Tohoku, the Scotland of Japan

^^j:SSlFfi5fJ^, >^WlC4L S^ rV 3445 Date Masamune, Founder of Sendai 'UN 18 19] TOHOKU ^.«,s»v THE SCOTLAND OF JAPAN BY Christopher Noss AND Associates of the Tohoku Mission Board of Foreign Missions Reformed Church in the United States Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Copyright, 191 8, by Board of Foreign Missions Reformed Church in the United States DEDICATED TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF THE REFORMED CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES AND TO ALL WHOSE HEARTS ARE YOUNG ENOUGH TO RECEIVE A FRESH IMPRESSION AND RESPOND TO A NEW APPEAL. FOREWORD The authors of this little book are members of the Japan Mission of the Reformed Church in the United States, which is usually called by the Japanese 'The To- hoku Mission." These missionaries, engaged in a work that taxes their energies to the utmost, hitherto have not been able to attend to publicit>\ No one has had the leisure to learn aU that is happening on the field or to describe the situa- tion so as to make it intelligible to Americans. By request, material has now been gathered and entrusted to a member on furlough in America, with the understanding that he edit it with a free hand. The work of this Mission began in 1879 in Tokyo and in the rural district immediately to the north of that city. Since 1885 Providence has led the workers to concentrate their resources on North Japan. Description is limited to impressions received in the North because this is the only part of the Empire that the writers know well and because this region is usually passed over in general works on the countrv*. Occasion- ally there is a reference to conditions in Tokyo, because that great metropolis has an intimate relation to the North, and because the work of the Mission is still con- tinued there. When the denomination is not stated it is understood that the church or worker to whom reference is made 6 Foreword belongs to the Japanese Reformed (or Presbyterian) Church (Nihon Kirisuto Kyokwai). The committee in charge of the preparation of the book consists of Christopher Noss, William G. Seiple, and Carl D. Kriete. Responsibility for the final form of the state- ments belongs to the first-named. Thanks are due to Rev. Dr. William E. Lampe, Rev. Albert S. Bromer, Rev. Dr. Allen R. Bartholomew, and Mr. John H. Poor- man, of Philadelphia, and to Mrs. Jesse H. String, of Cleveland, for aid in arranging and adapting the material. CONTENTS Page I A Hardy and Industrious People 15 II Old Ways and New Laws 45 III Many Gods 77 IV Gleams of the Sun of Righteousness iii V The American Missionary at Work 149 VI Training Christian Leaders 185 VII Fostering Infant Churches 221 VIII The Call of Tohoku 257 ILLUSTRATIONS Page Date-Masamune Frontispiece Our Field in North Japan 12 Map of Japan Compared with the Eastern United States 13 Seashore at Matsukawaura 16 Tadami River at Yanaizu 16 Winter at Ojiya 17 Woman Traveling in Winter 17 Ainu in a Village in Hokkaido 24 Ainu Visiting a Public School in Sendai 24 Planting, Reaping and Flailing Rice 25 Gathering Mulberry Leaves 32 Feeding Silkworms 32 Airing the Cocoons 33 Storing the Cocoons 32 Wakamatsu Castle after the Siege of 1868 52 Tombs of Feudal Lords, Wakamatsu 52 Serving Tea in the Parlor 53 Cooking Dinner in the Kitchen 53 Shinto Shrine at Omiya 80 Shinto Priest at Takada 80 Buddhist Temple near Yamagata 81 Buddhist Ancestral Shrine 100 Buddhist Family Altar 100 Jizo, Friend of Children loi Fudo, Healer of Disease loi Christian Leaders Who Have Influenced Tohoku 118 Types of Christian Faces 119 Nibancho Church and Theological Seminary, Sendai 128 Fukushima Church and Sunday School 129 A Missionary Residence, Sendai 152 A Missionary Residence Interior (Dr. and Mrs. De Forest) 153 9 . lo Illustrations A Page from a Child's Reader ; i6o A Sentence from the Japanese Bible Written in Five Styles i6i Yamagata City i68 A Business Street in Yamagata i68 Rev. H. H. Cook on the Road 169 Rev. C. D. Kriete in a Hotel 169 North Japan College 190 College Alumni with President Schneder 191 Fencing and Wrestling 198 A Teacher of Gymnastics Practising Archery 199 Miyagi Girls School 214 Girls School Alumnae with Principal Faust 215 Group of Evangelists 236 Group of Bible Women 236 A Church and Congregation, lizaka 237 A Homeless Congregation, Kitakata 237 Sunday School, Taira 252 Sunday School, Kitakata 252 Kindergarten, Yamagata 253 Kindergarten, Miharu 253 Coal Mine, Taira 268 Zinc Mine, Kitakata 268 A Christian Manufacturer with His Family, Nagaoka 269 A Christian Manufacturer in His Garden, Kawamata 269 HINTS ON THE PRONUNCIATION OF JAPANESE WORDS I. Vowels are pronounced as in continental European languages (German, Italian, etc.), thus: a as in arm e as in they i as in pique as in old u as in rude 1. Consonants are pronounced as in English. 