddha, idol of, 103, 110, 121, 236,400. 
 Buddhism, 100, 104, 123, 136. 
 Buddhist priesthood, 41, 144, 145, 148, 
 
 165, 175, 252, 340, 399. 
 Building, mode of, 405. 
 Bullion, 353. 
 Byshing, 253, 288, 312, 313. 
 
 Cabinet, the, 71, 302. 
 
 Canal from Yedo to east coast, 401. 
 
 Canzuge dono, 215. 
 
 Carpenter department, 77, 82, 85, 318, 
 
 Cavalry, 92. 
 
 Chamberlain of the household, 75. 
 
 Cherrygate, 437, 448. 
 
 Chikakara rio, 80. 
 
 Chinese government, 67. 
 
 ., peerage, 293. 
 
 ii ranks, 48. 
 
 H relations with Japan, 16, 124, 
 135, 142, 185, 191. 
 Chiujo, 91. 
 Chiunagoon, 73. 
 Choja, 86. 
 Chonin, 45. 
 
4 8 4 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Choshiu (Prince of Nagato), 82, 137, 
 142, 163, 201, 215, 374, 461, 462, 466. 
 Christians, 145, 214, 232, 385, 388. 
 Clans, 53, 86. 
 Classes (social), 47, 274. 
 Clothes department, 76. 
 Coat of arms, 35, 286, 328, 447. 
 Cocks, Mr, 238. 
 Colleges, 87. 
 Comet, 191. 
 
 Commander-in-Chief, 91 see Shiogoon. 
 Compera, 109. 
 Concubines, 256. 
 Confucius, 106, 269, 326. 
 Corea, 24, 93, 99, 183, 204. 
 Coxinga, the pirate, 394. 
 Criminals, 254, 333, 345. 
 Cross, standing on the, 385. 
 Curtains, 327. 
 
 Dai boo, 70. 
 
 Daifusama, 205. 
 
 Daigaku rio, 78. 
 
 Daijodai jin, 53, 71, 72. 
 
 Daijogwang, 71. 
 
 Daikwan, 351. 
 
 Daimio, 46, 47, 48, 49, 219, 243, 246, 
 
 253, 264, 273, 288. 
 Daimios, list of, 354, 372. 
 Dainagoon, 72, 73. 
 Dairi, 26, 117. 
 Daizen, 82. 
 Dancing, 249. 
 Dan jo dai, 83. 
 Daxandono, 144. 
 Death, 266. 
 
 Defeat of Satsuma, 471. 
 Department of education, 78. 
 
 Emperor's secretary, 75. 
 
 servants, 76. 
 
 stores, 76. 
 
 survey, 76. 
 
 taxation, 80. 
 Desima, 394. 
 Dewa province, 93. 
 Do chiu, 307. 
 Dress in Japan, 470. 
 Dresses of Shiogoon, 320. 
 Dsu sho rio, 76. 
 Dwarfing trees, 61. 
 
 Earthquakes, 133, 191, 259, 403. 
 Ee Kammong no kami, 83, 213, 301. 
 Eenosima, 121. 
 Embassy, Chinese, 16, 124. 
 Embassy to the Pope, 162. 
 Emperor abdicated, 22. 
 
 ii court of, 36. 
 
 ii customs and dress of, 28, 62. 
 
 Emperor, genealogy of, 33. 
 ii revenue of, 36. 
 
 the, 6,17, 20, 23, 30, 87. 103, 134, 
 135, 204, 208, 268/282, 419, 
 449, 460. 
 the false, 120. 
 it the titles of, 25. 
 ii tombs of, 32. 
 Empress, 24, 35, 38, 76, 94. 
 England, 205, 221, 238, 395, 414. 
 Era of Japan, 17. 
 Etsizen no kami, 456. 
 Exchange of territory, 255. 
 Exchequer, 318, 328. 
 Exclusive policy, 125. 
 Execution of Franciscans, 197. 
 Executive, 83. 
 Exterritoriality, 181, 236. 
 
 Falling stars, 136, 398. 
 
 Families, five assisting, 52, 54, 71. 
 
 n three Imperial, 37. 
 Father, provincial, 149, 166, 196, 228. 
 Female apartments, 22, 83, 327. 
 Feudal institutions, 270. 
 Firando, 178, 397. 
 Fire brigades, 320. 
 Fishing cormorant, 249. 
 Flag department, 320. 
 Foreign department, 79, 268, 351. 
 
 n ministers, 459. 
 Forests, 351. 
 
