, 1876-09-02

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SOCIAL CLASSES IN OLD 'AFAN.
The people of Japan %esc, Until tie feVoft.
ton OF 1878, d!V'ded iuto eight CLASSES: F'rst Q!
these were the hHGt, or Conrt.'obEcs MI o1
whom trssecd thclr descent from 'io sltkaaos.
rolygamy was, from Tic earliest period, prae-
ttccti by hll ranks OF aoaety, anu !hc hllkaao
sustained tsarcm where dwelt, In addition to
his vile aud twelve conr'oInesr whose offspring
mlsat sueeeea nlin 10 the l"reMe, an lnaea',,.e
brothers, and tho sons an.l gra,,dsons Of thc
Sovereign born 10 him !u the harcu,, WIN re-
se,r", ~ mi. ~ . .,sJa, rs,.u, ,vcre r,t,cd
Princes Of tho Blood. At present there ure LEI
iamtlics Of the Huge niucty-1ve of whom arc
,,pscrndaa from Kumatara, the RcCcntof the
rr,,ir, In = bc tcvcnth rcu,,,rv. Earl, family or
=, w ~ .,,,'in ~ .a,ns iii. nfo.
the A"gs nau INC h'ono1"'y .. so1''e A!s1' Once M
and To the descendants OF ka'natara, who bore
the name Of Fnitwara, was restricted tho high
rst of,1cc ever coufcrrrl upon a subject, viz:
.ha. ~, ps1ont. slx NJ Tho 6-u,s fnm,,tc.
claimed descent from saga"ara, a noolo
iIourshing Ii the eleventh century; live claimed
to belong to the Taira family, founded by Taxa
,n,cht. in thc eighth century: and seventeen
claimed descent from the g. s'namoto !s family
The huge still continue to dwell In Toxic,
the old Capttal Ctty, or in Kioto fYelo), thu.
n,v Conttsl. In wbIrf lie N[ikatlo renewed IN
nN, nSw eup,.a., w. "'.,.a s"I 'nAo w. u'a 49,, ~
1SI.. But thef prestige ID on Tue ""he, anu
their Jealousy Of the rising influence OF young
men Of merit, but Of inferior rank, who are
.',',n ,.sa. H. "fT,.,ai .rn,as 4.
Is ulstufo'ng e'e"en' !" o''e'a' c"e'es' ~
the chasm hetween the 1orsna ana spirit Of tue
past and The present wldene," remarks MF. Crit
.,,.tax. ~ =. ,,,ar,u. ,,orxo;F,,s,, rho,,uroc.
ssnu's's' e. IT. t;,a Ms{n,tv nf ,.rnanizing
tauas tieas 4nn3am:ics ~ i.1''nc~ cnnarent nm,
aaess ~ tln .aioc,'a ~ n1tliirms o,sai.im,
uuu..t 1.,',t, ~ H., .IS i",,e,, y ~ ~
so..un % san u, binhos, ,,,.. ~ 1o,,noso aoc,otv
,.ss+ ~ tha n.,mfn. ~ ,rarr}tc crf.i prinr"y
~ iS,7 thcro ~ wv cr" o7 ~ ti.esc Ior.. of m
1os 1 a rank, power, and wealth. They wers nil.
c1as yet nrthrr @ INV nor te shor,,n wcr rc
e., ~. H. frt ~ XIII, os 1ohr. IT thn
mn;s" - 'rh. 1Hssst h,"1s o,,tranrc' ,vr,, In,
sh,t,,,, ,,,n t,h, stnc1 ". arnn;ntncnt fro,n
neSu, an Wd Mo % rashicnno n,S ~ the shn,n ~
lysooh as 10 w. nsiu thn ,eta easti Tns ts
ntoheat military mir in lin En,n;rc. X was
itswis, hn viz s"ttIs' the o,estton Of tha rank and
I"o1el i'll n.ssrs.,oas af lis Da,1ntos: vet the
Mxtas, ,asas" pU pnnmnr With ths ,I,kaHo e6nfcrrc|i
mgsea. , ~ th,an ,rnv,nss1 mnhin. wns 1rtr.ni.
