No. 263.
Mr. De Long to Mr.
Fish
No. 167.]
United States Legation, Yokohama, Japan,
March 14, 1871. (Received April
24.)
Sir: I beg leave to solicit from you permission to
retain my native clerk and interpreter, Mr. Tozabro Hyashi, whom, as I have
informed you, I engaged for three months, at a salary of fifty dollars per
month.
He is a young man who has been in Europe and America, is liberally educated,
and is a brother of one Maximoto, formerly physician to the Tycoon. I am
enabled through him to obtain early and useful information relative to many
matters transpiring here that is quite unobtainable except through native
sources. He is a very reliable person, and from his rank and relationship he
is familiar with officials and with the history of the country. In evidence
of his intelligence and usefulness, I beg leave to transmit to you a copy of
a statement in writing that he made to me about the history of the Christian
religion in Japan, and the present condition of the native Christian
converts, and of the laws of this empire in the past and the present upon
this subject, (inclosure No. 1.) I believe this statement to be literally
true, and it serves to throw much light upon this subject, otherwise so very
mysterious.
Also, I beg leave to inclose to you a little explanation made by him to me,
at my request, of the term “Meidi,” used by this government in denominating
the present time, (inclosure No 2.) It is true that this matter in itself is
unimportant, yet it will serve, I trust, to illustrate to you how such an
assistant materially aids me in my position to understand much in the
language and manners of this people with whom I have to deal that would be
otherwise very mysterious.
I have the honor, &c.,
Inclosures.
No. 1.—Statement of the history of Christianity in Japan.
No. 2.—Definition of the term “Meidi.”
Tozabro Hyashi to C. E. DeLong
Your Excellency: In reply to your request for
me to give you the definition of the term “meidi,” I have to say: The
Emperor of Japan gives a certain title to the year when he ascends the
throne, and thus counts the years of his reign as first, second, third,
fourth, &c., of such title. Formerly, if there occurred during the
course of his reign any great calamities, such as great earthquakes,
famines, tempests, &c., he would change the title, and commence to
count the years anew from that time, thinking the title unfortunate and
productive of bad results. This superstition was originally introduced
here from China about one thousand two hundred years ago. This usage has
been so long in force here that the people have become accustomed to
it.
“Meidi” is the title given to the year by the present Emperor at his
succession, to the throne, which was four years ago, this being the
fourth year of “meidi.”
By the present law of this empire, our Emperor is not allowed to name the
year but once during his reign, therefore the present title, “meidi,”
which means “peace after enlightened manners,” will continue until the
present Emperor dies.
Respectfully, &c.,
[Untitled]
Your Excellency: In reply to your request for
me to state to you in brief what I know about the history of
Christianity in Japan, and the present condition of native Christian
converts, I beg leave to state: That about the sixteenth century
Christianity was propagated with so much success in this country that
the Tycoon, Nobunagaya himself, is said to have confessed his belief in
the faith. A certain essential part of a
[Page 590]
castle is always built in imitation of the steeple
of a Christian church, which the chief of the castle at that time used
as a place of worship. This part, which is called “Tenshu.” (meaning
dedicated to the Heavenly Lord,) continued to be built long after the
prohibition of Christianity in this empire, thus proving that this
religion was still, for some time, tolerated among natives.
The Christian missionaries, seeing their growing influence over the
consciences of the people, commenced to meddle with the politics of the
State, whereupon the Dutch warned our people of the danger from this.
Acting upon this suggestion, the government prohibited its propagation,
and compelled all foreigners, except the Dutch, to leave the
country.
At the siege, and subsequent fall of Osaca, the final victory of the
ancestors of the Tokungawa family was gained, and many leading officers
who were in the city escaped to Shunabarra, near Nagasaki, where the
people generally professed Christianity, and excited them to open
insurrection, by deluding them into the belief that the government
intended to prohibit Christian worship. Those people, laboring under
this delusion, rebelled against the government, and maintained their
opposition for over two years; and soon after they were overcome they
still continued to be rebellious and fanatical, mixing their religious
belief with party spirit. This caused the government to take steps to
prohibit this worship entirely throughout the empire; therefore, on this
account, and not on account of the belief itself, it was prohibited.
This is further proved to have been the motive by the fact that Buddhism
was not also prohibited, which is not the faith of the Mikado, he being
Sintoo in his faith. These things occurred about the year 1630.
At the time Commodore Perry entered Yeddo the Tycoon made the treaty with
him in opposition to the sentiments of several of the great daimios,
who, having long been jealous of the Tokungawa clan, (of which the
Tycoon was a member,) took advantage of the anti-foreign sentiment of
the people then prevailing, and pretending also to make war to uphold
the religion of the Mikado, rebelled against and overthrew the Tycoon,
and put his Majesty, the Mikado, on the throne in his stead. In fact,
they made use of the Mikado as a puppet, to execute their desires in his
name and seemingly by his authority.
The present government, owing to its declarations, was necessarily severe
against any who followed any foreign religion. Against those who
professed Buddhism—which being generally professed in the empire—they
took measures only against the priests, who were deprived of many
privileges hitherto granted to them.
Whatever promises may have been made by it relative to the mild treatment
accorded to native converts, their punishment continues to be severe and
cruel.
Under the late government the punishment was the crucifixion of the
convert, but by the law of this government the punishment extends over
eight families, to wit: parents, grand-parents, elder and younger
brothers and sisters, uncles, aunts, sons, daughters, grand-children,
and male and female cousins of the convert, and is death. It certainly
has done away with the punishment by crucifixion, but simply doing this
can hardly he called mild treatment.
Those converts who were imprisoned year before last would have been
killed according to this law, but for the remonstrances of the foreign
representatives. They are yet kept in close confinement.
Respectfully,
