Chapter 60

Japan and Its People; II

The Wonderful Islanders

IT is in presence of great calamities that the best qualities of the Japanese masses shine brilliantly. Their resignation, their patient endurance, the altruism that prompts them to mutual help and to countless acts of kindness; their self-sacrificing bravery in the work of rescue, the proud honesty with which they will content themselves with the barest pittance, when relief is distributed, so that enough may be left for others in greater need—these are only some of the fine characteristics of the wonderful islanders whose achievements in recent times have earned the respectful admiration of the world, even of their late foes. There is, of course, another aspect of their character; they are not without some of the vices and failings human nature is heir to. An attempt is made, later in these pages, to describe their moral and mental characteristics, and in so doing to hold the scales impartially.

Underwood & UnderwoodTHE RISING GENERATION IN JAPAN

Underwood & Underwood

THE RISING GENERATION IN JAPAN

According to the census of 1913 there were 52,985,423 subjects of the Emperor of Japan (excluding Korea), and their number is increasing steadily and rapidly. The number of males exceeds that of females by well-nigh a million. The population is very dense in the fertile regions, and increases so rapidly that emigration is absolutely necessary. The masses are healthy and strong, capable of great endurance—a fact brought into striking prominence by the achievements of the Japanese forces in the Arctic winter of Manchuria, and in its torrid summer. The Japanese can, as a rule, bear cold much better than heat. Living thinly clad in unwarmed houses that offer but little protection and are by day draughty as bird-cages, they early become inured to cold. The average physique of the upper classes is by no means so good as that of the manual workers, and is considerably below the Occidental standards.

A Race of Little People

The Japanese are a black-haired race, with smooth skins, varying in colour through various yellowish shades, from a hue of brown, in the case of those working in the sun, to a light tint no darker than that of the Southern European, with comparatively large skulls, prominent cheek-bones, and a tendency to projecting jaws. They are of small stature, the average height of the male being only slightly over five feet (5·02 ft.), that of the female slightly over four feet six inches (4·66 ft.). In other words, the men are of about the same average stature as European females, the women proportionately shorter.

The Two Types of Japanese

There are, of course, exceptions, some Japanese being of a height that would cause them to be considered tall amongst Occidentals; but they appear as giants amongst their diminutive compatriots. Both men and women have small hands and feet, those of the upper classes being beautifully shaped. Even amongst manual workers it is not rare to find, especially amongst females, hands of an aristocratic type. The shapely appearance of the feet is often spoiled by thick ankles, probablythe result of wearing sandals. The black hair is abundant on the head, straight and coarse; there is hardly any on the arms, legs and chest. The eyelashes are scanty, and grow immediately out of the eyelids, without the “hem” that borders the eyelids of Occidental races. The eyes are dark, full in the broad-faced, plebeian type, narrow in the aristocratic cast of countenance. In the latter they are generally set more or less obliquely, their slanting appearance being enhanced by the fact that the aperture for the eye seems to have been cut, as it were, directly in the smooth skin, tightly stretched over the upper part of the face, not, as in the white races, in a very marked depression under the brow.

THE CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL: FEAST OF DOLLS IN A JAPANESE HOMEJapan is the land of love for children, and many quaint customs are observed for their sake. On the third day of the third month in each year the Feast of Dolls is held in thousands of Japanese homes, and the day is one of great delight.

THE CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL: FEAST OF DOLLS IN A JAPANESE HOME

Japan is the land of love for children, and many quaint customs are observed for their sake. On the third day of the third month in each year the Feast of Dolls is held in thousands of Japanese homes, and the day is one of great delight.

THE VARIOUS GRADES OF SOCIETY IN OLD JAPANSociety in Old Japan was based on the principle that the producer was worthy of high honour. There were four great classes. At the top were theShi, the nobility and gentry, warriors, administrators, and scholars. Next were theNo, the agricultural class; thirdly came theKo, craftsmen and artists; and at the bottom were theSho, traders and bankers. Some of the wealthier classes were thus at the bottom, because they were not producers but only circulators.

