When day broke on the morning of the 8th July we got our first sight of the “terra incognita”—the hermetic land—the land which had been invaded but never conquered—hence called the “virgin empire.” The high, bold shores of Japan were before us—the “kingdom of the origin of the sun.”

Japan has been continually spoken of as the unknown land. It is difficult to see with what correctness this designation should have been given it, unless those countries only are known upon which the physical eye of some numbers may have rested. Taking the extant information at command, it can very properly be said, with Macfarlane, that we “know more of the Japanese than we knew of the Turks a hundred years ago;” and he might have added, than other nations knew of America, though discovered half a century earlier than Japan.

The works on the country are numerous; among them those of the Jesuits, and the German and Swedish medical officers of the Dutch prison factory at Dezima. The printed data of the former, and the archives of the Jesuit headquarters at Rome and at other places, could furnish the earliest and most thorough information. “Les Lettres Edifiantes et Curieuses,” or the pages of Charlevoix, which tell of the labors of the Jesuit pioneer missionary in Japan, Francis Xavier,—make it anything but an unknown land.

Then there are the books, whose size might well deter the stoutest, but whose pages would well repay the industrious search of the inquirer—the product of the close observation and assiduous notation of Koempfer,1 Thunberg, Siebold; and the Dezima Opperhoofds—Titsinghe, Doeff, Meylan, and Warehouse Master Fischer, in lesser size; the quaint accounts of old William Adams, pilot, and Captain Saris, Englishmen; the work of the Russian Golownin, as far as he could gather information, while undergoing his hard but perhaps justly retributive imprisonment in Matsmai; the works of Sir Stamford Raffles; Reports of the East India Company; the pages of the Asiatic Journal, &c.

With such sources of information as these, it would be a piece of affectation to suppose the majority of the reading community without some knowledge of the early and past history of Japan; but for such as may possibly have not given it any attention, it may be well to give a hurried glance at the early history of the country, as derived from compilations of the before-cited authorities, and also down to the condition of the empire at the time of our visit—which is to be found in a fine synoptical article which appeared some time since in a foreign Quarterly Review—without further acknowledgment.

Well, then, to begin with the mythological. As the Japanese have it, their origin was superhuman, and their primitive history is in this wise: From primeval chaos arose a self-created supreme God, throned in the highest heaven, to whom, with some brevity, is given the name, Ameno-mi-naka-nusimo-kami. What then existed of a universe was governed by seven celestial gods who next arose. The last of these, not admiring the celibacy of his predecessors, with whom the goddesses had dwelt as sisters, took unto himself a wife. The marital state, it appears, had the effect of awakening his latent energy, and one day he said to his spouse: “There should be somewhere a habitable earth; let us seek it under the waters that are boiling beneath us.”

Like Ithuriel, he possessed a spear, and thrusting it into the waters he then withdrew it. The drops which fell from the spear—which, perhaps, was weeping the puncture which he had given the aqueous element—like the tears of Niobe, became solidified, and thus came into existence the present insulated empire.

Others, however, not having the fear of Japanese gods before their eyes, have a perverseness in the belief, that the receding waters of the deluge left bare Japan, or that it may have been since upheaved by volcanic action from the mighty deep.

The Adam of Japan was Ten Sio Dai Dsin. From him sprang the nation; though Syn Mou is represented as the founder of the empire. The physical conformation of the Japanese indicates their Mongolian origin.

The geography of the Japanese kingdom is included in a string of islands on the northeast coast of Asia, not far distant from the main land, commencing with the Kurile islands, a portion of which the empire exercises sovereignty over, and extending to the straits of Van Diemen on the south. The islands and uninhabited rocks are said to comprise three thousand eight hundred and fifty; but Japan of the present day is understood to include Yezo, Niphon, Kew Sew, and Sikok; among which the principal is Niphon, Nipon, Zipon, Zipango, or Cipango, by which names it has been called indifferently. It was for “Cipango” that Columbus sailed from Palos, and from the masthead of the “Pinto” the western world was first descried in 1492. Exactly fifty years afterward, Pinto, a Portuguese first descried “Cipango,”—“the kingdom of the origin of the sun.”

