JAPAN DESCRIBED BY GREAT WRITERS ' SINGLETON THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES JAPAN JAPAN As Seen and Described by Famous Writers Edited and Translated by ESTHER SINGLETON Author of "Turrets, Towers and Temples," "Great Pictures," and "A Guide to the " Opera," and translator of The Music Dramas of Richard Wagner." WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS t "j, _ I. > I I t~ _j_ I _1. ,t t_ I I _t I, ,t~ l_.t t-.t I- I ^ * * I _t_ I ^>^ t < _l t^ r* r r r I i r r T r r r r i i i i i i i i r i j r I I 1 I I I 1 M I I I I I 1 I I I I 1 I I i I ! I I 'M' I"M I l-Hf j8eto port Dodd, Mead and Company COPYRIGHT, 1904, By DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY Published March, 1904 Art Libra rv OS PREFACE the following pages I have endeavoured to present INa bird's eye view of Japan, as seen by travellers and recognized authorities who have given time and study to the arts, sciences, history, ethnography, manners, cus- toms and institutions of that country. Within the limits of a volume of this size, it is, of course, impossible to de- in detail in that is still a sealed scribe Japan ; fact, country book to the European and American with the exception of the circumscribed region around Tokio, Kioto and the Treaty Ports. I have tried, however, to give a general and comprehensive view of Japan and Japanese life by drawing on the records and impressions of those who have been allowed especial opportunities for examination and forming their own conclusions. Beginning with the description of the country, its phys- ical features, flora, fauna, etc., the writers whom I have laid under contribution next describe the Japanese race with ethnological details, and then proceed to treat of the history and religion of the land. The next division of the work is devoted to descriptions of special towns, the Inland Sea, mountains, highways, temples, shrines and places or popular resort. As these special descriptions give a clearer idea of Japanese life and thought than more general v vi PREFACE articles, more space has been devoted to this department of the work than any other. From the topography and special descriptions, we pass to the manners and customs of the nation, treating of the home and the special social obser- vances and amusements peculiar to Japan. After this, the arts and crafts of the Japanese are treated comprehensively in the by recognized authorities various branches j and, in order to the it give reader an idea of Japan as now is, I have added a few recent statistics and an article on the dawn of New Japan. The extracts from Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan^ by Lafcadio are used Hearn, by permission of, and by special arrangement with, Messrs. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., publishers of Mr. Hearn's works. E. S. New Tork, March 20, 1904. CONTENTS PART I THE COUNTRY AND THE RACE PAGE The Country ........ I Louis Const Physical Features . *3 A. H. Keane 21 The Japanese Race . Jean Jacques Elisee Reclus PART II HISTORY AND RELIGION The History of Japan .30 Basil Hall Chamberlain Shinto and Buddhism 44 Toshitaro Tamashita The Japanese Tori-i 54 Samuel Tuke PART III PLACES AND MONUMENTS The Great Tokaido Road 60 Sir Edward J. Reed vii viii CONTENTS Tokio 77 Frederic H. Balfour The Temple of Asakusa .82 Judith Gautier The Temple of Hatchiman ...... 89 Aime Humbert The Shiba Temple . 97 Christopher Dresser In Yokohama 102 Lafcadio Hearn Fuji-San ..no Sir Edwin Arnold The Temples of Nikko . 1 20 Pierre Loti The Ise Shrines . 131 Isabella Bird Bishop The Dai-Butsu of Nara . 137 Sir Edward J. Reed Kioto I4 i Pierre Loti The Mikado's Palace . 149 Pierre Loti The Inland Sea . .156 Aime Humbert of Kobe . Impressions . .164 Andre Bellessort Miyanoshita . .172 Sir Edwin Arnold In the Japanese Mountains 182 Sir Edwin Arnold CONTENTS ix Ena-San and Misakatoge . .191 Noel Buxton A Large Crater 201 Prof. John Milne Enoshima . .210 Lafcadio Hearn PART IV MANNERS AND CUSTOMS Costume of the Gentlemen of Japan . .218 Arthur Diosy Japanese Ladies . .227 T. E. M. Japanese Children 234 Mortimer Mempes The Geisha 239 Mortimer Mempes The House and its Customs ...... 243 Marcus B. Huish The Japanese Hearth . , . 250 Sir Edwin Arnold Gardens 257 7. J. Rein The Flowers of Japan ^263 Josiah Conder The Tea-Ceremonies (Cha-no-yu) .... 282 Augustus W. Franks Pilgrimages ........ 287 Basil Hall Chamberlain x CONTENTS PART V ARTS AND CRAFTS Ornamental Arts . .291 George Ashdown Audslej Decorative Arts . , . .297 Sir Rutherford Alcock Architecture . .305 Christopher Dresser . Painting .-,...,. , . .312 William Anderson and Porcelain . Pottery . .316 Augustus W. Franks Sculpture and Carving . 324 Marcus B. Huish Lacquer 331 Ernest Hart Literature 34 , W. G. Aston Theatre . 