The evening times., 1899-11-16
MEAT EATING IN JAPAN.
The Great National Change That
Taking Place.


| Japan is said TO be rapidly changing from
| a vegetarian nation, subsisting principally
on rice and Ash, to a race of meat-eaters.
Those who have made study of anthro-
biological matters declare that the Yankees
of the Orient will within a generation have
become as great meat consumers as Amer
leans, and that the change in diet will be
followed by metamorphosis in social char
acteristcs.
Meat eating has developed in Japan with
in the past few years to such an extent
that the government is now casting about
for a means TO bring the supply up TO the
demand. For the purpose Of investigating
the methods of stock raising and slaughter
ing employed in the United States Inazo
Nitobe, japanese official of unusual in
telligence and education and graduate OF
Johns Hopkins University, has spent the
last few months travelling through the dif-
ferent cattle raising States. He has been
sent here as a special commissioner of the
Japanese department Of agriculture, COM
merce and industry. Mr.. Nitobe reached
Washington Tuesday. In regard 10 the eff
feet of meat eating on the japanese, Mr..
Nitobe says:
1T is too early yet to say that there has
been any change in Japanese characteristics
because of their beginning the consumption
OF meat. Possibly changes will be notice.
able in time when meat eating becomes
more general and more extensive.
"One thing the change in diet may do is
to create desire for more and stronger
stimuants. At present our national drink
is sake a rice beer, quite harmless. conf
paratively. More meat may mean a desire
for liquors stronger than the sake You
know the Japanese have not been meat
eaters long and the industry of cattle and
stock-raising in Japan is in its infancy.
Nature did not, apparently, contemplate
that the Japanese should be meat-eaters,
as neither the horse nor the COW is ma
tive of Japan or was ever on the island
until comparatively recently, as is shown
by the absence of their remains from geo.
logical researches. Philologists say there
never was word expressing sheep or an
animal similar to Ii in the japanese Ian
suage. Animals We're imported into Japan
many years ago. but came in with the
Buddhistic religion, which, as you know,
forbids the killing Of animals for food. Our
native religion. Shintoism also forbids to
a measure the killing of anything so that
partly from the lack of natural supply of
animal food, partly from religious infiu-
ences, and partly from the fact that a
fled the japanese, they have never been
eaters of meat to any extent. Not much
stock has been raised in Japan. While
horses and cows have been used for agri-
cultural purposes, their use has been linz
tied to certain districts. 1t is peculiar
that, owing to religious tendencies, the
country is divided into districts, in one
cows being used exclusively for farming
purposes, in an adjoining district stations
In fhn tr;c
no horses whatever are used and in the
other districts no cows are used. These
districts are scattered all over the island
and have been engaged in mapping them
out.
THE beginning of msat eating in Japan
was due to the introduction of Western
civilization some twenty-fi or thirty
yea-S ago. At first the common people
were very superstiticus about it, and 1t was
not until the Emperor set the example by
having beef served on his table that the
common people overcame their scruples
and began to eat meat. They found it
good and the demand has increased con-
stantly until now, in order to supply the
demand, we are killing our cattle at a rate |
of IL per cent yearly more than the natu- |
raj increase. This will soon result in the /
depletion OF the stock of the island unless |
something is done, and it is to obtain an |
insight into American methods of stock |
raising and slaughtering that l have Wis |
tied the United States.
Japan is well adapted to the raising of |
cattle and sheep. 1t has an abundance of |
grazing land. The lowlands, which are |
principally covered with ricefields. take !
up but IL per cent of the island so that
IS per cent, being mountainous region,
may be. utilized for grazing purposes.
When We first introduced sheep we treated
them like gentlemen, feeding them on
timothy and other kinds of expensive
grasses. This did not pay and the she ID
were turned out to grass. with a result
that while they deteriorated in size, they |
became much harder anima's. The ban-
boo grass is, however, very hard on the
of the sheep. Mutton is now
brought from Australia and sold in japan
for cents per pound.
During the recent war with China.
Japan awoke to the necessity of having a
supply of horses. Owing to the swan DIV
Of the ricefields it had never
been feasible to use cavalry in Japan and
the horses. while hardy. were of noun
tain breed and quite small. When the
army was fighting In China the lack OF
horses was felt greatly and since the war
the government has done all 1t could to