CONTENTS

PREFACE 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

PART I
MYTHOLOGY AND LEGEND

I.   THE TRAVAIL OF THE GODS
II.  THE LABOURS OF YAMATO
III. MYTHS OF THE FLOWERY ISLES

PART II

MEDIÆVAL ROMANCE

IV.   THE LOTUS LIFE

V.     A MIKADO AND A GEISHA.

VI.   THE CLASHING OF THE CLANS

VII.  THE FOLLY OF THE KHAN

VIII. THE THREE DEVILS

IX.   THE QUEST OF LIFE

X.    THE SCARLET THREAD

PART III

LATTER-DAY TALES

XI.   THE OPEN GATE
XII.    A MODERN SAMURAI
XIII.  THE TRIUMPH

XIV. NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF
             JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE

Chapter XIV. and the verse, where not otherwise
credited, are by Frère Champney.

ILLUSTRATIONS

KASUGA SHRINE, NARA

From a water-colour by Frère Champney.

“THEN TO THE CAVERN THEY HIED WITH UZUME, THE

     GODDESS OF LAUGHTER” 

From “Shinto,” by W. G. Aston.

Permission of Longmans Green & Co.

“AMATERASU LOOKED ON THE MIRROR OF GOLD”.

From “Old-World Japan,” by T. H. Robinson

Permission of Macmillan Co.

“AS SHE STOOPED OVER THE WELL, OF A SUDDEN SHE SAW THE FACE OF PRINCE FIRE-FADE REFLECTED THEREIN”

From “Old-World Japan,” by T. H. Robinson

Permission of Macmillan Co.

“WHEREUPON IT BECAME UNSEEMLY DRUNKEN, LAUGHING HILARIOUSLY, SLASHING AND CAVORTING ITS SEVERAL TAILS” (Hokusai)       

“DAYS AND MONTHS AND YEARS TOGETHER, SAILED HE ON THROUGH WIND AND

WEATHER”

From “Old-World Japan,” by T. H. Robinson

Permission of Macmillan Co.

“MOUNTED ON ITS SNOWY PINIONS SWIFTLY SOARED ACROSS THE FOAM”

From “Old-World Japan,” by T. H. Robinson

Permission of Macmillan Co.

“A GIANT BOAR POSSESSED OF A DEMON, SUSA-NO-WO” (Hokusai).

“YAMATO BESTRODE THE BOAR AND GRASPING THE TAIL SEVERED IT FROM THE

             SPINE” (Hokusai) .

“GLEAMING MID FLEECY CLOUD, A DAMSEL FAIR” (Sozu Esh’in)

Permission of Armand Dayot

“THE CRUEL FISHER SHOOK HIS HEAD”            .            .

From “Old-World Japan,” by T. H. Robinson

Permission of Macmillan Co.

“EMPEROR CHIUAI” (Hokusai)

BENTEN, THE DRAGON’S DAUGHTER (Hokusai)

“I ENCOUNTERED THE WINSOME MAID, RUDDY PEACHLING” (Hokusai)

“MERRY MONKS” (Hokusai)

“I SPRANG INTO THE BASKET AND FERRIED MYSELF ACROSS THE CHASM” (Hokusai)

PRINCE UMAYADO            .            .            .

From “In Japan,” by Gaston Migeon

Permission of Wm. Heineman, London

“MERCIFUL KWANNON”            .

From “In Japan,” by Gaston Migeon

Permission of Wm. Heineman, London

“CROUCHED BENEATH A MAPLE TREE, WITH ANKLES CROSSED, AS HOLY BUDDHAS

 SIT” (Hokusai) 

‘SIPPING SWEET SAKE FROM QUAINT POTTERIES” (Kiyonaga)

Permission of Armand Dayot, Paris 

A WICKED LIGHT GLEAMED IN THE EYES OF THE FUJIWARA” (Sharaku)

Permission of Armand Dayot, Paris

“O UME SAN UTTERED A STIFLED SOB”

Colour-print Toyokuni

“PLUM BLOSSOM SMILED”

From “Old-World Japan,” by T. H. Robinson

Permission of Macmillan Co.