THE VARIOUS GRADES OF SOCIETY IN OLD JAPAN

Society in Old Japan was based on the principle that the producer was worthy of high honour. There were four great classes. At the top were theShi, the nobility and gentry, warriors, administrators, and scholars. Next were theNo, the agricultural class; thirdly came theKo, craftsmen and artists; and at the bottom were theSho, traders and bankers. Some of the wealthier classes were thus at the bottom, because they were not producers but only circulators.

Physique of the NationCleanest Nation in the World

There are two plainly distinct types in the nation. The majority are “stocky,” rather squat people, with broad, round faces, rather thick lips and flat noses; the minority, of the aristocratic type, are more slenderly built, with long oval face and aquiline nose. In both types the trunk is long as compared with the legs, their shortness being probably due, in some measure, to the national habit of sitting on the floor, in a kneeling posture, the weight of the body being thrown back on to the heels. Sitting on benches, as in school and in barracks, necessitated by the introduction of Western educational and military methods, has somewhat improved the proportions of the Japanese body in this respect. The admirable gymnastic training given in the schools to children of both sexes, and, still more, the naval or military service to which every able-bodied Japanese adult male is liable, have done wonders in improving the physique of the nation. Statistics collected by the Army Medical Department clearly show that the race is gradually growing taller since the introduction of universal service. The Japanese grow to maturity more rapidly than Occidentals; they also age earlier. As in other countries, very old women are more numerous than very aged men. Both the slender, often weakly, upper classes and the stout plebeians are nimble in their movements, have supple limbs and remarkably skilful fingers. The workers use their toes to hold and steady the material on which they are at work, often sitting at their labour where Occidentals would stand. The great toe is well separated from the others, owing to the effect of the loop of cord passing between them to secure the sandal to the foot, the tabi, or sock, ofcotton-cloth being made with a separate compartment for the great toe. The skin of the whole body is generally of satin-like smoothness, owing, no doubt, to the very hot baths—at a temperature of about 110° F.—in which all Japanese indulge at least once a day, thus maintaining their well-deserved reputation as the cleanest nation in the world. To the Occidental eye, the majority of Japanese men are not comely, although there are notable exceptions, presenting fine faces, of noble and intellectual type. The women are often very pretty, judged by the Occidental standard; they are nearly always graceful and charming, owing to their exquisite manners and gentle voice. The chief element in their charm is undoubtedly their perfect femininity. There is absolutely nothing masculine about their ways or their speech, yet, when the need arises, they are capable of courage and self-sacrifice that places them on the same high level as their heroic fellow-countrymen. It may safely be asserted that there are no more dutiful wives, no better mothers. There are certainly no daughters with a greater sense of filial piety, a virtue that forms the basis of family life in Japan.

LIFE AND WORK IN OLD JAPAN: SOME TYPES IN THE ANCIENT CAPITALLARGER IMAGE

LIFE AND WORK IN OLD JAPAN: SOME TYPES IN THE ANCIENT CAPITAL

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SOME TYPES IN OLD JAPAN: CHIEFLY DEPICTED BY NATIVE ARTISTSLARGER IMAGE

SOME TYPES IN OLD JAPAN: CHIEFLY DEPICTED BY NATIVE ARTISTS

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The Chief Qualities of the Race

Throughout the Far East the whole social fabric is based on the family; the whole state is, indeed, considered as one great family, with the Emperor at its head. It is the mothers who train Japanese children from infancy in the spirit of reverence and obedience to parents and elders in the family circle, and to the Emperor as the supreme chief of the great national family. And well do the children assimilate the lessons of obedience and devotion so carefully inculcated by the mother, for there are none more docile than the boys and girls of Japan, whose respectful, courteous manners, not only towards their parents, but towards elder brothers and sisters, earn the admiration of Occidentals. The chief qualities of the Japanese race are patriotism—which is, with them, synonymous with loyalty—courage, filial piety, and cleanliness. In love of country, in self-sacrifice for the common weal, in loyalty to the sovereign—with them a cult—in reckless gallantry, and in bodily cleanliness, the Japanese surpass all other nations of our time. It may be truly said that patriotism is theirreal religion; it inspires their magnificent courage in war, on land and sea; it supplies the incentive of their lives in times of peace, all merely personal considerations being subordinate to this passionate national feeling.

