Chapter XIX: Japan (5)

The unfortunate Mr Moss, however, a few days later, toiled a whole day and bagged one, with the consequences we have seen. Whether it was law or not, the evidence supplied by the birds themselves of prescriptive immunity from gunpowder attack was overwhelming. Hitherto the heavy winged wildfowl had felt safe so long as they kept out of sword-range of the human biped, but the new experience of a detonating missile fatal at fifty yards broke up in a week the habits of generations, and forced them to promptly readjust themselves to their environment.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] "We are never for a moment unwatched; ... if my servant
runs after a butterfly, a two-sworded official runs after
him."--Laurence Oliphant, Letter from Yedo, July 1861.

[2] "As a general rule, our guardians exercise their functions with
civility; when they are impertinent, one has to submit as one
would to one's jailor.... With entire humility, one is in no
danger whatever."--Oliphant, 2nd July 1861.

[3] The effect of the commercial isolation of Japan on the value
of general commodities was no less striking. The first foreign
traders might have bought with eyes shut nearly every article that
was offered to them, so great was the disparity of prices between
Japan and her nearest markets. Mr Hunter gives an interesting
example. "I had in go-downs," he says, "8000 piculs of sapan-wood
imported from Manila unsaleable at one dollar and a quarter per
picul, which was about its cost. Immediately that the opening
of the port of Simoda to foreign trade was announced officially,
an English vessel was chartered to carry it there. Brief--it was
sold for 35 dollars per picul, and the proceeds were invested in
Japanese vegetable wax at a cost of 6½ dollars, and sold for $17
the picul (133⅓ lb. English)," so that in the short voyage from
China to Japan and back the capital multiplied seventy times!

[4] A story is told of two Samurai meeting on a bridge which was too
narrow to allow of their passing each other. Neither being willing
to give way, they were about to settle the difficulty at the
point of the sword, when a peasant, strolling along the dry bed of
the stream, offered to extricate them without loss of dignity on
either side. Amused at his impertinence, and curious to see how
he would effect his purpose, they consented to humour him; and
when each, following his instructions, was seated in one of the
baskets at either end of the pole he was carrying, he swung it
round on to the opposite shoulder, asked pardon, bowed, and went
on his way, leaving them each facing in the direction in which he
would proceed.

[5] Ieyasu says the Samurai are the masters of the four classes.
Agriculturists, artisans, and merchants may not behave in a rude
manner towards Samurai. The term for a rude man is, "other than
expected fellow"; and a Samurai is not to be interfered with in
cutting down a fellow who has behaved to him in a manner other
than is expected. The Samurai are grouped into direct retainers,
secondary retainers and nobles, and retainers of high and low
grade; but the same line of conduct is equally allowable to them
all towards an "other than expected fellow."

[6] "All my old friends have disappeared," writes Laurence Oliphant
on his return to Yedo as secretary of Legation. "One who was an
especial favourite of mine when I was here last, ripped himself
up a short time ago; and two of the other commissioners are
disgraced, and it is supposed have followed his example. This was
all on account of their friendship for foreigners. Every one, down
to the lowest interpreter, who has had anything to do with the
introduction of foreigners, has disappeared or been disgraced."

[7] This man, Murioka by name, became afterwards well known to
foreigners, and was always ready to talk freely about the whole
transaction. When asked why he struck at a lady he would reply,
"How should I know, never having seen a foreign woman, least of
all on horseback?"

[8] It was a common thing for a Daimio to rid himself of the irksome
obligations of his position by abdicating in favour of his son.
On better acquaintance Shimadso Saburo proved a most genial old
gentleman. Three years later he entertained Sir Harry and Lady
Parkes at his capital most hospitably.

[9] Count Inouyé, the foremost statesman of the new Japan, is said
to have confessed that he set fire to the British Legation with
his own hand with the express object of embarrassing the Tycoon's
Government.

[10] The following souvenir of Count Mutsu, Foreign Minister of
Japan, who died in 1897, told by Mr J. F. Lowder and quoted in
'Things Japanese' by Mr Basil Hall Chamberlain, affords a graphic
illustration of this point. "In the very early Sixties, when
he was in his nineteenth or twentieth year, he was in Nagasaki
desirous of acquiring a knowledge of English. A lady of my
acquaintance taking an interest in him used to devote an hour or
two every morning to teaching him to read and write, but it was
not long before he came to me despairing of his slow progress, and
asking whether I could not give him a berth on board ship where
nothing but English was spoken. Believing him to be physically too
weak to stand such an ordeal, I endeavoured to dissuade him, but
without success; and so with some misgivings I shipped him as a
cabin-boy, which was the only position I could obtain for him, on
board a small British schooner that used in those days to voyage
between Nagasaki and Shanghai. How long he remained on board I
cannot say, but my recollection is that it was a very considerable
time."

[11] The foreign trade of Japan now (1900) approximates 40 millions
sterling, exports and imports being very nearly balanced.