“THE MIKADO AND THE GEISHA SOUGHT SHELTER FROM THE DRIVING SNOW”

(Harunobu)

Permission of Armand Dayot

“TOKIWA AND IKI ENTERED” (Utarmaro)

Permission of Armand Dayot

“THE HIGHWAYMAN HELD HER CAPTIVE” (Hokusai)

PAVILION OF THE PHŒNIX, SUMMER PALACE OF Y0RIMASA, UJI

From “Japanese Temples and their Treasures”

Permission of the Department of Education, Tokyo, Japan

“YOSHITSUNE SPURRED HIS STEED OVER THE PRECIPICE” (Hokusai)

“A RINGING CRY ROSE FROM A THOUSAND THROATS AS THE GREAT SHIPS GRAPPLED”

(Colour-print, Kunitsuna)

“MUNEMORI EVADED THE STROKE AND PLUNGED INTO THE SEA”   .            .            .           (Colour-print, Kuniyoshi)

“SO THERE HE SENT A MIGHTY FLEET”

THE FORD OF THE UJIGAWA.

“MAD MERCHANTS AND THEIR MOUNTAINOUS DROMEDARY” (Hokusai)

THE DAIBUTSU

MIYAJIMA “A HARVEST MOON SILVERED THE SACRED ISLE AS WE DRIFTED THROUGH

THE WATERGATE”

(From a water-colour by Frère Champney)

“THE WIND GOD FUJIN, BRANDISHED THE SACK OF THE TEMPESTS”

“THE TYPHOON FELL UPON US WITH RENEWED FURY” 

(From colour-print, Hokusai)

“AT LAST, TO OUR UNBOUNDED DELIGHT, WE BEHELD MY GALLANT GALLEY” . .

(From Yule’s Marco Polo)

Permission of John Munroe

“A PIRATE BOLD OF A GALLEON OLD” (Hokusai)

FRANCIS XAVIER

(From “Arabia, Egypt and India” by Isabella Burton)

“A SHOT RANG OUT AS NOBUNAGA GALLOPED TO OUR RESCUE” (Hokusai)

“BROTHER JUDE LEERED UPON AZALEA COWERING AT HIS FEET’ (Hokusai)

“MANY A LOVESOME EVENING DID WE BEGUILE WITH LUTE AND PSALTERY “ (Hokusai)

“LET HIM BE CRUCIFIED AS A KRISHITAN”

From an old Japanese print

“THE ARTIST DIPPED A BRUSH, AND WITH A DEXTEROUS

FILLIP HURLED IT INTO THE AIR.” (Hokusai) 

THE TOKAIDO (Heroshigi)

Permission of Armand Dayot, Paris

“LOWLY WAYFARERS AND LABOURERS” (Hokusai)

“UP STEEP AND TORTUOUS TRAILS THEY TOILED”

“BRIDLE, MY BULLOCK, CAN BEAR MORE GRIEVOUS LOADS AND WHISK HIS TAIL

 IN THE  FACE OF ANY STEED.” (Hokusai)

“STRONG MEN WRESTLED AND TUMBLED” (Hokusai)

MOUNTEBANKS PERFORMED MERRY ANTICS” (Hokusai)

“ON A DAIS STOOD WHITE PEONY”

SNOW BLOSSOMS

From a colour-print by Hiroshige

“A LIGHT FLARED FITFULLY UPON THE MALIGNANT FACE OF MATSAKURA”

“HALF THE BAND CLAMBERED OVER THE ROOFS”

Reproduced from “The Faithful,” by John Masefleld

Permission of Wm. Heineman, London

“SHIKARA LOOMED ABOVE HIM, HIS BLADE FLASHING LIKE A LIGHTNING BOLT"

From “Old-World Japan,” by T. H. Robinson

Permission of Macmillan Co.