 Formosa, captives in, 395. 
 Fowo, 32. 
 France, 411. 
 Francis, Don, 138. 
 Franciscans, 185, 193. 
 Fudai, 243, 244, 259, 289, 302. 
 Fusimi, 39, 158, 192, 258, 347. 
 Fusiwara, 54, 86. 
 Fusiyama, 10. 
 
 Gambling, 335. 
 
 Garden-ground in Yedo, 324. 
 
 Gardens at Miako, 393. 
 
 Gates to Yedo, 259. 
 
 Gayki, 73. 
 
 Gayra people, 393. 
 
 Gembuko, 28, 285. 
 
 Generals of the army, 91, 253. 
 
 Gengba rio, 79. 
 
 Genji or Genkay, 51, 54, 60, 86, 107. 
 
 Gifoo, 210. 
 
 Gio bu sho, 75, 81. ' 
 
 Gisso, 73. 
 
 Godaigo, Emperor, 125, 127. 
 
 Gods of Japan, the, 83. 
 
 Gokennin, 380. 
 
 Gokinai, 64, 140. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 485 
 
 Gold, 226, 349. 
 
 Gong or Gonno, 70. 
 
 Goong Kan, 319. 
 
 Gorochiu, 302. 
 
 Gosekkay, 52, 62, 88, 94. 
 
 Goshi, 46. 
 
 Gotengyama given up to foreigners, 
 
 460. 
 
 Goto, 151. 
 
 Government, boards of, 67. 
 Governors, five, 200, 204, 205, 209. 
 Gozirokawa, 108, 116, 119. 
 Grace, Queen, death of, 209. 
 Grain produce, 267. 
 Guards, Imperial, 91. 
 
 t of the Shiogoon, 306. 
 of Yedo, 244. 
 
 n outer, 91. 
 
 Hakkone", 115. 
 
 Hama go teng, 327. 
 
 Hang campu (peerage), 52. 
 
 Harris, Mr T., 415. 
 
 Hashiba, 147. 
 
 Hatakeyama, 114. 
 
 Hatchi jo, 109, 112. 
 
 Hatchimang, 24, 99, 120. 
 
 Hatchimang taro, 106. 
 
 Hatchi shio, 74. 
 
 Hatchiska the robber, 157. 
 
 Hattamoto, 48, 243, 375. 
 
 Hawking, 249, 322. 
 
 Heir-apparent, 28, 33, 84, 255. 
 
 Heji, 51, 107, 117. 
 
 Hereditary succession, 273. 
 
 Hiaksho (farmers), 48, 254, 255. 
 
 Hiakunin, 320. 
 
 Hidetada, son of lyeyas, 230, 390. 
 
 Hidetsoongu, 160, 188. 
 
 Hideyori, 199, 203, 213, 225, 228, 231, 
 
 Hide yoshi see Taikosama. 
 
 Hikeshi, 320. 
 
 Hikonay (the Regent), 449. 
 
 Hio bu sho, 75, 80. 
 
 Hio jo sho, court of, 245, 331, 333, 392, 
 
 445. 
 
 Hio ngo no rio, 92. 
 Hirado or Firando, 397. 
 Histoire de 1'Eglise, 8. 
 History, 78, 79, 88. 
 Hi tske, 322. 
 
 Hiyaysan, monastery of, 116, 140, 146. 
 Hojio, 113, 114, 122, 127. 
 
 ii of Odawarra, 133, 143. 
 Hoko nando, 320. 
 Holiness, way of, 252. 
 Holland, 205, 221, 226, 394, 397, 411. 
 Homnaro, 320. 
 
 Hossokawa, 130, 445. 
 Hostages in Yedo, 382. 
 Houses, 260. 
 
 Idzu province, 112, 119. 
 
 Imangawa, 137, 143. 
 
 Imperial families, 37. 
 
 Inkio (retired Daimios), 374. 
 
 Inquisition, the, 141. 
 
 Insurrection of Christians, 386. 
 
 Interest of money, 337. 
 
 Intrigues of the Eegent, 417, 431. 
 
 Investigation into murder of the Re- 
 gent, 438. 
 
