A Japanese interior

Front matter

HAROLD B. LEE LIBRARY

BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY

PROVO, UTAH

Preface

The letters presented to the public in this book were written during an experience of life in Japan somewhat different from that of the average foreign resident in the East. The author's call to the Orient came to her from one of the most conservative aud anti-foreign of the Tokyo schools, — a school for noble girls, under the management of the Imperial Household Department. The invitation was sent to her through a Japanese friend, who had been the teacher of English in the school since its foundation, for no foreigner's recommendation would have had much weight with the conservative and cultivated Japanese in charge of the institution. Work in such a school naturally brings a teacher into close contact with the most

VI PBEFACE.

refined and cultivated of Japanese women, and cannot fail to give to those who perform it a new sympathy with a class usually but little understood.

Upon my arrival in Tokyo in June, 1888, I found myself greeted by Japanese friends, known long and intimately in America, but from whom I had been separated for years. Their friendship had, however, stood well the strain of the long separation both by time and space. In all that great city I had no acquaintance of my own race and language, but my Japanese friends so cared for me and surrounded me by their kindness, that instead of missing the society of my own people, I found its absence a positive advantage, in that it threw me entirely upon congenial and interesting Japanese friends for that social intercourse necessary for all civilized beings.

Journeys over the beaten tracks of tourist travel during the summer of 1888 brought me in contact with many charming and interesting American and English

PREFACE. vil

people, acquaintances kept up during my stay in Japan ; but my home and life while in Tokyo was among the Japanese, the excursions made into the foreign world forming merely agreeable and unusual incidents.

My home in Tokyo was a house — half Japanese and half foreign — on a little hill in the Kojimachi district, the central district of the city. Above our house on the hill ran a great business street, where the influence of foreign ideas was as yet but little felt, and along which many of our most interesting walks were taken. A short walk in another direction led past the old-fashioned palace of Prince Fushimi, over a great moat, and up to the gates of the Akasaka Palace, the residence of the Emperor until the year 1889. Out from this palace gate the Empress, attended by her ladies, used to walk to visit her pet institution, the Peeresses' School, so near did it stand to the palace in closure. At about the same distance on the other side of us viii PREFACE.

stood the fine modern residence of Prince Kitashirakawa, and a little further prolongation of the walk carried one into the region occupied by the foreign legations and the official residences of the Cabinet Ministers, and up to the moat that encircles the heart of the city, — the ancient castle of the Shogun, within whose mighty ramparts stands the new Imperial Palace.

Within our house, my part, built as the Japanese are pleased to call it in " foreign style,55 — that is, with two stories, glass windows, swing doors, and a hole in the wall for the stovepipe to go through, — contained two rooms and a front entry, and was furnished after the manner common to American houses. This was connected with the purely Japanese part of the mansion by the engawa, a polished-wood-floored piazza, roofed by the overhanging eaves, and shut in at night by the solid sliding shutters or amado, so as to form a corridor along the garden side of the house.

The front was provided with two en-

PREFACE. IX

trances, — one into the foreign rooms, within which shoes might come, and one into the Japanese rooms by means of a little vestibule with low, latticed gate, where clogs must be laid aside before stepping upon the soft, white mats which form, not floor-covering only, but chairs, tables, and spring mattresses as well in a Japanese home. My paper- wralled dining-room, my only Japanese room, projected from the front of the house between these two entrances, and from it, as I took my solitary meals in " foreign style/5 accompanied by all the formalities of table, chairs, and knives and forks, I could hear the cheerful bustle that seemed always to hover about the Japanese entrance. Here was the place for the putting on of shoes, as in cumbersome foreign dress our family took their early start for school. At this place bows and saio naras were exchanged on the part of all in the house whenever one member of the family went away on so much as a shopping expedition ; here, too, sounded

X PBEFACE.

the cheerful "Okaeri," that announced the return of one of the occupants of the house, the breathless " 0 kyaku " shouted by the kurumaya of the coming guest so soon as he was within the gate, or the deprecating " Go men nasai," with which an applicant for admission made known his presence.

One kitchen sufficed for our family, but two cooks and two stoves were necessary for our double household. My own cook, upon a stove of foreign manufacture, prepared my food after the foreign manner, while the little gozen taki with her Japanese stove, aided by numerous shichi rin, did the cooking for the rest of the family. Outside of the kitchen were the servants' quarters, and near the back gate stood a small stable with a three-mat room, for the accommodation of the groom and his family.

