, 1885-02-04
"Lo's" FoREFATHERs.
ARE THE INDIANS THE DESCENDANTS
OF The JAPANEsE7
An Tnfeiiigent Young Japan Student from
Toxic Disvus.es the Question How
His Ancestors Mas Have Reached
Our Country.

fzenluro Horikoliii in Chicago I1mesl
Since tho Japanese people nave so largely
adopted the civilization Of the western ma
tons tho query has been OF frequent occur
rnnce among thom: AWhonee did We
originator and Where and how have we
colonizedf The lnttor Is perhaps the mort
interesting OF the two questions to Ameri-
cans, for there has been OF late year. much
speculation among ethnologists as to tho
origin Of tho noble red man. The young
Japaness-and by this term / mean the
educated mon OF my country-have very
readily embraced the idea that 10" Is n
descendant Of a race which, at some period
mora or less remote, inhabited tho land Of
Of the rising sun There are two theories
as to how my ancestors may have peopled'
the prairie land OF the west Ono Is founded
on the presumption that hundreds OF years
ago there was no break In tho caussway OF
islands which stretch from the main group
Of Japan to the North American continent
This Is not mers theory. l think. because
biologists are united in tho belief that the
formation Of the groups Of isles has been
comparatively recent Five hundred years,
or even 1000. Is Of very small account In the
history Of a race. and especially OF small
account In the history Of geological changes.
II this presumption holds We may next con-
slider the probability Of the race which peo-
pied Japan at that early day having been a
nomadic one. Experts In architecture. like
DR.. Dresser author OF Japan, its Archi-
lecture" etcl, belle ve that the popularity OF
Japanese architecture Is its tsnt-like form.
DR.. Dresser says that the public building
tyashikD and the temple lmiya) arc the out
coma OF the tent There is nearly always a
ccnter-pole, while tho peculiar curved caves
suggest the curtains OF a tent held up by
poles TO admit tho welcome broeze Of the
summer ~solstice. AMI, indeed. this view
accords with the most ancient japanese ira
ditions-that ours was originally a race as
nomadic In Its tendencies as the Bs1ouin OF
to-day.
There Is another method by which the an
Gent Japanese may have reached this coun-
try. / rotor to the ocean current, which
stream WASHER the shores OF the $500
isianis which constitute the Dai Nippon
tGrsat Japan OF to-day. This current IS
known to our sailors as the "kuro shiwo7
lblack currentl. It has been noted by unvi-
gators AMI photographers since tho earliest
times for instance. the Dutch navigator
Vriss described it in 1913. Its force Is tie-
nlendous and can DO appreciated by the IN st
inexperienced traveller. 1t il a veritable river
in the Pacific ocean, boiling along, summer
and winter, preserving. perhaps, Tor Japan
uut tlllT = IAlA uIlA N4AAAADAN lAAlNhlt. ~
for its people that wealth OF ocean food which
makes them 30 grateful to "Yebisu." the god
OF the piscatorial domain. and which con
stitutes Japan tho principal f~sh-producing
country OF the world.
IL Is not unrea sonabla 10 suppose that the
Jnpansae sailor in ancient times. while on his
voyage from the main island To one OF tho
outlying groups, may have encountered
ssveIe storms, and havo been swept along
" this mighty kuro shiwo far from the IA
miiiar landmarks onward and northward,
or in a northwesterly course, to tho Ameri-
can coast Even m our times this has hap
psnei again and again In some Instances
Japanese craft have laid their weary bones
on the iron-bounl shores Of Washington ter
ritory or Icy Alaska. or oven farther south
In Oregon In s1me cases only tie corpees
Of these waits OF the eea would be found on
the stanch little sili.sg while Ia several in
stances, after months aud months OF a pre-
carious struggle with the wind god tFuthinl
the hardy sailors have survived to tell
the strange story o, their voyage from
Asia to America W lat Is more natural
than that i.0o1 yo1f~ ago japanese
ves5els were thrown away On a part Of
the Americau shore, and that they reopled
the prairie land and mountains with a race
which nfferward lecinse tho American In
diansi 1t y trus Int, physically considered,
there is little or no resemblance between the
Japanese OF to-day and the Indian. One Is
a giant In stature as compared with the
other. But it must not be forgotten that
the body dwarfs as TIE mind cnlnrges, and
the intellectual makes heavy traits on the
physical. In this connection, l refer espec-
tally 10 the southern Japanese. as those most
generally known to your readers. In the
northern parts of Japan, however, the race
I IL 4nnafdnr uhIn 1nNIor nrnrn4frsnffue
haps, the shorter tribe. OF Indians. It may
DO that the superior height OF the American
may be attributed 10 the fact that during
the centuries when my ancestors settled
down to learn the arts OF civilization his re-
tanned the nomadic p~roclivitiesL
Folklore and tho traditions preserved
from the most ancient times greatly encour-
age this theory. One of those relates that a
prince and his family was sentenced to exile
for some political fault and banished to a
small island called Hirukoshima, and that on
tho voyage thither they were caught in the
dreaded typhoon and driven over the Pacific
ocean to the American coast The legend
continues by asserting that this noble was
the founder OF that ancient Peruvian nation
who were afterward conquered by the
treacherous and bloodthirsty Spaniard, who,
by the way, tried--and tried In vain-to alb
sorb Japan about $50 years ago. The meas
were held In reverence as the mikado Is for
the reason that he was presumed to 10 the
1Jimmu Tenno' lson OF heaven, an /
the manners and customs, the religion, and
even the arts bore a striking resemblance
to those Of Japan OF q corresponding period.
Your readers will remember also that when
Cortez arrived In Mexico, he was graciously
received by Montezuma and his mobiles as
one whom they had expoeiei from the Logon
dairy homo OF that race in tho forest
Whether considered from an chronological
or a historical standpoint. ths subject Is a
deeply interesting o1e. This Ideas | have on
deavored to express in this eplstie lmy
knowledge OF English being not very exten-
sivel will, l hops. DO the means OF drawing
forth the opinions Of others far more conipe-
tent than myself OF discussing 1t in ali It's
bearings II this shall 10 the result, il will
be a matter OF co-ngratulation to many OF