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34 - Story of Japan by Robert van Bergen · Story of Japan

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  Speaker 1: Section thirty four of the Story of Japan. This is
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: For more information Otto Volunteer, please visit liprivox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: Recording by AVAI in January two thousand twenty one. The
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  Speaker 1: Story of Japan by Robert van Bergen, Section thirty four.
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  Speaker 1: The Teno leaves his seclusion. I have told you before
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  Speaker 1: that the first act of the new government had been
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  Speaker 1: to ratify the treaties, and it was publicly announced that
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  Speaker 1: the Teno had given his consent that foreigners should live
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  Speaker 1: in Japan and trade there. The Foreign Minister is now
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  Speaker 1: proposed that they should present their credentials, as the papers
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  Speaker 1: appointing them are called to the Teno in person. And
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  Speaker 1: Okubo and Kido prevailed upon the Court to consent that
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  Speaker 1: this extraordinary step be taken child to be visible and
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  Speaker 1: above all by those foreign intruders who had forced themselves
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  Speaker 1: upon the sacred soil of Japan. You may well suppose
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  Speaker 1: that the people thought the world was coming to an end,
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  Speaker 1: and so far as old Japanese superstitions and the customs
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  Speaker 1: of the Middle Ages were concerned, the beginning of the
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  Speaker 1: end had certainly come Kyoto. The sacred city was to
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  Speaker 1: be profaned by the presence of foreigners, who were to
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  Speaker 1: be received as welcome guests. They must be made welcome,
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  Speaker 1: for Japan had need of them. Both Okubo and Kidor
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  Speaker 1: felt sure of it, And although they liked these strangers
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  Speaker 1: no better than did the rest of the samurai, they
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  Speaker 1: needed them for the advice they could give, the teachers
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  Speaker 1: they could supply, and the improvements they could help to introduce.
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  Speaker 1: For Japan must be raised from the slough of ignorance
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  Speaker 1: into which she had sunk. She must shake off the
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  Speaker 1: fetters of useless encumbrances, and must prepare to be able
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  Speaker 1: to take her place among the foremost nations of the earth,
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  Speaker 1: and lead not follow. Okubu and Kido knew full well
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  Speaker 1: that the path was crooked and thorny and beset with pitfalls.
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  Speaker 1: But if there were no foolish going astray for the
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  Speaker 1: purpose of momentary gratification, if the final aim were held
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  Speaker 1: constantly in view, greatness would be achieved and no time
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  Speaker 1: would be lost. So the foreign ministers were to be
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  Speaker 1: received by this youth of mighty omen, and Kyoto was
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  Speaker 1: crowded for samurai priests and idle young men had flocked
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  Speaker 1: to the capital, where a new force was opening the
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  Speaker 1: era of Enlightenment. The British minister was one of the
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  Speaker 1: first of Western people to stand face to face with
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  Speaker 1: the mysterious heaven child. He was escorted to the capital
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  Speaker 1: as befitted his rank and the dignity of his country,
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  Speaker 1: was received and shown to the residents set apart for
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  Speaker 1: him during his brief stay, and a Japanese guard of
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  Speaker 1: honor watched over his safety. But two young men who
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  Speaker 1: had come to the old capital after making merry until
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  Speaker 1: they were scarcely able to distinguish right from Rome, began
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  Speaker 1: discussing the topics of the day. What subject could be
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  Speaker 1: of more absorbing interest than the approaching visit of these
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  Speaker 1: bearded foreigners to their tenant. In Maudlin's sorrow, they began
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  Speaker 1: to bewail the disgrace of the country in being compelled
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  Speaker 1: to suffer the presence of the strangers, until finally they
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  Speaker 1: decided to emulate the ronin and dispatch some of the
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  Speaker 1: unwelcome visitors. The British minister, unconscious of the plot at
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  Speaker 1: the appointed hour, prepared to go to the palace in
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  Speaker 1: such state as would impress the people accustomed to set
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  Speaker 1: an inordinate value upon pomp and ceremony. The Japanese guard led,
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  Speaker 1: then came the mounted escort, followed by the minister and
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  Speaker 1: those attached to the legation. Upon turning a corner, there
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  Speaker 1: was a commotion and a man was seeing running a
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  Speaker 1: muck and slashing with his sharp sword at the members
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  Speaker 1: of the escort. He came, indeed very near killing the minister,
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  Speaker 1: but the Japanese guard was not idle, and before he
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  Speaker 1: could work much mischief, the poor crazed man was severely wounded,
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  Speaker 1: taken prisoner, and carried to a neighboring house. The incident
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  Speaker 1: prevented the audience from taking place on that day. The
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  Speaker 1: Japanese government acted promptly and with energy. A dignified apology
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  Speaker 1: was offered to the British minister, who accepted it in
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  Speaker 1: the same spirit. The next day, the descendant of the
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  Speaker 1: Sun goddess met the foreigner, and with this meeting began
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  Speaker 1: the era of New Japan. But how were the necessary
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  Speaker 1: reforms to be begun? That was the question facing those
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  Speaker 1: who had taken the lead. It was not enough to
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  Speaker 1: demolish the structure that had existed since the Middle Ages.
