JAPAN. 
leaft 4444 years. They univerfally confift of night-gowns, 
made long and wide, of which feveral are worn at once 
by all ranks and all ages. The more diftinguifhed, and 
the rich, have them of the fined iilk.; the poorer fort of 
cotton. Thofe of the women reach down to the ground, 
and fometimes have a train; in the men, they reach down 
to the heels; travellers, l'oldiers, and labourers, either 
tuck them up, or wear them only down to the knees. 
The habit of the men is generally of one colour; the wo¬ 
men have theirs variegated, and frequently with flowers 
of gold interwoven. In fummer, they are either without 
lining, or have but a thin one ; in winter they are fluffed to 
a great thicknefs with cotton or filk. The men feldom wear 
a great number; but the women thirty, fifty, or more, all 
fo thin, that they fcarcely together amount to five pounds. 
The undermoft ferves for a (flirt, and is therefore either 
white or blue, and for the moll part thin and tranfparent. 
All thefe gowns are fattened remind the waift with a belt, 
which in the men are about a liand’s-breadth, in the wo¬ 
men about a'foot; of fuch a length that they go twice 
round the waift, and afterwards are tied in a knot with 
many ends and bows. The knot, particularly among the 
fair fex, is very confpicuous, and immediately informs the 
fpeflator whether ftie be married or not. The unmarried 
have it behind, on the back ; the manned before. In 
this belt the men fix their fabres, fans, pipe, tobacco, and 
medicine-boxes. In the neck the gowns are always cut 
round, without a collar; they therefore leave the neck 
bare; nor is it covered with cravat, cloth, or any thing 
elfe. The fleeves are always ill-made, and out of all pro¬ 
portion wide ; at the opening before, they are half l'ewed 
up, fo that they form a fack, in which the hands can be 
put in cold weather ; they alfo ferve for a pocket. Girls 
in particular have their fleeves fo long, that they reach down 
to the ground. Such is the fimplicity of their habit, that 
they are foon dreffed ; and, to undrefs, they need only 
open their girdle and draw in their arms. 
As the gowns, from their length, keep the thighs and 
legs warm, there is no occafion for (lockings ; nor do they 
ufe them in all the empire. Among poorer perfons on a 
journey, and among foldiers, who have not fuch long 
gowns, one fees bulkins of cotton. Shoes, or, more pro¬ 
perly (peaking, flippers, are, of all that is worn by the 
Japanefe, the funplelt, the meanett, and the mod miferable, 
though in general ufe among high and low, rich and poor. 
They are made of interwoven rice-ftraw; and fometimes, 
for perfons of dittinflion, of reeds lplit very thin. They 
confift only of a foie, without upper-leathers or quarters. 
Before, there paifes over, tranfverlely, a bow of linen of 
a finger’s-breadth; from the point of the (hoe to this bow 
goes a thin round band, which running within the great 
toe, ferves to keep the (hoe fixed to the foot. The (hoe, 
being without quarters, Aides, during walking, like a 
flipper. Travellers have three bands of twilled draw, by 
which they fatten the (hoe to the foot and leg, to prevent 
its falling off. The Japanefe never enter their houfes 
with flioes, but put them off in the entrance. This pre¬ 
caution is taken for the fake of their neat carpets. Dur¬ 
ing the time the Dutch refide in Japan, as they have 
fometimes occafion to pay the natives vilits in their houfes, 
and as they have their own apartment at the factory co¬ 
vered with the fame fort of carpets, they do not wear 
European (hoes, but have in their (lead red, green, or 
black, flippers, which can eaiily be put off at entering in. 
They however wear (lockings, with (hoes of cotton fat¬ 
tened by buckles. Thefe (hoes are made in japan, and 
may be waffled whenever they become dirty. 
