The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-01-19
INTO THE FORBIDDEN CITY.
The Unparalleled Achievement Of Three
Daring Young Japanese.

The Unparalleled Achievement Of Three
Daring Young Japanese.
The Sacred City of Ilassa, the capital
city of Tibet, hitherto a forbidden city
to all foreigners. has been entered re-
Gently by three daring young Japanese
explorers. Thay are Captain YOshiteru
Martha Hiroshi Nomi and Kei6al ka
warhe, a Buddhist priest Of Honganji,
1yOt0.
Captain Y. Martha is Il promising
young soldier and a son of a Samural
Of the Satsuma clan. He went to China
several years ago. staying in that coun-
try for several months while he was
preparing fer his arduous expedition.
After many dangers and hardships he
succeeded in reaching L.assa, having
taken several years to accomplish his
self-appointed task. He stayed in the
holy city for eighteen days, and then
returned to Japan about two months
agu, About the same time that Captain
Martha visited Lassa MI Hiroshi Nomi
reached the interior of Tibet. There
has been no news from him for some
time. and he is supposed to BE- on his
way home. He is n very young man,
but brave and cool and quiet in his
ways. Mr. Keik#1 EaWaguchi, the
third of the japanese explorers, had the
hardest experience, He went by way of
the Himalaya Mountains and suffered
severe attack Of snow blindness. He
was totally blind for some time, but
has entirely recovered from this noun
tain disease Once he was mistaken for
robber by the Tibctans, who came
very near making him pay the penalty.
which is IN Tibet. to put the r0bbcr on
a horse and then shoot him. Mr.. KaW-
aguchi, who Is a Buddhist priest. at
last succeeded in reaching Lassa, and is
still residing in that city.
These achievements, remarkable in
themselves. are significant in another
way. In the first place they show the
tremendous energy and indomitable
bearing of the Japanese 1t will be
found in the case of others who have
tried to reach Lassa, that they were
men who had fitted themselves by long
study and experience for the attempt,
and who made the final effort under the
most favorable conditions possible.
All of them. with one or two rare ex-
ceptiOns, failed lamentably Miss!Ona-
ries who have won the confidence of the
Thihetans, and who have learned their
language, failed TO penetrate even to
the vicinity Of the sacred city. Some
succeeded in getting within days
march, and We're tortured or turned
back or killed Even the most accom-
plished explorer of modern times, Sven
Hedin, the Incompatible SWede, who
had fitted himself for his work by years
of study and travel. could not pass the
Thbetan guards that protected the sa-
cred precincts of Lassa. Yet the Jap
anese, young and untried adventures,
with the exception of Captain Martha,
who prepared for this expedition by
living in China for several months, sue
ceeded in attaining goal that has been
denied to the most daring and expert
enced travellers in the world.
But the chief significance Of these re-
markab bic achievements is the relation
of a new force and energy in the world
Of action It reveals an awakening in
Japan such as occurred in Spain when
there dawned upon her early greatness.
and when she was preparing to send
forth into the world her explorers and
commonwealth COrtcz, PiZarrO
De Soto, or in England, when Drake
and Howard and Hawke led the way to
the glories of England on sea and land
and transformed her into world eE
plorer and world Conqueror. 1t reveals
the birth of tremendous national ener-
gy and an indomtable national spirit
Japan is no longer a group Of Islands,
a collection of people, but nation, pos
sessed by a fiery national spirit. These
things reveal it just as it was revealed
by the greater things Of the war with
China. and by the splendid heroism Of
her soldiers in the advance on Pekin,
and by their more than splendid chiv-
airy and courtesy toward the conquered
Chinese.
We must now look to Japan for the
Spekes, Burtons. Magellans, Living
stones, Cooks, Marco PolOs. We find
some of these hardy and daring explor-
ers penetrating into portions OF China
forbidden to foreigners for centuries
We find more Of them passing the COR
dons Of Tibetan guards around Lassa
and calmly residing within the holy
limits of the capital TO Lamaism, I'M
shaken and afraid, while the English
explorers still find the Himalaya the
bounds Of their explorations from their
neighboring possessions in India; and
we may soon find them penetrating to