96 BOTANICON SsINICUM. 
5. History or Marerra MEDICA AND Botany 
IN JAPAN. 
The greater part of the information contained in this record 
hhas been derived from a very able unpublished paper, drawn up 
at my request from reliable native sources by Dr. Geerts, a well- 
nown scholar residing in that country, who with rare liberality 
has placed at my disposal the results of his researches into the 
history of Medicine and Botany in Japan, 
The early civilisation of Japan, as well as that of Corea and 
Annam, was based almost entirely upon Chinese principles of 
culture, freely adopted by the barbarian neighbours of the mighty 
‘Chinese Empire. Annamese speech is obviously only a dialect of 
‘Chinese. It is known that the Japanese have two modes of 
writing, the alphabet of 48 characters, iroha, used in the simple 
style of writing, and the ideographical Chinese characters em- 
ployed in public documents and scientific writings. The iroha, 
" Now considered to be the modification of certain familiar Chinese 
characters, is said to have been introduced into Japan from Corea 
in the second and first centuries B. C. Previous to that time the 
Japanese possessed no written language of their own. 
The introduction of the Chinese written language into Japan 
is recorded in Japanese annals to have taken place in the 38rd 
century of our era. During the reign of the Japanese Empress 
Jingo tenno, who invaded Corea at the end of the 2nd century, 
Chinese books were first brought thence to J apan. About A. D. 
285 Atogi (Pil FE ik), a son of the King of Corea, came on an 
embassy to the court of Japan, where he remained one year. He 
brought also some Chinese books, and at his instigation Want 
( £), 2 distinguished Chinese scholar, was invited from Corea 
to Japan to teach Chinese. He arrived in 286 and was appointed 
Instructor of the Imperial Princes. To him the introduction of 
Chinese characters into Japan is attributed. He is said to have 4 
been a native of the Chinese Kingdom of Go ($2 Wu), the Eastern ~ 
of the three states into which China was divided after the Han 
dynasty, and a descendant of the Emperors of that house. He 
lived in Fakusai (Bi #§ Po tsi), in South-eastern Corea.—From 
this time the Chinese Classics and Literature of all branches — 