wv ed "a e"s s,norior tn The shor,,n's vrcatcst
rif, 40 TrSp''''I FIX oracr '"S =, >"o In. 5nI,nins
ts,.,rioo,cd XIII ~ viii, the fent1al aysten,. n,,i
tain nrist,,,. 80 s',n.rtnr riass ,,crjsn3 vhcn
swnHt ~ H s es uptn ta ccI
t,'s rs W., ~ tcir ssay sxcrc arottcrr thro
~ t"sss W .me.' ,s"! ,i1, ts% roi,.sa az ,sI
E"yruars 'rhn tovns tin,v,I tntu thetr trras,,.
~ e,,,i thms In nr.wrss of time tn sfftnio
a?d a thc En%e w.rs rr,,cci tn cnpi1itton ~ ~
tr",na u t rornEiv, MThc i1aimio,.n says yr. Grif
ia ssspent tfeir rcyen,,cs ~, their rutai1,ers.
M,x ~ ppssnrai ,caSurns md IN },ii,itno ,.a.tirs
~ a51post nvc1v fa9 sity. ar since II stra.
,i, ~ H." tosrr. w,}ia md nons,
Iibesn hararter1st,c snrcf,nsns of Japanese
ar,.nst ,,r', cn,,Il H. e-rs,n As thc n4;,rcr ri
i"s:a. .s .ho hcioS a a1,m;os mt tcnsr,vss. nr
,r"ro fnrih1v ;nri,,i"d nw1nr the nrt,trcttnn nj
thi. sn,,rn,;gs nn,rr of nohiifty. ~
~; Nc9t II hcIow tho Daim!os vas ranged the third
Thes, aor ocnernliv n g"fal h,rs1. ana Tia r
Hta nssa fo',,: e,nes Il .~5a a f-nn' ~ thir
,9ss ,,,,hninT N el ti,nt H. Trrat ,ot1v ~
] military ind eIyii oiiIcals VIVA VIVA soson and i,ey
to E hsa frn u rnc 1,c ~
rctaIners in his train. anl d liked revenue for
ia s,'nnort' T. "'' N'"''' A''1 '~SN 1o
VI 1". ,ae,,,hcra of the second and third casscs
.s;,soi ~ ,s IL 9atry tx Hr tr ~ San"rai ~ IN.
nam W. eent,,Eies tey hnys uononoltze the
n,. pnun ~" foarnin% anil h" no,y"r II In En-.
ntr a.T,,e anm';roi ia I'm s, nj tho nntI,n,
tm m,hcr lan,is lin nrisstiy an,l tha military
@ ms.c hcI tha arnr mi thc mcnMiihernl
sas = sa."s s,, Me1 sa,,, .,I ,,,t,,r WV Eran ~
tfM, ~ n"nr. " III" s.m,,rsi ncrcr anDcared ant.
niaio"s! =" u,,ar1ncd. tnyarMGly waaring tnsIr
rho o.h',., ~ w,ri,s~ tu.o swor.,. comn Into
,o,o ~ t,o fe,trtrrti ,su,,pv ninn~ viii, Inc
,ra"i,. ~ Sarf,inri Inn ti,s Inc sIynr,j va
worn for i,se anaf,,st mi emmy: n1e,l Tic srnTt
sxo' %ss fs%a i ts oxns. %;hsd Il:
h.,nnr ~ n su,rn,inr Tin rustnm ri ,ycurirn
~ ~ ,,,su,,.n - o,,v"",t, c;vi,fysfIn ,c c
nv op, ,y". nsnatv Iittis mara thnn1 fret ns
| nNVaG wa" A"NeH3 s''~' .H