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  Speaker 1: It was necessary that the sound timber should be preserved
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  Speaker 1: and used in the most stately building that was to
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  Speaker 1: arise upon the ruins of the old. What material must
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  Speaker 1: be kept and what discarded? The first step was taken.
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  Speaker 1: The Teno might remain a god, but he must no
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  Speaker 1: longer be a hermit. He must be a ruler in
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  Speaker 1: the modern sense of the term. And to perform this
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  Speaker 1: task effectually, Kyoto must be left behind, and the seat
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  Speaker 1: of government transferred to the capitol founded by Yeyasu, no
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  Speaker 1: longer to be called Yedo but Tokyo or Eastern Capital,
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  Speaker 1: but now a meeting of the nobles was called to
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  Speaker 1: arrange about the next step. The young Teno, then a
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  Speaker 1: lad of sixteen years, attended the meeting, took the oath
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  Speaker 1: as ruler, and, instructed by his advisers, promised that a
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  Speaker 1: deliberative assembly should be formed, all measures to be decided
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  Speaker 1: by public opinion, the uncivilized customs of former times to
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  Speaker 1: be broken through the impartiality and justice displayed in the
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  Speaker 1: workings of nature to be adopted as a basis of action.
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  Speaker 1: This promise was afterwards taken to imply a constitutional government
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  Speaker 1: acquainted as we now are with the Japanese. This proceeding
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  Speaker 1: is easily accounted for. The Tenor was speaking not to
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  Speaker 1: the common people, always kept in submission and satisfied with
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  Speaker 1: the usually just and humane rule of the samurai, but
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  Speaker 1: to those samurai themselves, four hundred thousand men accustomed to
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  Speaker 1: be consulted in the management of their clans and to
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  Speaker 1: occupy such offices as their administration rendered necessary. These men,
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  Speaker 1: the muscle and brain of the nation, were watching the
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  Speaker 1: course of events and asking what is to become of us.
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  Speaker 1: This promise on the part of the government meant and
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  Speaker 1: was understood to mean, whatever happens, you shall all have
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  Speaker 1: a share in the government under the new order of affairs,
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  Speaker 1: and nothing shall be done without consultation with you. The
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  Speaker 1: promise had the effect foreseen by the government. The samurai
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  Speaker 1: was satisfied to await the course of events. Okubo, Kido, Goto,
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  Speaker 1: and Iwakura were soon convinced that if the Teno's government
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  Speaker 1: was to acquire real authority, the old feudal system must fall.
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  Speaker 1: They consulted with their fellow clansmen and persuaded them that
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  Speaker 1: their daimyo, Satsuma, Choshu and Tusa should return their territories
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  Speaker 1: to the emperor. The daimyo, as you have learned, were
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  Speaker 1: only puppets, and when the Council of the Samurai had
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  Speaker 1: decided that it should be so, the lords of the
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  Speaker 1: clan could only submit, but satsumas samurai. Although they consulted,
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  Speaker 1: and although the document was sent to the Teno, reserved
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  Speaker 1: to themselves the right to postpone its entering into effect
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  Speaker 1: until they were satisfied that their clan would receive due recognition.
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  Speaker 1: They were not in favor of a new order of affairs,
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  Speaker 1: but preferred a feudal system of which they knew the
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  Speaker 1: ways and advantages, to a new system of which they
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  Speaker 1: knew nothing, especially if their clan could occupy the position
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  Speaker 1: so lately wrested from the Tokugawa. The plans of Okubo, Kido,
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  Speaker 1: and Iwakura, however, met with success for the other daimyo,
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  Speaker 1: or rather their samurai, impelled by the example of the
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  Speaker 1: great southern clans, also placed their territories in the hands
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  Speaker 1: of the Teno to accustom the samurai to the change.