WINTER IN JAPAN; BY A JAPANESE ARTIST

The people of Japan are distinguished, besides, by quick intelligence, a remarkable power of observation—derived, no doubt, from their close study of Nature, of which they are devoted lovers—by a mastery of detail, and a very retentive memory, fostered by the system of learning by rote imported from China, together with the writing by means of ideographic signs, necessitating the memorising of thousands of characters standing for words. In politeness they stand first amongst the nations, every incident of life being attended by strictly-defined rules of social etiquette, observed by all, not only, as in Occidental countries, by the more highly educated classes. Their courtesy, though often degenerating into mere hollow formality, is based on a kindly regard for the feelings of others, a generous altruism and a consequent depreciation of self. They are hospitable and open-handed, the giving of presents attending numerous festivals and many occasions in social life.

Schooled from babyhood by the rules of their rigid etiquette, Japanese, young and old, of all classes, are remarkably quiet in their demeanour, the higher ranks being extremely dignified in manner, and completely concealing their feelings under an imperturbable mask. They bear pain, both physical and mental, with Spartan stoicism, their nerves being much less easily excited than those of Occidentals, so that they have often been described as “a nation without nerves.” Their apparent contempt for death arises chiefly from the fact that, to most of them, the passing out of this world does not imply a total severance from mundane interests, their general belief being that the spirits of the departed have cognisance of the doings of those they leave behind. This idea, inseparable from the ancestor-worship that has prevailed amongst them from time immemorial, and still prevails, was well exemplified in their great struggle with Russia, their forces being buoyed up by the conviction that the spirits of all the warriors who had died for Japan were fighting side by side with their gallant successors.

Artistic Taste of the Japanese

The love of the beautiful in Nature, common to all members of the Japanese race, is probably one of the chief factors in the artistic feeling so highly developed among all classes. Their appreciation of beauty of form and colour, their exquisite sense of appropriateness in decoration, the delicate restraint so evident in the productions of their wonderfully skilful, patient artist-craftsmen, are too well known to require more than passing mention. Even their commonest household utensils are beautiful in shape, elegant, and well adapted to their purpose. Their innate good taste has added a delicate refinement to the vigorous art they received, in early times, from China, chiefly by way of Korea. Their æsthetic perceptionenables even the poorest Japanese to derive intense pleasure from the contemplation of the beautiful, thus providing them with many delights unknown to the vast majority of modern Occidentals. Combined with the simplicity and frugality of their lives, and with their naturally contented spirit, it would seem to have enabled the Japanese to solve the great problem “how to be happy, though poor.”

A nation possessing, to a high degree, the virtues and qualities just enumerated would appear to be living in a perfect Utopia. There is, however, shade in the picture as well as bright light. This happy, contented, smiling people, pre-eminent in domestic virtues, industrious, fond of learning, easily governed, gentle in manners and speech, capable of rising, in moments of national emergency, to admirable heights of patriotic heroism and self-sacrifice, is, after all, human, and consequently tainted with some of the vices and many of the defects inherent in human nature. The defects of the Japanese character are, to a great extent, inseparable from their very virtues and good qualities in their extreme manifestations. Their intense patriotism is the cause of the anti-foreign spirit still, unfortunately, rife amongst them. Their country is to them “the Land of the Gods,” their nation the Elect People, living under the special protection of Heaven, whose blessings are transmitted to them by the benevolence of a superhuman sovereign, directly descended, in unbroken line, from the Sun Goddess.

National Pride of the Japanese

With this belief firmly rooted in the minds of the great majority of the people, it is no wonder that all those who have not the good fortune to be born Japanese appear to them not only as foreigners, but as Gentiles. The statesmen of New Japan are profuse in their assurances that it is the desire of their people to form a unit, on terms of equality, in the great family of nations.

This assurance is echoed by many Japanese writers; it is in accordance with the spirit of the tolerant, all-embracing, gentle Buddhist faith, brimming over with sympathy for all living creatures; it is also in agreement with the calm, placid tenets of the Chinese philosophy that, with Buddhism, has to such a great extent moulded the thought of Japan. Yet those statesmen and writers know full well that in this respect neither Buddhism, nor Chinese philosophy, nor the cosmopolitan spirit of the middle period of the nineteenth century, nor the brotherhood of man inculcated by true Christianity, has succeeded, to any appreciable degree, in causing the Japanese to look upon foreigners as brothers, or even on the same plane with their own heaven-descended race.

