Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-01-29
GOODS FROM FAR JAPAN.
Made by Artists for Penny "a Day
Some Curious History

Made by Artists for Penny a Day
Some Curious History
The small prices for which Japanese
goods are sold astonish most people," said
dealer in this line to writer tor the
Washington Star, but the reason is
simply that wages in the Mikado's empire
are so wonderfully low You will hardly
believe 1t, dare say, when | tell you that
half cent a day is considered there pretty
fair pay for workman, and. when it
comes to an artist one cent per dunn is
large remuneration.
Il seems pulling how man with d
family to support can get along even on
this high pay given for skilled labor. But
you do not realize how different a scale it
Is upon which people live IN Japan. A
cent, with them, is divided into ten parts,
each represented by small rectangular
bronze coin.
with an income of penny day man
jlngles his ten pieces of money in his
trousers pocket and speculates as to how
he will get away with it ALL Surprising
that ne has only himself tC provide for. he
must really be quite extravagant in order
to dispose of it. For breakfast he buys
with one coin pound of rice or other
grain, and fairly gorges himself in con-
Stunning it. If he has any appetite left for
lunch he expends second coin in like
manner, and his dinner costs a similar
sum. Surprising that he dares to attend
the theater, two more bronze pieces will
pay for an orchestra stall. Thus he has
not less than five coins left to pay for
lodging and throw away for mere dissipa-
ton.
80, you see, a skilled draughtsman and
liner, with an income like this, can af-
ford to be a roIlicking ram, with lots of
pocket money to squander during his
leisure time upon luxuries and fripperies
Necessarily, dress will cost him something,
but artists are not usually given to dudery,
and this item is not serious. Time is
money, even in Japan, but it is valued at
what would seem to you low rate. For
example, this saber and ivory scabbard
took one man four years to carve, and the
price of it is only S35. You can see for
yourself how exquisite the workmanship
ls-not only the carving, but the temper
of the fne-edged steel blade with which
you can easily cut off man S head at one
sweep. The scabbard is so long that it
must have taken nearly whole tusk of an
elephant to make it from, and yet the
original price of this finished article in
Japan was only about 81. This will give
you sufficiently clear notion of the che :
ness of japanese labor.
at seems puzzle why the Japanes c
not come to America for employment.
Doubtless they would were it not that
they are so much attached to their own
country. 1t is wonderful land Twenty
FIVE years ago it was almost in darkness,
and now it is A highly enlightened
country with a constitutional government.
You may remember that, only so short
time back, the empire of Japan was on a
feudal basis, with the throne occupied by
d monarch whose authority was really in
the hands of a shiogoOn or tycoon. The
latter Office, originally that of prime min
lister, had become hereditary The tyr
amy Cf the tycoon grew finally to be so
great that the feudal princes, $50 in mum
Der, each of whom had small standing
army of his own, rose and overthrow the
government. Whereupon ensued the
most remarkable revolution ever known
to history. The $50 princes or daimois,
voluntarily laid down their arms, dis
banded their soldiers and retired into
private life. By their hands the emperor
was reinvested with the proper authority
of monarch, the Office of hereditary ty-
coon being done away with. Up to that
time society in Japan had been intensely
aristocratic the ruling classes being the
military caste which represented former
conquering race from the mainland of
Asia. The warriors who formed the
standing armies of the princes, called
'samurai, were terrible fellows, holding
in dread the merchants and other COM
moners. Buhthe revolution upset all this,
and the empire is now to all intents and
purposes a republic. socially speaking. 4
constitution was granted to the people
not long ago by the emperor, parliament
was established, and even European cos
tunes have become the fashion.
Unfortunately, with these changes the
art OF the country has become deteriorated,
so that the wonderful bits of workmanship
executed in Japan during earlier days
such as ivory carvin gs, lacquer work and
so on-are no longer reproduced. What
you buy in shop like mine today is
usually an inferior imitation of the art of
old Janan ~