The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-05-18

According tn Chinese annalists. who
wrote in the third ce0turv of WI era
the japanese ,atooet their face- and hodie-'
the post ions and size ~ the designs con-
s,ii,iting indications 81 rank. oar author
doubts whether tatooing was al any TIME
prevalent among the Jarare-e rtoIer:
He suggests that the Chinese writer ia'cd
20 distinguis he, wesan the people ~ nippon
and the Inhabitants of the Riukiu archi-
pclago where the habit 81 t~attboing did
prevail. Another plausible hvrothe-l- -
that t~attooing wa- introduced am"is "a
limited section 81 the nation whom japan
rcrci,ed the Malavan element Of her popu-
lation. Al all events. In every era. u wa-
confined 10 the lowest classes, :.aH1"iy,
those who barred their bodies 10 I-'iigrn
the severe labor falling 10 their lot. Inc
same Chinese annalists confirm the sup
position suggested bv the primfsVal rtnal7
that crimes II larceny ard burglary. though
not probably unknown wore verT rare
in old Japan. Ttey ssv, alro, that jan
nne-e women were neither sensual not
jealous. which u assurcllv trn. IN modern
times. aud seems TO have been true in every
g Of the nations existence
v
The accounts thai tho Chinese annalistS
Of the third Gentry 4 v give 81 con'em-
Jaran. indicate hat a certain
amount Of intercourse existed he' We -
Nt' WV va ~ ~ 'ihA -
There 1. no doub, that China and Cor,a
hegan a, an early date Ia act q certain part
in ,h. ~civiliza, ion Of Japan. and tho
japanese themselves have ALWAYS admitted
frankly that they owe rlany Of their refine
nen,s and accomplishments 10 their con
tinen,al neighbor-. Capt, Brinklav insists.
however. that the common helief q
this matter needs modification. cor'o.
although she fell under the direct inf lenc.
Of China as early as the I Nelfth century,
Il. c. never showed any strongly receptive
and sssimilative faculty, For marked i'm
provements In her civilization Japan had
TO 20 directly ,o China, and that was an i'm
mense undertaking in days when the means
OF communication were primitive. Tie
journey occupied six months even "a late
as est A. n, when Chnuen, a Japanese
BONE. in contrary with five aCUlytcs.
IRA yelled 20 the court Of a suns Emperor
How much more time and toll must the
Journey have involved a thousand wears
before. The Japanese seem TO have 49,
saved II only thrice during the three open
ing centuries Of the Christian c.a: first,
in the year 81 A. u, when ENJOYS visiting
the Chinese court received from the ruler
Of the Middle Kingdom n gold seal ana a
ribbon. Sccundlv. in iO7 4. d, when ifO
fla Va. wer. presented for ID" Chinese
monarch'- acceptance. and thirdly, ia
?ss A. u.
These dates are furnished hv Chinese
hi .torians In Japane~. annals. tn" third
embassy takes ~" form oi an armed M
vaslon 81 Corca. a female ohisftsin. Nh.
Empress lingo. 10 represented a. having
OF ganized the expedition. some inCa"fH
critics ave discovered discrepancies IN
the Japano~a legend that have caused
them 20 dismiss lingo a. a myth Capt.
Brinkley il inclined TO regard their iConoV-
lasm as excessive. He points out thai
AZ the very time when J.ngo'- figure u
depicted in japanese traditions uoJurtec
some FIVE centuries later. the Chinese
annalists saw that a female sovereign Of
japan sen, to the CoUrt e 'hina an en-
bassy which had To brg permission from
the uilcr Of Northwestern Corca to pass
through his territory on its way westward.
Thus. although the story 81 the Emprcss's
onques, Of Corea seems 10 lie without
foundation. her personality Is recalled
from tho mythical regions to which some
~sinolo gre- would ~rclcgste IL The fact
that there 81 only tlrra ,"rifr ble IL stances
81 direct oniyial communication with Chira
during tho frs, Thousand years Of Japin's
supposed n%atioral existence. indicates that
tho ~Jaranc-e were practically cut ~ from
the great iount % Far Easter n civilization
The explanation Of the severance D., that
Corea proved y bad medium Of transmits
sion. and mat China was almost inaccessible
by direct means some sT'ral irtefme-
diary was ncca.rd TO bring China within
- - r f. ..,.,
Tn. intermediary No. furnished ia the
fcu-l c,'a'Urv 80 r"r "a by "a iupuur
~ Chinese ~culoui-r-. WHO cin.s 10 J,ran
la scarcn e lucrative employment. In
lsmuvh a. the ,..L,-" Ea. alrcady .x-
pluItrsi tho nor hwsstcru, >uu'bvc~toru and
eastern SECTIONS e tie Corun pIIr.ula.
the Ia that ti"y subsequently, pushed on
to Japan - not si. rr-ing
The chi es" 'l..igf1 - brought with
thea a conpilltiol ...'i 80 10 serve asa
rrim.r TO Japag $50 ~,pdc - H. al! az, $.
the thousa a characters, TINT II TO say.
a book O. tai ing . sci. ctiou Of the id.o-
graphs mos, commonly r~d IN CGify lie in
Chi q thew brought, also. the .Alal,ots of
CornIcius,- uhich soon became. ard las
cv . sin~ r"msi ID, tho &, ST. Of Japaue-.
ctlirs Capt. Fri kl.v. iLG''d. las .
not ~ ttdi me tNlT''i g. al al 1 sHfETal lc
srript vas - own ~ tho JsI g. 50 lo < b.
for" the fourth 60 furv 81 OR era To
X Nv about The i.'os all ari to u-c II
however, w"p' two very o%I.'rrIt things
e An airhahst. or even a -vilalg ~, b. ung a
phn..yuo v'.. L., Be- H. - Il 90 the
@.1,SIJi. - a.. az -. 4ht I,to-
< arhr, havi. x t..,u own t..H"1' ole sounds
al their own nx"t s4g iica. ci's. "a. Tot
n AMY serve to traLscIibc the vor,s Of A
for iga lang which have uiAoreIt
sounds and diAereit .is ~ii.canci,s.- IL
was an ektrcm. ly diiicuit task HAT cou-
froi ted the Japaucse ~hen they uLacrlook
to adapt the "a. ogtapiir at thii a TO III"
uses Of their own lang ag-. They cid to-,
even think Of making the end Y uIi.i
the Chi-ess ideograph had t-en sLown to
them as q kind Of oistA' acqusil taIoc FOR
many gcGerstioLs, and after the -AHah cts+
had reached them their ambition was at
first limited to deciphering the &c
script. History. has Lot roorced by ~L, M
the Chinese id~eographs we're Ores q