The authentic history of Japan commences in 660, B. C., with the first mortal ruler, surnamed the “Divine Conqueror.” In Niphon he built him a dairi, or temple-palace dedicated to the sun goddess. From him all the mikados, or sovereigns, claim to descend.

These self-styled divine rulers, from ceasing to command their armies, and intrusting military commands to kinsmen and others, came to abdicating so early, that the heirs of their power were still mere infants. These infants fell into the custody of others, who loved them about as well as the Duke of Gloster did those of his brothers he had conveyed to the Tower; and so the partisans of the legitimate descent, and of usurpers, immersed the kingdom in a civil war. In favor of the authority of an infant mikado, then threatened, came forth, a champion named Yoritomo, who saved the throne, by his efforts, for the imperiled juvenile sovereign, and for this service the regent allowed the real power to remain in the hands of Yoritomo, under the title of sio-i-dai-ziogoon, or “generalissimo fighting against the barbarians.” Very soon these ziogoons, from generalissimos fighting against barbarians, became generalissimos fighting against mikados. They became tenants of power by will, not by courtesy; they saved the spiritual head from overthrow, but they retained his temporal kingdom for themselves; their offices of trust became offices of power, and hereditarily so; and from Buddhist nunneries widows were even called to govern for infant ziogoons. The spiritual emperor soon became impotent in the hands of the military emperor, and the dual government gradually dwindled until the accession of the plebeian—the self-made, the Napoleon of Japan—Taico Sama, to the ziogoonship, who died in 1598, at the age of sixty-three, after having subdued Corea, curtailed the power of the princes, abolished the feudal system, and made the mikado, a mikado “about nothing!”

It would, no doubt, be now entirely true to say, that the sceptre wrenched from the mikado by the ziogoon, has in turn been wrested from the ziogoon by a council of state, and the supreme authority of Japan is now exercised by the president of the council, though the emperor is the John Doe in whose name he speaks.

Kublai-khan, when he ascended the Mongol throne, determined upon an invasion of the Japanese empire from his dependency of Kaou-le. The better to pave the way for this proceeding, he sent an embassador with the following letter to Japan:—

“The exalted emperor of the Mongols to the wang [king] of Niphon:—

“I am the prince of a formerly small state, to which the adjacent lands have united themselves, and my endeavor is to make inviolable truth and friendship reign among us. What is more, my ancestors have, in virtue of their splendid warrant from Heaven, taken possessions of Hia dominions. The number of the distant countries, of the remote cities, that fear our power and love our virtue, passes computation. When I ascended the throne, the harmless people of Kaou-le were suffering under the calamities of war. I immediately ordered a cessation of hostilities, recalling the troops from beyond the frontiers to the encampment of their colors. The prince of Kaou-le and his subjects appeared at my court to give me thanks, and I treated them kindly, as a father treats his children. So I intend that your servants shall be treated. Kaou-le is my eastern frontier; Niphon lies near, and has from the beginning held intercourse with the central empire. But during my reign, not a single envoy has appeared to open a friendly intercourse with me. I apprehend that the state of things is not, as yet, well known in your country, whereupon I send envoys, with a letter, to make you acquainted with my views, and I hope we may understand each other. Already philosophers desire to see the whole world form one family. But how may this one-family principle be carried into effect, if friendly intercourse subsist not between the parties? I am resolved to call this principle into existence, even should I be obliged to do so by force of arms. It is now the business of the wang of Niphon to decide what course is most agreeable to him.”

A contemptuous silence was the only answer that the Japanese returned to this demand. The ziogoon went immediately to work to put their coasts in a state of defence, while the mikado had stated prayers offered up.

