THE JAPANESE. 
127 
being passed together with oil, is bent in such a manner that the 
point is brought to the crown of the head ; in which situation it is 
fixed by passing the same thread round it once. Women, except such 
as are separated from their husbands, shave no part of their heads. 
The head is never covered with hat or bonnet, in winter or in sum- 
mer, except w'hen they are on a journey, and then they use a coni- 
cal hat made of a sort of grass, and fixed with a riband. Some 
travelling women have a bonnet, like a shaving bason inverted, on the 
head, made of cloth interwoven with gold. On other occasions their 
naked heads are preserved both from rain and the sun by umbrellas. 
Travellers have a sort of riding-coat made of thick paper oiled ; they 
are worn by the upper servants of princes, and the suite of other 
travellers. Dr. Thunberg and his fellow-travellers, during their 
journey to court, were obliged to provide such for their attendants, 
when they passed through the place where they are made. A Japa- 
nese always has his arms painted on one or more of his garments, 
especially on the long and short gowns, on the sleeves, or between the 
shoulders ; so that nobody can steal them, which otherwise might 
easily happen in a country where the clothes are so much alike in 
stuff, shape, and size. 
The family names of the Japanese are never changed, yet they seldom 
use them, except when they sign some writing ; to which they also 
for the most part affix their seals. There is also this peculiarity, 
that the surname is always placed first. The prenornen is always 
used in addressing a person ; and it is changed several times in the 
course of a life. A child receives at birth from its parents a name, 
which is retained until it has itself a son arrived at maturity. A per- 
son again changes his name when he is invested with any office, and 
when advanced to a higher trust ; emperors and princes acquire a 
new name after death. The names of w'omen are less variable ; they 
are in general borrowed from the most beautiful flowers. 
The wife, after marriage, is confined to her own apartment, from 
whence she hardly ever stirs, except to the funeral rites of her family ; 
not is she permitted to see any man, except some very near relation, 
and that as seldom as can be. The wives bring no portions, but are 
rather bought by the husbands, of their parents and relations. The 
bridegroom most commonly first sees his bride upon her being 
brought to his house from the place of Ihe nuptial ceremony, for in 
the temple, where it is performed, she is covered over with a veil 
which reaches from the head to the feet. A husband can put his 
wives to a more or less severe death, if they give him the least cause 
of jealousy, by being seen barely to converse with another man, or 
suffering one to come into their apartment. 
When a prince or great man dies, there are commonly about ten, 
twenty, or more youths of his household, and such as were his 
greatest favourites, who put themselves to a voluntary death, at the 
place where the body is buried or burned. As soon as the pile, con- 
sisting of odoriferous woods, gums, spices, oils, and other ingre- 
dients, is set on fire, the relations and friends of the deceased throw 
their presents into it, such as clothes, arms, victuals, money, sweet 
herbs, flowers, and other things, which they imagine will be of use 
