East by west : a journey in the recess

Front matter

■ I N ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ h. a A JOURNEY IN THE RECESS. BY HENRY W. LUCY. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. LONDON: RICHARD BENTLEY AND SON in ©rtimato to S>rv fHajrstc tfjr (Burnt. 1SS5. (All rights reserved.-) tRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, LONDON AND BECCLES. CONTENTS OF VOL. II. CIIAPTE1*. rAGJE I. Dining and Cremating ... ... ... 1 II. A Personal Episode in History ... 18 III. By Sea and Land to Kioto ... ... 30 IV. The Capital of the Mikados ... 57 V. Temples and Worshippers ... ... 73 VI. The New Empire in the West ... 86 VII. The Gibraltar of the East ... ... 106 VIII. In the Teopics ... ... ... 121 IX. The Isle of Spicy Breezes ... ... 141 X. The Prisoner of Ceylon ... ... 161 XI. The Liverpool of India ... ... 169 XII. Burying and Giving in Marriage ... 187 XIII. The Holy City ... ... ... 200 XIV.

Bathing in the Ganges ... ... 219 XV. The Besidency at Lucknow ... ... 240 XVI. Christmas at Cawnpore ... ... CONTENTS. CHAPTEI: PAGE XVII. The Capital of the Great Mogul ... 263 XVIII. " The Wonder of India " ... 280 XIX. Delhi ... ... ... ... 292 XX. An Elephant Bide ... ... 307 XXI. Out of the Hurly-burly ... ... 320 XXII. Something New about India ... 328 XXIII. A British Outpost ... ... ... 336 XXIV. Through the Suez Canal ...

Chapter I. Dining And Cremating

We lunched with Mr. Inouye, the Foreign Minister, at his pretty country house on the outskirts of Tokio. Mr. Ito was present, together with several English gentlemen who have been closely associated with the Govern ment of Japan in furthering its desire of drawing nearer to Western civilization. The Foreign Office, where Mr. Inou37e' officially resides, is furnished throughout in European style. At his country house the Foreign Minister preserves the two styles, there being a suite of reception and dining rooms furnished in European style, and one wing of the house in Japanese manner. There is no doubt which vol. ii. is the prettier. Notbing could be daintier or in better taste than the Japanese house. The colouring is exquisite ; the various woods, simply polished and showing the grain, are a pleasure to look upon.

Tbe house stands high, with trees and fields facing it, and in summer weather must be the perfection of a summer residence. What can be done in the way of graft ing European notions of furniture upon the Japanese style of house architecture, is seen in a pretty little bungalow which Mr. Greville, of the British Embassy, has built for himself at Tokio. He took what was originally a Japanese house, made a few alterations while strictly preserving its style, and then began to furnish and adorn it with prizes drawn in the curio lottery. Mr. Trench pathetically com plains that when paying a visit he is always afraid to move about, being prone either to knock his head against the ceiling, or to knock over something on tables or floor. But the charge d 'affaires is a very tall man, and even he is not so dangerous as he represents himself.

It is very difficult now to obtain really old lacquer or old things of any kind in Japan. Madame Inouye is happy in many priceless possessions. She has not only knowledge and special opportunities of exercising it, but has been quietly at work for some years. Every foreigner who goes to Japan is on the look-out for old lacquer and curios which antedate the European demand for them. Whatever of the real thing comes up is eagerly snatched at. But Japanese modern art is equal to the emergency, and makes many things that are beautiful if not old. I met in a remote country district an enterprising Semitic from London who had spent two montbs in Japan and had bought up enough odds and ends to freight a brig. He would buy old lamps if he could get them. If not, new ones would do ; but he must have them as like the old ones as possible, and would then take them by the dozen and the score.

This is a clearing-out process from a strictly trading point of view, which I believe is not uncommon, and wdiich must at no distant date empty Japan of whatever makes her dear to the curiosity hunter. One other little difficulty the foreigner meets with in Japan surrounds the question of money. Japanese currency is chiefly in paper money, in convenient denominations down to ten yen, which should be of the value of five pence. But for a long period terminating with last year, the paper currency was grievously depreciated. What was nominally worth four shillings, could with difficulty be exchanged for three, and it reached levels lower than that. The Government, and above all their new policy, was upon trial. They might break down any day, and who could say that their successors would, even if they could, meet the promise to pay which the notes bore ?

