332 First Russian Emlassy to Japan, 



the instruments and utensils which the Russians showed 

 them, but made a great many models, in the construction 

 of which they displayed much ingenuity : the objects, 

 however, for which they seemed to have the greatest fond- 

 ness were charts and plans. 



The Japanese divide their common year into twelve, and 

 every leap year into thirteen months*; the first and fif- 

 teenth days of each month are for the most part holidays f. 

 On the evening before new-year's day they perform a great 

 many ceremonies, and decorate their idols and houses 

 with ribbons, lights, &c. The compliments of the new 

 year are punctually observed, and in general the first month 

 of every year is spent in idleness and salutations]:. The 

 age of a child is not reckoned from the day on which it 

 comes into the world, but from the first day of the year in 

 which it is born. To point out the lapse of time, they use, 

 instead of clocks, matches made of twisted rope-yarn, di- 

 vided by means of knots into a certain number Of intervals 

 accurately measured. These matches are kindled, and as 

 the divisions burn they indicate the hours. In all the 

 towns there are watchmen who announce the hours pointed 

 out in this manner, by striking upon bells. They admit 

 twelve celestial signs as we do ; and these, as well as the 

 whole of their kalcndar, are as old as Nin-Oo, one of their 

 first rulers, who lived about 660 years before the birth of 

 Christ §: the same prince laid the foundation of the pre- 

 sent political constitution of the country, and established 

 the greater part of the laws by which it is governed. 



The Japanese ships are ill calculated for enduring storms 

 at sea, because the stern is entirely open, and for this reason 

 they always keep close in with the shore ; the under-part 

 of the keel, the joinings, and all the seams of one of these 

 ships which lay at Nimuro, along with the Russian vessel, 

 were sheathed with copper, ft had only one mast, and a 

 very large sail of double cotton cloth; the breadths of 

 which, instead of being sewed., were lashed together with 

 a piece of twine. The advantage of this method of uniting 

 the pieces is, that when storms take place, and the sail can- 

 not be soon enough furled, the wind tears asunder the la- 

 cing, and, passing through the seams, does not exercise so 

 much forc«t on the sail. 



When a Japanese of distinction dies at a distance from 



* See the German edition of Kempfer, vol. i. p. 183. 



+ Kempfer, vo!. i. p. 267. J Kempfer, vol. i, p. 269. 



§ Kempfer, vol. i. p. 1S0. . . 



his 



