Directory_and_Chronicle_1841 — Page 330

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Notices of Japan, No. X.

HISTORY OF Japan.

JUNE,

Of the history of Japan, it is needless to trouble the reader with more than the few and far distant events out of which has grown, and upon which is based, the present condition of that empire of 3,850 islands, including uninhabitable rocks.

This may, however, be not inappositely introduced by a few words touching the name, which in Japancse is Dai Nippon, or 'Great Nippon'—a name of great dignity, and referring probably to the patronage, if not the birth, of the sun-god. dess; the word nitsu signifying 'the sun,' and pon, or fon, 'origin;' and these, when compounded according to the Japanese rule, become Nippon, or Nifon. The largest island, upon which stands the Isye temple, be it remembered, bears the simple name of Nippon, without the dai, or 'great;' and hence it might be inferred that Nippon was the island originally fished up by Iza-na-gi-mikoto, rather than the smaller and less holy Kiusiu. The name Japan is derived from the Chinese Jih-pun, 'origin of the sun. Marco Polo calls the country Zipangu (not Zipangri, as most editions of his work have it), which is the Chinese Jih. pun kwō, or 'kingdom of the origin of the sun.'

*

The mythological or legendary portion of Japanese history has been suffi. ciently explained in the preceding portion of this paper-though it may be added, that the whole nation claims a descent from the kami-and what is deemed authentic history need only be adverted to here.

The authentic history of Japan began with the first mortal ruler, Zin-mo-ten- woo, whose name imports the Divine Conqueror. Accordingly, Zin-mo-ten-woo did, it is said, conquer Nippon; and having done so, he there built him a datri, or temple-palace, dedicated to the sun-goddess, and founded the sovereignty of the mikado. Whatever were his new origin-whether he was a son of the last terrestrial god, or, as Klaproth thinks, a Chinese warrior and invader-from him the mikado, even to this day, descend. His establishment in the absolute sove. reignty of Dai Nippon is generally placed in the year 660 в. c.

For some centuries, the mikado, claiming to rule by divine right and inheri tance, were indeed despotic sovereigns; and even after they had ceased to head their own armies, and intrusted the dangerous military command to sons and kinsmen, their power long remained undisputed and uncontroled. It was, per. haps, first and gradually weakened by a habit into which the mikado fell, of ab. dicating at so early an age, that they transferred the sovereignty to their sons while yet children; an evil the retired sovereign frequently strove to remedy, by governing for his young successor. At length, a mikado, who had married the daughter of a powerful prince, abdicated in favor of his three-year old son; and the ambitious grandfather of the infant mikado assumed the regency, placing the abdicated sovereign in confinement. A civil war ensued; during which, Yoritomo, one of the most celebrated and most important persons in Japanese history-who has been already incidentally mentioned, and was, seemingly, a distant scion of the mikado stock-first appeared upon the stage. He came forward as the cham- mode of finding stolen things, and other such like sciences." The yama-busi wear a sword, and have a peculiar cap and neck strap to distinguish them. The ex- planation of the name yama-busi, given by Dr. Burger (vol. II., page 324) may also be correct, as t, which means a soldier, is also called busi.]

* Klaproth.

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