 Ishi bashi hatto, 113. 
 
 Isse, temple of, 69, 85, 124. 
 
 lyaymitz, 391. 
 
 lyeyas, 97, 137, 143, 145, 146, 155, 163, 
 201, 205, 208, 216, 238. 
 
 Japan, Chinese notices of era of, 16. 
 
 it mythology of, 13. 
 
 n names of, 12. 
 
 M settlement of, 11. 
 Jeengay, 289. 
 Jeesha, 304. 
 Jesuits, 8, 137, 141, 149, 160, 164, 166, 
 
 168, 173, 202, 223, 228, 232, 284. 
 Jewellers, 329. 
 Ji bu sho, 74, 79, 206, 207. 
 Jinku kogu, 99. 
 Jinmu, 15, 17, 88. 
 Jin ngi kwang, 69, 71. 
 Jiu ri si ho, 322. 
 Jo, 70. 
 
 John III. of Portugal, 141. 
 Joone san goo, 129. 
 Jorosama, 62, 345. 
 Judge, 73, 81. 
 
 Jurisdiction of the Hio jo shio, 333. 
 Jurisprudence, 78, 79. 
 Justo ucondono, 150, 164, 165, 171, 
 233. 
 
 Kadsumia, sister of Emperor, 427. 
 
 Kadzuye" rio, 80. 
 
 Kaernpfer, 8, 9. 
 
 Kagosima, 136, 138, 388. 
 
 Kamakura, 114, 119, 120, 228. 
 
 Kama tariko, 102. 
 
 Kami (officer), 40, 70, 291, 292. 
 
 n (spirits), 31, 282. 
 Kammo temple, 144. 
 Kammon rio, 82. 
 Kamong, 289. 
 Kanagawa, 144, 350. 
 Kane" boonio, 328. 
 Kanesawa, 120. 
 Kangay yushi, 85. 
 
 
486 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Kangee no tskasa (keepers of the keys), 
 
 76. 
 
 Kan jo boonio (treasury), 318. 
 Kashiwarra, 18. 
 Katchi metski, 330. 
 Katsura, 39. 
 Kebeishi, 83, 85. 
 Kemmootz, 75. 
 Kenchoji temple, 121. 
 Kiishiu, 299. 
 Kindatchi, 94. 
 Kio, 18, 70. 
 Kio kwang, 49, 289. 
 Kio mori, 107, 111. 
 Kiroku, 87, 126. 
 Kitchen, imperial, 87, 327. 
 Kiusiu, 15, 183, 233, 234, 259, 385, 390. 
 Kobo dai si, 104. 
 Koboong, 40. 
 Ko bu shin shi hai, 319. 
 Ko bu sho, 323. 
 Kofu, 287, 347. 
 Kokay, 303, 379, 
 Koku, 40, 288. 
 Kokushiu, 245, 267, 289, 292, 373, 456, 
 
 458. 
 
 Komaki, battle of, 160. 
 Konishi, Don Austin, 165. 
 Koonai sho, 75, 81. 
 Koondai, 351. 
 Koongay, 46, 47, 48, 50, 289. 
 
 it list of, 55. 
 Koongio, 52, 93. 
 Kooni Kami, 49, 289. 
 Koora boonio (storehouses), 328. 
 Koora rio, 76. 
 Koosinoki, 127. 
 Kotai, 391. 
 Koya monastery, 190. 
 Kublai of China, 124. 
 Kubosama, 130, 139, 242, 243. 
 Kunnin, 39. 
 Kurodo, 87. 
 Kwanbakku, 53, 71, 86, 87, 281, 417, 
 
 431. 
 
 Kwanmoo, 73. 
 Kwan rei, 122, 134. 
 Kwanto, 107, 217. 
 
 Ladies at court, 62, 76. 
 
 Laws, 104, 241. 
 
 Laws of the roads, 307. 
 
 Letters of Emperor, 420, 423, 466. 
 
 M of Gorochiu, 451. 
 
 n of Koongay s, 422. 
 
 ii of Shiogoon, 421, 425, 429, 430, 
 433. 
 
 ii -of the .Regent's followers, 452, 
 453. 
 
 Levee at Yedo Castle, 437. 
 Liookioo Islands, 109, 112, 137, 226. 
 List of Daimios, 354. 
 M of Koongays, 55. 
 Loyola, 141. 
 Luther, 141. 
 
