ITIUS PORTUS, por'tus. The place where Caesar, B.C. 55 and 54, set out on his expe ditions to Britain, probably the modern village of Wissant or Duessant, on the coast of France, near Boulogne.
ITO, e'to, Marquis (1840— ). A Japanese statesman, born in the Province of Choshiu. Under the patronage of the progressive daimio Mori, he, with Inouye (q.v.) and others, eluded the vigilance of the Vedo spies and reached England. where they spent two years as students, but hurried home to dissuade the Choshiu officers from war with the combined' fleet of British, United States, Dutch. and French men-of-war at Shimonoseki (q.v.). Though un able to dissuade from fight, he assisted in the negotiations which followed, and helped to open the eyes and set the faces of his beaten clans men to a new goal, the unity of all Japan under the Mikado, with enlarged powers and with new forms of civilization patterned after Western models. In 1ST] he studied the coinage system of the 'United States, and his report resulted in the adoption of a decimal system of money and the establishment of the mint at Osaka. As one of the vice-ambassadors, he accompanied Iwtikura (q.v.) round the world in 1872, in an effort to obtain trim the Powers some modification of the treaties. In the Imperial Cabinet as Alinister of Public Works, he was primarily efficient in hav ing the railway from Yokohama to Tokio built and finished in 1872. On the death of Okuba. in 1878. he was transferred to the home Office. lie again visited. Europe in 1878-79, after he was called, from his admiration of things Cerman. the Japanese Bismarck. In 1886 the Cabinet. was reconstructed according to modern ideas. Ito became Minister l'resident of State, and carried out radical economic reforms in every department. For many years he superintended
the reconstruction of law and the formation of codes no longer based on Chinese models, but in harmony with those in Christendom. He per suaded the Court to adopt foreign dress. Several years of amazing change and progress followed, until the conservatives called a halt in 1888 and Ito retired to prepare the long-promised written Constitution. Having studied the constitutions of Western countries, he engaged in the debates in tho Privy Council, lasting over four months, and on February 11, 1339 (the anniversary of Jimmu Tenno), this magnificent instrument, more liberal in its provisions than some Euro pean governments allow. was promulgated. Ito is well called 'The Father of the Constitution,' and his volume of Commentaries, in illustration and defense of Japan's fundamental law, are worthy to rank with The Federalist. Again called to the Premiership in 1892, he carried the nation through the Chino-Japanese I'Var of 1394 95, and on resigning in favor of the Yamagata 1:C•gime in 1896, traveled in Europe. lie was again summoned by the Emperor to the Premiership, and under his direction Japan joined the Allies in the rescue of the legations in Peking, 16.000 men fully equipped serving the sun-banner. Ile visited the United States on his way to Europe in 1001, received the degree of LL.D. from Yale University, and was everywhere welcomed and recognized as one of the profoundest constructive statesmen of modern times. Consult his Com mentaries on the Constitution of the Empire of Japan, translated by Ito Miyoji (Tokio. 1339).