The way of drefling the hair is not lefs peculiar to this 
people, nor lefs univerfally prevalent among them, than 
the ufe of their long gowns. The men (have the head 
from the forehead to the neck ; ar.d the hair remaining 
on the temples, and in the nape, is well befmeared with 
oil, turned upwards, and then tied with a white paper 
thread, which is wrapped round feveral times. The ends 
of the hair beyond the head are cut crofsways, about a 
691 
finger’s-length being left. This part, after being patted 
together with -oil, is bent in fuch a manner that the point 
is brought to the crown of the head ; in which tttuation 
it is fixed by patting the fame thread round it once. Wo¬ 
men, except fuch as happen to be feparated from their 
hufbands, (have no part of (heir head. 
The head is never covered with hat or bonnet in win¬ 
ter or in fummer, except when they are on a journey ; 
and then they ufe a conical hat, made of a fort of grafs, 
and fixed with a riband. Some travelling women, who 
are met with on the roads, have a bonnet like a (having- 
bafon inverted on the head, which is made of cloth, in 
which gold is interwoven. On other occafions, their na¬ 
ked heads are preferred both from rain and the fun by 
umbrellas. Travellers, moreover, have a fort of riding- 
coat made of thick paper oiled. They are worn by the 
upper fervants of princes, and the fuite of other travel¬ 
lers. Dr. Thunberg, and his fellow-travellers, during their 
journey to court, were obliged to provide fuch for their 
attendants when they patted through the place where they 
are made. 
The roads of the country are faid to be broad, kept in 
good condition, and even occafionally fwept and watered. 
They are furnilhed with mile-ltones, all meafured from one 
point in the capital, and with direflion-polls. The mode 
o( travelling is thus deferibed by ThunbergNo wheel- 
carriages are to be found in this country for the fervice 
of travellers; therefore, all thofe that are poor travel on 
foot, and fuch as are able to pay either ride on horfeback 
or are carried in kangoes or norimons, liiftead of their 
long night-gowns, they often wear trowfers,. cr linen 
breeches, which reach down to the calves and travelling 
foldiers tie thefe half-way up their thighs. Such as ride 
make, for the mod part, a ftrange figure; as, frequently, 
feveral perfons are mounted on. one horfe, fometimes a 
whole family. In this cale, the man is feated on the (ad¬ 
dle, with his legs laid forward over the horfe’s neck ; the 
wife occupies a bafket made fall to one fide of the Caddie, 
and one or more children are placed in another ba(ket on 
the other fide : a perfon always walks before to lead the 
horfe by the bridle. People of property are carried in a 
kind of fedan chairs, that differ from each other in point 
of fize and ornament, according to the different rank of 
the owners, and, conlequently, in point of expence. The 
word fort are final!, infomuch that one is obliged to fit 
in them with one’s feet under the feat; they are open on 
all fides, covered with a fmall roof, and are carried by 
two men. The /tangoes, or kagocs, are covered in, and 
clofed on the (ides ; but they are almoft fquare, and far 
from being elegant. The larged and handfomeft are called 
norimons ; thefe are uied by perfons in the higher depart¬ 
ments of office, and are borne by feveral men. At the 
inns in every town and village, there is a number of men 
who offer their Cervices to the traveller. Thefe norimon 
and kango bearers can carry 'very heavy burthens to a 
great diflance, and not only travellers but goods, which 
they carry tied to each end of a pole or bamboo acrol’s 
their fhoulders ; they generally go a Japanefe mile (or 
league) in an hour, and from ten to twelve of thefe miles 
in a day. 
The weapons of the Japanefe confift of a bow and ar¬ 
row, fabre, halbert, and mufket. The bows are very large, . 
and the arrows long, as in China. When the'bows are 
to be bent and difeharged, the troop always refts on one 
knee, which hinders them making a fpeedy difeharge. 
In the fpring, the troops' affemble to pradlii'e (hooting at 
a mark. Mufkets are not general; Dr. Thunberg only 
faw them in the hands of perfons of dillin&ion, in a le- 
parate and elevated part of the audience-room. The bar¬ 
rel is of "the common length; but the (lock is very (hort, 
and there is a match in the lock. The fibre is, their 
principal and bell weapon, which is univerfally worn, ex¬ 
cept by the peafants. They are commonly a yard Jong, 
a little crooked, and thick in the back. The blades are 
of an incomparable goodnefs, far fuperior to the Spanifh 
3 blades 
