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

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  Speaker 1: Section thirty eight of the Story of Japan. This is
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  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: Recording by Colin McMahon, The Story of Japan by Robert
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  Speaker 1: van Bergen. Mutsuhito Emperor of Japan on November third, eighteen
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  Speaker 1: fifty two, while Commodore Perry was making preparations to sail
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  Speaker 1: for Japan. The present Emperor, Mutsuhido, was born in the
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  Speaker 1: Old Teno Palace in Kyoto. His father, Emperor Kome, had lived,
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  Speaker 1: as had the descendants of the Sun Goddess, for so
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  Speaker 1: many hundreds of years, in absolute seclusion from the world,
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  Speaker 1: seeing only the faces of the members of his immediate household,
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  Speaker 1: who prostrated themselves in the dust whenever they approached their
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  Speaker 1: august sovereign. Within the palace, he reigned supreme, and it
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  Speaker 1: is more than probable that he he imagined that his
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  Speaker 1: will was law throughout the empire. But the regents were
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  Speaker 1: masters of Japan, and at the time of Mutsuhiro's birth
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  Speaker 1: there seemed very little likelihood that the heir to the
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  Speaker 1: throne would be more than a shadow ruler. He was
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  Speaker 1: taught to read and write Chinese as well as Japanese characters,
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  Speaker 1: to reverence the gods, his ancestors, and above all his father,
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  Speaker 1: as their living representative. He learned from his earliest youth
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  Speaker 1: to behave himself with the dignity due to his birth,
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  Speaker 1: and to act upon the suggestions of such of his attendants,
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  Speaker 1: as by birth and rank, were entitled to offer them.
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  Speaker 1: He had absolutely no amusements. He did not know what
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  Speaker 1: the words playmate and toy meant. To the Japanese boy
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  Speaker 1: from Samurai up to Teno, there exists no such thing
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  Speaker 1: as play or fun. Life to him is a sober
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  Speaker 1: existence revolving around one center duty. The seeds of revolution
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  Speaker 1: planted during the two hundred and fifty years of peace
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  Speaker 1: under the descendants of Yeyasu had begun to sprout. Perry's
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  Speaker 1: arrival acted like a warm rain after a prolonged drought,
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  Speaker 1: and signs appeared everywhere that the harvest was at hand.
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  Speaker 1: Did those hermits within the palace walls note the signs
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  Speaker 1: of the times, or were they too august to be
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  Speaker 1: informed that their dwelling was guarded more jealously than ever
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  Speaker 1: that armed samurai, trusted counselors of powerful clans were hiding
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  Speaker 1: in the old capital, and that the Yamado Damashi was
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  Speaker 1: abroad looking toward the descendant of the gods and imploring
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  Speaker 1: help from him. I do not think it likely that
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  Speaker 1: Emperor Komei knew anything of what was going on, but
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  Speaker 1: in all probability, the boy Mutsuhido was kept pretty well informed.
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  Speaker 1: His attendants while he was still heir apparent, could and
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  Speaker 1: would talk before him, and the lessons thus gained were
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  Speaker 1: a good preparation for his future career. We have seen
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  Speaker 1: that Emperor Komei died early in eighteen sixty seven, and
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  Speaker 1: the boy, not yet fifteen years old, ascended the throne
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  Speaker 1: amid the struggles of a civil war. His actions were
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  Speaker 1: of course determined by the Kugai in conjunction with the
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  Speaker 1: leading samurai of the allied clans. This council communicated its
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  Speaker 1: decisions to the imperial princes or Mia, who in their
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  Speaker 1: turn imparted them to the Teno. Thus it was decided
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  Speaker 1: that he should personally receive the foreign ministers, that he
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  Speaker 1: should marry the present Empress, a daughter of the House
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  Speaker 1: of Ichijo, and that he should leave Kyoto and take
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  Speaker 1: up his residence in Yedo, thereafter to be called Tokyo
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  Speaker 1: or Eastern Capital. From his education, the boy Emperor had
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  Speaker 1: acquired two valuable qualities, obedience to the suggestions of trustee
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  Speaker 1: councilors and that quiet submission to duty, which is the
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  Speaker 1: foundation of character in any boy. He was the first
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  Speaker 1: of his race, since more than a thousand years ago
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  Speaker 1: his ancestors had withdrawn from active life. To show him
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  Speaker 1: himself freely to his people. He discarded in public the
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  Speaker 1: old national dress, and in his official life conforms to
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  Speaker 1: the customs and manners of a foreign court, although within
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  Speaker 1: the privacy of his own apartments he prefers the dress
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  Speaker 1: and food of his youth. But what an era does
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  Speaker 1: his reign present to his people, Well, may it be
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  Speaker 1: called Meiji enlightened progress. Under his reign, the palpable differences
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  Speaker 1: of caste have disappeared. No more daimyo or kugae with
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  Speaker 1: their medieval privileges. No more attacks on harmless merchants by
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  Speaker 1: playful samurai bent upon testing the metal of their swords.
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  Speaker 1: No more etta outcasts of society, but equality of awe
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  Speaker 1: before the law. With a slight reservation in favor of
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  Speaker 1: the samurai or official class, and with these changes, wealth
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  Speaker 1: and prosperity have come to the people. The intercourse with
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  Speaker 1: other nations has brought new industries. When the Teno first
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  Speaker 1: entered yetto he spent twelve days on the fatiguing journey
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  Speaker 1: from the old imperial city. Now the iron horse brings
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  Speaker 1: him there in less than twenty four hours. More than
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  Speaker 1: three thousand miles of railroad have been built with Japanese
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  Speaker 1: capital and enterprise, and as many more are in the
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  Speaker 1: course of construction. The telegraph conveys the Emperor's commands to
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  Speaker 1: the farthest corner of his empire. Telephone and electric lights
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  Speaker 1: testify to Japan's ability to appreciate the inventions of this age.
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  Speaker 1: Factories have been built and furnish labor to tens of
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  Speaker 1: thousands of workmen, while wages have risen and savings increase,
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  Speaker 1: and Japan's army and navy, too, her greatest pride, have
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  Speaker 1: kept pace with the progress of the times and have
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  Speaker 1: compelled respect from abroad. Japan has taken her place as
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  Speaker 1: one of the great powers of the earth. Her flag
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  Speaker 1: begins to be known on the seas. Her merchant vessels
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  Speaker 1: are seen in Europe, Australia, and on the coast of America,
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  Speaker 1: as well as in the eastern parts of the Pacific.
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  Speaker 1: Her scholars compete with those of Western universities. Western civilization
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  Speaker 1: hails Japan's advent. What Tsuhito and his empire have gained
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  Speaker 1: the admiration and respect of the world, and the world
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  Speaker 1: acknowledges the high qualities of the ruling class, the samurai
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  Speaker 1: or shizoku. They will be regarded with suspicion unless they
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  Speaker 1: forego their scheme of revenge and decide to enhance the
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  Speaker 1: glory of their country and its tennaut by other means
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  Speaker 1: than a career of conquest. But for what they have
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  Speaker 1: accomplished thus far, American boys and girls will heartily join
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  Speaker 1: with those of Japan in shouting Nippon Banzai, Long Live Japan.
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  Speaker 1: End of section thirty eight recording by Colleen McMahon. End
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  Speaker 1: of the Story of Japan by Robert van Bergen