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

In upward ~ n 'holSafi fAgN- Hr 'ur'''
N effective account by an exceptional
faculty for a~rolvsi~ ard for svnthe-is.
Ahove all. the author - endowed with in
deht and With sympathy. Tho result 81
hbors urda,,Aken urder such favorable
auspices - = work vhich "a likely Ions IN
remain prsSmirer, within is province and
which e%r.i'les 'he author tn he ranked
ANON public te-ofac'ors The scope ~
the narrative cannot be- ADEQUATELY indi-
c,,.d In = single motto . and for tho momen
re shall ~nrhIe ourselves 20 that part of
th. frat Two volumes which rccnurts the
history ~ japan from no EARLIEST times IN
the introduction ~ Buddhism in the sixth
century of our era.
In a char'er on -Primeval Jaranese'
ve learn that there A-c three written records
Of Japan's earlv history. The oldest 81
them daIe. from N" beginning Of the
eish,h century ~ tho Christian era. and
deal. with events extending back for i.ioo
yeur. The compilation Of his work was
one Of the most eNtra0rd'narv feats ever
undertaken, Tor the compiler had 10 indi-
cate the Sounds ~ hi- own tongue Nv means
Of idsoxrarhs devised for tran-cribing n
foreign Language. That II to saw, he had
~ render japanese phoneticallv hv using
Chinese idrographs. Capt Brinkley -us-
ae<ts that 1T vas ns though a man should
set himself 10 commit Shake~pcare'- plays
% writing nv The all of the cuneiforrn
~Aaracter~ % Rahvlon 4 hook o~b'npo~ed
IN the face Of such difficulties could NOT
~onvey a very clear idea of content orary
speech or though II seems that the same
thing nav I've said. though In a le.s degree,
Of the other two records on which II il neces-
sarv to rely for know edge Of ancient Japan.
Nhen the japanese first undertook 10
s,oiain their own origin in the three records
uan,ioned, they were ~ unfsttered by
genuine -emiuiscenocs that they had 70
course o. the supernatural and represented
the -iN~ a. de-c~uded from celestial
beings G-tuced 20 it, outlines. the legend
they set down was that in the earliest times
q had ~ the divine jewellers in the plains
Of h>svru descended 10 a place now I'M
i~ientifable. and thence. gradually pushing
eastward. established themselves in the
LAND Of Sunrise giving 10 It a race Of
morsrchs. direct scions OF the Goddess
Of Light.
Many things arr related about these
heav.xl-seat folk who pNnplei japan hun
dreis OF var. b'for, ths Christian era
By the Japanese historians these tales are
r,0arded As sllegorles. from which emerges
the saryicsahle political doctrine that the
snnperr- ~ japan. being Of divine origin.
rule by divine RI light. Bv the foreign student
much of Japan, ancient history IA dis
mis~ei as n purely ina ;insrv produce 81
laftSr-tav ~n1IluItiCn Capt. Brinklev
q thai IN. incredulitv expressed
NAV he too sweeping. and that " NAV be
rash to assume tat the Japlne-. mad no
kind Of writing ~previouslyto tho acquisition
of China~e ideographs In tho frh century
~ ths Christian ara. He has little HOP
however. that the student will ever be 10
position to decide such questions con-
olusi vely. For tte present. at all events.
he mus h. content 10 regard the annals Of
primsval Japan a. an sssemblsg" of heier-
o~geneous FRA yments from the tradition : 81
South Sea islander. - c,ntral .hSian trih-,
Of 'tanchurian TatarS and Of siberian
savages. who reached ha- shores AZ various
epochs, sometimes drifted by OCEAN cur
rents. sometimes crossing by ioe-bu.lt
bridges, sometimes migrating by les, for
tuitous routes.
What the early records. stripped Of all
their fabulous features. have 10 tell, l.
this. AT a remote" date. a certain race 81
highly civilized r~uen-uiShiv c~iv.Izrr by
oomparison-arrivcd at De" stands ~ Japan.
Migrating from the south. the ad~yenturcrs
landed on the sout hern sand. kushiu,
and found a fair country, covered With
luxurious vegetation. and sUar..iy pnpu-
ulated by saNace- living like beasts Of tie
6eld. having no organized system ~ al.
ministration and ~ircaIable q Offering
permanent resistance to The superior
weapons and iisc phne ~ the Invaders.
Who established thCmae'v e- with lrrIe
difficulty in Tho newlv-found and Bu,
on the main island two race - men very
different from these N had already
eained a footing One had It's hca !ouartor~
In the province nf fxlnl. and Ga. med
oovereigntv over tho whole country Tie
other wa oo-C'n'ra'"di~ Iuratn Neither.
Of the~e raceS knew ~ Ihe other . existence.
luumo and Yama.o n.'rr f1r arar,. A.
The outssS, the Immigrants h' Aad reviv
arrived in kiushiu, imagined tha, they had
.o deal with the i-!n7 ,o.x only Tiev
BEGAN nv sen. rr cr.ov-
"The arst O! l'a-.. lr.ict Nv the lrIuo
rulsrs, made hi- u,-rc Dr. 20 lana b.. bad
bsen seni to ,Ty o.t. lao ~sra,.d f.-gp.
his duty IN the arms of an I.lu.o maiden
~iio~e hair FOL To- icr aI'"e. In. third
DISCHARGED hrs mission itft:.Ily. uVt
vac pu, 10 des'h IN izump. Tire srou"l
of this son cwhat con o. our'n.c -rr,s
Of events Was war Putting forth their
full strength. The southern invaders shat
tered the power OF tn. II.mo ,,-rf. and
rpceivcd it, submission But ~ 40! r,'
transfer their own court 70 the conquered
province Ignorant that lzlno wa "A
mere fraction Of the main issr1. they
imagined that no more reg..I- renamed
10 lie subJugsied BY and ~ they Dis
covered their mistake lut"ligru,e tca,r-d
s'~.rn ttai far away 2. "a" -.-ile.-' a
race Of highly civilized men. vao had
originally coma from beyond the ~oa ia
sh 'ps. ~er. sa't!ed "a The province II Ylmato
holding uudisput.d MAJ. To the NOUS
Of thee c~oioaists JiImu. who then 1I'ed
the southern immigrants. sst cut on a cam
paign when ias,.o Git.en Years. and ended.
after some fierce fighting. 10 the lsmato