The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-05-26
Aithmom p;spatfh,
SATURDAY MORNING. NAY % issl
Japan and the Japanrs -

SATURDAY 0O6N1NO ...... MA 20 scSt
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Japan and the JaPaMfses
The vt.it Of The Japauese to the U. States
naturally leads to general desire among our
reople IL know something more than has been
current Of the heretofore scaled country
which 10 about 70 b opened to American ira.
vel. traiElc and commercial association:
The empire OF Japan 10 situated between
the ven ~ = xth and afty. s~coud degrees oi
North latitude, and the one hundred and
tweuty. Eighth and one hundred and fifty .first
OF esst lousit ude, embracing an area OF near.
IL hundred ana sixty thousand SO uare miles
and suppostia = population Of almost forty
millions Of sSnls. 1t 10 composed Of four
large, And, Il . said, Of rs maay ~ three shou
sand eight hus0sed aud nfty smaller Islands
stretchinx In 9 northeasteriy and east.nortn.
eassssly dtreceon along the coast Of Asia, their
shores bang washed by the Sea Of Japan and
the Nora rAcihc Ocean.
Tt lofty traditions Of the country are NOT
frnttful In in formation. They are for the most
pars AxceediuRly extravagant. Heroes living
millions Of years, and queens isytng nuhoreos
Of ex4s are events compared TO wnicu tue akes
Of PatrsascAs ARE moderate, and the story o'
Romulus with his wolf foster mother credi-
hlA. -TnerA are. however, two which are men.
tioneG axampser, and which both point 10
(lhlne10 eftetn tor the nation. One OF them -
imp!selsiy believed As genera, r1is 'i n
form to that of the European-the frontal
bsnes rounded and the forehead high-;he eyes
animated aud the expression mild-the irides
dark brown or black, and the complexion va.
ryins from deep copper color to the fairness OF
the West
There is one feature in the society Of Japan,
by which the superiority OF the people, to All
other oriental nattors. is clearly manifest
Woman Is recognized as companion, and not
merely treated as a slave. Her position is GER
tainly not As elevated as those in count tries IN
der the influence of the Christian dispense.
ton; but the mother, VIE, ano daugnter OF y
drudSes Of China, nor the purchased objects OF
the capricious lust Of the harems OF Turkey.
The fact Of the non-existence OF polygamy is a
distinctive feature, which pre.eminently char
acterizes the japanese as the most moral and
refined of all Eastern nations. The absence OF
this degrading practice shows itself, not only
in the superior character OF the women, but
in the natural consequence OF their great
prevalence Of the domestic virtues.
The japanese women always excepting the
disgusting black teeth Of those who are mar
ried are not Unlocking. As their "ruby" lips
parted in smiling gracionsiy they dis played a
gums The married women OF Japan ENJOY
the exclusive privilege of dyeing their teeth,
which is done with q mixture OF vile ingredi-
ents The Young girls are well formed and
rather pretty. aud have much of that vivacity
and seif.reiiance in manners which come
from a consciousness of dignity, DERIVED from
the com paratively high regard IN which they
of friends aud families the women have their
share and rounds of visiting and tea-parties
are Kept up as briskIy in Japan as the United
States
rious sects ia Japan rs there are in this coun-
try all Of which ut one time enjoyed entire
liberty Of conscience. In the sixteenth CEN
tury petition being made to the Tycoon that
he would expei the Christian monks from his
empire, that pntentate inquired how many
denomnat lions there were already in the coun.
try. The reply was, "thirty.iive" well, y
said he. "where thirIy-hve s-cts can be tole-
strangers in peace" The orthodox religion OF
ia yaa is SintOo-all worship the sun. Their
belief Is that the world was regeneraieu
through the instrumen taiity aud appearance
On earth of a fem tie, and after having per-
formed This great and good work. for which
by q I'd she was ordained, she asceGded 10
Heaven aud became embodied in The SUM-
Their national flag is emhlrms'ical OF their
rr,,ylou displaying as IL does the sun III ali Is
purity upon the whi'e field. There are otner
sec -, aud among them ne most numerous
" ,uid appear TO be The followers II Bnddha
Many suppose that Buddhism is the principal
cred. fir IN rha fact that lis followers Number
three hundred aud twenty mfl1ious; this hi d
Tue Mta,m-dan religion being the principal
creed Religion OF the nation OF the East.-
The fJulIier f she b Buddhist religion was a
,D%n ci,l-d Sakya Sinna wao was born, as
,vas s1,.o,-d, tw, thousand fur hund!e
and twenty wears pefare th- Christian era. l.