349 Mortimer Mempes PART VI MODERN JAPAN The New Japan 356 Arthur Diosy Present Conditions 364 E. S. ILLUSTRATIONS YOKOHAMA FRONTISPIECE To face page FALLING FOG CASCADE, KIRIFURINOTAKI ... 2 HARBOUR OF NAGASAKI . 14 JAPANESE PRIESTS ....... 2* TOMB OF IYEYASU, NIKKO . 32 OSAKA CASTLE ....... 4 SHINTO TEMPLE, KOBE ...... 46 2 DAI-BUTSU, UENO, TOKIO . 5 TORI-I, NAGASAKI ....... 5^ STREET IN TOKIO ....... ?8 BUDDHAS, ASAKUSA ....... 88 DAIBOUDHS, KAMAKURA . 9^ 100 THE SHIBA TEMPLE, TOKIO . A JlNRIKI-SHA . ,IO8 FUJI-SAN .116 1 TEMPLES OF NIKKO . 20 SHOGUN'S BRIDGE, NIKKO . , . .130 ENTRANCE TO THE TEMPLE OF CHION-IN, KIOTO . 142 TEMPLE OF KIOMIZU, KIOTO . .148 MIKADO'S PALACE, KIOTO . .154 KOBE 164 JAPANESE CHILDREN. BY MORTIMER MEMPES . 234 JAPANESE INTERIOR WITH ARRANGEMENT OF WINTER FLOWERS 244 GARDENS, TOKIO . 250 GARDENS, KOGOSHIMA . , . , 262 xli ILLUSTRATIONS Tofacepagt VIEWING THE PLUM BLOSSOMS ..... 268 ON THE SUMIDA RIVER ...... 270 WISTARIA BLOSSOMS AT KAMEIDO .... 274 JAPANESE TEA-ROOM ...... 284 MOTHER AND CHILD. Bv KENZAN (1663-1743), IN KENZAN-!MADO WARE ..... 294 GATEWAY OF THE SHIBA TEMPLE, TOKIO . .306 AT . PAGODA ASAKUSA . .! . 308 SPECTACLE BRIDGE, KIOTO. 310 KAKEMONO BY HOKUSAI, REPRESENTING OFUKU THROWING A I I BEANS AT DEMON ; PAINTED ABOUT 8OO . 3 VASES OF PORCELAIN . OWARI . .318 CARVED IVORY GROUP, BY MEI-GIOKU BUTSU, REPRESENT- ING THE FAMOUS ARCHER TAMETOMO A.'tD HIS SWORD- BEARER ....... 326 BOXES . FOUR LACQUER . .334 PANEL FROM A SCREEN, LACQUER, WITH FIGI'SE OF A COURT LADY AND POETESS OF THE ELEVENT** CENTURY, IN- CRUSTED IN IVORY DESIGN BY YoSAJ . ; .344 TEA . HOUSE . .358 TEMPLE BELL, KIOTO . , . .368 THE COUNTRY LOUIS GONSE those who have set foot on Japanese soil agree in praising its natural beauties. In this respect, ALL tales that travellers' present such unanimity we may consider Japan as one of the most favoured countries in the world. Beauty of sky, mildness of climate, variety of zone, and configuration to the land all contribute to its wealth. By its greatly lengthened form, like that of a bow, the concave side of which is turned towards the Asiatic continent, and by its extension from north-east to south- west, the Nippon archipelago covers very different latitudes and consequently lends itself to cultivations of the most opposite character. There are no fewer than 750 leagues between the northern extremity of the island of Yezo, which is on the forty-sixth parallel, to the extreme south of Kiushiu, which is on the thirtieth. While the northern regions are covered with snow the southern ones are vivified by an ardent sun. From the crossing, around Japan, of the great Polar current that comes down from the Sea of Okhotsk and the great tropical current that comes up from the equator towards the Isle of Formosa and flows along the east coasts before losing itself in the Pacific, it results that the difference between the temperatures of the north 2 JAPAN and south, between summer and winter, is more marked even than in Europe. At the same latitude, it is colder by five six in the north of and the is or degrees Japan ; heat more intense in the south. The medium climate of Yezo almost with that of that of Kiushiu corresponds Norway ; with that of Egypt. There is the same difference in the seasons. It must also be added that the east coasts have a milder and more humid climate than those on the west. Four islands, of much greater importance than the others, form the territory of the Empire of Japan properly speak- the the ing j Yezo, Hondo, largest, which Dutch named the coasts of form the Nippon ; Shikok, which Inland Sea, and Kiushiu. The area of the Empire of Japan, accord- ing to official statistics, is a little more than three-quarters the size of France ; and the population numbers about forty millions. Taking into account the small number of inhabitants contained by the northern and mountainous regions, this country must rank as one of the most densely populated on the face of the globe. The population of the three cities imperial is, Tokio, 1,507,642 ; Kioto, 351,461; Osaka, 1,311,909. Ten other towns have more than 100,000 inhabitants each. The extreme width of Japan, even in the latitude of does not Tokio, exceed 130 leagues. The extent of the coast line is enormous and may be set at ten times that of France. The shores are greatly indented, with deep bays ; and the islands with which they are dotted are almost in- finite in number, no less than thirty-eight hundred of FALLING FOG CASCADE, KIRIFURINOTAKI. THE COUNTRY 3 them have been counted. This geographical disposition, in combination with the presence of the ocean currents, re- sults for a great portion of the year in a very humid condi- tion of the atmosphere, from which vegetation gains an incomparable freshness.