LADY AT HER TOILET: BY A JAPANESE ARTIST

The reckless bravery of the Japanese, their contempt for death, are closely related to the slight value they set upon human life and to the national delight in tales of bloodshed. Co-existent with the mildness of their manners and the placid tenor of their domestic life, there is found, deep in Japanese hearts, a wild delight in carnage, the legacy,naturally most cherished amongst those of the warrior class, of centuries of internecine warfare. The sword, “the living soul of the Samurai,” is still held in reverence as the instrument not only of national defence against the foreign foe, but of vengeance and of the chastisement of one looked upon by the wielder of the weapon as an enemy to the State. Hence the indulgence with which political assassination is still regarded by the masses in Japan. As the brutal instincts, inherited from primeval ancestors, often become manifest in an English-speaking crowd watching a football match or a boxing contest, so, in Japan, the old savagery reveals itself, time and again, at fencing bouts, the excited cries of the combatants recalling the bad, wild days of yore.

JAPANESE ON A PILGRIMAGE

This fierce spirit seems incompatible with the noble generosity towards prisoners of war, and the tender care of the enemy’s wounded and sick, that redounded to the glory of the Japanese in both their great struggles in our time, the wars against China and against Russia. It is difficult to believe that savagery can survive in the breasts of people capable of organising such an admirable institution as the Red Cross Society of Japan, whose noble work, in war and peace, is one of the chief glories of New Japan; but it must be remembered that the young Great Power still feels itself to be undergoing probation under the eyes of an observant and critical world. The natural instinct of the Japanese warrior would lead him utterly to destroy the foe who dared to oppose his Emperor’s will, and it requires the application of the most severe discipline to make him understand that on his exercise of humane forbearance to the vanquished depends, to a great extent, his nation’s good repute among the Powers.

This desire to stand well in the opinion of foreign nations has been so thoroughly inculcated in the people of New Japan that every individual brought into contact with foreigners beyond the boundaries of his native land feels that the honour of Japan is dependent on his behaviour, even in minute particulars. Hence the high reputation for excellent conduct enjoyed by Japanese students and others residing, or travelling, abroad.

A FISH HAWKER IN JAPAN

The altruism and self-effacement, born of the family system, fostered by the division of the nation into clans—now officially abolished, but still binding huge groups of families with strong ties—and culminating in the most complete devotion to the head of the national family, the Emperor, are the causes of a peculiar defect in the Japanese character—the lack of individuality. It may be said ofthe Japanese that, on most important matters, they feel and think by millions. The whole system of their civilisation tends to make individual effort subservient to the common cause; the reverence and obedience inculcated from early childhood are not likely to develop the spirit of individuality. Hence the wonderful facility with which the Japanese combine to carry out any policy they recognise as needful for the public welfare once that course has been clearly indicated by their trusted leaders as one that has the Emperor’s approval.

A PEASANT IN A RAIN CLOAK(Made of straw.)

A PEASANT IN A RAIN CLOAK

(Made of straw.)

Japan is, for this reason, the land where leagues, unions, guilds, trusts and “combines” work with astonishing efficiency, such institutions being, by their very nature, well suited to the national character. There are, of course, exceptional Japanese who chafe under the repression of their strong individuality; these occasionally break through the national custom and strike out an independent line. Their fate is not encouraging to those who might be tempted to follow their example. Public opinion reproves them, and they are soon made to feel that their conduct is looked upon as anti-national. Those amongst them who will not bow their heads to the popular verdict, and refuse to be reduced to the level at which the nation strives to keep the individual, soon find life in their own country unbearable. In various cities of Europe, still more in those of North America, such Japanese individualists may be found living in self-imposed exile, shunned by their compatriots, until the day, which comes to most of them, when they submit and go home to resume their place in the ranks of a nation that abhors eccentricity and expects every man to fit into his proper groove in the great national machine.

