Kuni

“ Sanza's purse became well filled. Yet the dance of O-Kuni in the Shijo-Kawara was nothing more than the same dance which the miko of Kitzuki dance to-day, in their crimson hakama and snowy robes—a graceful gliding walk.
The pair next appear in Tokyo—or, as it was then called, Yedo—as actors. O-Kuni, indeed, is universally credited by tradition, with having established the modern Japanese stage—the first profane drama. Before her time only religious plays, of Buddhist authorship, seem to have been known. Sanza himself became a popular and successful actor, under his sweetheart's tuition. ”

“ The founder of the Japanese drama is supposed to have been a woman—O Kuni, a priestess of the temple at Kitzuki. She was as beautiful as she was pure, and was skilled in the dances which are supposed to delight the gods. One day, however, she fell in love with a "wave-man"—a ronin—and fled with him to Tokyo. Here her dancing and her beauty soon made her famous. Not satisfied with this, she and her lover—who was also her devoted [pg 255] pupil—became actors, and were the first to put secular plays on the stage. While still quite young the "wave-man" died, and O Kuni left the stage for ever. ”

“ The exact date when minstrel, or tayu,—the accompanist on the samisen, or samisen hiki,—the ningyo-tsukai, or doll-handler, and the ningyo, or doll-actors, began their remarkable collaboration is not known, but when O-Kuni was practising her art the Doll-theatre had already begun to exercise an influence upon the public. ”

“ The Toko-yo no kuni, or Eternal Land, is another home of the dead. The God Sukunabikona went thither when he died. So did a brother of the first Mikado, Jimmu. The Toko-yo no kuni is identified by some with Hōrai-san, the Chinese island paradise of the Eastern Sea, and by others with China itself. The orange is said to have been introduced from the Toko-yo no kuni. In the Manyōshiu poem of Urashima, the Toko-yo no kuni is the same as the submarine palace of the Sea-Gods, where death and old age are unknown. ”

“ The Kuni people never follow the zigzag trails as other tribesmen do. When they cross a ridge they go straight up it, straight down the other side. The continual strain of hillside walking had thrown their whole skeletal structure out of line. ”

“ They all used the mark Kinai, prefixing the ideograph Yechizen or Yechizen no Kuni, and their productions are thus far indistinguishable. But the second Kinai (1660) was incomparably the greatest expert of the family. It will scarcely be too much to say that he stands at the head of all Japanese sukashi chisellers. He carved designs à jour in iron with as much delicacy and elaboration as though the material were paper. Of course a sword-guard, which must have a certain degree of solidity and thickness, does not offer the best field for such work. ”

“ Poetry recognises only one God. In later times there were no fewer than eight Musubi who had shrines in the precincts of the Imperial palace. The worship of this god is now much neglected.
Kuni-toko-tachi.—Nothing is really known of this deity. The name means literally48 ‘land (or earth) -eternal-stand,’ and I offer as a mere conjecture that he is a personification of the durable character of the earth. The circumstance that he is the first god of the Nihongi myth led to his receiving a prominence in later times which is justified by nothing in the older religion. ”

“ You cannot hope to live more than a hundred years under the most favourable circumstances, but as you will go to the Unseen Realm of O-kuni-nushi after death and be subject to his rule, learn betimes to bow down before him. ”

“ Prostitution in Yedo; Sadanobu's legislation
Provinces, kuni, in reign of Seimu; classification, and subdivision into kori, under Daiho; difference between capital and provinces in Heian epoch; lawlessness; power of provincial families; Bushi employed by provincial nobles; shugo system, abolished by Kemmu restoration; local autonomy abolished
Provincial rulers, in early times; administration by imperial princes; early kuni-no-miyatsuko, later kokushi; kokushi under Daika; abuses under Shomu and Koken; use forced labour to reclaim uplands ”

“ The Japanese word kuni, which I have rendered by province, seems literally to mean ‘country,’ and province must be taken in the sense in which it was used in the maps of France previous to the revolution of 1789. The word kôri, which is used by the Japanese for the subdivision of a province, would be best translated ‘department.’ The number of departments in a province varies according to its size. In the old system there wore altogether 629 departments, but the addition of the Hokkaidô has raised the number to 715. ”

