Evening star., 1945-03-25

AS the American armada of the al
Sooms over Tokyo in ever-growing fore
and with increasing frequency, we ma
pertinently ask: Shall the imperia
palace be spared bombing?
AS is generally understood, the flynn
knights are under orders not to leav
their explosive calling cards at Hiro
hito's door. The policy, evidently, is
result of mature deliberation among tn
Army, the Navy and the State Depart
ment.
The reason behind this policy SEEM
somewhat like this: The japanese hav,
an nborn respect, yes, a superstition
reverence, for their Emperor. To then
his abode is not palace, it is sanctum
a shrine; and the vast acres aroune
1t are a hallowed ground. Bomb the
holy of holes and the war will become
religious war in which the japanese
will fight with a fanaticism the like
of which we have not seen even al
Tarawa or at Two. And even afte,
they are subjugated their sense of the
dissertation committed will rankle in
the hearts of the vanquished survivors
rendering our task of pacification the
more difficult. Besides, the Emperor
did not want this war; he is but help
less, unwilling tool in the hands of
the militarist usurpers.
Other Factors Enter In.
THE ra,eop;,,o ie ,,Jo,r;Lla p,,t +har,
are other important factors, both spirit
ual and material, which demand our
consideration.
Consider the spiritual or moral aspect
first. Is it wise, is it to the benefit of
the japanese themselves, that their
fetish of the sanctity of the Emperor
be preserved Does not America, in
Japanese eyes, appear solicitous of per-
petuating it by interdicting her bombar-
diers from bombing the imperial abode?
If Japan is ever to fall in step with
liberal nations, is it not necessary that
she should purge herself of such super
stitious notions as the divine origin of
the imperial house? And would not the
bombing of the palace grounds help
shatter such notions?
Japan herself is not lacking in histo-
rians, scholars, and thinkers who de-
plore the conservative efforts to shroud
the imperial house in the myth of
divinity. They deplore that such men,
dacity illustrates honest study of history
and renders impossible the healthy
orou,tb of constitutional oovorpr,e,,f
They deplore, furthermore, that the
trumped-up divinity of the Emperor pre-
cludes the development, as between him
and his subjects, mutual affection and
devotion such as has developed between
the British King and his subjects. Such
mutual affection and devotion is, to
these Japanese, the sine qua non of
institutional monarchy.
Divinity Only 70 Years Old.
Contrary to general Occidental belief,
the divinity of the Emperor is not an
idea handed down undisturbed through
centuries from antiquity, but an innova-
ton of political expediency adopted but
70-odd years ago.
No one can read "Genji- -Mono-Ga
Tale of Genji," written by gifted court
lady thousand years ago, without being
struck by the fact that in those days,
the golden age of the imperial regime,
the Emperors as described by her were
entirely human" when the first of
Arthur Valleys five-volume translation
appeared in London, some European
critics saw in this ancient book tech
nique and conception similar to those
of Marcel Proust, the ultra modern
French novelistD Even in that remote
period, Shinto, the original court reli-
gion, had been all but superseded by
Buddhism. 1t had, indeed, become
something of vogue for Emperors and
Expresses to abdicate, often premature
ly, sacrificing their glossy locks, and
retiring to Buddhist temples in quest
of Nirvana. No god could act like this
After the imperial regime gave way
TO militarist usurpation the imperial
house was SO neglected and impoverished
that most of the Emperors lived life
of penury, their palaces out of repair,
their gardens rank with unwelcome
weeds. Shinto, of course, had gone into
complete eclipse. This condition, in
varying degree, lasted almost eight GEN.
turies up to the advent of the American
squadron under Commodore Perry in
Tokyo Bay.
Japan's opening to foreign intercourse
t,, {a n
vice hastened the fall of the ancient
regime and the restoration of imperial
rule. 1t was change for progress and
modernism. Yet, anonymously, Shinto
was reinstated in the court, not so much
for its moral precept, which has many
commendable features, but for its an
cient cult of Emperor worship A move
ment had been launched to defy the
Mikado. Why this anachronism? The
answer is simple.
Divinity Brings Disaster.
The men who were instrumental in
bringing about the new regime and who
took the reins of government were mostly
young Samurai, but yesterday nobodies.
Naturally their position was insecure
and uncertain. They had boldly abol-
ished feudalism, yet discomfort still
smouldered among some of the deposed
feudatories. Unrest was in the air,
trouble was brewing in many quarters.
To cope with this difficult situation the
political upstarts harped upon the divine
origin of the Emperor, and clothed the
then youthful sovereign with celestial
attributes. They declared that whoever
disobeyed the Emperor was guilty of
sacrilege, and they ruled in the name of