The mental activity of the Japanese, their respect for knowledge and for all intellectual pursuits, causing them to admire keen wits and exercise of brainpower, have probably contributed in a large measure to form one of the traits in their character that is repellant to Occidentals—their inclination to be cunning and deceitful. In spite of the high and pure ideals of their chivalry, they have not our loathing for deceit, our contempt for chicanery, our respect for the truth. A Japanese convicted of an untruth merely conceals his annoyance at being found out by a smile, sometimes by a laugh, and is not deterred from another statement at variance with facts should he consider it useful to make one. Low cunning is frequently looked upon as cleverness; the suppression of facts is so common that there is no other country where it is so difficult to arrive at the truth. The national failing of intense secretiveness arises, no doubt, from the suspicious nature of the people, who distrust not only all foreigners, but even most of their own race—a condition of mind due, to a great extent, to the widely ramified system of spying that flourished during the rule of the Tokugawa Shōguns, and still exists to a lesser degree.

Their infinite capacity for attention to the most minute details leads to a certain pettiness, a disinclination to consider great abstract questions, and, consequently, to a narrowness of view that accounts for some of the blunders which occur in the execution of the otherwise marvellously efficient policy of the rulers of Japan.

Manners of the Haughty Samurai

The exquisite politeness of the Japanese is responsible for a great part of that insincerity with which they are taxed by Occidentals who have been much in contact with them. This extreme courtesy makes them so anxious to avoid any speech that might possibly give offence that they frequently distort the truth, suppress it entirely, or replace it by polite fiction, intended to give pleasure. It should be remembered that, in the knightly times ofold—they continued until the early ’seventies of the nineteenth century—a Japanese had to be very guarded in his speech and demeanour; quite unintentionally, a word lightly spoken, an incautious gesture, might give dire offence to a Samurai—one of the gentry, privileged to wear two swords—who would be quick to resent the fancied slight to his punctilious sense of personal dignity. Insults, real, and often imaginary, were wiped out with blood. Hence the endeavour to avoid any possible cause of offence, for the same reason that made Europeans very circumspect in their behaviour in the days when gentlemen wore swords and drew them on small provocation.

THE END OF A JAPANESE FEAST: BRINGING IN THE SEA-BREAM

To such a pitch was punctilio carried amongst Japanese gentlemen until quite recent times that they preferred death, inflicted by their own hands in the most painful manner—by self-disembowelment, or hara-kiri, more elegantly termed seppuku, or “self-immolation”—to living with a stain on their honour, such stain being often merely inability to disprove a slanderous imputation. To this day, the Japanese remain the most acutely sensitive people on the point of honour; so “touchy” are they that friendly intercourse with Occidentals is thereby rendered extremely difficult.

What places an additional bar to perfect cordiality in such relations is the deplorable fact that an Occidental may unwittingly give grave offence to a Japanese without the latter giving any sign of displeasure at the time. Allowance is seldom made for the perfectly unintentional error on the part of the offender, whilst the grievance is allowed to rankle, is rarely forgiven, and never forgotten. Where an Occidental would certainly call his friend’s attention to the fact that he was displeased by some remark or action that would, no doubt, be promptly atoned for by a sincere apology, thus terminating the incident, the Japanese says nothing. He nurses his resentment, sometimes for years, until a fitting opportunity presents itself to avenge the real, or fancied, wound to his feelings by some particularly unpleasant action directed against the Occidental, all unconscious of his offence.

This unfortunate peculiarity of the Japanese character is the outcome of two main currents that run through the national temperament—the spirit of secrecy, already alluded to, and the thirst for revenge. The latter, possibly due to the strain of Malay blood in the much-mixed Japanese race, is one of the chief stumbling-blocks hindering the introduction of Christianity, and has preventedBuddhism, also a religion teaching meekness, from obtaining a complete hold on the people. In its petty forms, this spirit of long-cherished spite is merely annoying; in its extreme manifestations it becomes exceedingly dangerous.

It may be thought that the admirable magnanimity displayed by the Japanese towards the vanquished in their wars with China and with Russia affords evidence that the old spirit of revenge is dying out. Unfortunately, it is as strong as ever, the explanation of the apparent anomaly being that, in both cases, the foe was vanquished, and thus became, according to the principles of Japanese chivalry, an object for mercy and compassion. As long as the opponent resists, or refuses to surrender at the mercy of the conqueror, he is implacably attacked; the moment he has, metaphorically speaking, grovelled and placed the victor’s foot on his head, he is raised from the ground and treated with the greatest consideration.