“ Up Kii-no-kuni-zaka he ran and ran; and all was black and empty before him. On and on he ran, never daring to look back; and at last he saw a lantern, so far away that it looked like the gleam of a firefly ; and he made for it. It proved to be only the lantern of an itinerant soba-seller, [2] who had set down his stand by the road-side; but any light and any human companionship was good after that experience; and he flung himself down at the feet of the soba-seller, crying out, “Aa!—aa!! —aa!!!”. . .
“Koré! Koré!” roughly exclaimed the soba-man. “Here! what is the matter with you? ”

“ To the faithful old nurse alone did Kinu dare to confide her tormenting troubles, and the old woman, sorely distressed at the constant fits of weeping and increasing melancholy of her stricken foster-child, at last promised to be the bearer of a message to Kunizo.
Then Kinu embodied her woes in a little poem to which she composed an accompaniment on the koto, and she found much solace singing it repeatedly to herself in the solitude of her chamber. ”

“ Yamato-to-to-kami-asachi-hara-ma-guhashi-hine, Oho-mina-kuchi-no Sukune, the ancestor of the Hodzumi no Omi, and the Kimi of Wo-umi in Ise had all three the same dream, which they reported to the Emperor, saying:—"Last night we had a dream in which there appeared a man of noble aspect, who admonished us, saying:—'Let Oho-tata-neko no Mikoto be appointed master of the (V. 6.) worship of Oho-mono-nushi-no-oho-kami, and let Ichi-shi no Naga-ochi be appointed master of the worship of Yamato no Oho-kuni-dama no Kami. ”

“ In some places they and their fathers accost travellers in company with a troop of Bikuni, and, with their rattling, singing, trumpeting, chattering, and crying, make such a frightful noise as would make one almost mad or deaf. These mountain priests are frequently applied to by superstitious people for conjuring, fortune-telling, foretelling future events, recovering lost goods, and the like purposes. They profess themselves to be of the Kami religion, as established of old, and yet they are never suffered to attend, or to take care of, any of the Kami temples. ”

“ This Kubō or Shōgun, as he was otherwise called, was acknowledged by all the other princes as in some respect their superior and head. The other rulers of provinces bore the title of Shugo, or Yakata, which the Portuguese rendered by the term King. Reserving to themselves, as their personal domain, a good half of the whole extent of their territories, these chiefs divided the rest among certain great vassals, called Tono, Kunishū, or Kunidaimiō, who were bound to military service in proportion to the extent of the lands which they held ”

“ "Well, that's not at all clerical!" thought Kunin, shrugging his shoulders contemptuously. "What is it, priestly greed or childishness?" ”

“ While, however, the Kunbi yields to these classes in some of the more showy attributes which lead to success in life, he is much their superior in endurance under adversity, he is more law-abiding, and he commands, both by reason of his character and his caste, greater social respect among the people at large. The wealthy Kunbi proprietor is occasionally rather [48] spoilt by good fortune, or, if he continues a keen cultivator, is apt to be too fond of land-grabbing. ”

“ It was not long before Kanu rose to a position of eminence in the little clan. He took unto himself, as wife, Ksoa, a daughter of old Nalb and, when that venerable leader’s physical vigour began to decline, Kanu gradually came to be looked upon as his probable successor. His sojourn among the Boers, whilst it had told against his skill as a hunter, had sharpened his wits generally. Soon he became as expert as any in the tracking of game. ”

“ It is more important by far that the garden be altered. Come here! Do you not see that if I sit here and look out, that hillock yonder interrupts the view? It must be changed.”
Kano bowed low and said: “It shall be done, my lord. I am going to Kyoto on business for the clan. Is there anything I can do for you?”
“Why, certainly. If you can pick up any fine antiquities, do so. And you must order new haori for the retainers. They will need them on our next journey to Yedo.” ”

“ You have behaved most grossly. He will decide.”
Thereupon he dashed forward with his spear ready to thrust. But at that moment a rider came up behind him at full gallop crying, “You must not fight with Yün-ch‘ang.”
Kuan Yü stayed his steed at once and waited. The messenger came up, drew from his bosom an official letter and said to Hsiahou Tun, “The Minister loves General Kuan for his loyalty and honour, and fearing lest he might be stopped at the various passes, he sent me with this letter to show when necessary at any point on the road.” ”

