Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-08-02
1ApANEsE Customs.

JAPANESE CUSTOMS.
The papers. Just now. are commenting
on the continued iIl-health of the en-
peror Of Japan Unless things have
changed very much since was there, III
venture the assertion that not ten papers
in all that empire have mentioned the
fact He is so hedged in with sentiment.
ceremony. and superstition that his real
name is never mentioned.
In this country NC talk about the
'.nikado." I never dared TO use the term
one time during the six years / was
there. 7 suppose the word was about all
that a loyal japanese would give to a
foreigner. 10 incorporate in such an
operette 1Iikado is really not word
TO signify royalty. it is a compound OF
mi. meaning before. and kado. gate, so
YOU see mikadO really means before-the-
gate. or temple. as the words are often
synonymous
There are two terms used 10 designate
his majesty when some specific word
must lie used One is ten-nO-heiza- the
other Is ten-chi-sama, meaning practical
~ the same. Lord OF heaven and earth"
some people wanted to know what cali
ed him. for. OF course" they said, you
knew he was not that" l usually reply
that every Elizabeth may not be a gift
Of God" in the usual acceptatiOn of the
term. but IL people persist in naming
children that ] shall use the word, ir-
respective Of the meaning
Strange as it may sound to this irrev-
erent nation. many people I'm those for
eign countries really love their rulers
and look upon the divine right OF
kings" very seriously. Therefore. to those
people the death of their emperor will be
a personal loss They never saw him. nor
expected to ever see his majesty. vet in
g. OF
honor where pictures are hung, flowers
placed and special worship to the gods
carried on: but the prime thought in
the builders plans was If the emperor
ever comes we viii have a place for
him"
Then there is the purely commercial
side Of the event OF a death among the
royal family. When the dowager en-
press died there was thirty days OF
mourning, no songs sung in the schools
or churches. no practicing on musical
instruments by students. no vesper serv-
ices. not a note on piano. organ nor on
any Of their native musical instruments.
What viii il be when an emperor be
come nothing2" I suppose they will
coin a brand new word to use in an
nouncing the event In all this vOcab-
ulary there is no word more avoided
than those meaning death. To become
nothing" is the ultimate aim of every
Buddhist. so that is used by all except
the Christians They say, He has fall
en- asleep"
I don't believe the royal family or at
least his majesty. had never been out
Of Toxic except to his KitO palace I'M
I'll the war between China and Japan.
Then Hiroshima. the city in which I
lived five years. was selected as the war
capital and the emperor and empress
took UP their abode there until peace
was declared That castle is a pictur-
esque old place and the fact that Hiro-
Ehima was their abode was a great
thing for the city The empress gave
$500 worth Of lime TO help clean up
things and really took an interest in the
sanitation Of the city. The city was
not Of very high rank in the estima ton
Of the people further north, used to
explain 70 some of the inquirers the eX-
preston Can any good come out Of
Nazareth by reminding them of the
way some people had looked on HirO-
shima- So you see even making il their
abode for a short time changed its posi-
tiOn in the eyes Of the nation.
When the great exposition was held
II Osaka in 1902 their majesties decided
to 90 such a thing had never been
done. but his majesty calls mis- reign the
enlightened period in Japan's history,
and wanted TO see how much had been
done There was no palace in Osaka so
the one in KiOto was called into requisi-
ton. Their private car took them back
and forth. not both on the same day,
husband and wife are not to be seen to-
Eether. he went one day and she the
next Naturally her court ladies went
with her and his retinue with him. The
lays they decided TO go were not red
letter days to the shop keepers. There
was a line OF march decided on, the
streets were swept. fresh dirt sprinkled
and every shop tightly closed. all en-
plOyes standing with bowed heads I'M
I'll the carriages passed. If the train
Eas late. and IL generally was, for roy
atty is not obliged TO hurry. the stores
and residences were closed just the
same When the royal party entered
one OF the exposition buildings every
enc had been carefully sent out, the
building closed TO outsiders until they
left r. AS they took about one build
ing each day they came. you can imag-
me the nuisance it was
The empress Is a very progressive
woman An English lady. who mar
lsh legation was a great help to her.
she reached Japan about the time il
was fashiona bic for every one TO wear
in-waitfng and saved them all a great
many ridiculous mistakes.
Polygamy is one Of their customs
and there has been no more happiness
in the hearts OF those women OF high
estate than among those of lower de-
gree The present empress has no