A GROUP OF CIVIL AND MILITARY OFFICIALS IN OLD JAPAN

This applies not only to warfare, but to those incidents in civil life, already alluded to, in which a Japanese considers himself aggrieved, especially when the offender is a foreigner. In such cases, humble apology for the slight, however unintentional—in fact, an attitude amounting to “I do not know what I have done to offend; but, in any case, I own I am in the wrong, and promise, with sincere apologies, not to offend again; deal with me as you think fit,” would generally ensure the restoration of good relations, provided the apology be sufficiently public to gratify the self-esteem of the Japanese. It is hardly to be expected that a self-respecting Occidental would demean himself thus to atone for an error unconsciously committed.

Defects of Japanese Character

Japanese self-esteem has just been mentioned; it often becomes insufferable arrogance, showing plainly, through a cloak of false modesty, “the pride that apes humility.” This arrogance, displayed chiefly towards foreigners, but also by Japanese in official positions towards their fellow-countrymen of inferior rank, is intimately connected with another national failing, excessive vanity. It is less noticeable amongst sailors and soldiers than amongst civil officials of corresponding rank.

Minor failings of the Japanese are jealousy, envy of those who achieve success, and, connected with these faults,a great love of gossip and a readiness to listen to slander, or to disseminate it.

A STREET SCENE IN A VILLAGE OF OLD JAPAN

Japanese Ideas of Modesty

There are, finally, two charges to be examined that are frequently levelled at the Japanese by those who profess to know them well—the accusations of immorality, sexual and commercial. The first of these charges may be disposed of by the statement that the Japanese are about as moral in their sexual relations as the Latin nations of Europe, with the advantage slightly in favour of the Japanese. What has given them an evil repute in this respect is, probably, the fact that they consider as natural, and treat accordingly, certain evils that the Northern Occidental peoples affect to ignore. The natural, simple life led by the vast majority of Japanese predisposes them to take a natural, sensible view of matters that the less primitive conditions of Western civilisation have imbued with an objectionable significance. They see, for instance, no harm in nudity where it is unavoidable, as in bathing, or convenient, as in the performance of hard work in hot weather. A Japanese woman will feel no shame at being seen naked when entering or leaving the daily bath, but would strongly object to what she would consider the gross immodesty of exposing a considerable surface of her body in Occidental evening dress. In the first case, the nudity is looked upon as quite natural; in the second, as useless and provocative of pruriency.

National Honour in Commerce

As to the commercial morality of the Japanese, it is necessary to observe the great difference that exists between the position, in this respect, of Japanese State institutions, financial and commercial corporations, and firms of the first rank on the one hand, and the great mass of traders on the other. The Imperial Japanese Government, municipal corporations, and the great financial institutions and industrial and commercial associations under State control (such as subsidised steamship companies), have always met their obligations with scrupulous fidelity and are likely to continue to do so. With them the national honour is considered at stake; it is certain that the last Japanese will part with his last garment sooner than involve the national credit in disgrace by failure to meet the nation’s engagements towards the foreign creditor.

Results of Old Class Divisions

It is, unfortunately, quite otherwise in the case of the great bulk of the trading classes. There are, in Japan, a number of first-class firms, some of them established for centuries, whose reputation is above reproach; but between these and the majority of the merchants a great gulf is fixed. It must be remembered that, untilthe beginning of the New Era, in the early ’seventies of the nineteenth century, the trading community formed the lowest of the four classes, then sharply and immutably divided one from the other, composing that part of the Japanese nation that had full civil rights (below them stood only the Eta, who carried on despised occupations, involving contamination by contact with dead bodies, human or animal, and the outcast Hi-nin).

IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF YEDO, NOW TŌKIO, THE CAPITAL OF JAPAN

The nation was divided into Shi, the nobility and gentry, the military, scholarly and administrative class; No, the agriculturists; Ko, the craftsmen, with whom the artists were counted; and Sho, the traders, placed below farmers and handicraftsmen as non-producers.

