The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-16


and decrced that the mirror should be
worsbpped there. This temple was after
ward removed 10 various localities, until
Ise wac finally chosen IA its perm ancnt site.
The Emperor further caused a duplicate OF
the mirror TO be made and placed In the
sanctuary OF the palace. In order that he
and his descendants might woremp as
At the present time not only
does every loyal Japanese worship Dali
jingu In his own house. but many look
upon II as duty to make pilgrimage to
Ise at least once during q lifetime. In the
sanctuary Of the Imperial Palace are three
temples. One OF these, occupying the
central position. contains the duplicate
OF the Divine Mirror, and La dedicated to
the worship Gf the First Imperial Ancestor.
The second stands TO the west OF II. and 10
dedicated to the worship OF all the imperial
ancestors since Jinnu Teuno, the hrut EN-
peror and the founder Of the empire. A
third temple stands to the east Of the prin-
cipal one, and serves to honor all the other
deities. At the present time eleven great
festival days. are observed as national
holidays. All these, with the exception Of
two-one OF which 10 the birthday Of tho
reigning Emperor. and the other the open
Ing OF the new year-redate to the worship
o. the Imperial Ancestor. On these days.
national flags are hung from all the houses,
women don their best attire, and the streets
are thronged with merrymakers. Tho
children 90 to their schools, and assemble
before tho portraits Of the Emperor and
the Empress, and his Majesty's speech
on education Is read and explained TO them
by the schoolmasters. d.
Originally each Japanese clan had
clan-god, or Uj-gami, who was the eponym
OF that particular community. In early
times It seems to have been customary
to render homage to the clan-eod every
month ut the house OF each individual
clansman; but afterward this practice
declined, and festivals in honor Of the
clan ancestor were substituted and held
three times year In q temple. The word
Uji-gam Is now used In another sense,
meaning local tlItelary god, or the patron
god of Q mans birthplace or domicile. The
change in the use Of the term doubtless
arose In the following way: In early days
olansmen usually lived together in the
same locality, with the result that the clan
god and local patron-god meant ono
and the same deity. Subsequently,, as
the means OF communication developed,
the members OF the various clans began to
6isperSe and to live In different parts Of
the country. Moreover. the administrative
departments Of the Empire, from being
tribal gradually became local and terri
torial 1t Is nevertheless certain, a. we
have said, that the worship OF Uji-gsmi, or
the local patron-god, is a survival OF the
worship Of clan ancestors.
In no depar tment OF Japanese juis-
prudence is the relation between ancestor
worship and the law moro clearly shown
than in tho regulation regarding adoption.
Where there is no male issue, it is con-
sidered the duty Of the head OF family
to acquire a son by adoption, that being
the most general method Of providing for
the continuity Of ancestor worship. The
new civil code allows any person who has
attained his majority to adopt another
person younger than himself. Formerly
only kins1nan could be adopted, and the
prohibition seems to have been observed
until the time Of the Tolsugawa Shogunate.
1t de: ived it's origin from the belief that
the spirit of an ancestor will not receive
the offerings Of strangers. The rule was
long 30 strictly enforced that the houses
Of many feudal lords became extinct through
the failure Of heirs. Consequently. their
estates were forfeited, and thousands of
their vassals, or Samursi. lost their feudal
stipends. The result was that the .Ronin.
or members Of the military clans who had
lost their feudsl position. and could not.
and would not II they could, earn a Irving
by agriculture or commerce. became Reii-
tionaries and often excited Instructions.
Such connexions were frequent In the
ear lier years Of the Tokueawa Shogunate,
which, accordingly, in 1861, relaxed the law
of adoption.
".
In a paper on woman's education, Baron
Suyematsl, e1-Minister Of the Interior,
points out that the position Of woman
in Japan has always been different to a
marked extent from that OF the same sex
in other Asiatic countries. Looking back
over the history of the Oriental island realm,
one may see not a few renowned feminine
figures There have been several En-
presses, OF whom some were brave, intelh-
gent and highly cultured. More than one
heroine has fought side by side with war
riors. There have been numerous poet
uoNcliotSt u tAols' IA Iic iiliitii
century OF the Christian era, when the
study OF Chinese was in vogue among the
men. the cultivation of native light literature
was mainly In the hands Of the female sex.
On the other hand. in the latter part Of
the Tokugawa regime, many women were
distinguished for their requirements in
Chinese. The same period likewise pro-
duoed not q few woman poets. There
seems to be no doubt that women have
always enjoyed in Japan a large amount
Of social freedom, though not as much as
has been conceded to their sex in Western
nations during modern times. Neverthe-
less, woman's education has always been a
problem in Japan. In 1871 number OF
young girls were sent to the United States
for their education, one OF whom is now
the wife OF Admiral Uriu, while another
is the Marchionees Oynma. the wife Of
the Commander n-Chief Of the Japanese
al mics In MAnohuria. Baron suyematsu
is far from regarding the problem Of wo-
mans education in japan as solved. The
relative percentage Of the girls attending
elementary schools is decidedly less than
the percentage Of the boys, and the Diff
fere is much moro noticeable when
we come to establishments intended for
the higher education. There "a, how
~.1in~o for rx;rIo II, ToLto oallcJ tho