JAPAN. 



615 



obedience to the laws of the sovereign. They abstain 

 from animal food, and are reluctant to shed blood, or 

 even to touch a dead body. Their churches contain no 

 visible idols, nor any representation of the Supreme 

 Being, but sometimes a small image is kept in a box, 

 to represent some interior divinity to whom the temple 

 i* consecrated. In the centre of the temple is frequent- 

 ly placed a large mirror, made of well polished cast 

 metal, which is designed to remind the worshippers, 

 that in like manner as their personal blemishes are 

 therein displayed, so are their secret evil thoughts ex- 

 posed to the all-searching eyes of the immortal gods. 

 The worshipper* approach these temples with great de- 

 votion of manner, and with the most scrupulous atten- 

 tion to cleanliness of person and apparel. Advancing 

 reverently to the mirror, they bow themselves to the 

 ground, prefer their prayers, present their offerings, 

 and then repair to their amusement*. The Kubo pro- 

 fassjs himself to belong to this sect, and is bound to 

 make a visit annually in person, or by an ambassador, 

 to one of their temples, to perform his devotion, and 

 present gift*. 



Budsdo's doctrine wa* brought originally from the 

 coast of Malabar, and i* considered the same with that 

 of Budha in llindoctan. Pasting from China into Ja- 

 pan, it became blended with that of Sinto, and gave 

 birth to a monstrous mixture of superstitions. Its pe- 

 culiar tenets are, that the souls of men and of beasts 

 are equally immortal, and that the souls of the wicked 

 are condemned to undergo punishment and purifica- 

 tion, by passing after death into the bodies of the lower 

 r^~* There are many other sect*, very opposite in 

 their tenet* and observances ; but they are said to live 

 together in great harmony, or rather to chare in all 

 their mutual superstition*. The Dairi, or ecclesiasti- 

 cal soverereign, seem* to be the general head of all 

 those different sect*, and appoint* the principal priests 

 throughout the country. Every sect has it* respective 

 church, and peculiar idol*, which are commonly re- 

 markable for their uncouth and hideous form. Thun- 

 oerg mention* one colo*al wooden image, which mea- 

 sures ten yards across the shoulders, and afford* room 

 for six men to (it upon its wrist. The inferior divini- 

 ties are innumerable, a* almost every trade has its tu- 

 telar god ; and in one temple not let* than 33,333 are 

 said to be ranged around the supreme deity. The temples 

 are commonly built in the suburbs of the .town, on the 

 most elevated and suitable spots, to which are frequent- 

 ly attached beautiful avenue* of cypress Owes, with 

 hsnrlsoms gate*. The idols are usually exhibited upon 

 an altar surrounded with flowers, incense, and other 

 decorations. They are filled with the lower or secular 

 priests, who attend to keep them clean, to light the 

 lamp* and fires, to present the flowers and incense, and 

 to admit worshipper* at all time* of the day. 

 stranger* are allowed to enter, and sometime* to lodge 

 in the temples. To some of the more noted churches 

 it i* common to perfutin pilgrimages, especially to the 

 temple of Tsie, the most ancient in the empire, and al- 

 most completely decayed with age, notwithstanding 

 the utmost care to preserve its ruin*. Its sole orna- 

 ment* are a mirror, denoting that nothing can be hid 

 from the supreme being, and slips of white paper hung 

 round the walls, to signify that nothing but what is 

 pure should approach his presence. To this place the 

 emperor must send an srnhsssafVir on the first day of 

 very month, and every individual must make a visit, 

 at least once in the course of his life. Such a pilgri- 

 beaides it* general merit, i* rewarded with an 



indulgence, or remission of sins for a whole year. Jajian. 

 There are also in Japan orders of monks or nuns ; one V -y-^*' 

 of which consists of blind persons, a kind of beggars Religion, 

 dispersed over the empire, and another called monks nd modes 

 of the mountain, are a species of fortune tellers and ot worslli P- 

 quack- doctors, who are bound to live on roots and 

 herbs, to practise constant ablutions, and to traverse de- 

 serts and mountains once in the year. There are like- 

 wise several philosophical sects in the country who dis- 

 claim all external worship ; one of the most celebrated 

 of which adopts the tenets of the Chinese Confucius, 

 ami resembles in its general principles the ancient 

 school of Epicurus. Its followers acknowledge a kind 

 of aiiitna imtndi, but limit the existence of man to tilt- 

 present life ; and inculcate the general practice of vir- 

 tue, but allow and even applaud the commission of 

 uicide. Almost immediately after the discovery of Ja- 

 pan by the Portuguese, the Christian religion was in- 

 troduced into the country by the Jesuit missionaries in 

 the year 1549 ; and made such rapid progress that se- 

 veral princes of the empire were soon ranked among 

 its converts, and about the year 1582, a public embas- 

 sy was sent from the Japanese court with letters and 

 valuable presents to the Roman pontiff. But the Por- 

 tuguese who had settled in great numbers in Japan, in- 

 toxicated by the extent of their commerce, and the 

 snocsn of their religion, became so obnoxious to the 

 natives by their avaricious and domineering conduct, 

 that the representations of the heathen priests became 

 at length sufficiently powerful to procure a prohibition 

 from the emperor against the new religion, which 

 threatened to overturn all the ancient institutions of the 

 country. A violent persecution was commenced against 

 tin- Christians, of whom 20,000 are said to have been 

 put to death in the year 1590. Still did the number 

 of proselyte* continue to increase, and in ]."><) 1 and 

 twelve thousand were converted and baptized. 

 One of the emperors, named Kubo Fide Jori, with his 

 whole court and army, embraced the Christian name ; 

 and hail the Portuguese settlers in the country acted 

 with ordinary prudence and gentleness, their cause 

 must have triumphed ; but the insolence of some of 

 their prelates to some prince of the blood, became so 

 insupportable, that a new persecution arose in the year 

 1 596, which was carried on without intermission for 

 the space of 4O years, and ended in the year 1638 with 

 the total extermination of the Christians, and the banish- 

 ment of the Portuguese from the country. The Ja- 

 panese government, considering the unwarrantable 

 conduct of these settlers to be inseparable from their 

 principles a* Christians, have persevered in the enforce- 

 ment of the most efficacious measures to prevent their 

 re-introduction into the country ; and in order to de- 

 tect any concealed adherent of these proscribed senti- 

 menU, all persons are required to prove their freedom 

 from *uch heresy, by publicly trampling, at the festi- 

 val of the new year, upon the images of the Catholic 

 saints. 



The form of government at present in Japan is pure Fo ^ 

 despotism, to the exclusion of pontifical interference in govern- 

 the executive part. But as the Dairis, or spiritual mo- mcnt. 

 narchs, reigned through a long period of hereditary 

 succession, we can only account for the ascendancy of 

 the secular princes, by supposing that the former, re- 

 signing themselves to the more congenial and plea- 

 sing cares of religion, held the rein* of government 

 with a feeble hand. This change was effected not 

 without bloodshed and commotion. The veneration 

 with which the Dairi are still regarded resembles the 