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  Speaker 1: These lands were now called departments, and the former daimyo
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  Speaker 1: were appointed as governors. A new division of the inhabitants
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  Speaker 1: was made into the following four classes. One the kosoku
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  Speaker 1: or imperial princes, to the kazoku, the former kuge and
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  Speaker 1: the daimyo, three the shizoku the former samurai, and four
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  Speaker 1: the hemin the common people. Many of the samurai, however,
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  Speaker 1: were afraid that two great changes would be harmful to
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  Speaker 1: their country. In the Deliberative Assembly of eighteen sixty nine,
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  Speaker 1: the Clerk of the House or No, introduced the motion
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  Speaker 1: proposing to abolish harakiri. Only three members out of two
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  Speaker 1: hundred and nine spoke in favor of this motion. Six
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  Speaker 1: members declined to vote, but two hundred voted against it.
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  Speaker 1: In the debate that preceded the voting, the different speakers
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  Speaker 1: referred to this pecure Julia's suicide as the very shrine
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  Speaker 1: of the Japanese national spirit and the embodiment in practice
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  Speaker 1: of devotion to principle, a great ornament to the empire,
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  Speaker 1: a valuable institution tending to the honor of the nobles,
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  Speaker 1: and based on a compassionate feeling toward the official caste,
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  Speaker 1: a pillar of religion, and a spur to virtue and honor.
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  Speaker 1: Who introduced this motion was murdered not long afterwards, but
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  Speaker 1: the leaders of New Japan were determined to control both
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  Speaker 1: power and means to carry out the necessary reforms. The
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  Speaker 1: income of the former daimyo was appropriated by the government,
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  Speaker 1: and the old feudal lords received a pension equal to
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  Speaker 1: one tenth of their former revenues. But what was to
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  Speaker 1: become of the samurai. These men as a class despised
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  Speaker 1: trade and were, by tradition and education unable to earn
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  Speaker 1: their own living. Give them work that suits them, said
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  Speaker 1: Saigo Takamordi and those Samurai members of the council who
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  Speaker 1: sympathized with the fighting qualities of their class. We have
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  Speaker 1: been humiliated by these foreigners, and we are not strong
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  Speaker 1: enough to fight them. But there is Korea. It belongs
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  Speaker 1: to us, and the king has insulted our Teno. Let
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  Speaker 1: us show these foreigners that if we are no match
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  Speaker 1: for them, we are at least able to vanquish somebody else.
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  Speaker 1: And it will please the samurai to show to the
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  Speaker 1: world of what stuff they are made. It won't do,
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  Speaker 1: replied Okubo Kidor and those men who saw further ahead.
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  Speaker 1: It is true that Korea has refused to receive our
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  Speaker 1: embassy and to recognize the Teno and we shall settle
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  Speaker 1: that little account afterwards. If we did so now, these
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  Speaker 1: foreigners might and probably would interfere. When we begin that game,
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  Speaker 1: we must be able to say hands off, and to
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  Speaker 1: do so we need an army and a navy such
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  Speaker 1: as these foreigners have. We must have experienced officers able
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  Speaker 1: to beat the foreigners at their own game. And above all,
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  Speaker 1: we must provide ourselves with a well filled purse. No,
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  Speaker 1: it will not do at this time. But what about
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  Speaker 1: the Samurai? Are you going to let them starve while
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  Speaker 1: you are preparing? Well. We shall help them as much
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  Speaker 1: as we can, but for the sake of Japan, we
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  Speaker 1: must employ only the best material, and those Samurai who
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  Speaker 1: are possessed with the true spirit will not ask for help.
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  Speaker 1: Saigo and the other representatives of the old samurai class
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  Speaker 1: resigned their positions and withdrew in great anger to their
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  Speaker 1: former clans. The samurai were granted a pension of twenty
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  Speaker 1: dollars a year, or if they wished, they could sell
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  Speaker 1: their pensions to the government. The less worthy among them
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  Speaker 1: did so. A few became merchants, and I know of
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  Speaker 1: some who grew rich. Others spent the money in riotous living,
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  Speaker 1: and when it was gone, applied to the government for help,
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  Speaker 1: only to receive the answer go and work. I have
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  Speaker 1: known jinrikisha kulis who had been samurai but lost caste
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  Speaker 1: and were earning an honest living in this humble manner.
