. The mikado's empire. en in Ki-oto, for centuries, the palace, except for its size and slightly greater el- * The suflBx Mme after female proper names means princess. It is still usedby the ladies of the imperial famih% and by the daughters of the court ,^ with no, was also added to names of ladies of rank. 62 THE MIKADOS EMPIRE. evation, could not be distinguislied from the residences of the nobles,or from a temple. All this was in keeping with the sacredness of thepersonage enshrined within. For vain mortals, sprung from inferior orwicked gods, for upstart generals, or low trader
. The mikado's empire. en in Ki-oto, for centuries, the palace, except for its size and slightly greater el- * The suflBx Mme after female proper names means princess. It is still usedby the ladies of the imperial famih% and by the daughters of the court ,^ with no, was also added to names of ladies of rank. 62 THE MIKADOS EMPIRE. evation, could not be distinguislied from the residences of the nobles,or from a temple. All this was in keeping with the sacredness of thepersonage enshrined within. For vain mortals, sprung from inferior orwicked gods, for upstart generals, or low traders bloated with wealth,luxury and display were quite seemly. Divinity needed no materialshow. The circumstances and attributes of deity were enough. Theindulgence in gaudy display was opposed to the attributes and char-acter of the living representative of the Heavenly Line. This rigidsimplicity was carried out even after death. In striking contrast withthe royal burial customs of the nations of Asia are those of The Mikados Method of Travel iu very Aucient Times. All over the East, the tombs of dead dynasties are edifices of all oth-ers the most magnificent. The durable splendor of the homes of thedeparted far exceed that of the palaces of the living. But in Japan,in place of the gorgeous mausoleums and the colossal masterpieces ofmortuary architecture of continental Asia, the sepulchres of the mika-dos seem monuments of chaste poverty. Nearly all of the imperialtombs are within the three provinces of Yamato, Yamashiro, and Set-tsu. A simple base of stone, surmounted by a low shaft, set upon ahillock, surrounded by a trench, and inclosed with a neat railing oftimber, marks the resting-places of the dead emperors. All this is inaccordance with the precepts of Shinto. SlVm, THE CIVILIZER. 63 The whole hfe of Sujin was one long effort to civilize his half-savage subjects. He ordained certain dayf, when persons of botlisexes must lay aside their regular employment, and give
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Keywords: ., bookauthorgriffisw, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookyear1894
