The semi-weekly messenger., 1904-04-12
THE. EMPIRE OF JAPAN.
Summary of It's Ills Dual Government -Resourees
of the Country --RaciaI Characteristics OF
the People



History claims to have reason for
OF Japan date back nearly six and a
half centuries before the birth of
Christ, but no native documentary
proof is found to support this claim,
and the Japanese writings on the sub
ject are OF much later date.
Ethnologists are strongly inclined
10 the opinion thai the japanese are
a mingling OF two races. one OF which
Siberia and the kurile Islands. with
hairy bodies and broad, fat faces. and
the other extended northward, with
the delicate features and smooth
skins of the people of India This
argument is fortified by the fact that
there are still two strongly marked
varieties OF features in Japan-the
broad face and fiat nose OF the lower.
| and the oval face ana higher nose
of the noble classes.
Jimmie Termo. the first emperor OF
Japan, both a warrior and statesman.
| set out from Huiga- on the east side
| of the island of Kiushiu, which he
| gradually subdued. as well as the
neighboring one of Shikoku, and the
west half of the mainland as far as
| Mino. He finally founded his capital
| at Kioto and began the civilization
| of the people. establishing laws and
| a settled government. though ii was
one-man government, for his rule
| was an absolute despotism-
For hundreds OF years his poSteri-
| ~ occupied the throne that he had
| established, claiming TO rule by divine
| right and inheritance, and bearing
/ the title of Mikado. which is synony-
nous with the Sublime Porte OF Tur-
| key-f'Lofty Gate
/ lar in
| the government from the earliest
| times, and some of the wiSest and
| most beneficent rulers Of Japan have
| been women, one of whom lingo
| kogo. was the conqueror of Corea-
| Her son was deified after death, and
| is to-day the Japanese god of war.
| This conquest of Corea was attended
| by very remarkable results, amount
| ing to almost a social revolution in
| Japan. Corean scholars brought
| over to that country the works of
| ConfuciuS and other Chinese authors.
| and the language and literature of
China became the study of the nobili
| ty and other higher classes Nor
was this all. About the middle of
! the sixth century a captive Coraan
prince presented to the emperor sew
eral Buddhist idols and books, and
| the doctrines of Buddhism spread
| through Japan, in spite of all oppoSi-
/
male sovereign, officially gave fiIll
| tolerance to all who chose to embrace
the Buddhist faith. She introduced
written codes and official grades, re-
| surveyed the empire, and fixed the
| boundaries more exactly.
| The history OF Japan from that
time is obscure, until nearly the close
of the eighth century, when armed
hordes from the west an unknown
people to the Japanese, but doubtless
Mongols, invaded the country, but the
vaIor of the people completely routed
their army. while a fearful storm rag
ing along the coast almost annihilated
their fleet. Somewhat later than this
the japanese sovereigns adopted the
strange custom of :abdicating tafter
a short reign, and entering the priest
hood.
From the time of the Mongol inva-
sion until about the middle of the
twelfth century the country was rent
and distracted by contending factions.
| The imperial power began 20 decay.
and the families Of the great mobiles
warred among themselves for the pos
session of the throne. To remedy
the evils besetting the government on
all sides. the court of the Mikado
created the Office Of Shotgun, or COM
mander-in-chief, which was conferred
| upon Yoritomo.
This man, of great renown in the
history of Japan, was the son of a
court noble of the family of Mfamoto
and peasant woman of wonderful
| beauty, whom he found gathering
herbs in the forest. The Story of
their love, Of the cottage which he
built for her in the depth of the
woods, of the discovery of their secret
by the pobleman's naughty wife and
her fierce u0hraidings, adj form a sin
gular parallel to the stoy of Henry
4 Il Tc
mond-''
Yoritomo quelled the turbulence
of the nobility and restored the au-
thority of the crown. but he s-radu-
ally concentrated all the real power
into his own hands. without trenching
on the rank and dignity of the Mika-
| do. He made Kamakur>l his capitaI
and his court was of great magnifi-
cence. After this date. 1895, the Sho-
gun was regarded as the real lord of
the land for three or four centuries.
and the power of the emperor was
| nominal.
About the middle of the thirteenth
century the greater part OF China was
| invaded and conquered by the Mon
gols, and for ten or fifteen years their
| leader, Kublai Khan, sent enyoys to
Japan, Sometimes threatening wan.
and again offering peace. Finally. in
1871. Kublai Khan sent an immense
army and fleet TO subject Japan. but
as IN 1888, the bravery of the people re-
PEELED the invasion. and the fury of
the elements destroyed the feet.
There has been no invasion OF Japan
since that time.
Sixty years of the fourteenth CEN
tury were consumed in civil war be-
tween the adherents of the northern
and southern emperors. both claiming
the crown, and the two centuries fol-
lowing are known in japanese history
as the epoch of war" during which
came upon the arena the greatest
three men in the country's annals.
Nobunaga, Hideyoshi and Iyeyasu. AL;
three hated Buddhism and did every
thing possible to propagate the faith
Of the Jesuit missionaries. Iyeyasu.
especially. who was called Taiko Soma
| by foreigners. was both a great mill
| tary leader and a cnnsIlrn ma 70 a<ez-