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  Speaker 1: Saigo and his men had the sympathies of a great
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  Speaker 1: many samurai, and the government understood that if it would
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  Speaker 1: succeed in its plans, it must have the means to
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  Speaker 1: suppress any attempt at rebellion. It was Okubu again who
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  Speaker 1: proposed the introduction of a system of conscription, by which
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  Speaker 1: a number of able bodied young men of the common
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  Speaker 1: people should be compelled to serve in the army. The
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  Speaker 1: young samurai of the required age were also admitted into
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  Speaker 1: army and navy. French officers were engaged to establish a
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  Speaker 1: modern army, and Prettish officers to form a modern navy.
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  Speaker 1: Such of the samurai classes gave evidence of ability, was
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  Speaker 1: speedily promoted to be officers, and attention was given to
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  Speaker 1: the influence of their families in the clan. By these means,
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  Speaker 1: an effective army loyal to the Teno alone was speedily established.
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  Speaker 1: Schools were opened, and instructors were engaged abroad. And the
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  Speaker 1: great mass of Samurai, too old to learn the new
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  Speaker 1: system and discipline of the army, gave ample evidence that
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  Speaker 1: there were still the leading power in Japan by the
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  Speaker 1: earnestness with which they applied themselves to the study of
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  Speaker 1: foreign languages and books. The efforts of these men were
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  Speaker 1: often pathetic, never ridiculous. They wanted to learn, and they
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  Speaker 1: would study indiscriminately any book that came into their hands,
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  Speaker 1: with a patience and assiduity that demanded respect. The same
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  Speaker 1: was the case with young Samurai boys. Teachers marveled that
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  Speaker 1: there was no occasion to keep order. These lads went
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  Speaker 1: to school for no other purpose than to learn, and
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  Speaker 1: so long as they felt that they were making progress,
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  Speaker 1: they were satisfied with their teacher. But woe to the
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  Speaker 1: teacher who did not understand his business. The entire class
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  Speaker 1: would walk out and simply declare to the authorities that
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  Speaker 1: they did not want to study under him, and the
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  Speaker 1: discharge of the teacher followed at short notice. It was
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  Speaker 1: natural that the laws and regulations issued by the government
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  Speaker 1: should be largely experimental. The aim was simple enough, Japan
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  Speaker 1: must be made great and powerful, and this the real
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  Speaker 1: purpose must be kept hidden from the foreigners. But these experiments,
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  Speaker 1: although frequently expensive and annoying, brought experience, which was further
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  Speaker 1: increased when a number of influential and sagacious men were
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  Speaker 1: sent around the world to invest the gate and report
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  Speaker 1: upon the laws, customs, and institutions of Europe and America,
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  Speaker 1: so that the wheat might be separated from the chaff,
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  Speaker 1: and Japan import only such customs and laws as would
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  Speaker 1: promote the object in view. Young men of promise were
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  Speaker 1: provided with the means to go abroad for the purpose
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  Speaker 1: of acquiring such knowledge as would be of advantage to Japan.
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  Speaker 1: You may have met some of these Japanese students. Did
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  Speaker 1: you ever know one who was not an earnest worker
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  Speaker 1: who did not accomplish the purpose for which he was sent?
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  Speaker 1: Books on all subjects and from all modern languages were
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  Speaker 1: translated into Japanese and eagerly read by these men, who
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  Speaker 1: were all actuated by the same impulse to be able
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  Speaker 1: to serve their country. Foreigners might laugh, and deeply the
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  Speaker 1: Japanese samurai felt the insult, for they are acutely sensitive
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  Speaker 1: to ridicule. When the government proceeded to order our fair
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  Speaker 1: fashion of dress adopted by the nobles and the official class.
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  Speaker 1: The topknot had been sacrificed before this, But the Japanese gentlemen,
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  Speaker 1: accustomed to the freedom of movements which the native clothing permits,
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  Speaker 1: felt uncomfortable in our close fitting suits, which rendered them awkward. However,
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  Speaker 1: the Tenor himself appeared in public in the uniform of
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  Speaker 1: a general, and it was evident that for the army
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  Speaker 1: and navy at least our fashion of dress had the advantage.
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  Speaker 1: But these experiments, no matter how trivial in themselves, all
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  Speaker 1: had the same purpose in view. End of Section thirty
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  Speaker 1: four