THE " JAPANESE " DOGS 



honour with the Daimio of Hirado. Captain Saris visited the 

 court of the Daimio of Hirado in 1614. He does not remark 

 upon the existence of a race of small dogs, though he does 

 recommend the sending of " a mastife, a watter spaniell, and 

 a fine grayhound " to the son of the Daimio. In the court 

 minutes of the Company for 1615 there occurs a passage : 

 " Cloths to be provided for Surat, Persia, and Japan ; also 

 sword-blades, knives, and fowling-pieces. Things considered 

 fit to be sent as presents ; two mastiffs, little ' Island doggs,' 

 greyhounds, etc." 



Richard Cocks, chief factor for Japan of the East India 

 Company, kept a careful diary of events in the English 

 factory at Firando from 1615 down to the time of the ex- 

 pulsion of the British in 1623. Some of his letters to his 

 patron, dealing with the wonders of Japan, were submitted 

 to King James I (1603-1625), who, incredulous of these 

 marvels, declared the letters to contain " the loudest lies that 

 he had ever heard." He gives detailed lists of the presents 

 exchanged on many occasions between the Company and the 

 Japanese rulers, as well as between the traders of the two 

 nations. He complains of the enormous number of presents 

 required to smooth the path of commerce. " I know not 

 what else to write, but that my greatest sorrow is I live in a 

 place which hitherto hath byn chargeable and not beneficiall 

 to your worships, by reasons of the precentes contynewally 

 given, it being the fation of the contrey, or else there is no 

 staying for us yf we doe not as other strangers doe." He 

 makes no mention, however, of the inclusion in such presents 

 of any Japanese dogs except " a great black dogg " given him 

 in exchange for goldfish, which were as yet a rarity in Japan. 

 He does, however, mention, with evident apprehension, the 

 accidental death of a dog which appears to have been pre- 

 sented by the East India Company to Foyne Samme, late 



175 