3. Japanese words are composed of simple syllables, each of which is a vowel, or a vowel preceded by a consonant; for example, a-na-ta (you), sa-mu-ra-i (knight), to-ri-i (portal). Naturally a combination like ra-i coalesces so as to sound like the English "rye." Many words of Chinese origin, such as kan, keriy kiriy kon^ kurty seem to be syllables having a consonant at the end; but these are only apparent exceptions. To the ear of a Japanese a final w is a syllable in itself, and it is so sounded in singing. 4. In the English language the vowels are sacrificed to the accent; for example, the second e in "recent" is scarcely sounded at all. But in the Japanese the vowels are not so modified; they always retain their original values, and they govern the accent. There are strong vowels (a, e, 0), and weak ones (/, «). Do not put any stress on an i or a «. Do not say kim-o-no; say ki-mo-no. Most Americans' mistakes are due to disregard of this rule. 5. Where double consonants appear, as in gakko (school), each is to be pronounced distinctly. This word is properly ga-ku-ko; but the u is elided because it is hardly sounded between the two k's. Hold the first k a second and then sound the other k. Field_ in North Japan MAP OF JflPRN COMPARED WITH THE EfiSTERN UNITED STATES, The areas and latitudes are correct; longitudes only are changed. Our Reformed Field is Shaded. ' ' , *CLtVCLANO V~ A Hardy and Industrious People A HARDY AND INDUSTRIOUS PEOPLE ; Introduction: -' 1. Tohoku Defined. ; 2. Why Compared with Scotland. 3. Sendai the Metropolis of the North. 1 Seldom Visited and Little Known. 4. \ A. Climate: Snow, Cold, Dampness, Floods. j B. Land: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Hot Springs, Scenic Beauty, Rapid | Erosion, Fertility i C. People: ^ 1. The Aboriginal Ainu, Related to Ancient Europeans. ] 2. Origin of the Japanese, a Mixture of Races. | D. Food: \ 1. Two Acres to the Family, Danger of Famine. i 2. A Peculiar Diet. i 3. Rice, Its Cultivation in the North, Preparation for the Table. 4. Accessories: Use of Beans, Luxuries from Ocean and Moun- , tain, Growing Use of Fruits, 1 5. Menace of Hunger Overcome. , E. Ancient Industries: ] 1. Silk, Its Importance, Production, Manufacture. ^ 2. Lacquering or Japanning. i ' 3. Hardware. F. Modern Industries: _ _ ; 1. Exploitation of Women in Mines and Factories, Disastrous j Results, A Christian Woman's Indignation. 2. Exploitation of Men by Contractors, Many Deaths, A Chris- ! tian of the Public. Man's Indignation, Awakening ! 3. Government Favoring the Employers. A New Moral Motive Needed. I Tohoku, the Scotland of Japan I. A HARDY AND INDUSTRIOUS PEOPLE Tohoku. North Japan is by the Japanese themselves called Tohoku, which means "Northeast." Since the main island is shaped like a bent bow, one end pointing northward and the other westward> to those who live in Central or Southern Japan, Tohoku lies to the northeast. A Country Like Scotland. Japan is often called "The Britain of the East." We may, therefore, properly compare Tohoku to Scotland, the northern end of the largest of the British Isles, as Tohoku is the northern end of the largest island of Nippon. The two countries have the same relative position and they are equal in area (about 30,000 square miles). From north to south the length of Tohoku is about 300 miles and the width averages about 100. A People Like the Scotch. Our chief reason for making the comparison is the desire to call attention to the fact that as the Scotch differ from the English, the people of Tohoku are considerably different from the Japanese of the Southwest. The dialect is peculiar. The older and less educated people of the North use a form of the Japanese language that is more or less unin- 15 6 1 Tohoku, the Scotland of Japan telliglble in other parts of the Empire. And there is a profound psychological difference between the northerners and the southerners. The great historian Rai Sanyo characterized the northerners as sluggish and boorish. We Americans in contrasting them with the southerners prefer to be more complimentary and call them compara- tively steadfast and honest. However that may be, all are agreed that they are somewhat different from Jap- anese of the familiar type. Sendai, the Strategic Center. The west side of Tohoku being covered with deep snow a large part of the year, the main route of traffic is naturally on the east side, following two great rivers, between the central range of mountains and a coast-range, one (the Abukuma) flowing northward and the other (the Kitakami) flowing south- ward, to reach the sea at points near the middle of the east coast.

Load more