 Macao, 387. 
 
 Manabay sent to Miako, 417, 427. 
 
 Marco Polo, 7. 
 
 Marriage, 31, 254, 256, 257, 258, 275, 
 
 316, 427. 
 
 Master and servant, 256, 261, 262. 
 Matchi boonio, mayors of Yedo, 317. 
 Mathematics, 78. 
 Mats, 329. 
 Matzdaira, 250, 291. 
 Mayassu hako, 332. 
 Mayra, 118. 
 
 Medicine, department of, 82, 326, 327. 
 Mencius, 269. 
 Mendez Pioto, 8, 136, 141. 
 Men for the army, 262. 
 Merchants, 48. 
 Meteors, 398. 
 Metski, 322. 
 Miajima, 113.- 
 
 Miako, 18,20, 84, 104, 138, 139, 258, 347. 
 Miazaki, 18. 
 Military, 83, 91, 92, 266. 
 
 I, school, 323. 
 Min bu sho, 75, 80. 
 Minnamoto, 54. 
 Mint, 85, 318, 352. 
 Mioshi, 135, 138, 140, 144. 
 Misasaki rio, 80. 
 Missionary, 175, 384. 
 Mito, 299, 321, 417, 419, 455. 
 Miyuki procession, 30, 393. 
 Moat of castle, 353. 
 Mokoo rio, 82. 
 Mondo, 83. 
 Monrio, 62. 
 Month of spirits, 31. 
 Monzekke, 42, 63. 
 Moonemori, 117. 
 Murder, 256. 
 Music, 79, 87, 249, 327. 
 
 Nagasaki, 138, 177, 183, 228, 259, 319, 
 
 348, 385. 
 Naizen shi, 83. 
 Naka kawa, 324. 
 Nakatomv.54, 69, 70. 
 Nakatskasa, 74, 75. 
 Nanbang, 140. 
 Naniwa, 18. 
 Narra, 18, 218, 348. 
 Naval department, 319. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 487 
 
 Neegata, 309, 349. 
 Negoro monastery, 163, 177, 320. 
 Neiki, 75. 
 Nengo, 102. 
 New ground, 247. 
 Nijio castle, 144, 258, 347. 
 Nikko, 239, 287, 307, 349. 
 Ni no maro, 320. 
 Nishi maro (castle), 353. 
 Nitchi ren sect, 123, 230. 
 Nitta, 107, 127, 250. 
 Nobunanga, 24, 137, 142, 144, 145, 148, 
 152. 
 
 it death of, 153. 
 
 M sons of, 155. 
 
 it statue of, 152. 
 
 Noo ee rio, 76. 
 Nori yori, 116, 119. 
 Note-books by innkeepers, &c., 316. 
 Nunneries, 43. 
 
 Oban kashira, 306. 
 Observatory, 326. 
 Gee, 82. 
 
 Office of religion, 68. 
 Officers, ranks of, 247. 
 Offices, division of, 70. 
 Ohara, 458. 
 Okosho, 320. 
 
 ii ban, 306. 
 Okura no sho, 75, 81. 
 Omura, 151, 182. 
 Onin, 16, 100. 
 Oo, 72. 
 Ookio, 84. 
 Ooneme, 83. 
 
 O-ooji, 129, 133, 134, 137, 140. 
 Ooraga, 349. 
 Oota rio, 79, 87. 
 Ooyay soongi, 143. 
 Organtin, Father, 194. 
 Ori be, 81. 
 
 Osaka, 18, 158, 236, 258, 347, 407. 
 Osin, 24. 
 
 Ota do Kwang, 132, 217, 353. 
 Otchatsubo (tea-jars), 313. 
 O tsu may shiu, 304. 
 Owo metski, 306. 
 Owomi, lake of, 19. 
 Owotomo, 137, 140, 143, 147, 181, 259. 
 
 Palace, the, 19, 23, 26, 399. 
 Pamphlet, Japanese, 416. 
 Pellew's, Captain, visit, 409. 
 Perry, Commodore, 413. 
 Persecution, 164, 169, 177, 180, 197, 
 
 207, 227, 231, 235, 239, 384, 399. 
 Phallic worship, 120. 
 Philip II., 141, 173, 199, 221. 
 
 Pirates, 135. 
 
 Plantations, 261. 
 