Gradually confidence in the Government and in the future of Japan has grown, and with it paper money has very nearly touched par. At the present moment a paper yen is worth only fivepence less than the silver dollar, which is a recuperation as remarkable and even more rapid than that of greenbacks or Italian notes. This sure sign of the growing prosperity and stability of the new empire is not viewed with very great approval by all who live within its borders. It is said, and with unquestion able truth, that it has sent up the prices of everything and made living appreciably dearer. Once a yen always a yen, is a golden rule among the shopkeepers and tradespeople of Japan. What they charged a yen for when the note was worth only three shillings, they still charge a yen for now the little bit of paper is worth three and sevenpence, and seems bent on reaching par.

That, however, is not the grievance of the foreign visitor. He would certainly bear to have currency worth twenty-five per cent, less than its nominal value, since that would mean that for his English sovereign he would get twenty-five shillings. But he thinks he has a reasonable right to demand that he shall know a yen note when he sees it, and shall not con found a fifty-yen note with one valued at twenty. Formerly yen notes were recognizable at sight, having the figure " one " printed on them in numerals. Now there are yen notes of various colours, sizes, and designs, with no figure of denomination printed on them. The fifties are the same size as the twenties, and are exactly the same pattern save for cabalistic signs in the corners — of course plain enough to the Japanese, but worse than Greek to the foreigner.

It is true that if you know where to look for it, and have a microscope handy, you can discover the figure " twenty " printed on the tenpenny note, and "fifty" on the two shilling one. But these are not conditions always realizable, especially at night. I heard of a recent visitor to Japan who had only a month to see the country in. Like John Gilpin, " tho' on pleasure bent he had a frugal mind," and a dear friend estimated that he spent one week of the four in study ing his notes before he made payments, and went away saddened by the conviction that he had three times paid away fifty-yen notes for twenty. This is not likely to be strictly true, but it indicates a matter of considerable embar rassment to visitors to Japan, and might be commended to the attention of the Govern ment among their other reforms.

The explanation of this shower of diverse designs in copper plate is the establishment of national banks, of which there are no less than 152, each authorized to issue its own notes. The necessity for diversity of designs is obvious ; but there is the more reason why the denomination should be made clear. The silver yen, a strikingly handsome coin, is now at par with the Mexican dollar. It is, indeed, preferred by tradespeople and banks, since Chinese industry has found a new and wide field in dealing with the Mexican coin. By the exercise of dexterity and industry the artisan removes the face from one side of the coin, cuts out the silver, fills up the cavity with baser metal, and resets the face in a way that makes it difficult for any but trained eyes to detect the fraud. So widely has this practice obtained, that when payment is made in Mexican dollars the recipient rings every coin.

It is of no consequence wdien the transaction does not exceed three or four dollars, but when it comes to thirty, forty, or over, it is rather a bore to have to stand by and watch each coin tested. This is necessary, since the industry branches out in another direction, and the guileless-looking Chinese, wdio is judicially testing your money, may have ready at hand a few of these manipulated coins ready for opportunities. These some how get mixed up with yours, and he, with a phying smile for your earlier misfortune will invite you to replace them with sterling silver. Between luncheon and dinner was a con venient time for witnessing a cremation. In Tokio, the principal place of cremation is situated at Shen-jo, a suburb reached through long lines of busy streets. It was fete day in the neighbourhood, and we approached it through a dense crowd of holiday makers.

The shops were brightly lit. Jinrikshas abounded, most of them holding two, and one at least four, persons, two being babies. On these occasions the Japan infant obtains a change of view and position. For the most part it peers out upon the world round the side of its mother's or sister's head. But it being physi cally impossible for a woman to sit in a jin riksha with the everlasting baby at her back, it is, on this occasion only, slewed round to the front. Many of the tea-houses in this quarter were brilliantly illuminated with scores of lanterns. One, which our guide said was '• a goose-house," had over a hundred, a tall pole running up from before it hanging out a score. It appears that the Japanese is rapidly de veloping carnivorous tastes. As the home culinary department is not yet equal to cook ing joints, the luxurious Japanese of the lower middle class goes out to a beef-house, or a goose-and-duck house, and feeds on the un familiar viand.

After an hour's drive through a lane of busy life we came to the silent house where the dead awaited the last service of the living. It stands a little apart from the main road, a building of a single story, with an innocent looking tall chimney, that might be connected with a pottery or a small iron-foundry. The business is always conducted privately, and there are few in Tokio, except those who are professionally engaged, who have witnessed the process. But arrangements made by the omnipotent Foreign Minister opened the doors, and secured a respectful welcome. We were first received in the house of the manager, where tea was served in priceless porcelain cups of Kutani ware. The furnace, if so im posing a name may be used for a process so simple, stood a few paces from the house. On entering it there was nothing to be seen but what appeared to be two butter-tubs resting upon a few faggots of wood.

