Japan Part 21

7 One of the most notable of these is that which occurred in 1596 when Hideyos.h.i.+ was at Fus.h.i.+mi. In 1854 a series of shocks followed by tidal waves occurred on the east coast of the Main island. The town of s.h.i.+moda, which had been opened as a port for foreign trade was almost destroyed, and the Russian frigate _Diana_ which was lying there was so injured that she had to be abandoned. In 1855 a severe earthquake occurred at Yedo, which was accompanied by a great fire.

About 16,000 dwelling-houses and other buildings are said to have been destroyed, and a large number of lives were lost. _Transactions of Asiatic Society of j.a.pan_, vol. vi., p. 249.

8 Rein's _j.a.pan_, p. 44. In _Things j.a.panese_ second edition, p. 122, j.a.pan is credited with no less than fifty-one active volcanoes.

9 The word _gawa_ (river) takes the form _kawa_ when euphony so requires.

10 Dr. Rein was the first clearly to apprehend and state the influence of the northeast monsoon on the climate of j.a.pan. See Rein's _j.a.pan_, p. 104.

11 Camellia trees are frequently found from twenty to twenty-five feet high.

12 Chamberlain, _Asiatic Society Transactions_, vol. xi., p. 162.

13 These details of the population, area, etc., are taken from the government publication, _Resume Statistique de l'Empire du j.a.pon_, 1892.

14 In the population of the imperial cities is included that of the suburban districts politically attached to them.

_ 15 Resume Statistique_ (Government publication), 1892, p. 11.

_ 16 Asiatic Society Transactions_, supplement to vol. x., p. 213.

17 Batchelor, _Asiatic Society Transactions_, vol. x., p. 211.

18 Batchelor, _Asiatic Society Transactions_, vol. x., p. 216.

19 Miss Bird's _Unbeaten Tracks in j.a.pan_, vol. ii., p. 96.

20 Professor E. S. Morse, _Memoirs of the University of Tokio_, vol.

i., part i.

21 Henry von Siebold, _Notes on j.a.panese Archaeology_, p. 14.

22 "But I must tell you one thing still concerning that island (j.a.pan) (and 'tis the same with the other Indian Islands), that if the natives take prisoner an enemy who cannot pay a ransom, he who hath the prisoner summons all his friends and relations, and they put the prisoner to death, and then they cook him and eat him, and they say there is no meat in the world so good!"-_The Book of Ser Marco Polo_, London, 1875, vol. ii., p. 245.

23 Professor Milne, _Transactions of the Asiatic Society of j.a.pan_, vol. viii., p. 82.

24 Rev. John Batchelor, _Transactions of the Asiatic Society of j.a.pan_, vol. x., p. 209.

25 Hildreth's _j.a.pan_, etc., p. 337.

_ 26 Mittheilungen der Deutschen Gesellschaft_, etc., as reviewed in _The Chrisanthemum_, May, 1883.

27 Rein's _j.a.pan_, p. 383.

28 "We know that for all points of detail and for keeping a correct account of time, tradition is worthless."-_The History of Rome_, by Rev. Thomas Arnold, D.D., 1864, p. 10.

29 For easy access to this valuable j.a.panese work we are indebted to the translation by Basil Hall Chamberlain, _Transactions of the Asiatic Society of j.a.pan_, vol. x., Supplement.

30 See Chamberlain's translation of _Kojiki_, or _Records of Ancient Matters_, _Transactions of the Asiatic Society of j.a.pan_, vol. x., Supplement.

31 Satow, "Ancient j.a.panese Rituals," _Transactions of the Asiatic Society of j.a.pan_, vols. vii. and ix.

32 Satow, _Westminster Review_, July, 1878.

33 See Appendix I.

34 Bramsen, _j.a.panese Chronological Tables_, p. 30.

35 I remember presenting this point to a j.a.panese scholar in this way, and he answered me that he thought this great age of the j.a.panese emperors no more wonderful or unreasonable than the ages of the patriarchs in the Bible.

36 "I wished to give these legends at once with the best effect, and at the same time with a perpetual mark, not to be mistaken by the most careless reader,-they are legends and not history."-_The History of Rome_ by Thomas Arnold, D.D., 1864, Preface, p. vii.

37 For the translation of these names, and for the princ.i.p.al events of these myths, we rely upon Mr. Chamberlain's translation of the _Kojiki_, and his admirable notes and introduction. _Transactions of the Asiatic Society of j.a.pan_, vol. x., Supplement.

38 This is supposed to have been one of the small islands off the coast of Awaji in the Inland sea.

39 An island about fifty miles long in the Inland sea.

40 This probably means that the sword was ten breadths of the hand in length.

41 The j.a.panese name of this most venerated G.o.ddess is Amaterasu-o-mi-kami.

42 There seemed to have been an old superst.i.tion about flaying from the tail toward the head.

43 This is one of the ancient names of the Main island of j.a.pan.

44 The name of this prince of which the translation is here given is usually shortened to Ninigi-no-Mikoto.

45 Nakatomi-no-Muraji is also among these, who was the ancestor of the Fujiwara family that from the reign of the Emperor Tenji attained great political distinction.

46 Dr. Rein in 1875 was shown an old sword on the top of this mountain which is claimed to have been carried on this occasion.-Rein's _j.a.pan_, p. 214, note.

47 This canonical name was given to him in the reign of the Emperor Kwammu, who commanded Mifune-no-Mikoto to select suitable canonical names for all past emperors, and these have since been used.

48 See Milne's paper on "Pit-Dwellers of Yezo and Kurile Islands,"

_Transactions of the Asiatic Society of j.a.pan_, vol. x., p. 187.

49 A large number of songs are handed down in the traditions of this period. They are in the most ancient form of the language and are not easy to translate. We give as a specimen Jimmu's song from Chamberlain's translation of _Kojiki_, _Asiatic Society Transactions_, vol. x., Supplement, p. 142.

Into the great cave of Osaka people have entered in abundance and are there. Though people have entered in abundance and are there, the children of the augustly powerful warriors will smite and finish them with their mallet-headed swords, their stone-mallet swords: the children of the augustly powerful warriors, with their mallet-headed swords, their stone-mallet swords, would now do well to smite.

50 For example, the organization of a parliament took place in 1890, which in the j.a.panese reckoning would be 2550 from Jimmu's setting up his capital in Yamato.

51 See p. 32.

52 See list of emperors, Appendix I.

53 Satow, _Transactions of the Asiatic Society of j.a.pan_, vol. ii. p.

113.