. Nine years in Nipon. Sketches of Japanese life and manners. merchants or citizen-shopkeepers are rising rapidlyin their social status since the Restoration has broken thefeudal system and given them security for the fruits oftheir skill and industry. I cannot here enter fully into details, but will mentionbriefly the leading facts in an average individual life. From birth the navel-cord is carefully preserved. Itis placed in the amulet-bag worn with other relics. Dur-ing infancy the hair is completely shaved away, whichhas hygienic advantages; it is afterwards allowed to growin a
. Nine years in Nipon. Sketches of Japanese life and manners. merchants or citizen-shopkeepers are rising rapidlyin their social status since the Restoration has broken thefeudal system and given them security for the fruits oftheir skill and industry. I cannot here enter fully into details, but will mentionbriefly the leading facts in an average individual life. From birth the navel-cord is carefully preserved. Itis placed in the amulet-bag worn with other relics. Dur-ing infancy the hair is completely shaved away, whichhas hygienic advantages; it is afterwards allowed to growin a ring, like figure 2, then as in figure i, and finallyas in figure 3 (p. 285). Some examples of the modeof dressing the hair of women occur in the earlier illustra- Japanese Manners and Customs. 285 tions of this work. Children are suckled much longerthan with us, and often they are not weaned till thefourth year. Coloured rice and beans are presented onthe hundredth day after the child is born. Tattooing isvery common, but I cannot find evidence that it was. customary amongst the early Japanese. I have seensome magnificent examples of the art, and showed aliving specimen in the Japanese Asiatic Society whichhas perhaps never been equalled. With the exception ofthe face and extremities, every portion of the body wascovered with a beautiful damask-like design in threecolours, so fine that the punctures had blended perfectly,leaving no space uncoloured. It cost a great sum ofmoney and a lifetime of pain. Japanese married women blacken their teeth—to makethem unattractive, some say. Really, however, the womenhave only conserved a custom common to both sexes inancient times. 286 Nine Years in Nip on. The usual Japanese robe is loose like a dressing-gown,folding over in front, and fastened by a girdle. It is openat the neck. The sleeves are wide and are used as Japanese, therefore, naturally girds his loins andtucks up his sleeves when about to put forth energy. Inplace
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