OLD JAPAN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16471, 6 July 1921, Page 4

OLD JAPAN.

A GLIMPSE AT THE PAST. (B.r FREDERICK STUBBS, F.R.G.S.) (AH Rights Reserved.) Tittle is known concerning the origin of the. Japanese people or of the period .'ll which they reached the land known to Europe as Japan, hut it is certain that they are of the Mongolian race, and conquered the original inhabitants, the Ainus, who still, inhabit the northern portion, of Japan, in much the same way as the English conquered the ancient Tritons and. drove them into the ■mountains of M ales. It is believed that in the third century, 8.C., the Japanese were sijpply a number of separate tribes dwelling in mud huts, couutarvtly defending themselves against the aborigines, who wore still unsubdued. They possessed at this period no cities, no temples, no arts. The rule of might prevailed, the weaker serving the stronger. The marriage tic was hut loosely 1 held, and a man had as many wives or concubines os he pleased. Marriage with half-sisters was not uncommon. Adultery was punished by the crucifixion of the woman. Servants were sometimes buried with their masters, as was the custom in Fiji and elsewhere. They had no knowledge of other lands. At this early stage of their history the Japanese were a simple-hearted, credulous people, stirred to worship by the presence of the wonderful, the mysterious. In the visible, the tangible, they saw something intangible. They attempted to explain the mysteries of nature by the aid of tho imagination. Heaven bad bden reached by an arrow shot from the earth, which made a hole in the floor of Heaven through which there felt the various objects found on earth. The spirit world v. as much the same as tho earth, having cottages, palaces, fields, rivers, fishes, serpents, beasts, sparse like men. There was. properly speaking. no religion, no priesthood, no consciousness of sin, no worship of ancestors. All things whatsoever that possessed any extraordinary character were worshipped and dreaded, and called Kami. The same title was appued to all. Kami was simply that which was above our power and comprehension -mountains. seas, trees, beasts, the reproductive powers, heroes, kings. All that was great and /wonderful was God. The whole country was peopled with deities, every monument, every hill-top. everv cascade. Those early Japanese eliieflv adored .power, and knew nothing of a Creator. of sin, of future regards and punish men ts. lhero were purifications by water from bodily defilements, but no thought of spiritual defilement The volcanoes and earthquakes so common in Japan, probably influenced the formation of these beliefs. V arioui kinds or magic and charms against the powers of evil were used. Ihe one motive seems to have been to appease the auger or gain the favour of the o-nds, so as to have good luck. ; Vbe s a nian died, his hut was deserted and his clothes and ornaments buried with him. On the death of a ruler, the capital w'HB deserted and his servants buried alive. There was no images, or adorn monte, or sacrifices of human life (except in extremity); no belief m transmigration or a future state, lho Mikado, who was really only the most powerful chieftain, lived with dis people and was hardly distinguished from them. I’nn.sbmonts, as everywhere else in ancient times, were cruel, the whole family being punished ,or tile fault of one member. MYTH AND STORY.