“ True, but there was something special about Kuno—indeed there had been something special about all her children—and, after all, she must brave the journey if he desired it. And "something tremendous might happen." What did that mean? The nonsense of a youthful man, no doubt, but she must go. Again she pressed the unfamiliar button, again the wall swung back, and she saw the tunnel that curved out of sight. Clasping the Book, she rose, tottered on to the platform, and summoned the car. Her room closed behind her: the journey to the northern hemisphere had begun. ”

“ When this young Kuno, with fierce eyes, wherein
Hunt and impatience kindled reckless flame,
[41] Cried, "Has the dew then made our powder wet?
Or have we left our marksmanship at home?
Here's for its heart! the Fiend direct my ball!"—
And fired into a covert deeply packed,
An intertangled wall of matted night,
Wherein the eye might vainly strive and strive
To pierce one fathom, earn one foot beyond.
But, ha! the huge stag staggered from the brake
Hit full i' the heart. ”

“ All the terms which a foreigner might use in speaking of the duties of sovereign and minister, of lord and retainer and of master and servant, are comprehended {117} in the Japanese word, Kun-shin, in which is crystallized but one thought, though it may relate to three grades of society. The testimony of history and of the language shows, that the feelings which we call loyalty and reverence are always directed upward, while those which we term benevolence and love invariably look downward. ”

“ Hundreds of innocent little amatory interviews took place between the two, either at Waldburg or else in the forest, with the full acquiescence of Kuno, who saw nothing to object to in the proposed match. However, Kuno died, and was in his guardianship replaced by a monk of a very different character—Anthony, a schemer and intriguer—who would without doubt have been a Jesuit, if the Order had been then established. ”

“ The Kunbi is certainly a most plodding, patient mortal, with a cat-like affection for his land, and the proprietary and cultivating communities, of both of which Kunbis are the most numerous members, are unlikely to fail so long as he keeps these characteristics. Some of the more intelligent and affluent of the caste, who have risen to be among the most prosperous members of the community, are as shrewd men of business in their way as any section of the people, though lacking in education. ”

“ By the loss of two generals, one after the other, Ts‘ao Ts‘ao [1] was greatly depressed. “Allow me,” said one of his staff, “to recommend the very man you want;” and on being asked by Ts‘ao Ts‘ao for the name, he replied, “The only man for this job is Kuan Yü.” Ts‘ao Ts‘ao was soon convinced, and gladly dispatched a messenger to summon him. After taking leave of his two sisters-in-law, who begged him to enquire for news of their Imperial uncle, Kuan Yü set out to obey the summons. ”

“ There were enough councillors present to open it, so I excused myself and called our friends. It was very brief and to the point. The Go rojiu desires to mention our clan as a model for Japan, and has therefore sent this fellow to report.”
“What is his name?”
“Sawa.” [30]
“Sawa, Sawa,” repeated Kano slowly. “I think I know the name. How old is he, do you think?”
“He must be forty at least, and he seems cut out for his work. His oily talk is disgusting; and while he flatters you, his eyes are restlessly peeping in every nook and corner.” ”

“ It is eleven o’clock, and the guests begin to arrive. They come mostly on foot, for they all live in the neighborhood; but there are a few who hold such a high rank that they can [Pg 34] only leave their yashiki in a sedan chair, or on horseback. A servant brings a large bundle, carefully wrapped. It is taken to the back room which has been made much larger by the removal of several sho ji. Here Mr. Kano sits in hakama and haori, [37] receiving each guest as he enters according to his rank in the clan. ”

“ Besides, a man who is able to serve one master is also able to serve another, if he chooses. If your Highness wishes to become Chief of the Feudal Princes, it is absolutely necessary for you to secure the aid of Kuan Chung; so you really must set him at liberty." Thereupon the Duke commanded Kuan Chung to be brought before him, and he was accordingly given up by the authorities of Lu. Pao Shu went to meet him on the road, and brought him to the Duke, who received him with great honour, and gave him a post higher than that occupied by the two hereditary nobles of the state. ”