In 1899 there wore 190 middle schools, with 3083 instructors. and 68,885 pupils; 49 normal schools, with 839 instnietors,and 12,829 students: 275 special and technical schools. with 1970 teachers, and 34;169 students; 36 superior schools fur girls, with 430 teachers. and 8474 pupils; 2686 miscellaneous schools, with 5733 teachers. and 109,290 pupils (30 of which with 1441 pupils were in Hokkaido, and 1523 with :35,835 pupils were in Formosa).
There are 42 schools of law. medicine. political economy, literature, and science, with 782 pro fessors (some of whom are foreigners), and 11, 627 students; 120 sehools of arts, manufactures. commerce. etc., with 1033 professors (some foreign) and 15,772 students. The pre paratory schools number 107. have 202 teachers, and 7324 pupils. Lastly, there are six schools for deaf mutes. One hundred students were also maintained abroad. The 38 libraries had 484.225 Chili se and Japanese books. and 63,332 in Euro pean languages. The total expenditure •a4 $13, 952.581. The Imperial University at 'I'okio was founded in 1869 by the consolidation of two sebools—the Kai-sei-gakko and the Sho-heiko, which had come into existence in the Shogun's time, and later other colleges were added. In 1900 it had 15 foreign and 211 Japanese pro fessors and instructors, and 2880 students. The University of Kioto was opened in 1899 with one foreign and 69 native professors, and 360 stu dents. it has a University llall and four col leges. In the same year the number of books published was 21.235. of which 4453 related to law and administrative organization; 1237 to agriculture: 1058 religion; 118 painting; diction aries, 77: history. 206; and geography, 474; and 464,458,141 copies of 1178 periodicals were issued.
Rm':ucmox. It is customary to speak of the religious of Japan—Shinto and Buddhism (cm.v.)—but to these may now be added Chris tianity, for the old prohibitions have been re moved. and under the new Constitution of 1889 absolute freedom of speech and freedom of re ligious opinion and belief are guaranteed. The first-mentioned of the three, Shinto, 'the way of the gods, "is a purely native cult. It has no creed. no doctrinal system. no moral code, no priests, and no images in its 191.962 temples and shrines, though it has nearly 14,000 gods, before whom. or some of whom, certain offerings are made from time to time; to whom certain prayers are addressed on such occasions, and before whom certain ceremonious dances are per totalled in a very punctilious and decorous way. It appears to be a mild kind of ancestor and hero worship which has come down from primitive limes. The chief deity is Antaterasu. the 'sun goddess,' from whom the IllikadOS are descended. It exerts no particular influence for good on the people. though it does them no harm. From the ninth century onward it became much tinged and corrupted with Buddhism. indeed was practically absorbed by it, hobo Daishi (q.v.) having appar ently convinced everybody that the Shinto gods were merely manifestations or transmigrations of Buddhist deities. it is stated that 12 sects of Shinto now exist.
Buddhism entered Japan by way of Korea in 552 along with the arts, sciences, and letters of Cilium. Its gilded images and its gorgeous tem
ples and ritual appealed to the Japanese mind, and the new religion became popular. It gained both the favor and the patronage of the Imperial Court, and in 621 it was by edict proclaimed to be the established religion. Priests went, to China, or were sent there by the Government to study, and these on their return brought with them new serif/hill's, nets new which soon began lo blossom out into other new sects in Japan. Bobo Daishi in 816 founded the Shingon (q.v.) or the sect with the form of 'trite words:' the Zen or 'eontemplative' SVCI was introduced in 1202; the ,dodo or 'pure-land' sect (see Ts'iso-Tit and Suxtxv,trt) in 1211; the Shin-shin or 'new sect; an offshoot of the pre ceding, in 1262; the Nichiren in 1282: and iimuy others. NOW there are 70 sects and sub sects, all based on or developments of the hayana or 'Northern School' of Buddhism in which Sakyamuni, the historical Buddha. has little or no place. The most. important of these as far as influencing the people is concerned are the ,Italo• which finds Nirvana too hard to attain to. and provides instead a 'Paradise in the West,' presided over by Amida Buddha, where the faithful may enjoy a blissful existence through untold ages. and whence, if they have to be re born, it will lie easy to reach the Nirvana state. The Shin-shin. an offshoot from Join, has been called the 'Protestantism of Japan.' it teaches that :salvation may be obtained merely by faith in the mercy of Amida—the chief of the Buddhas —and his ability to save, without works of any kind. No change of heart or conduct is neces sary and nothing is required beyond loving one another, keeping orderly, and observing the laws of the Government. Its priests may marry. and they are free to eat both flesh and fish. This is the most powerful of the Japanese sects; its temples are large and magnificent. are found in the most crowded parts of the cities, and are thronged day and night with silent worshipers. In 1399 its temples numbered 19213. Buddhism was diseslablished in 1871, and disendowed in 1874, and there is now no State religion. The great majority of the people are Buddhists, but there are no organized bodies of church mem bers as there are in Christendom. Among the upper classes agnosticism prevails.
If Shinto can be called a religion, then Chris tianity comes third. All its churches are enrolled by the Government. and are protected by law. In 1900 there were 723 Protestant missionaries in the country, 570 native preachers and helpers, 416 churches, 42,273 enrolled members, and 14 theological and other schools, with 5011 students and pupils. The Roman Catholics had 106 Euro pean missionaries, 117 church edifices, 251 con gregations, and 54,602 adherents. The Greek Church had 438 native workers, 297 churches, 25.698 followers, and schools with 19.055 pupils.
In 1899 there were 71,977 Buddhist temples and monasteries, with 54.635 priests, 10,933 stu dents, and 59,943 preachers. The Shinto temples numbered 191.962, in charge of kannushi or temple-keepers, not priests as they are sometimes miscalled.