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OBSERVATIONS on the MANNERS, CUSTOMS, DRESS, AGRICULTURE, &c. of the JAPANESE.

[By C. P. THUNBERG, formerly PHYSICIAN to the Dutch Factory in Japan *.]

THE empire of Japan is fituated at the

very eastern extremity of Afia, entirely cut off from our quarter of the world, and confifts of a great multitude of islands of várious magnitude. It lies between the 30th and 40th degrees of north latitude; and fo far to the east, that when we in Stockholm reckon four o'clock in the afternoon, the inhabitants are immerfed in the deep fleep of midnight, and confequently have fun fet and fun rife eight hours earlier.

The Portuguese, who, about two centuries and a half ago, first discovered it, were accidentally thrown by a storm on the coaft, which is in general bordered with hills and cliffs, together with a multitude of unfafe and ftormy ports, whence navigation is always dangerous, and fometimes impoffible.

The whole inland part of the country confifts of mountains, hills and dales; fo that it is rare to meet with any extenfive plain. The mountains are of various altitude, more or lefs continued, more or lefs covered with wood, fometimes volcanic, but most fre quently cultivated. quite up to the fummit. It may in general be justly said of Japan, that the foil is of itfelf unfruitful, but in confequence of fufficient warmth of climate, plentiful rains, continual manuring, and induftry, it is forced into a confiderable degree of fertility, and maintains a number of inhabitants, not exceeded by those of any other country. The natives are well grown, agile, and active; and at the fame time ftout limbed, though they do not equal in ftrength the northern inhabitants of Europe. The men are of moderate ftature, feldom tall, and in general thin; though I have feen fome that were fufficiently tall. The colour of the face is commonly yellow, which fometimes va ries to brown, and fometimes to white. The inferior fort, who, during their work in fummer, have often the upper parts of the body naked, are fun-burnt and browner; women of diftinction, who never go uncovered in the open air, are perfectly white. The eyes of this people as well as of the Chinese are well known; they have not the round fhape of thofe of other nations, but are oblong, fmall, more funk, and appear more smiling. They are moreover of a dark brown, or rather black colour; and the eyelids form at the larger angle a deep furrow, which gives them their peculiar keen look, and diftinguishes them fo Arikingly from other nations. The eyebrows are also fituated somewhat higher. The head is in general

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and the neck fhort; the hair black, thick, and of an oily fmoothness; the nofe, though not flat, yet fomewhat thick and short.

The national character confifts in intelligence and prudence, franknefs, obedience and politenefs, good-nature and civility, curiofity, industry and dexterity, œconomy and fobriety, hardiness, cleanliness, justice and uprightness, honesty, and fidelity; in being miftrustful, fuperftitious, haughty, resentful, brave, and invincible.

In all its transactions, the nation fhews great intelligence, and can by no means be numbered among the favage and uncivilized, but rather is to be placed among the polished. The prefent mode of government, admirable fkill in agriculture, fparing mode of life, way of trading with foreigners, manufactures, &c. afford convincing proofs of their cunning, firmness, and intrepid courage. Here there are no appearances of that vanity, fo common among the Afiatics and Africans, of adorning themselves with fhells, glass beads, and polished metal plates: neither are they fond of the useless European ornaments of gold and filver lace, jewels, &c. but are careful to provide themfelves, from the productions of their own country, with neat clothes, welltafted food, and good weapons.

Neatnefs and cleanliness is obferved, as well with respect to their persons, as clothes, houses, furniture, meat and drink. They bathe and wash themselves, not barely once a week, like our ancestors, but every day, and that in a warm bath, which is prepared in every house, and for travellers in all the inns.

In politeness, obedience, and fubmission, the Japanese have few equals; fubmiffion to the magiftrate, and obedience to parents, is implanted in children from their earliest years; and in all ranks they are instructed in this by examples. Inferiors make to their fuperiors deep and respectful, and shew them blind and reverential, obeifance; to their equals they make the politeft compliments and falutations. They generally bow the back with the head downwards, and the hands towards the knees, or below them along the legs as low as the foot, to shew greater reverence: the deeper this must be, the nearer to the ground do they bow their head. When they fpeak to a fuperior, or are spoken to by him, or when they have any thing to deliver to him, they never omit thefe bows. When an inferior meets a superior, he always continues in this posture till the latter has paffed by. When equals mest

* In juftice to its proprietor, Mr. MURRAY, we think it our duty obferve, that we are indebted to the ENGLISH REVIEW for the following article, which is a tranflation of " A "Speech concerning the Japanese,delivered before the Royal Academy of Sciences at Stockholm, "when Mr Thunberg refigned the office of President.” and which has hitherto been noticed in

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each other, they pay one another the fame. compliment, and pafs each other in a posture somewhat bent. Upon entering a houfe, they fall down on their knees, and bow the head; and when they rife to depart, the fame ceremony is repeated. Superftition is perhaps more general and extravagant here, than any where elfe; which arifes from the little knowledge they have in moft fciences, and the abfurd principles which their priests implant in them. This imperfection appears in their worship, festivals, vows, use of certain medicines, &c.

