Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1890-11-20
COURTSHIP IN JAPAN.
YOUTHS WHO PRESS THEIR
SUITS IN POETRY.

Mediators-Babies Who Are En-
gaged-Celebration of the Honey
moon.
Married life in Japan, writes Shotara
Ozawa in the New Orleans Times Demo
cIat, is most interesting subject for
American readers, because OF the many
peculiar customs and usages concerning
it. The common people, before entering
into contract of marriage, usually are
engaged to each other by the consent of
their parents and the help of the media
tors, who also serve as witnesses and ad-
visers. Usually the mediators are Sc
lected from the near relatives or friends
and they have no compensation. These
marriages are very different kind from
what are known as brokerage marriages,
which are unlawful. The marriage age
is usually eighteen in the female and
twenty one in the male.
Courtship is carried on in many differ
ent ways, but the most usual one is by
mediation. The duty of the mediators
is to investigate and inform one party in
regard to property, reputation and char
acter of the other. After this investiga-
tion there is meeting of the persons
intending to marry, and they are intro
! duced to each other. They may promise
to marry at this time, but before the
final consent is given each one must
investigate the others character. If both
are satisfied the marriage ceremony will
be performed by the help of the media
tors, and the names of the contracting
parties must be recorded in the official
register This is considered as civil
contract.
The above is a prevailing custom
among the common people, or middle
class; but there is one custom which is
peculiar one in our country. When a
child is born the parent makes an en-
gagement between it and a child of
some other family. This is usually
called pure engagement, but of course
it is voidable when the child becomes an
adult. The origin of such an engage
ment between the parents is probably
found in the fact that the usage of our
country favors the family rather than
the individual life, and therefore an en-
gagement is necessary in order to pre-
serve family reputation and prosperity
The custom also prevails among the
higher classes, but the introduction OF
modern civilization is changing this.
The only defect of this custom is the
oppressiveness of the advice or consent
of the parent, and although it has pow
erful and influential enforcement, it has
no legal power.
In comparison with this oppressive
way the manner of courtship-free
courtship-which prevails among the
Western nations is greatly admired by
the higher classes in Japan, but the mo-
rality of our people seems to have been
corrupted by this introduction-such a
corruption as has often arisen among the
Western people or in China.
There is story told of a fashionable
lady. She said: 81 intend to marry an
ideal man, but it will probably take ten
years to find him."
A gentleman asked her: "What will
you do during the ten years2'
She replied: 81 will get married to
somebody until the ideal man is found. y
This is an example of the corruption
which was forcibly attacked by the
press. This attack resulted in reform
alton of the social condition of the peo-
pie, and at the present time the usual
form of courtship necessary is to gain
the consent of the parents and the ad
wiser.
The employment of mediators is a
necessary one. If they are not employed
and the consent of the parents obtained
it would be considered an animal-like
marriage by our people. Therefore all
the people in Japan are obliged to follow
this method notwithstanding their rank
in society. The service of the middle
man is considered very honorable, and
the japanese term for this is "Musu-
bueno kami," which means god of
connection of the opposite sex.
Among the common people in strict
sense, there is positively no courtship
between the parties themselves, and, on
account of such custom, there are very
few bastards or illegitimate children.
Another form of courtship is by poetry,
which is found among the higher classes.
There are two kinds of this poetry,
"Shi" and "Uta." The gentleman
sends poems to the lady, and she replies
in poetry. The following is celebrated
answer. with its translation
"Que-shiu dati echi no mume,
Konya kimiga tamemi kiraku.
Hana-no sine shirano-to hosseba.
San-ko tsuki-o funde kitare."
The translation is:
"The first plum blossom of the isles OF
Queshiu,
This night shall ope, my Lord, for you.
Should you long to know all the charms
of this flower,
Come singing to the moon at the hour of
midnight"
An allusion to the moon or flowers al
ways stands for the word love. The fol
lowing is fine conceit attributed to q
gay young lady:
"Parted and from thee,
l gaze upon the heavenly vault.
How delightful were it to me,
Could but the moon turn to O mirror. y
For modern popular use read the fol
lowing from the "Hauta," known rs the
love song:
"My desires are like to the white snow
on Fugi
(The most celebrated of the high noun
tains in the three provinces,)
Which ever accumulates and never melts,
Well, though l gain or gain not an evil
repute,
I shall be proud that such a report
spreads abroad
The opinion is held among men that our
lnvn ic ipnv,,I;onl1o