Toward the garden, the house formed two sides of a square, along which ran the engawa connecting foreign and Japanese

PREFACE. XI

buildings. A step out of my long window and down this shining piazza brought me into the very heart of a Japanese home. Here the family gathered about the hibachi of a cold day or in the winter evenings. Here they sat on the floor and sewed, constructing kimono, obi, haori, and other graceful and dainty garments with paper thimble, a long needle upon which the cloth is run, and an endless thread, cut off from the reel only when the seam is finished. Here they told stories, exchanged ideas, studied lessons, and accorded warmest welcome at all times to the foreigner attracted thither by the life and interest that seemed always about the rooms.

On sunny days, the little garden, with its pine-tree, its cherry and plum trees, its camelia hedge, its stone lantern, and its perennial succession of flowers, was our common playground. Here we all laughed together over my first attempts with Japanese clogs and the Japanese language; here my American collie chased their tail-

Xll PREFACE.

less Japanese cat, to the never - failing amusement of all parties concerned ; here was the centre, perhaps, of our home life in all but the worst weather. Was I lonely? Into the garden I went, and straightway from some room of the Japanese house a bright-eyed little friend would make her way out to join me, and soon another, and then another would step down from the engawa into her waiting clogs, and then a game, or a run, or a new flower, or something of absorbing interest would engross us all.

Our household was composed entirely of women, — three of us teachers in the Peeresses5 School, three pupils in the same institution, and two young girls living in the family for the sake of the culture, especially in English, to be derived from such society. These, with the servants needed for the establishment, my dog, and the two cats, made up a congenial company.

Such were the surroundings amid which most of these letters were written. What-

PREFACE. xill

ever views they may give of Japanese life were obtained from the Japanese side, and from the side of the Japanese woman, although undoubtedly much affected by passing through the medium of an American mind. The letters do not lay claim to deep research or wide knowledge of all subjects touched upon by them. They are simply a daily chronicle of events, sights, and impressions. They have the character of the product of a photographic camera rather than of an artist's brush. Whatever theories are advanced are put forward as the material from which thought may be made, and not as the result of mature deliberation. The book is more a picture of the life of one foreigner among the Japanese, and a record of her thoughts about their civilization and her own, than it is an authority on Japan in general, or on any particular phase of life there.

To all my Japanese friends my thanks are due for whatever I have seen or known or enjoyed in their country, and if through xiv PREFACE.

lack of tact or wisdom or literary skill anything has found a place in this volume that their clearer judgment would have left unpublished, pardon is asked now for all offenses. My thought throughout the work of editing these letters has been to preserve, so far as possible, without violating confidence, or that sweet seclusion that is so characteristic a feature of Japanese home life, the little touches of nature that make the whole world kin, and bring into one human brotherhood all races under heaven.

CONTENTS,

I. Tokyo, September 5 to 26

Going" to Housekeeping. — An Evening Walk. — Fireworks and Rochester Lamps. — A Foreign Restaurant. — Shopping at the Kwan-ko-ba. — Settling Accounts. — Introduction to the Peeresses. — School Routine. — Story of Boy and Crab. — Jinrikisha Riding. — The Climate .... - 1

II. October 1 to 15

A Sunday Visit. — " Bot' Chan." — Preparations for a Horse. — The Peeresses' English Society. — Tokyo from a Horse's Back. — English as a Dead Language. — Dawn. — A Sunday-School Class. — Mr. Kozaki. — Difficulties with the Kana. — Bruce and the Betto. — Lecture on Bandai San. — Prince Haru. — Difficulties in Church-Going. — A Japanese Meal 19

III. October 21 to November 4

Mr. Kozaki's Church. — Introduction to Bible Class. — Reception Days. — A Hibachi. — Two Old xvi CONTENTS.

Ladies. — My Paper Dining-Room. — Funeral Fashions. — An Official Funeral. — Simplicity of Japanese Living*. — Posthumous Titles. — The Emperor's Birthday 33

IV. November 12 to 14

A No Performance. — Death of Prince Aki. — Dango Zaka 59

V. November 25 to December 18

A Ball at the Rokumei-kwan. — A Tokyo Story. — Bot' Chan's Studies in Physiognomy. — Thanksgiving and Turkey. — Christmas Carols. — Fuji- Yama. — The New Palace. — Tokyo Moats. — Bowing to Prince Haru 77

VI. December 27 to January 6

Christmas Preparations. — Hanging Stockings. — English Service. — A Church Festival. — New Year's Decorations. — New Year's Eve on Ginza. — A Street Fight. — New Year's Day. — Street Performers. — An Earthquake. — Kurumayas in Cold Weather 91

VII. January 13 to 30

Discharging a Groom. — The New Kurumaya. — The Emperor's Moving-Day. — A New Year's Lunch.