There were several cavities about two inches deep and a foot long in the stone floor, and these were filled with shavings. According to municipal law, no burning is to be done before half-past six in the evening. It stiU wanted ten minutes to that time, but in the circumstances the manager thought he would be safe in antici pating the hour, and the shavings were fired. One of the men, kneeling before the growing flame, fanned it with a piece of wrood. It caught the dry faggots, greedily licked the sides of the tubs, rose high in the air, and then, with a horrible thud, the head of the barrel burst outwards. Quick as thought, the man seized a large piece of wood, lying by in readiness, and hid from sight whatever may have protruded. It is the boast of the skilful cremator that under his supervision the con tents of the barrel are never exposed to view.

A heavy matting of wet straw is laid over the length of the barrel before the fire is ignited. As the barrel is burned away this falls in and covers the body. In three hours the work is done. Every particle of flesh is burned away, and there remains only the skeleton. The bones and the teeth the relatives collect and give them sepulture. There are three classes of cremation at this establishment. In the first class each body is burned separately, a charge being made of seven yen, equal to twenty-eight shillings in our money. In the second class the charge is only ten shillings, the difference being that two or more, according to the briskness of trade, are burned at the same time. The third class pay six and sixpence, the semblance of a coffin provided by the tub being dispensed with. It will be seen that, as compared with the most moderate scale of ordinary burial charges, cremation is cheap.

As far as I could gather, it is this which recommends it to the class of Japanese, generally the least wealthy, who avail them selves of the resources at the establishment at Shen-jo and kindred institutions. We dined in the evening with Mr. Irwin, the American gentleman to whose energy Japan is, as already noted, indebted for a new and well-equipped line of coasting steamers. Mr. Irwin has a Japanese wing to his resi dence, and the Japanese portion of the estab lishment is infinitely the prettier. It was a fairy-like scene as we took our places on cushions on the matted floor of the diningroom. It was to be in every respect a Japanese dinner ; consequently there were (at the out set at least) no chairs, much less tables. After a while hospitality overcame the rigour of etiquette, and at a crisis when my unaccus tomed knees were beginning to crack, a small stool w7as quietly brought in, on which I was able to sit without disturbing the harmony of the picture.

That was effectively done by Mr. Dennison, an American gentleman in the confidence of the Foreign Office. Though he has lived many years in Japan, he has never been able to take kindly to the national posture, and now nothing less than a big cane chair suited the exigencies of his burly frame. Outside, the garden was festooned with Chinese lanterns wdiich softly illumined its dark recesses. A panel drawn aside at the foot of the room opened upon the veranda, which served admirably for a stage, on which three small children performed, during the meal, a touching drama. Hidden from view was a musician who played upon a samisen, a three-stringed instrument, as old as the sixteenth century, thrummed upon banjo-wise with the fingers. From time to time the musician, a woman, broke forth into a monotonous chant descriptive of the scene going forward on the stage, and analytic of the motives of the characters ; just as on the real stage the Joruri singers assist the players.

For the sole actor in this dramatic company (two members were girls) this adventitious aid was quite superfluous. The youth was in his sixth year, the son of a small shopkeeper, who added something to his income by hiring out his children for these performances in private houses. I gathered the general plan of the play to be that he was a faithful retainer, whose young master (his sister, aged nine) was in love with a young lady, a character taken by a sprightly young thing of seven, who was, for family reasons, not an eligible party. The duty of young Roscius was to advise and, if possible, restrain his master from indulgence in this unhappy passion. The way he frowned and strutted, shook his gory locks, and waved his aged but stiU virile hand ; the way he relapsed for a moment into attitudes of pro found and saddened thought while the Joruri singer told what was passing within his per turbed breast ; the way when, angered past endurance, he threatened to draw an imaginary sword; his haughtiness, his affection for his master, his unbending hostility to the fair one, and, above all, the efforts he made when declaiming intense passages to produce bass notes out of his piping treble, were things worth a journey to Japan to see and hear.

All were good, the maiden with her pretty face and quaint womanly manner, the love-lorn lord, patient to the last, under the tyranny of his truculent retainer. But the small boy was simply subhme, and should be heard of here after on a wider stage. When we took our seats around the festive board, the first course was already served. Before each guest was placed a little lacquered tray, raised three or four inches from the ground. On it was a covered porcelain bowl, containing a small quantity of boiled rice. A second covered bowl of lacquer held some clear fish soup, which I made bold to eat, and found uncommonly good. As there was only chop-sticks to eat the rice, I said I rarely ate rice at this time of day, and passed it by. Nor did I care about the contents of the third bowl, which contained some mysterious-looking vegetables.