Their curiofity is exceffive; nothing im. ported by the Europeans efcapes it. They afk for information concerning every article, and their questions continue till they become wearifou e. It is the phyficiat, among the traders, that is alone regarded as learned, and particularly during the journey to court, and the refidence at Jeddo, the capital of the empire, that he is regarded as the oracle, which they truft can give responses in all things, whether in mathematics, geography, phyfics, chemistry, pharmacy, zoology, botany, me. dicine, &c. When the Dutch have their au dience of the emperor, council, or governors, they confider, from head to foot, their hats, fwords, clothes, buttons, trimming, watches, fticks, rings, fhoes, buckies, &c. nay, they mult frequently write on paper, or the peculiar fans of the Japanese, in order to fhew them their manner of writing and their letters.

It is highly probable that this people were not always fo fufpicious. Difturbances or war perhaps introduced them, but the deceits practifed by the Europeans ftill more excited and increased this vice; which at prefent, in their trade, at least with the Dutch and Chinefe, exceeds al! bounds.

I have often been a witness of the good difpofition of the Japanese, even at a time when they have every reafon to entertain all pofible contempt and hatred, and to use every precaution, on account of the bad conduct and cunning artifices of the Europeans who trade thither. The nation is indeed haughty, but ftill gentle. By mild meafures and civility it may be led and affected, but by menaces it is altogether immoveable.

Honefty and fidelity is obferved in all the country; in few other countries perhaps is theft fo rare. Robbery is totally unknown. Theft is feldom heard of: and Europeans, during their journey to court, are fo fafe, that they take little care of the goods they carry along with them; though it is otherwife not - confidered as a crime, at least at the Dutch factory, and by the lower people, to fteal from the Dutch fome of their wares, fuch as fugar or copper, as they are carried to or from the quay.

Economy has its peculiar abode in Japan. It is a virtue admired as well in the emperor's palace, as in the meanest cottage. It makes thofe of fmail poffeflions content with. their little, and it prevents the abundance of the rich from overflowing in excefs and voluptuoufnefs. Hence it happens that what in other countries is called fcarcity and famine,, is unknown here, and that, in fo very populous a state, scarce a perfon in neceffity, or a beggar, fhould be found. The people in general are neither greedy, nor eager after riches, while at the fame time they feem to avoid gluttony and drunkenness.

Haughtiness is among the chief failings of the nation. They believe themfelves to be the facred offspring of the gods, heaven, fun and moon; an origin which many of the Afiatic nations, with equal confidence, arrogate to themselves. They alfo believe them. felves to be fuperior to other men. If a Japanese should bear with patience all other injuries, the pride of other men would be totally infupportable to him. The haughtinefs of the Portuguese drove them from this country, and this alone would be fufficient to ruin the trade of the Dutch.

Juftice is much regarded by them; the monarch never exceeds his bounds; nor is there, either in ancient or modern hiftory, any proof that he has extended his ambition or his demands to the territories of other people, Their hiftory abounds with heroic atchieve. ments exerted in defending their country. against external violence and internal fedition; but not a fingle invafion of other countries, or other men's property, occurs.

Voltaire fays, that whoever fhall defire that his country fhall be neither greater nor lefs, neither richer nor poorer, may be juitly called a citizen of the world. Such are the Japanese: they with not to acquire the ter. ritories of others, nor will they fuffer any diminution of their own. They follow the ufages of their forefathers, and never adopt the manners of other countries. Juftice is always feen in their courts; their fuits are always finifhed fpeedily, and without intrigue; equity is obferved even towards the Europeans; fo that the contract entered into is neither annulled, nor is it mifinterpreted or altered in a fingle letter, provided the Euro. peans themfelves do not give occafion to fuch practices.