The natural consequence of this low place in the social scale was a lack of self-respect on the part of those engaged in commerce and finance that led them to be unmindful of their good repute. Trade and finance were looked upon by the majority as occupations unworthy of a gentleman and beneath the callings of the peasant and the workman; every trick was considered excusable when practised by the merchant, whose whole business was looked upon as a sort of warfare, in which cunning stratagem could be legitimately employed to the end of personal gain, a purpose appearing most unworthy to the classes swayed by the old knightly spirit. The evil effects, on a class as on an individual, of a bad reputation and consequent public contempt have, unfortunately, outlived the abolition of the old social divisions. The Japanese merchants and bankers no longer form a separate and despised class; the gentry, even members of the aristocracy, are engaging every day more and more in financial, industrial and commercial pursuits, many of them with marked success, yet the old taint adheres to the bulk of the trading community.

The Desire to Trick the Foreigner

There are, of course, many strictly honourable dealers in Japan, even amongst the smaller tradespeople and retailers. It is amongst the wholesale merchants and the brokers that lapses from the straight path of commercial integrity are still frequent, especially in their dealings with foreigners. It is, unfortunately, still the case that an advantage gained over the foreigner, even by the most shady methods, is looked upon as, in some way, a national victory. This deplorable point of view is likely to prevail as long as Japanese nationalism exists in its extreme form.

Japanese National Finance

The Japanese Government has, time after time, loudly proclaimed, by the mouths of its statesmen at home, and its representatives abroad, its desire tofacilitate, in every way, the introduction of foreign capital, the vital influence so urgently required for the realisation of Japan’s bold schemes of industrial and commercial development. Strange to say, this cordial invitation, though energetically responded to by the capitalists of Europe, especially of Britain, and by those of America, has not, as yet, led to the investment of any very considerable sums in Japanese enterprises, although, as is well-known, the Japanese Government has easily borrowed many millions sterling in London, New York and Paris, for purposes of State. The chief obstacle to the investment on a large scale, of foreign capital in Japanese enterprises is to be found in the fact that, forgetting that capital is, after all, a commodity, therefore subject to the laws of supply and demand, the Japanese financial and industrial classes do not realise that the capitalist, being virtually the seller, controls the price of his property.

The Social Qualities of the Japanese

A mistaken impression appears to prevail in Japan that foreign capital isobligedto find an outlet in the Empire of the Rising Sun and must, therefore, submit to such conditions as may seem suitable to the Japanese and accept such security as the Japanese may deem sufficient. As long as this erroneous view obtains, there can be no considerable influx of foreign money into the coffers of Japanese industrial and commercial concerns. Experience is proverbially the best teacher; the dearth of funds that is certain to follow, in due time, the abnormal and feverish activity which is animating Japanese economic conditions, immediately after the successful issue of the great struggle with Russia, will undoubtedly induce a more reasonable appreciation of the circumstances. Once the Japanese have been taught by experience that they must regulate their demands by the lowest terms considered acceptable by the foreign holders of capital, a vast and profitable field will lie before those Occidental capitalists who have the advantage of expert advice in their selection of Japanese investments.

As a general rule, it may be stated that intercourse with the people of Japan leaves Occidentals very favourably impressed with the social qualities of the inhabitants of the island empire. Their exquisite courtesy, their gentle manners, and the thousand ways in which they demonstrate that kindness of heart that lubricates the wheels of life’s machinery all tend to make ordinary, everyday relations with Japanese a delightful experience. It is only when the more serious aspects of life are approached that the Occidental begins to feel the wide divergence between his point of view, in nearly every important matter, and that of the Japanese.

Courtesy of the Japanese

It is exceedingly difficult to specify with exactitude the particular feature of the Japanese character which lies at the root of the unfortunate fact that nearly all Occidentals who have had serious dealings with the people of Dai Nippon have emerged from their experience exasperated and often disgusted. It is probable that want of candour is the trait that acts as the sharpest irritant, for it must be confessed that frankness, so highly prized by Occidentals, especially by those of the nations that “push the world along,” is neither appreciated at its true value nor generally practised by the Japanese. The very nature of their elaborate courtesy makes them shrink from that bluff frankness which obtains amongst Occidentals on a footing of intimate friendship. Even the Japanese mode of speech is a hindrance to direct statement of fact; a Japanese, asked if he has ever been in England, will reply, in his own tongue, “Yes,” and, after a pause, “I havenevervisited England.” He would not deem it polite to shock his questioner by a direct negative!

