THE ETHICS OF JAPAN. 299 



ruler from the very nature of its cult, and a magnificent ideal of a 

 subject and a citizen is developed from these simple notions. 



Such are, then, the three great sources of Japanese ethics. It is 

 like the foam produced by currents of water. The water is the source, 

 but Avhen foam is produced it differs from actual water. So Japanese 

 ethics are produced by the intermingled notions of these agencies, but 

 they are no longer of the same substance as their source. I mean to 

 say that our ethics have formed their shape quite independently of 

 the orthodox or dogmatic parts of any religion, and people regard 

 them as such in the same way as one would ordinarily regard foam 

 as differing from water. I will now explain how this has been 

 brought about. From about the sixth century of the Christian era 

 Chinese study was introduced into Japan, and almost simultaneously 

 Buddhism was also introduced to our country. The study of Chinese, 

 as I said before, means the study of Chinese ethics, and 1 may say 

 that Chinese has become almost like our own literature, though we 

 had our vernacular literature coexisting. The study of Chinese, 

 therefore, meant the introduction of Chinese ethical notions, in the 

 same way as the study of Greek or Latin introduced Greek or Roman 

 notions into European countries. This, however, did not mean that 

 it supplanted our own ideas of morality, but it rather supplemented 

 and augmented our notions in so far as it concerned the nomenclature 

 and classification of different ethical virtues. We did not mean to 

 make ourselves slaves to Chinese notions, we rather utilized Confu- 

 cianism ; and therefore Confucianism, as interpreted in Japan, is not 

 the same as Confucianism in China. There is a story told of a Jap- 

 anese professor, who was a deeply read Chinese scholar, and his pu- 

 l^ils. The master once asked his pupils : " Suppose China invaded 

 Japan with an arm}^ led b}^ Confucius himself as the generalissimo, 

 and assisted by Mencius as his lieutenant; what would you do? " 

 The pupils replied: " It would be our bounden duty to take up arms 

 unhesitatingh' for our country and beat and crush them to pieces." 

 Thereupon the master smiled and expressed his glad assent. This 

 will show how we interpret Chinese teaching. 



Then also Buddhism, poor as it is in ethics, has contributed some- 

 thing toward forming our national character, in that it has indi- 

 rectly assisted in inculcating gentleness and also kindliness to living 

 beings. I may go a step further. Buddhism itself, as interpreted 

 in Japan, is not the same Buddhism as it Avas originally. It had to 

 accommodate itself to the requirements of the country. Then, also. 

 Buddhism in China and Japan is studiec\ in books which are trans- 

 lated into Chinese, and therefore the priests who study their own 

 religion have also to study Chinese, which, I repeat, involves the 

 stud}^ of Confucianism, and therefore they are familiar with that 

 teaching. The Japanese priests, therefore, made use of Shintoism 



