25S
T h e ir
D e i t i e s .
M o n a s t ic
L i f e .
J A P A N.
the jealous Japanefe took umbrage at the vaft concourfe o f thole
foreigners, and at length confined them to a certain precinit, near
the fame ifland with the Dutch. They are allowed to have three
fales in the year, one in fpring, when they are permitted to dif-
pofe o f the cargoes,of twenty jonks, a fecond o f thirty jonks, and
a third in autumn of twenty. All above the number are obliged
to return without being fuffered to unlade.
T h e religion of the Japanefe is idolatry : their deities are amazingly
numerous ; tradition fays that they had been men eminent
for their piety or mortification, deified after death for their fe-
veral virtues. They alfo hold that their earlieft emperors were
gods and demi-gods, and that during the firft period, they were
governed by feven great celeftial fpirits, each of which reigned
a certain, but immenle number of years. Their temples are very
numerous, difperfed not only over the cities, but even the mountains
and deferts. Their idols affume a thoufand extravagant
forms, and coloflal lizes; in one o f their temples is an idol of
copper gilt, the very chair it fits on is feventy feet high, and the
head fo large as to be capable o f containing fifteen men ; many of
them work miracles, and bring abundance of gain to the temple
or monaftery which pofleffes fuch a treafure,
A t e m p l e near Mia.co takes its name from its number of
idols, which amount to 33,333; Do&ior Kaempfer gives us a view*
o f this vaft repofitory, and in the following plate reprefents
its celebrated idol Sjpenwoa, fitting on the flower far ate.
T h e m o n a f t i c l i f e is m u c h in v o g u e in Japan. T h e m o n a -
f t e r ie s a r e f i l le d w i t h r e g u l a r s a n d f e c u la r s , l i k e t h o f e o f t h e
* 'Htitory of Japan') vol. ii. tab. 36.
church
church o f Rome; fome lead moft auftere lives; others indulge
like the plump Benedictines; others are accufed of great irregularities.
T h e r e is one order of fingular aufterity, that of the Jammar
bos, i. e. the mountain foldiers; they in one fenfe anfwer to our military
religious, being bound to fight for the gods and religion o f
their country, but never have degenerated into the voluptu-
oufnefs of the knights o f the European orders. They pafs their
time amidft the holy mountains, and pradljfe the greateft mortifications
; the richer live more at their eafe in their own.
houfes.' This order is now divided into two feits, one called
Jofanfa, the votaries o f which bind themfelves to afcend once a
year the great mountain o f Fikoafan, a journey of vaft difficulty,
by reafon o f its heights and dreadful precijpices, but ftill more
tremendous on account o f the penalty attending any impure per-
fon making the attempt; he infallibly is poffeffed by the devil o f
the mountain, and becomes ftark mad. The other feft is named
Fonfanfa; this likewife is obliged to make an annual pilgrimage
to the fummit o f the Omine, a mountain not lefs terrible than
the other; but ihould any one prefume to afcend it without
being duly prepared by purification, he is certain o f being flung
down the precipices, or feized with a lingering illnefs, the penalties
o f his negleft.
T h e Japanefe religion is fplit into a multitude o f fetfts ; each VAravi '
differ in fome tenets, yet all agree in five indifpenfible commandments,
1. They are not to kill, or eat o f any thing that is -
killed ; a. they are not to fteal; 3. nor to lie ; 4. nor to commit
adultery; 5. nor to drink wine. Is it not evident that
they brought with them, on the difperlion of mankind, fome of
V ol. III. L l the