 Poetry, 87, 326. 
 
 Police, 85, 322. 
 
 Pope Gregory XIII., 173, 195. 
 
 i Clement VIII. , 173. 
 
 Urban VIII. , 197. 
 Portuguese, 136, 137, 142, 220, 387. 
 Position of the government on the 
 
 death of the Regent, 454. 
 Preaching, 139, 191. 
 Preparations for opening the country, 
 
 418, 424. 
 
 Prescription of property, 247. 
 Present position, 477. 
 Presents, 265, 325, 435. 
 Priests, 94, 144, 279. 
 Prince Imperial, 84. 
 Prison, 81, 345. 
 Privileges to Christians, 167, 186, 193, 
 
 207, 227, 230. 
 Processions, 230, 393. 
 Professors, 79. 
 
 Prostitutes, 48, 117, 262, 309, 339. 
 Provinces of Japan, 89, 246. 
 Punishments, 246, 249. 
 Purveyors to the palace, 82. 
 
 Raffles, SirS., 409. 
 
 Ranks of men, 45, 102. 
 
 Regent, 248, 301, 417, 424. 
 
 Religion, Christian, 140, 141, 147, 149, 
 
 317,322,340. 
 Religion (office of), 68, 78. 
 Revenues, 260. 
 
 Richardson, Mr, 314, 461, 471. 
 Riding, 320, 330. 
 Rifle-shooting, 320, 324. 
 Rio, 76, 79. 
 Riots, 407. 
 
 Roads, 89, 219, 260, 307, 346. 
 Robang (prison), 345. 
 Rodriguez, R, 198, 200, 235. 
 Ronin, 47. 
 
 Rooms for Daimios, 332. 
 Russui, 306. 
 
 Sa, 72. 
 
 Sa dai ben, 74. 
 
 Sa dai jin, 72. 
 
 Sado, 226, 349. 
 
 Sakiburay, 448. 
 
 Sa kio, 84. 
 
 Sakkai, 348. 
 
 Sakkan, 70. 
 
 Sakurada gate, 437, 450. 
 
 Sakushi, 318. 
 
 Salaries, 328. 
 
 Sama, 293. 
 
488 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Samurai, 46, 47, 52, 94, 254, 255. 
 
 Sangi, 73. 
 
 Sankay (three families), 264, 300. 
 
 Sankin officers, 259, 265, 391. 
 
 Sankio (three princes), 300. 
 
 Sanko, 72. 
 
 Saris, Captain, 222, 238. 
 
 Satsuma, 85, 129, 152, 201, 217, 226, 
 289, 461, 466, 471. 
 
 Say sho go sama (Toronosuqui), 123, 
 184, 215, 230. 
 
 Scavenger department, 82. 
 
 Sects of religion, 261. 
 
 Se i fu, 93. 
 
 Seisho, 73. 
 
 Sekingaharra, 211. 
 
 battle of, 211. 
 
 Sendai, 93, 408, 352. 
 
 Sessio, 53, 72, 301. 
 
 Shin ban, 320. 
 Shinden, the, 6, 21. 
 Shinwo, 22, 37, 263, 281. 
 Shiogoon, the, 6, 21, 22, 49, 52, 72, 87, 
 89, 91, 93, 116, 130, 131, 
 138, 144, 204, 219, 242, 245, 
 281, 392, 427. 
 
 pedigree of, 294, 426. 
 ti submission of, 474. 
 Shippay kay, 52. 
 Shiu mong aratame, 322. 
 Sho dai bu, 49, 52, 94. 
 Sho koku, 71. 
 Shokonin, 254, 255. 
 Sho ku gen sho, 67. 
 Sho nagoon, 73. 
 Shoongaku, 456. 
 Sho shi dai, 22, 346. 
 Sho toku, Emperor, 109. 
 Shuri siki, 85. 
 Sidotti, Abbe, 390. 
 Sighe mori, 112. 
 Siki bu sho, 74, 78. 
 Sikken, 122. 
 Sikok, 138, 152. 
 Simabarra, 386. 
 Simon, Don, 150. 
 Simonoseki, 117, 462. 
 Sinto, 101. 
 Si ten wo, 242, 301. 
 Skg or Skay, 70. 
 Soba yo nin, 303. 
 Soonpu, 238, 258, 287, 348. 
 Sosha, 303. 
 