CONTENTS. xvii

— Buying a Kuruma. — A New Horse. — The Japanese Language. — The Promulgation of the Constitution. — Tombs of the Loyal Konin . . .110

VIII. February 12 to 20

The Promulgation Festival. — Morning Scenes on Kojimachi. — Exercises at the School. — Imperial Progress through Tokyo Streets. — Evening Rides and Street Sights. — Rice and Eels. — Mingling with the Holiday Crowd. — Murder of Viscount Mori. — Viscount Mori's Funeral. — Religious Liberty under the Constitution. — Another Earthquake 129

IX. March 1 to 9

The Wily Betto. — Yasaku's Domestic Affairs. — Marriage and Divorce. — Developments in Regard to the Mori Murder. — Letters from Nishino to his Family. — A Spring Jaunt. — Toy Collecting . . 147

April 19 to May 2.

The Empress' Visit. — Presentation to the Empress.

— A Buddhist Funeral. — A Garden Party. — Questions on John's Gospel 189

XIII. May 8 to June 22

Summer Weather. — A Matsuri. — Early School. — Perry Expedition Reports. — Bible Class of School-Girls. — Fighting Fleas. — Japanese Servants. — The New School-Building. — The Peeresses' Literary Society. — A Speech by Mr. Knapp.

— Scandal 204

XIV. June 29 to July 24

School- Building Trouble settled. — A Japanese Baby. — Shopping. — Japanese Taste. — Facts and Theories. — Calls from Drs. Brooks and Mc- Vickar. — Packing in Wet Weather. — Farewell Presents. — Graduating Exercises. — Near View of the Empress. — Correcting Proof under Difficulties 223

XV. Hiyei Zan, July 31, to Numadzu, August 28

View from HiyeH Zan. — The Mission Camp. — Last Days in Tokyo. — Voyage to Kobe*. — From

CONTENTS. xix

Kobe* to Hiy^i. — Historical Interest of Hiyel. — Pleasant Weather and Walks. — A Young Buddhist. — Some Effects of the Summer Camp. — Benkei's Relics. — The "Hiy& Zan Hornet." — Shopping in Kioto. — The River at Night. — Illumination of the Mountains. — A Snake Story.

— Traveling in Japanese Style. — Start in a Typhoon. — Nagoya. — A Wayside Inn. — Okazaki.

— Weak Kurumayas. — An Unpleasant Hotel. Okitsu. — End of the Journey. — Numadzu. — Children's Visits. — Slow Freight. — Plans for Home 239

A JAPANESE nsTTERIOB.

CHAPTER I. September 5 to 26

Going to Housekeeping*. — An Evening Walk. — Fireworks and Rochester Lamps. — A Foreign Restaurant.

— Shopping at the Kwan-ko-ba. — Settling Accounts.

— Introduction to the Peeresses. — School Routine. — Story of Boy and Crab. — Jinrikisha Riding. — The Climate.

Kioi Cho, Tokyo, Wednesday, September 5, 1888.

I came down from Nikko on Monday, alone. My new cook met me, and brought me and the few worldly goods I had with me safely up to my new house. He seems anxious to do what I want and willing to turn his hand to anything, but as he does not know any English and I know very little Japanese, it is sometimes hard for him to grasp my idea. Mine has to do a good deal of work at present as an interpreter, but I hope soon to be able to give orders myself to my servants in their own language.

I find that the business of getting settled in Japan involves a good deal of sitting still and waiting for people to do things. Just now, I am having an enforced rest, for my cook has gone off, leaving word that he is sick. Mine is away, so that I cannot do some shopping that I wish to ; all my trunks are unpacked and my clothes put away, and there is absolutely nothing that I can do, in spite of the fact that there is a great deal to be accomplished.

Last evening, Mine and her train of girls who live in the house took me out to walk and do some errands. We walked along a broad street with lighted shops on both sides, along which a great concourse of people were moving up and down, with no end in view, I imagine, except to enjoy the coolness of the evening after an excessively hot day. Here and there on mats laid on the ground, or in little booths, were spread out the wares of some enterprising peddler, — sometimes a stock of fruit, sometimes a great display of wooden ware, sometimes a traveling restaurant, with curious concoctions of rice, fish, seaweed,

AN EVENING WALK. 3

etc., to tempt the appetite of the hungry pedestrian. One booth was filled with minute cages, from which proceeded a tremendous chirping, produced by various kinds of singing insects, — crickets, katydids, grasshoppers, etc. All up and down the street there was a glare of small kerosene torches, like those used in torchlight processions at home, only smaller. These served to light each dealer's display pretty well. At one place where we stopped to inquire the price of melons, Bruce caught sight of a cat prowling about, and made a rush at it with such good effect that the cat sprang into the middle of our fruit vender's stock-in-trade, hitting one of his torches and throwing it over. Luckily, watermelons are not inflammable, so no harm was done, though the torch lay on its side for some time, burning merrily, before it was picked up. After this adventure, Bruce walked along ignominiously at the end of a strap during the remainder of our expedition. Whenever we stopped to make a purchase, a crowd gathered and watched our doings most intently. Apparently, a foreign lady with a dog shopping at that time of night is not a common sight in this part of the city, and we began to feel very much like a traveling show as audience after audience gathered around us, to disperse again when we moved on.

