164. J A P A K.
L an g u a g e
Literature.
Education.
Cities and
Towns.
Jedo. .
, Thunb£fg has pübKfbecf a- crtriotis: ypcjfbulary of', the Tapanefer fen-
fgl|.vge,. which fefetns indeed to - have little cohnedtion ' with the inona-
fyllabie ipeedh e f th e Gbinefe, : There are alfo di&ionaries drawn up
by the Jefnits. ••
In the lciences;and literature the Japanefe yield to few' ofithe oriental
nations. This fcnfible people ft tidies hoiifekeeping^or domeltic economy,
as an indifpenfable fcience ; and next: to this-every Japanefe is
v'erfed -in the hiftory of his country.5 Aftronomy is cultivated., .but
has not ■ arrived . at much perfection. Thcy.fiirvey with- tolerable accuracy
• and their maps are as exadt as their imperfedl inftrunients will
permit.- The art of printing'is ancient, but they ufe blocks, not moveable
types, and only imprefs one fide o f the paper. Some of their arts and
manufactures even furpafs thofe of Europe. There are excellent workmen'in
iron and copper.; and to no eaftern country do they yield in manufactures
of filk and cotton ; while in varnifhing wood they are well
known to have -no equals. GMs is slfocoffitobn ; and thfejefen’fbam
telefcepÉSi^The porcelain Is ^deemed fiiperiorto that of
fwords difplay incomparable fkill; and many varieties of papet are prepared
from the bark of a fpetâés of iftuM>erry;f*fe; ; Thè pfelèb&fted
varnilh is from'the rhus vernix. -
There arp many fchoofein which the children afe taught to read and
write ; their ■ education being accomplifhed without the degradation o f
perfonal chaftifement, while courage is inftilled by the repetition of forfgs
in praife-of d.eceafed heroes.^ -
, The capital city of the Japanefe empire Is Jedo, centrically fituated
on a bay in the S. E. fide of- the chief ill and Nipon; Thehoufes never
exceed two - fiories, with numerous fhops towards the ftféets. The
harbour is fo fhallow that an European fhip-would he obliged to anchor
at the diftahte of five lèagnes. A fire happened in this, city in the year
WÉÈÊ which is'faid to have confumed fix leagues in length and three in
breadth : and earthquakes are here familiar as in other regions of Japan.
The emperor’s palace is furrounded with.fione walls, and ditches with
draw-bridges'; forming of itfelf a confide table town, .faid to be five
leagues in -circumference,«1 Tn .this, and IfifniMr inftances o f oriental
5 i ’hunberg, iv. 54, ; ? . . „■ :;:.o .Ibbafe t8p,
5 I population
mm a p . ' t i l !' c i v i l g e .o g r a p ii y .
population andfextent,; though'the bell authorities be followed^ j e t the Cities a*»
readef'tnay,v.with tk^4auth°|i^'|iiJpend'hii!S belief. ' The Japaïldè^ffinn
Jedo-WtÊld 'occupyi.a^pèrfoh.twCnty-one-hours to walk' around its
' eircUMfe-Cnce, whioh migkfcbus amount twenty-one leagues^
aSd/that i f is fevdni;Mgues in length b y five in breadth. A large river,
rt®t- nlfeied Kkmpfer," paffes tfap^ h-thg naphal,' and befides the,
wide, ditches of the' palace, ’ fupplies feveral Canals. There are no walls,
nor fortifications;,, which are. unknown in Japanefe cities : 1 but there are-
many fplemdtd hoafes $?f the pruimer^ ##hP#§- S É Europeans have •
here fittfeTree'dómv’the^aeeonn^-givgn' by K&mpfer, and Thunberg are
littlelaitiifadfeoryi ' ' ’• ' ‘ v r . i t
Miaco, the fpirifual capital, andifec-ond city'ofithe empire, is place^ ttfe*
mknd.tfiteation about'160 .miles le*el
pfein.' Yet kiakhe€rft commercial ‘city, and PrmT -
dpal manu&anreé. It is,alfo t te fe a to f the' imp^ial^amt :,and.the >
DiiriV $ 8»$W f dkfeTary^a'11 books am prints here. Ksrnpfe fo-
fkms-us »that, upon an enumeration taken in -1-674, the inhabitants
were found to amount to 405,6/p ;; of, whom we're malésyS 2,0704 and
kt& Êfö 'fémales; without including- -tfteffnumerpu's attendants of the
Dafii/ 'But they are divided' according to. fe* ; arid the .children prqh
^ L ^ k i 'tè fn g the neareft eky.to the Dutch faöory in the ifie o f Nagattó .
Dezima, has' Of courfc attracted the particular attention of our .ra-
. M k s . The harbour is the only one in w h ic h , foreign &ip& are per- .
mitted to anchor, a privilege:'now enjoyed only by the Dutch and
Chineie. The Portngucfe trade railed this .place, from a mere village,
to its prefent five add confeqnence. - v . I , - ” * ' ;
The other cities in the Japanefe empire may .amount to thirty or
f i g . but, except thofe on the routefrom Nagafaki to the capital, few
have been- explored by European travellers. Ofacca, and Sakai, boaft
the name of imperial cities. _ ' - f , -
O f the principal edifices of the Japanefe feme idea may be formed Edifices
from the deferiptions which |m travellersbgive of the imperial palace,
which like thofe of the Chinefe, 'confifts of many dwellings, occupying
an immenfe fpace. The falloon o f the hundred mats is 6®ofeet m
v:;®', p \ \ .length