The invaders, a hundred thousand strong, came as “the winds come when forests are rended,” and by the winds, as they came, their “navies were stranded.” The necks of those who escaped from shipwreck were severed by the Japanese blades, and three alone were spared to bear back to their country and the summer-state lord of Xanadu, the tale of disaster, and the fate of his armada. This was in October of the year 1280.

Of the advent of the Jesuits in Japan, three hundred years afterward, and the simultaneous commencement of commercial intercourse by the Portuguese; the butchery of the Christians at Simbara, (which, to their eternal infamy be it said, was assisted by the Dutch,) and the expulsion of the Portuguese; of the subsequent and continued intercourse of the Dutch; and the repulse of other Europeans and Americans, at later times, in their attempt to open a trade, down to 1837, there is no room to speak in these pages. In the introduction to the “Voyages of the Morrison and Himmaleh,” by C.W. King, the first of which ships was fired upon and driven from Japan in 1837, the history of foreign intercourse is given in a succinct form; or more elaborately in book i. of Macfarlane.

The population of Japan has been both over and under estimated; absurdly by the Russian captain Golownin, who estimated that of Yedo alone, from what he heard, at eight millions. It can be but intelligent speculation after all; and is no doubt most accurately stated when it is put down as somewhat exceeding that of Great Britain. The best information I could gain, as to the population of the city of Yedo, on the occasion of the Mississippi’s third and last visit to Japan, was that it numbered between fifteen and sixteen hundred thousand.

I can not better close this hurried chapter than by giving short extracts from two prominent English writers, published before our sailing from the United States, and containing their speculations and reflections, which it is well to contrast subsequently, with the result of the American expedition.

The first says:—

“In every case we earnestly hope that the American expedition may be conducted with firmness, but also with prudence and gentleness. Should our very enterprising and energetic brethren begin with a too free use of bowie-knives and Colt’s revolvers, the history of their mission will all be written in characters of blood; slaughters and atrocities will be committed, and an interesting people will be plunged back into complete barbarity. Though unable to contend in the field even with a small disciplined force well provided with artillery, and good artillerymen, the Japanese, if we are correctly informed as to their character, will brave death and die in heaps. We would not make any positive assertion, but we apprehend the Americans will find that little or nothing can be done by negotiation. Should force be resorted to, the best means of proceeding would probably be to take possession of one of the smaller islands, or of some peninsular or promontory that might be easily fortified on the land side. A line of intrenchments sufficiently strong to keep off any native force, might soon be made, and easily strengthened afterward. On this strong basis negotiation might probably be carried on with a better chance of success.”

The latter says:—

“Strange and singular as everything we have heard about Japan undoubtedly is, nothing is so strange or so singular as the determination of the inhabitants to resist all intercourse with their fellow-creatures, except it be the fact that they have been able to act upon the resolution with effect during two centuries. It is this consideration which sheds a tinge of romance about the operations of the American squadron. The attack upon Japan is more than an expedition, it is an adventure. In the midst of the all-absorbing prose of the every-day world we suddenly feel as if we were at once transported to the domain of Ariosto and knight-errantry. The founders of the system did ill to enlist against their cause the principle of curiosity, the most constant and powerful impulse of frail humanity. Let the plainest woman in the three kingdoms cover her face with a thick brown veil, and appear to shun observation and she will soon be followed by an inquisitive crowd. The flavor of forbidden fruit has smacked racily on mortal lips from the days of Eve downward. Be the impulse right or wrong it exists, and as it will most surely be acted on, it must not be ignored. The affair, however, is one of far too vital importance to be treated in a light or jesting spirit, for we have every reason to suppose, and to fear, that the resistance of the Japanese to the invaders will be of the most determined character. Great bloodshed and great misery will probably precede the opening up of Japan. However necessary, and however justifiable such a step may be, we are not of those who can contemplate the slaughter of a gallant people, however mistaken their cause, without a pang of regret.”