When we returned from our walk, I went into Mine's part of the house, and we had a queer little feast. First Mine handed around some beans, roasted in a cornpopper as we do chestnuts. They were very nice, except that after a while they seemed rather choky. Then I offered the company some candy that I had bought at one of the booths, a kind of jelly, as clear as glass, coated with sugar. Then we topped off with a glass of raspberry vinegar all around. This proved to be an entire novelty to Mine's Japanese friends, and they were delighted with it. To end our exciting evening, the girls set off some fireworks. First they tried some of the little Japanese parlor fireworks that we see in America, and these were very pretty and went off successfully. Then one of the girls lighted something of the rocket or Roman candle species, that fired balls from a stick set in the ground. But this was rather a failure, for Bruce decided that it was a dangerous weapon, and as soon as

A FOBEIGN BESTAURANT. 5

it began to go he made a rush at it and bit the lighted end off, setting the hair on his chin and around his neck in a blaze, but entirely discouraging the rocket. He then came back, singed but happy, and quite sure that he had rescued us from a great danger. After this excitement, the whole family came with me to my parlor, to see the new Rochester lamp which I had just had hung. They were much impressed by the magnificent light that it gave, and Mine's cousin, a dear little sweet -faced widow, the chaperon of our establishment, poetically remarked that my lamp was like the sun, and theirs was like a little star.

You would be amused to see the manner in which I am greeted at the little restaurant where Bruce and I are now taking our dinners. My affairs are so far settled that my cook is able to achieve a simple breakfast in the house, but we have not attempted dinner, so I take it every evening at the little foreign restaurant around the corner. I tie Bruce in the yard before I go in, and this stop gives time for the whole force of the house to assemble in the entry, where they draw up in line, and salute me as I pass with the lowest and most graceful of bows. The tail end of the line consists of two small boys, just the same size and dressed exactly alike, who look as if they could not be more than ten years old, they are so small and have such baby faces, but thev make as elaborate and beautiful bows as if they were dancing-masters.

Yesterday I made a visit to the Kwan-ko-ba at Shiba to buy the china necessary for my housekeeping. This big bazaar is a very interesting place, because there you can find under one roof an epitome of everything that Japan makes or wants, to wear or to use about the house. The Shiba Kwan-ko-ba is the largest in Tokyo, and has a great many different stalls kept by independent tradesmen. The advantage of the place to inexperienced persons like myself is that everything has its price fixed and plainly marked upon it according to its quality, so that there is no danger of being overcharged or cheated. Here I bought, for the moderate sum of ten yen, all the china that I can use at my

SETTLING ACCOUNTS. 7

small table, and all pretty and dainty iu design and finish, so that I am now ready to begin my housekeeping, if I can make my cook understand that I wish him to order the necessary supplies from the grocer.

To-night I had my first settling of accounts with my cook, a function that had to be conducted largely with the aid of a dictionary. My man squatted on the floor in front of me, and took out from the folds of his gown a queer little account-book, in which he had written some hieroglyphics that he found a good deal of difficulty in deciphering. With many suckings in of the breath, he would enunciate as clearly and loudly as possible the Japanese word for the thing purchased, and if I did not know what it was, I had to look it up in the dictionary before we could go farther. Then came the price in Japanese, which after my summer of shopping and traveling presented no difficulties to me, and then both purchase and price must be transferred to my account-book. We spent a long time over one word, which he pronounced as if it were spelled " tabu," so I looked it up in my dictionary, and was in despair when I could find no such word, until suddenly it came over me that he was trying1 to say "tub." What with his Japonicized English and my Anglicized Japanese we find it hard to understand each other, but I hope that soon the spur of necessity will so far improve my Japanese as to remove these little difficulties.

To-day I have been over to the school for the first time in my official capacity, and have seen and been introduced to my classes and my superiors, and to-morrow I begin work. Mine introduced me to Mrs. Shimoda, the lady principal, who does not speak any English, so we were obliged to exchange polite speeches through the medium of Mine's interpretation. Then I was taken to a little room, where I was shown a desk in which I can keep whatever books, stationery, etc., I may wish to have at the school, and at which I can sit between classes. Every teacher has such a desk, and it seems a very convenient arrangement. Here I wras left to meditate until called for, but the time did