 Spain, 185, 195, 196, 198, 411. 
 Sportsmen, 322. 
 Spy, 306, 330. 
 Sso, 117. 
 Steam, 319. 
 Stirling, Sir J., 414. 
 
 Store department, 76, 81, 328. 
 
 Stots bashi, 300, 301, 426. 
 
 Suicide, 262, 432. 
 
 Sumitanda, king of Omura, 164. 
 
 Sungavvara, 54. 
 
 Suruga, 348. 
 
 Surveying board, 76, 252. 
 
 Swordless men, 46. 
 
 Tai jiu, 284. 
 Taiko, 157. 
 
 Taikosama, 24, 143, 145, 156, 159, 166. 
 ii character of, 178. 
 
 death of, 199. 
 ii family of, 158. 
 
 Taira or Hekay, 55. 
 Tai sho, 91, 112. 
 Takatoki, 126. 
 Takeda Singeng, 136. 
 Take ootsi no Sukonne", 99. 
 Takke cheoo, 284. 
 Tame tomo, 109, 111. 
 Tanegasima, 136. 
 Tanners, 48, 77. 
 Tanuma, 392. 
 Ta tsing dynasty, 55. 
 Tattame, 329. 
 Tayu, 70. 
 Teachers, 266. 
 Tea-jars, 313. 
 Temple lords, 304. 
 Temples, 42, 85, 94, 106, 265, 305, 333, 
 
 400. 
 
 Tendai no Zass, 126, 265. 
 Tenjio bito, 52. 
 
 Tenka hatto, mikka hatto, 393. 
 Ten mang, 105. 
 Tensa, 140. 
 Terasawa, governor of Nagasaki, 199, 
 
 225. 
 
 Theatres, 405. 
 Thieves, 266, 322, 335. 
 Three families, 264, 300, 312. 
 Three jewels, 21, 26, 68, 117, 129, 131. 
 Three princes, 300, 353. 
 Titles, 48, 238. 
 
 Toga virilis, assumption of, 28. 
 Tokungawa, 291. 
 Tokusayay, 131, 352. 
 Tombs of Emperors, 80, 32. 
 
 ii of Shiogoons, 348. 
 Tono, 293. 
 Tonomo, 82. 
 Toronosuqui (Say sho go sama), 123, 
 
 184, 215, 225, 229. 
 To yay zan, 250, 398. 
 Tozama, 243, 244, 259, 289. 
 To zoku, 322. 
 Trade with Japan, 222, 387- 
 
INDEX. 
 
 489 
 
 Treaties, foreign, 378, 396, 410. 
 
 Trigautius, 239. 
 
 Tskybang, 322. 
 
 Tsukudajima, 331. 
 
 Tsurunga, 19. 
 
 Two-sworded men, 45, 252, 313. 
 
 Tycoon, 93, 283. 
 
 United States, 411, 415. 
 Valignan, Father, 149, 166. 
 
 Waka toshi yori, 303. 
 Wars of Genji and Heji, 107. 
 n of north and south, 126. 
 it Onin, 132. 
 Water - communication in Japan, 19, 
 
 401. 
 
 Weavers, 81. 
 
 Weights and measures, 399. 
 Women permitted to ascend Fusiyama, 
 
 410. 
 
 Women-servants, 309. 
 Wonin, 99. 
 Wrestlers, 406. 
 
 Writers to the Emperor's dictation, 
 75. 
 
 Xavier, Francis, 136, 137, 139, 164, 
 
 168, 175. 
 Xogune, 283. 
 
 Yabatai writing, 442. 
 
 Yakatta, 293. 
 
 Yakunin, 380. 
 
 Yamato daki no Mikoto, 98. 
 
 Yayboomi, 385. 
 
 Yayta, 48. 
 
 Yedo, 140, 217, 228, 244, 250, 258, 259, 
 
 287, 320. 
 
 H Daimios at, 391. 
 Yeng, 257. 
 
 Yezo, island of, 15, 285. 
 Yoritomo, 33, 111, 112, 119, 262, 269. 
 Yoshiba, 331. 
 Yoshi tomo, 108. 
 Yoshitzung, 111, 112, 117, 118. 
 Yosiwara, 339. 
 
 Zinmu, 15, 17, 88. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 PRINTED BY WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS, EDINBURGH. 
 
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