is uor knoWn for q crriaiuty when Buddhist
w,s d-st Introduced inio japan The State
nant - o:ei IN ,de that Christianity Is not
Ti.o .sr-ssJti A., any way tolerated, is mis-
!eke, iov the Government Is far from b~ing III
i.lrttu in religious matters. the people Of
J ian attend very little TO religious matters.
K ..igon Is Il matter of business. which Is "a t.
teuded l., aioge her by tue Makado aud his
priests 5 me of thu IA .,ansse, a, -achet 10 h
Em,assy. W rship Budiha; some S,nioo; some
NJ lhom-t aud some worship nothing The
,su Ambassadors aud Que OF the in ter pre- ters
arr BuIdnIsts; the Censor has no particular
religion; me Vice Governor is partly Sinloo
and partly Buddhist.
On all sides i, Is stated that the country is
WONDERFULLY Well wooded, and the umoer Is
protected by law. Although working skill
fully in stone, the Japanese build chiefly OF
wood, because, in the event Of an eArthQ uake,
the material Is supposed 10 be less destruc-
tive, and trees which are employed To this
useful end cannot be teiied III a state of ma
turity without the consent of the magist, ate,
VII, takes care that another is planted in its
stead. The forests contain the bamboo and
the oak, frs, and a very fine cypress, but the
two trees which claim especial notice are the
mulberry and the varnish tree, from which
that varnish is extracted known in England
by the name of Japan varnish. All the house
lacquer, which flows like milk from incisoa IS
made in the bark of the trees. Japanneo ware
is preferred, even at the Court Of the Sove'
reign, to services OF gold or silver, ana the
varnish seems almost insoluble.
The country is throughout well supplied
with fresh water, and springs, lakes ana rivers
are numerous. The latter are very impetuous
and are thus rendered almost useless 1or the
Transmission of merchandise, being valuable
principally TO the agricuituraiist. They can
not easily be spauned by hSsaSes, and are chief
ly EN- ploy ed for purposes = irrigation. Tht
fords are passed Win ~. Ky gu. tns
OF the official guides who con iuct then
Mr.. Ol,phant remarks that the street dogs
are the handse NEST he ever saw. "They
have" say -Kampfer, " their masters, indeed
but lie abe 1t the streets. and are very trouble.
soms to travellers and passengers. Every street
must by special command of the Emperor, keeT
acortsin number Of these animals, and provide
them with victnals. There are huts built in
every street, where they are taken care O.
when they fall sick. Those that die must bt
carried up 70 the top OF mountains and hills
a. the usual burying-places where they are
islands which compose the Japanese group il
acknowledged TO be very beautiful; but it i.
far from wild or grand, being formed by mode
rate elevations and fertile valleys, and exhibit
ing a charming variety Of color, as, for in
stance, the c0ntraSt OF pink granite and 1uxu
riAut dark green foliage. LIS mountains
though Numerous, rarely attain the limits O.
perpetual snow. iN-vs RI
Japan has been called the land Of noun
tAins, many OF which are volcanic, but only
one, the Eudsi Yama, near Yeddo, attains any
great elevation. IL Is an extinct volcano, anC
II 10 said by the traditions Of the country tt
have arisen in one night, causing a sfmulta'
neous depression OF the land in the vicinity Of
Mako. which now forms the lake Of NILSSON
no-oumi. 1t burst from its base upward in
A. ID. e6i. and its last eruption, 10 i7U7. GOV.
cred Yeddo with ashes. But the great volca nc
which now 10 feared and adored by thu
Japanese, is that Of Wussentake, placed on d
promuutory Of Kiasiu, aud reaching TO thu
l.min OF perpetuai snow. The name signidea
the 4ountAAn Of hoI springs. 81,
In l700 ~ eruption Of Wussexfaks took place
by which the iuWa of Sima hArfa WAS d.,