THE AMAZING SUICIDE: A GHASTLY FACT IN THE LIFE OF OLD JAPANThis picture represents the Japanese custom of “Hara-kiri,” or disembowelment, known also as “Seppuku,” or self-immolation, the form of suicide which was the privilege of gentry in Old Japan instead of death at the hands of the executioner. Instances of this ghastly act occurred frequently during the Russo-Japanese war, Japanese destroying themselves rather than surrender. The standing figure in the picture is the best friend of the man about to die, acting as his kai-shaku, or second, ready to strike off his head on receiving the sign from the dying man.LARGER IMAGE

THE AMAZING SUICIDE: A GHASTLY FACT IN THE LIFE OF OLD JAPAN

This picture represents the Japanese custom of “Hara-kiri,” or disembowelment, known also as “Seppuku,” or self-immolation, the form of suicide which was the privilege of gentry in Old Japan instead of death at the hands of the executioner. Instances of this ghastly act occurred frequently during the Russo-Japanese war, Japanese destroying themselves rather than surrender. The standing figure in the picture is the best friend of the man about to die, acting as his kai-shaku, or second, ready to strike off his head on receiving the sign from the dying man.

LARGER IMAGE

Another peculiarity of the Japanese character, that is apt to loom large in Occidental eyes as a grave national failing, is the lack of the spirit of gratitude, as it is understood by the white races. The Japanese have, hitherto, never failed to deal out fair measure, according to the letter of the contract, to the numerous Occidentals whom they have employed, as advisers and instructors, in adapting Western civilisation to the material needs of their re-organised empire; their labours, as well as those of friends of Japan who have rendered voluntary, unpaid services, have also been recognised by the bestowal of marks of Imperial favour; but it is doubtful whether a real feeling of what we term gratitudehas ever entered the hearts of the nation towards the many distinguished men who have given of their best to assist in the making of New Japan, or to spread a knowledge of its greatness. This doubt does not apply to the Navy and Army; those gallant forces, keeping the sacred fire of chivalry alight, show deep gratitude to the British sailors and European soldiers—French and, after them, Germans—who instructed them in the modern art of war.

TYPICAL JAPANESE OF THE MIDDLE CLASS

Sympathy with their aspirations is, of course, cordially welcomed from every quarter by the Japanese; they are delighted to receive help of any kind from Occidental friends at such times as, in their view, render such assistance or sympathy necessary. When the occasion has passed, and they feel independent of foreign support, they not only cease to make any effort to attract, but take no pains to conceal their indifference to it. This attitude, induced by the severely practical nature of their policy, is repugnant to Occidental feeling, and has caused the accusation to be brought against the Japanese that they treat their foreign friends “like lemons, to be thrown away once the juice has been squeezed out of them.”

This course of conduct should not be judged too harshly; it should be remembered that such a proud, hypersensitive nation is ever desirous of displaying its independence, and is consequently averse to appearing to solicit help or sympathy from the outside. A gifted Frenchman, a true friend of Japan, the late Félix Régamey, several of whose spirited pictures of Japan are reproduced in this History, and who did much to gain sympathy for that country amongst his compatriots at a time when they were little inclined to extend it, said to the writer: “It would, indeed, be a pleasure to help the Japanese, but they will not let one help them.” It is noticeable that this coolness towards foreign sympathy is usually coincident with a period of national elation, consequent on the victory of Japanese arms or the obtaining of some solid advantage by Japanese diplomacy.

Reviewing impartially the good and the bad points of the Japanese national character, one must come to the comforting conclusion that its faults are likely to disappear, or, at least, to be considerably attenuated in the future, as Japan enters more and more into the active life of the family of nations. The pressure of the public opinion of the vast majority of civilised mankind must exercise a beneficial influence in bringing the Japanese gradually into line with ourselves where the points of view are still too widely divergent to admit of cordial co-operation between them and Occidentals. The virtues now pre-eminently Japanese may, indeed probably will, suffer to a certain extent in the process; it is the writer’s firm conviction that enough of them will remain to enable the Japanese to accomplish the glorious destiny towards which they are marching. Their patriotism, their valour, their thoroughness, their wisdom in matters of national moment, are of the virtues that make nations great.

ARTHURDIOSY

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