The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-02-26
TIE STORY OF JAPAN.

OF the various volumes Of 1.-THE Story OF
the Nations" as published by g. p. Put
mans Sons, that in which is given the
story of Japan - not. certainly. the least
interesting. This story is told by David
Murray, Phi. D.. Ii. d.. late adviser to
the japanese minister Of education. DIR.
Murray had exceptional opportunities for
gathering material for history of this
most interesting people. and has arranged
il in q most pleasing and succinct form.
DIR. Murray divides the history into three
periods: The mythical. the time whom,
as in ancient Greece, the gods and god
desses had possession of the world. and
which was anterior to GO b. c., when the
heaven descended Jimmu founded the
Japanese empire; the prehistoric, dating
from Go b. G. to 400 A. D., and the
historic. from 400 A. ID. to the present
time. The story of tho first two periods
is entirely legendary. That of the last
period il largely tipctured with the legend
AIRY for about four centuries, when the
written annals became more Trustworthy.
Writing was first introduced into Japan
from China, about 2S4 A. D., but "the
oldest book of Japanese history which
has come down to us II called 'Kojiki,
or Records of Ancient Matters This
work was undertaken by the order Of the
Emperor Tenure "a. ID. 673-6S6l. who be-
came impressed with the necessity Of coll
iecting the ancient traditions which were
still extant and preserving them in q per-
manent record. Before the work was
ended the emperor died, and for twenty
five years the collected traditions were
preserved in the memory of Hiyeda-no-are.
At the end of that time the Empress
Gemmyo superintended its completion,
and 1t was finally presented to the court
in A. ID. I'LL" Nine years later ''nahong"
or ''chonicies' of Japan was produced.
From these works il Is learned that
when heaven and earth began there were
three deties in existence in the plain OF
high heaven. viz: August
Center-of- Heaven. Undergraduates
ing Deity, and Divine Produc-
ing-W ondrous- Deity. who "came into ex-
istence without creation and afterwards
died." They were succeeded by 1.-TWO
other deities born from q thing that
sprouted up like unto o reed shoot when
the earth, young and like unto floating
oil, drifted about Medusa-iike," who died,
and in turn were succeeded by Others,
making seven divine generations Like
Ireland. the Japanese islands seem to have
had a divine origin. The last pair form
ing the seven divine generations were COM
manded Ito make, consolidate and
give birth 10 this drifting land"
With a heavenly jeweled spear they
reached down from the floating bridge of
heaven, and stirred up the brine, making
the island of onogoro form the brine that
dropped from the point of the spear,
where they built them palace and there
begat the other islands of the japanese
archipelago. Other deities then Inhabited
the islands until the death OF His-August-
ness Prince-Fire Subside. who succeeded
his father, and who lived there five hun
dred and eighty years. He in turn was
succeeded by his son, and his son who was
His Ausustness Divine Yamato IwaEe
Prince, or, as he is known in history,
Jimnlu, the founder of the Japanese en-
pire. iineal descendant o. tue sun goddess
and ancestor of the present emperor. Ac-
cording 10 the official list CT Japanese en-
perogs the frat sixteen reigned 1 $50 years,
and lived in the aggregate 1 s53 years. A
curious point in this connection is that
each of these emperors seemed TO be child
o. his fathers old age. Jimmu must have
heen 80 when his son and heir was born.
koan was 81, etc. but the list is official.
This period. together with the succeeding
400 years, produced heroes rs redoubtable
as the knights of the Round Table or the
Argonauts of Greece, aud conveyed to the
minds of the Japanese that there WAS a
greater world outside of their empire. DIR.
Murray tells this story with great grace
and force, following the workings OF the
intelligent and receptive minds with
whom he has 10 deal With great clearness.
To US of the Caucasian race. probably, the
most highly interesting chapters are those
wherein the author describes the iabors OF
S.. Francis Xavler in Outstanding Ja-
pan, and the subsequent prosecutions:
enc the events which led up 20 the res,or-
alton of 1855 when the descendant of the
sau-goddess determined 10 be the real, as
well as the nom ma. ruler of his empire.
and 10 place to empire in its rightful
position among sas nations OF the earth.
All that relates TO this people is OF great
interest TO Us, for here We see with our
own eyes q civilization of q past day fa4-
ing slowly away before the onward march
OF progress.