Japan Part 24

141 Hildreth's _j.a.pan_, etc., 1855, p. 27, note.

_ 142 Adventures of Mendez Pinto_, p. 281.

143 This is the name by which Pinto calls this city (see _Adventures of Mendez Pinto_, London, 1891, p. 265); the real name, however, at this time was Fumai, and is now Oita.

144 The author himself saw in j.a.pan in 1874 the native hunters using an old-fashioned matchlock, in which the powder was fired by a slow burning match, which was brought down to the powder by a trigger.

This kind of firearm, which was in use in Europe in the fifteenth century, was taken to j.a.pan by the Portuguese, and continued to be used there until the re-organization of the army introduced the modern form of gun.

145 In the accounts given by the biographers of Xavier, it is said that there were two companions of Anjiro who in the subsequent baptism received the names of John and Anthony.

146 This was the name of the seminary in Goa where Anjiro had been educated.

147 See Coleridge's _Life and Letters of St. Francis Xavier_, London, 1872, p. 237.

148 Bouhour's _Life of Xavier_, p. 274.

149 In the _Life of St. Francis Xavier_ by Bartholi and Maffei the following circ.u.mstance is given: "It seems that a rat had invaded the sanctuary and gnawed the ornaments of the altar. The sacristan appealed to the saint thus: 'Father Francis! people say that you pa.s.sed from this life in the vicinity of China; that you were a saint, that your body still remains entire and incorrupt at Goa. Now here am I your sacristan; and I ask is it consistent with your honor that a rat should have the audacity to gnaw the ornaments of your altar? I demand his death at your hand.' On opening the door of the sanctuary the next morning the sacristan found the culprit quite dead."

150 See Woolley, "Historical Notes on Nagasaki", _Asiatic Society Transactions_, vol. ix., p. 129.

151 For these facts concerning n.o.bunaga and Hideyoshi, and the condition of the country during their times, the author is largely indebted to the _Life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi_, by Walter Dening, Tokio, 1890.

152 The word _daimyo_ means _great name_, and was used in reference to the ownership of land; _shomyo_ means _small name_, and was at first employed to indicate the small land-owner. But the word never obtained currency, the small land-owner always preferring to call himself a daimyo. See Chamberlain's _Things j.a.panese_, p. 84.

153 The element of comedy shows itself from the beginning in Hideyoshi's character when he adopted the calabash, in which he had carried water, as his symbol of victory. He added a new one for each victory, and at last adopted a bunch of calabashes for his coat-of-arms. Afterwards he had this constructed of gold, which was carried as the emblem of his triumphant career.

154 See Dening's _Life of Hideyoshi_, p. 207.

155 In Chamberlain's _Things j.a.panese_ the estimate is given that at this most prosperous time the number of j.a.panese professing Christianity was not less than six hundred thousand, p. 297.

156 See the letter which the amba.s.sador from the Prince of Bungo presented on this occasion. Hildredth's _j.a.pan_, etc., p. 89.

157 In the First Part (1873) of _Mittheilungen der Deutschen Gesellschaft fur Natur und Volkerkunde Ostasiens_, p. 15, the times of n.o.bunaga, Hideyoshi, etc., are termed "die zeit der usurpatoren,"

the time of the usurpers. But n.o.bunaga and Hideyoshi were no more usurpers than the Tokugawas, who succeeded them by force of arms.

158 Mr. Satow with rare literary insight has identified this Kuroda with the Condera Combiendono of the Jesuit fathers. _Asiatic Society Transactions_, vol. vii., p. 151.

159 See Shiga's _History of Nations_, Tokyo, 1888, p. 128.

160 Dening's _Life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi_, p. 274.

161 See Dening's _Life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi_, p. 278.

162 See p. 189.

163 His original name was Nakamura Hyoshi, the family taking its name from the village where he was born. Then at his induction to manhood A.D. 1553 his name was changed to Tokichi Takayoshi. At another turn in his career he became Kinos.h.i.ta Tokichi Takayoshi. In the year A.D. 1562 he received permission to use the name Hideyoshi instead of Tokichi, and A.D. 1575 his name was again changed to Hashiba, which the Jesuit fathers wrote Faxiba.

164 See Satow and Hawes' _Handbook_, p. 341.

165 The facts here related concerning this most interesting episode in the life of Hideyoshi are chiefly taken from a paper furnished by Mr. J. H. Gubbins to the _Asiatic Society Transactions_, vol. viii., p. 92.

166 The Emperor Ogimachi retired from the throne A.D. 1586, and was succeeded by Go-Yojo, then sixteen years old. It shows of how small account the emperors had become, that this change in the head of the nation is scarcely mentioned in the histories of the time.

167 The spies and guides employed by Hideyoshi were priests of the Shin sect of Buddhists, who after the fall of Kagoshima were discovered and crucified. A decree was also issued that every inhabitant of Satsuma who was connected with this sect must renounce his creed. To this day there exists among the people of Satsuma a general hostility to the Buddhists which can be traced to this trying episode. See _Asiatic Society Transactions_, vol. viii., p. 143.

168 See p. 178.

169 See p. 186.

170 See Dening's _Life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi_, pp. 148, 344.

171 When Father Valignani came to j.a.pan in A.D. 1577 it is said that he brought as one of his presents a beautiful Arabian horse. It is not improbable that some of the improved breeds, now seen in the southern provinces, owe their origin to these valuable horses sent over as presents.

172 See Chamberlain's _Things j.a.panese_, 1892, p. 298, note. According to Charlevoix this indiscreet speech was made by a Spanish captain.

See Gubbin's paper, _Asiatic Society Transactions_, vol. vi., part ii., p. 16.

173 For the text of this edict see d.i.c.kson's _j.a.pan_, p. 172.

174 See Satow and Hawes' _Handbook_, 2d ed., p. 72.

175 See Dening's _Life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi_, p. 405.

176 See Adams' _History of j.a.pan_, vol. i., p. 66.

177 See Dening's _Life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi_, p. 263.

178 We are indebted to Mr. W. G. Aston for a full and clear account of Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea, which he had derived not only from j.a.panese books and doc.u.ments, but from Korean sources which, until his researches, were inaccessible. See _Asiatic Society Transactions_, vol. vi., p. 227; ix., pp. 87, 213.

179 The peculiarly Eastern form of expression is noticeable in announcing these presents: "You will find enclosed a list of some of the poor productions of our country, which we beg you will refrain from laughing at immoderately."

180 He became one of the most famous heroes of j.a.pan, and is worshipped under the name of Seishoko, at a shrine connected with the temple of Hommonji at Ikegami. Satow and Hawes' _Handbook_, p. 30.

181 See Mr. Satow's identification of this name. _Asiatic Society Transactions_, vol. vii., p. 151.

182 See Mr. Aston's paper, _Asiatic Society Transactions_, vol. ix., p.

90.

183 A j.a.panese scholar could read such a doc.u.ment in the ideographic Chinese characters without translation; but Taiko Sama was not a scholar and therefore was not aware of the purport of the doc.u.ment until it was translated to him.

184 See Mr. Aston's description of this humiliating scene as given in _Asiatic Society Transactions_, vol. ix., p. 217; also Dening's _Life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi_, p. 360.

185 See Satow and Hawes' _Handbook_, p. 369.

186 See Dening's _Life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi_, p. 380.

187 See Mr. Satow's paper ent.i.tled "The Korean Potters in Satsuma,"

_Asiatic Society Transactions_, vol. vi., p. 193; also as referred to in Mr. Satow's paper, Mr. Ninagawa's _Notice Historique et Descriptive sur les Arts et Industries j.a.ponais_, part v., Tokyo, 1877.