PERRY’S FLEET

From “Narrative of Expedition to Japan,” by Commodore M. C. Perry

W. Heine, U. S. Government Report

“BEYOND THE MIST-SHROUDED HORIZON LOOMED THE SNOW-WHITE CONE OF FUJIYAMA” 

“STRAINS OF PATRIOTIC MUSIC RENT THE AIR AS WE ENTERED THE TREATY HOUSE.

From U. S. Government Report. W. Heine

“DRIVING WIND PINNED HIS ANTAGONIST TO THE GROUND”

From U. S. Government Report. W. Heine

“GRAVELY THE REPRESENTATIVES OF BOTH NATIONS AFFIXED THEIR SIGNATURES” 

“THE PENDENT CLUSTERS OF WISTARIA DROOP THEIR PURPLE TASSELS O’ER

 THE TRANQUIL LAKE”

Copyright by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y.

NAGOYA CASTLE

“IN THE OFFING FLOATS A FLEET OF FISHING JUNKS”

                 (From a colour-print by Hiroshige)

CHERRY-BLOSSOM AND HER KOTO

Permission of Theodore Wores and Century Magazine

THE SNOW-WHITE FOX AND THE APE-GOD (Hokusai)

“WITH A BLOW OF HIS SABRE MINAMOTO SEVERED A COSSACK’S HEAD”

From a modern colour-print

“MAKE NOT HONOURABLE TEAR-DROPPINGS”

“WITH A BLAST OF STEAM THE BOILERS EXPLODED”

From a sketch by Lionel James

Permission of The Graphic, London

“ALL NIGHT WE CRUISED FROM ONE SINKING VESSEL

TO ANOTHER RESCUING THEIR DROWNING CREWS”

From a sketch by Lionel James

Permission of The Graphic, London

ADMIRAL TOGO

From “The Japanese Nation in Evolution,” by Wm. Elliot Griffis.

Permission of Thos. Y. Crowell, Publishers, N. Y.

“O HANA SAN STRUMS HER SAMISEN AND SINGS”

Permission of Theodore Wores and the Century Co.

A LONELY BELFRY SHRINED IN SHADOWY FOLIAGE”

W. Heine, “Narrative of Expedition to Japan by Commodore M. C. Perry,”

U. S. Government Report

PAGODA OF HORIUJI

(From a colour-print by Hiroshige)

PAGODA OF YAKUSHIJI

Permission of the Department of Education, Tokyo, Japan

KONDO, HORIUJI

Permission of Nara Museum

THE GOLDEN PAVILION (Kinkaku-ji)

PAVILION OF THE PHŒNIX, UJI

Permission of the Department of Education, Tokyo, Japan

BRONZE INCENSE-BURNERS

THE SILVER PAVILION (Ginkaku-ji)

THE YOMEI-MON (Nikko)

THE STABLE OF THE SACRED HOUSE

THE THREE MONKEYS (Nikko)  

HOLY-WATER FONT (Nikko)

INTERIOR TEMPLE OF IEYASU

TOMB OF IEYASU (Nikko)

“SHINTO PRIESTS AND A GOLD AND IVORY GATEWAY”

GATEWAY TO THE TEMPLE OF IEMITSU

Nippon

Immortal land of chivalrous Japan,

What dynasties of “heaven-descended” came

Since Amaterasu, Sun-Goddess flame,

First flushed the snow of Fujiyama’s fan,

And her great parents there created man!

While Buddha taught the life aloof from blame,

Monarch and minion fought for endless fame

And Minamoto crushed Taira’s clan. 

Then Hojo saved the realm from Kublai Khan,

And Xavier raised the Cross a little span,

The Tokugawa kindled Learning’s light,

The Ronins died an ancient wrong to right

Ere Perry oped the door to Liberty

And Togo swept the Tartar from the sea