Chambers's encyclopædia; a dictionary of universal knowledge . , and the construction of roads andrailroads, have all been in progress during^ thelast three years. A railway from Yeddo to Yoko-hama has been made, and telegraphs are in courseof erection. Newspapers and printing-presses have JAPAN. started into existence, and books are eagerlyread. Tiie government has engaged foreign pro-fessors of languages, and sent some 500 statestudents to Europe and America. The army isbeing armed and organised on the French model,and instructed by French officers. On the standingestablishment are 70,200 me
Chambers's encyclopædia; a dictionary of universal knowledge . , and the construction of roads andrailroads, have all been in progress during^ thelast three years. A railway from Yeddo to Yoko-hama has been made, and telegraphs are in courseof erection. Newspapers and printing-presses have JAPAN. started into existence, and books are eagerlyread. Tiie government has engaged foreign pro-fessors of languages, and sent some 500 statestudents to Europe and America. The army isbeing armed and organised on the French model,and instructed by French officers. On the standingestablishment are 70,200 men, besides the Mikadosbody-guard of 8312 ]ncked soldiers. The navy hasat present 19 vessels of all classes. The westerncalendar (excepting only the names of the mouth,which are re]iresented by nuraVers) has, by arecent decree, been adopted ; and a national codeof laws, based on the Code Napoleon, is beingdrawn up. Beltf/ions of Japan.—The two principal andnational religions of J. are Sintuism or Sin-syuism(from si7i, the gods, and siju, faith), the ancient. Japanese Temple creed of the country, and Buddhism, which is exoticand comparatively modern. The doctrine of Con-fucius, as held by the literati of China, has alsoconsiderable influence under the name of Sooto,or the way or method of philosophers; but it isless a religion than a system of morals and phil-osophy. 1. Sintuism. The hierarchy of Sin-syuiscomposed of the Mikado, two ecclesiastical judges,together with the monks and priests. The chiefobject of Sintu worship and belief is Ten-sio dai-sin,the Great Sun-goddess. The spiritual , is held to be the direct descendant of thesun-goddess, and, as such, unites in his personall tlie attributes of the deity. The minor deitiesof Sintuism are very numerous, for every hero,warrior, patriot, or public benefactor receives aregular ajjotheosis and canonisation at his death,and is henceforth reckoned among the Jcami ordemi-gods. Every district has its patron saint or
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1868
