Directory_and_Chronicle_1841 — Page 232

218

Notices of Japan, No. VIII.

APRIL,

1. Ki no ye [represented by the Chinese character is wood in its natural state, as tree; this is the first element, and becomes,

2. Ki no to [represented by ] when cut down and converted into timber. 3. Fi no ye [by, is the clement of fire in its original state, as appearing in the sun's heat, lightning, volcanic eruptions, &c.

4. Fi no to [by] is fire kindled by man, with wood, oil, incense, &c. 5. Touchi no ye [by is earth in its uncultivated state, on mountain-tops,

at the bottom of the sea, &c.

6. Tsuchi no to [by Z is earth as wrought by the hand of man into por

celain, earthenware, and the like. Tilled ground appertains to this element, and it is sometimes represented by a rice-field.

7. Ka no ye [by] is the metallic element in its native state of mineral ore ; sometimes also symbolized by manufactured metal, as a sabre or a bell.

8. Ka no to [by] is the metallic element smelted, worked into hammers, nails, shears, &c.

9. Midzu no ye [by] is water as it flows from springs and in rivers; and 10. Midzu no to [by the character is the other watery element, as stag. nant in pools and morasses: a curious deviation from the principle laid down, that adaptation to human use constitutes every second element. [It is, however, sometimes represented by water issuing from a pipe or reservoir.]

Now, these ten elements being five times combined with the twelve signs of the Zodiac, in some way more complicated than intelligible, sixty compound figures are said to be obtained, each of which stands for a year in this most scien tific cycle.*

The year is divided into twelve lunar months, but contains more than 336 days, because the mikado and his astronomers add a couple of days to several of the months, announcing always in the almanac of the year how many and which of the months they have thus increased. The difference between the lunar year, even thus lengthened, and the sidereal year, is corrected by inserting every third year an intercalary month of varying length, according to the number of days the mikado has been pleased to make requisite.t

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[The mode of combining the ziyuni no shi, or twelve branches, with the five doubled elements, or rather with the ten characters which stand for them, collectively called shikkan, or the ten stems,' is the same in China as in Japan, and was no doubt adopted from the former by the latter. The subsequent adaption of the 'ten stems' to the five elements belongs to the Japanese, and has no con. nection with the original formation of the cycle; nor do the latter in numbering the years by it do more than express the Chinese characters which stand for any given year. The apparently complicated nature of the arrangement is chargeable more to its Dutch commentators than to the system itself. The mode of combin- ing the two is explained on page 122 of this volume.]

[The division of the year into months is the same in Japan as in China, and we rather suspect that the mikado, or his officer the Reki Hakase, who superintends the preparation of the almanac at Miyako, does no more han publish the already settled arrangement of the various lunar and solar periods of the year. The year is luni-solar, and consists of twelve months, except when by this mode of reckon. ing, the lunar time falls behind the solar time one whole revolution of the moon; then an intercalary month is added by the following rule: if during any laner month the sun does not enter any sign of the zodiac, (that is, if there are two full