Liberty is the life of the Japanese; not indeed fuch a kind of liberty as often degenerates into violence and licentiousness, but a liberty fecured and limited by law. I cannot comprehend how it has happened, that fome hiftorians have confidered the common people in Japan as flaves. A fervant who hires himself for a year, is not on that account a flave. A foldier, fubject to ftill more fevere

difcipline, enlifted for a certain, often for a confiderable term of years, is not on this accrunt a flave, though he is contented to obey the ftrifteft commands of his officer. The Japanese fpeak with horror of the Dutch flave,trade. The liberty, both of high and low, is protected by laws; and the uncommon feverity of thofe laws, together with their certain execution, keeps every one within his proper limits. With refpect to foreign nations, there is no people, in all the extent of India, fo vigilant over their freedom, and none more exempt from foreign invafion, oppreffion or fraud. The precautions used for this purpofe are without parallel throughout the whole globe; for, fince all the natives who were abroad were recalled, none can leave the coafts of the empire, under the penalty of death; and no foreigner approach them, except a few Dutch and Chinese, who, during the whole time of their stay, are watched like prifoners of state..

Almost every perfon in Japan has a fervant, who waits upon him in the houfe; and, when he goes out, carries after him a cap, fhoes, umbrella, a light, or any thing of this kind which he needs.

The Afiatic, on his return, complained to the emperor of his ill-treatment, as well as of the affront which was offered to the fovereign. His anger being the more roused, as the infult proceeded from defpifed foreigners, and as he was incapable of avenging it, his life-guard addreffed him in the following

manner.

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"We will no longer guard your

"perfon, if we are not able to protect your "honour: nothing but the blood of the of"fender can wath away this ftain: com"mand, and we will either cut off his head, or bring him hither alive, that you may "inflict punishment according to your good "pleafure, and his deferts: feven of us are "enongh; neither the danger of navigation, "the ftrength of the fort, nor the number "of his guard, thall free him from our venge"ance." After receiving orders, and ta king prudent measures, they arrive at Formofa. Being admitted to an audience by the Governor, they draw their fabres, take him prifoner, and carry him off to their veffel. This audacions deed was achieved at mid day, in the prefence of the guard and domeftics, none of whom, astonished and difmayed as they were, durft move a step to the affiftance of their master, whofe head was cleft in the fame inftant by the adventurers. (Kæmpfer,p. 479.)

This nation has never been fubdued by any foreign power, not even in the most remote periods; their chronicles contain fuch accounts of their valour, as one would rather incline to confider as fabulous inventions, than actual occurrences, if later ages had not furnished equal striking proofs of it. When the Tartars, for the first time, in 799, had overrun part of Japan, and when, after a confiderable time had elapfed, their fleet was destroyed by a violent storm, in the course of a fingle night, the Japanese general attacked, and fo totally defeated, his numerous and brave enemies, that not a fingle person furvived to return and carry the tidings of fuch an unparalleled defeat. In like manner, when the Japanese were again, in 1281, in vaded by the warlike Tartars, to the number of 240,000 fighting men, they gained a victory equally complete. The extirpation of the Portuguese, and, with them, of the Cariftian religion, towards the beginning of the 17th century, was fo complete, that fcarce a veftige can now be difcerned of its ever having existed there. Many thousands of men were facrificed; and at the last fiege alone, not less than 37,000. Nor are thefe victories, however figual, the only ones which difplay the courage of the Japanese. Another inftance, which occurred in 1630, is a further proof of it. The Governor of Formofa, which then belonged to the Dutch company, thought fit to treat with ill-advised infolence and injustice the master of a small Japanese veffel who came thither to traffic.

He who fhall confider their haughtiness, fpirit, equity, and courage, will not be furprifed at finding them implacable towards their enemies, They are not lefs refentful and inexorable than intrepid and high-minded. Their hatred never appears in acts of violence, but is concealed under the utmost coolnefs, till an occafion of vengeance offers itself. I have feen no people fo little fubject to vehement emotions. You may abuse and infult them as much as you pleafe, they make no reply, but merely fhew their furprife, by coolly exclaiming, ha ha! They conceive, however, in filence, the most deadly hatred, which neither fatisfaction of any kind, length of time, nor change of circumftances, can appease. They omit no mark of politeness, either in addreffing, or on meeting their adversary, but they coun terfeit as great regard for him as for others, till an opportunity of doing him fome effential damage occurs.

The names of families, and of fingle perfons, are under very different regulations from ours. The family name is never changed, but is never ufed in ordinary converfation, and only when they fign fome writing; to which they also, for the most part, affix their feal. There is alfo this peculiarity, that the furname is always placed first; juft as in botanical books the generic name is always placed be fore the specific name. The prænomen is always fed in addreffing a perfon; and it is Hh 2 changed

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