Whilst we were discussing or regarding these delicacies, there entered a bevy of pretty serving-girls bearing lacquered cups for each guest and a little blue jar con taining sake. It was slightly mulled, the small jars being replenished from a silver kettle. Each guest has his appointed handmaid. Mine was exceedingly pretty, a great addition to the picture as she gracefully knelt at the other side of the tray, watchful for opportunity to do service. As there was nothing particular to do, she filled up the time by smiling on me in the friendliest manner. I smiled back, and we go on very well together without articulate speech. Presently the little handmaiden rose, left the room, and with the others returned carry ing a covered vessel of pure white wood. This was full of rice, with which she refilled the empty rice bowls, whilst another maiden, nearly as pretty, removed the bowls of clear soup, a third replacing them with lacquer bowls containing stewed wild ducks, raw fish, white cakes of bean paste, and a little bowl of pickles, which may have been savoury to the taste but were certainly unpleasant to the nose.

After a while — just as young Roscius on the stage had discovered his master making signs over a supposititious garden wall to his lady-love, and murder seemed imminent — my little handmaid brought up another bowl containing a fresh kind of soup. Whilst I cautiously tasted this she went out again and brought in some fried fish on a plate, with a little ginger and pickled vegetables in a porcelain bowl. The fish, I ascertained, was tai, a kind of plaice, and it is the correct thing to eat it with ginger. Sixthly, she brought another plate of fish stewed in soy, with a plate of lily bulbs and another of chestnuts. Close on her heels came a girl bearing the wine kettle, this time quite hot. Having had sufficient sake in the cooler state, I declined a further supply, whereupon another kettle was brought.

I said I would take some of that, not knowing its contents, but earnest in search of knowledge. It turned out to be plain hot water. It seems to be an accepted doctrine among the Japanese gourmands that at this stage of the feast " something hot " must be taken. For those who like it there is sake. Those who do not care for sake gurgle down hot water. I did not care for my supply now I had it, but the indefatigable handmaid placed on my tray, as others had served to them, a cup of hot water, with leaves of an aromatic plant floating on it, doing their best to counteract the influence of the pickled vegetables. Here there was a pause. Cigarettes were served round, and some of the guests who had squatted on the floor through the dinner took the opportunitj7 of stretching their limbs by strolling about the room and neighbouring apartments.

Though what has gone before is quickly told, it took a considerable time in the accomplishment. The play had been going forward simultaneously, and the faithful re tainer had now learned beyond doubt the infatuation of his master, and his brow had grown in blackness. He had killed nobody as yet, but his hand frequently sought his sword hilt, and slaughter was imminent. I thought we had finished dinner, but there remained yet another course. All the dishes had been removed, and now came a tray bountifully supplied with plates of bean jelly, rice cake, and other toothsome things. There were also grapes, of which Japan grows some excellent varieties, and hopes shortly to do better. There was also a toothpick, but I did not feel as if I wanted one. This course disposed of, the host rose and conducted us to another room, where tea is usually served.

If there had been a few thick slices of bread and butter with the tea I would gladly have gone forth in search of it. As it was, the prospect of a thimbleful of pale yellow fluid served round with smiles and bows was a little depressing. But our host knew the weakness of the European. We had, when offered our choice, recklessly voted in favour of a Japanese dinner, and we had had it, or, to be more exact, had had some of it. Still an inch of fish, perilously conveyed to the mouth with chopsticks, a mouthful of soup, and a sniff of greens kept too long in salt water, are not filling. We were therefore unfeignedly glad to discover, in place of the tea-tray, a table bountifully set forth with a good British dinner. I noticed that the Japanese who had so long sat at meat in the other room took very kindly to the European food, a preference which I fancy is growing.

I once asked the disguised prince who came across with us in the Coptic which style of food he preferred, the European or the Japanese. " The Japanese," he promptly answered. But then he had not for seven years had an opportunity of tasting it. 21 VOL.

Chapter II

A PERSONAL EPISODE IN HISTORY. Sitting one day in the European drawing room of Mr. Inouye's counting-house (which, after all, has its conveniences in the matter of chairs), the Foreign Minister told me the story of his life, which is also, in a great measure, the story of the life of the new Empire of Japan. In 1864 Japan was in those throes which surely presaged a new birth of one kind or other, most probably of revolution and rapine. At Tokio the Tycoon reigned, but scarcely governed ; at Kioto the Mikado reigned, but in no sense governed. The ancient and curiously solemn farce of dual majesty still prevailed. The Mikado's person and authority were sacred — too sacred for contact with mundane affairs. He lived in his palace surrounded by all the attributes of imperial majesty. His name was revered throughout all the provinces.

