Romances and dramas are the favorite forms of composition. Dramas from the history of gods and heroes are acted at their religious feasts with great splendor of toilet and decoration; they also have pantomimes or ballets, and the excellence of their jugglers is celebrated. On the other hand, their music is poor. They have no imagination: their minds are practical like those of the Chinese, but much more elastic.
Character of lire capabilities are excellent, and their character is not bad. They are active and industrious, merry and open hearted, not dishonorable, brave and noble, and pleasant to deal with. Their speech also is a varied one, owing to the different modes of address used to equals or to inferiors and among the different classes.
Family Id:fc of the family life is lax according to our ideas, for polygamy is allowed, as with the winos. The men visit disrep utable houses without discredit, and girls who have lived in such places for years may at last marry honorably. Very primitive ideas prevail upon all these topics. The children, however, are well cared for: the respect shown by them to their parents is often very great, and relatives arc warmly attached to each other.
Go:A./yin/cwt.—In ancient times the government was based on the family, as among the !duos; but in Japan it was developed further and formed into a theocratico-despotic state. The emperor, or mikado, is said to have been first installed about 66o B. c., probably by Chinese influence (Kiimpfer). Ile is considered to be related to the gods and as being him self god-like. Even in Kiimpfer's time (169o) he was considered so holy that, like the princes of Tahiti, dared not touch the earth with his feet. The power of the daimios, or princes, is derived from him, and they likewise claim heavenly descent. This view of the ruler's sanctity is now much modified, but it explains the present form of political life to the minutest detail. As was the case with the temporo-spiritual rulers of sonic of the South Sea islands, the mikado was gradually withdrawn from political life into a more holy, spiritual, and inactive retirement. But within late times be has regained his former power without sacrificing his holiness. He has twelve wives (at least this was the custom), of whom the one who bore the crown prince is made chief wife with the title of kisaki (fil. 62, fig. 9). The strict formalities and gradations, as well as the great splendor, of the court (pl. 62, figs. 6, 8, 9) are a consequence of the mikado's sanctity.
Caste.—The class-division of the entire people takes place in accord ance with the view that some castes stand nearer to the gods than others, that they are therefore holier, and that those of less sanctity dare not come among them. Thus the populace is divided into eight castes or classes—princes, nobles, priests, warriors, officials, merchants, artisans, and finally workmen, farmers, and clay-laborers. Standing outside of the castes, because unclean, are the executioners, tanners, bawds, etc. The strict laws of the Japanese, the rigid classification of their political sys tem, as well as the privileges of certain classes (as, e. g., hunting being allowed only to the nobility, who are passionately fond of it), all come from the same source. Hunting with falcons is practised here 64, fig. 9).
If 'capons and II Japanese are skilful in the use of weap ons. They have now adopted the European manner of warfare, but in antiquity they used stone weapons, lances and arrow-points (pl. 64, figs. 13-15), knives (fig. 19), and axes (fig. 21) very similar in material and workmanship to the European relics of the Stone Age. The weapons of the Middle Ages among the Japanese resemble the European weapons of the same period, as is evident from a glance at the heavy, padded armor of the or chief field-captain, with its neck-gauntlet, artistic helmet, and mask-like visor (pl. 64, fig. 23); at the heavy war-boots (pl. 64, fig. 18) which belong to this and to similar outfits; and finally at the long lances with differently formed tips (pl. 64, fig. 4-6), which were concealed in corresponding sheaths (pi. 64, figs. 2, 3).
The Japanese and Coreans had, like the Chinese, ponderous instru ments for siege (pl. 6o, fig. 5); and they also, like the Ainos, used bows and arrows. There were two peculiar kinds of arrows—the burning arrow (pl. 64, fig. 8) which was shot while flaming, and which, striking wooden structures, put them in great danger; and the screaming arrow, the lower end of which is shown on Plate 64 (fig. 12), which was hollow, with tube-like openings, so that in flying through the air it made a loud howling sound, inspiring terror in the enemy's ranks. Particularly im portant is the sword of the Japanese, which the Ainos copied from them: the soldiers and nobles carry two such swords, always near together in the belt (p'. 62, fig. 7; comp. the hunters, pl. 64, fig. 9).