About the sixth century A.D., we find Mikados or Emperors, having conquered other 1 tribes, governing the whole country, with the exception ot the north, which was still inhabited bv the aborigines. The Emperors, even then claimed to reign by Divine right, as being the direct descendants of the Sun-goddess, Ama-terasu. The story invented by the Shinto priests in the interests of the bmperors was something like this. In the beginning all was chaos, and the earth floated upon the waters like an egg. In the heavens, &• succession of gods dwelt. Then two came down, a male and a female. The male god took a spear and thrust it down into the waves ; then, drawing it upwards, shook drops from it, which congealed and became the Islands ot -Japan. Other countries were formed i later. Then these two gods descended j on to solid ground, and made a cir- ; cuit of the Island of Aawaji. On ■ meeting, the female committed a serious breach of etiquette by speasung first, exclaiming, “ Oh how lovely to meet such a beautiful man !” This displeased Tssanagi, who ordered another circuit, and. careful that the woman did not get the start of him. exclaimed on meeting, ' How joyful to meet such a lovely woman !” So ill* proper order of things was established, and they went into housekeeping to- ; gether. The first child born to them was a. girl, so beautiful that she tilled the world with light. She was therefore sent to rule the heavens by day, and became the Sun-goddess. The second also was a girl, and became the Moon-goddess; the third, a boy, was, a helpless cripple: the fourth, a hoy, was handsome, strong, but a young demon, so Sosanoo became god of the ocean, but contrived lo do much nTT**ohiet on earth. r lhen he was made ruler of the Nether regions, and soon came into conflict with bis sister, the Sun-goddess. At length, enraged’, she shut herself up in a cave, and heaven and earth were filled with darkness. Pandemonium reigned. So the 800,Oogods met to devise a menus of appeasing the wrath of their queen, procured a brilliant mirror and the finest clothing and jewels, and held a great festival at the door of the cave. They also brought a groat number of corks lo make the goddess think that they had dawned again. Then two spirits, Curiosity and Jealousy, crept ift side the doorway. When the goddess heard the mirth and gladness, curiosity took possession of her breast ; she pushed aside the rock a little to see. Already the beautiful mirror had been put in front ol the opening, and the goddess, seeing her own beautiful reflection, pushed, tho door open a. little wider! .Then a strong god pulled her out. and they took the rope of twisted straw and fastened it behind her so that she could not re-enter the cave. Then they led her to a beautiful palace, clothes and jewels were given her, and her wicked brother was punished. The Emperor was the grandson of this goddess whom she sent down to rule Japan, giving to him a sword, a mirror and a crystal sphere. If ever he wished to se© her he was to look into the mirror; rule with the sword, which would destroy his enemies; and the crystal being round, would teach him to rule witli gentleness. These three insignia are kept at the shrine of Ise, and worshipped by th© Emperors today. The Mikado, being the Ron of Heaven, his race can never die out, for should h© be childless, there is always found, laid under a. tree as a present from heaven, a hoy belonging to the old nobility. HISTORICAL* PBOGFESS. Then Chines© civilisation began to filter into what had hitherto been a semi-barbarous land, chiefly through the instrumentality of Buddhist priests from Korea. Erom this time onward, Japanese history consists largely in the rise of successive great families and nobles, who while always professing respect fur the Divine authority of the Mikado, usurped his power and became

the dcfacto vuUrs of the oopntry. By the £nd rtf 12th century, the old absolutism had been converted into a feudalism of which Yoritomo became the acknowledged head under the title of Shogun. Thus was inaugurated that dual system of government which lasted down to the year 18G8, the Mikado, supreme in name hut powerless, dwelling in gilded captivity iu the old city of Kyoto; the Shogun, with his great feudatories ruling the whole Empire from bis new capital in Eastern Japan. The first mention of Japan by European writers was by Marco Polo in 1290. Then the Portuguese came, were well treated, and did a profitable business in arms. In the first half of the sixteenth century Xavier laboured in Japan, and by the end of the century there were two hundred churches and 1.00.000 Christians. The idols of Buddhism, with a little alteration, served for images of Christ; the Buddhist saints became Apostles ; the Cross took the place of torii ; K Wan lion. the Goddess of Mercy, became the Virgin Mother of God ; the same hells that had rung for heathen worship, now rang for Christian ; the same lavatory serving for Holy water : the same strings of beads for rosaries. But having become strong, the Ecclesiastics, as usual, presumed upon their strength, pud the Chtirch' fell, and was practically annihilated in tho seventeenth century. OPENING UP OF JAPAN. In the Middle Ages the Japanese possessed large fleets which sailed as tar as Bengal, but in tho fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, owing to internal troubles, seafaring came to an end, and all intercourse with foreign lauds was forbidden. Tho opening up of Japan to European civilisation and com in mere© begun with the action of Commodore Perry, of the United States Navy, in 185-3, when seeing the impossibility of keeping up -the old policy of exclusion, the Shogun give his consent to the admission of foreigners. This enraged the people and led to tho abolition of the Shogun ate. The Emperor was now able to assert his authority ; the Shogun to save his country from the horrors of civil war resigned, and before long the Emperor himself, seeing the hopelessness of the struggle, and disregarding popular clamour (during which throe Japanese statesmen were assassinated) adopted progressive measures. The whole fabric of medieval Japanese civilisation fell and Europeanisation began. The old feudal system was abolished; the doors were thrown open for foreign commerce and learning: banks were established: railway? and ships built: a Constitution on the Prussian plan, with two Houses of Legislature, was granted: the army Was modelled on that of Germany. tho navy op that of England : and the same patriotism which led the Japanese to submit to the revolution of 1853 has since led them to learn and adopt everything possible to advance the interests of their country. I think it tnav he truthfully said that to-day Japan is the most patriotically and zealously ambitious nation in the whole world, thirsting for new knowledge, welcoming new ideas, and extending her influence and commerce everywhere. It is a truly remarkable thing that within the lifetime of the present writer Japan has passed from medieval obscurity and insignificance to the position of a firstclass Power.