In theory his power was unlimited. He could do almost anything but direct the destinies of the nation of which he was the titular head. He could create a new deity, who would presently have his shrines, his priesthood, and his throng of worshippers. But he could not move a regiment of soldiers. The Tycoons, who had commenced to be CromweUs, whilst not destroying the king ship, had long usurped imperial state, and, in recent relations of foreign Powers, had used the title of majesty. So dark were the internal affairs of Japan to the foreigner that the shadowy emperor interned at Kioto was possibly, after some vague efforts to compre hend his position, absolutely ignored, and foreign treaties were contracted with "his Majesty the Tycoon." It was the existence of these treaties, and the prospect of further and closer intercourse with the scorned and hated foreigner, that accounted for the hot blood now seething in Japan, and threatening to find outlet somewhere, against the foreigner if possible, if not against the usurper who had so far forgotten his duty to the empire as to traffic with foreigners.

In 1854 a treaty had been made with the United States, very narrow in its scope, but iUimitable in its consequences. It had been signed at the instance or on the insistence of Commodore Perry, and bound the Japanese Government to afford succour and protection to seamen and vessels of the United States. If the Japanese Government failed therein, or could, in any plausible manner, be held to have failed, Commodore Perry or some one like him, at the head of a fleet of ironclads, would appear off Nagasaki, bombard the town, and perhaps land troops. The Tycoon, in entering into a pledge with a foreign Power, had given that Power the right to enforce its fulfilment. In 1858 Great Britain had wrung another treaty out of the Tycoon — one much wider in its scope than that conceded to the United States.

The foreigner had already obtained a foothold on the sacred shores of the empire. He lived at Yokohama, built houses, carried on trade, and if any two-sworded man were, in an excess of patriotism, to chop off his head, instead of being protected and advanced in favour, he was tried for murder. The foreigners were asking for more open ports. Fresh treaties were talked of, and nothing in the previous conduct of the Tycoon justified the hope that they would not be granted. The old nobles of Japan saw this degrada tion and threatened destruction of their country with troubled breasts and growing anger. They were the real rulers of Japan, though for convenience' sake, and with the object of preventing one or other of their fellows from usurping the emptied throne, they were content to do homage to the Tycoon.

But when he thus proved faithless to all traditions of the country, some of them resolved to assert the personal independence which had always existed in fact. Foremost amongst these hot-headed chieftains was the Prince of Chosiu. He swore a great oath that, let the Tycoon do what he pleased and make such treaties as he thought fit in Tokio, the province of Chosiu should be held free from the contaminating touch of the foreigners. If the foreigners entered his territory, they should incontinently be slain. If foreign ships appeared off his coasts, they should be fired upon ; to which end he built and armed forts. Amongst his retinue were two young men of twenty-two or twenty-three years of age, one named Ito and the other Inouye. They were of the samurai class, and then* sagacity and courage had, even at this early age, raised them high in the counsels of their prince.

They were daring enough to offer him advice, and when he talked of keeping the foreigners off with his puny forts, they gloomily shook their heads. They had seen British ships at anchor in Yedo Bay, and had heard the roar of their guns. "If," they said to the hot-headed chieftain, " you should succeed in driving off an English vessel by the fire from your forts, what then ? Within a week or two, others of greater strength would steam up, and in an hour you would not have a stone standing on another. The only thing to do is to beat England on her own ground : we must learn to sail ships and fight them, and with a fleet of our own we shall be able to keep our coast inviolate." The prince listened to reason from these young but trusted counsellors, and a notable scheme was hatched. These two men, with three others of the same age and standing, were to go to England, to spy out the land, master the great secret of naval supremacy, bring it back to Japan, straightway create a fleet, and then let England, the United States, and France look out.

The first difficulty in realization of this plan barred the start of the young patriots. It was at this time a capital offence for any Japanese to attempt to leave the country without the permission of the Tycoon. The Tycoon, however, was not a man to be trusted. He was gradually selling his birthright for successive messes of pottage, and patriotic Chosiu would have nothing to do with him. Japan should be saved in spite of him. In this dilemma young Inouye' came forward with his plan. He had often been down to Yokohama, watching with glowing eyes the evidences of the strength, activity, and, he was bound to admit, the intelligence of the detested foreigner. He had even scraped a personal acquaintance with some of them, amongst others a Mr. Gowen, then consul at Yokohama. What particular story he told this gentleman in order to induce him to assist in his escape I do not know.