Japan Day by Day, 1877, 1878-79, 1882-83. E-book. Formato PDF Edward Sylvester Morse   -  Forgotten Books, 2017  - 

WE were told by a servant of the house that just back of the town a dance, or ceremony, was going on in an Ainu hut. I had not entered an Ainu hut, though one meets Ainus in the street, so we all went to the place and were invited into the hut, which consisted of one large room. There were three Ainus in the room, all with heavy black beards and tangled mops of long hair, their faces strongly resembling those of our race. Not a trace of Mongolian was detected. These men were sitting cross-legged on the floor around _a large dish of saké. One of them was performing a monotonous dance, making a curious gesture of the hands as if bowing to the win dow, to a glint of sunlight on the floor, to everything about the room, and to the shrine outside, which consisted of a dozen bear skulls stuck on the ends of long poles. They were all really intelligent-looking men, with their long, dignified beards, and _it was impossible to realize that they were low, unlettered savages without moral courage, lazy, and strongly given to drunkenness, supporting themselves by hunting with bow and arrow and fishing. One of the Japanese with me asked them where I came from, and they answered that I was the same as the Japanese! One old fellow, who was very drunk, showed me a quiverful of their terrible poisoned arrows; another one told him to be careful, and I felt rather nervous as he walked behind me with an arrow in his hand, performing in curious gestures and sing ing a monotonous chant. One man strung his bow to show me how they shoot the arrow, and when he took the arrow from his quiver he first very carefully removed the poisoned point. This point consists of a blade of bamboo, and I noticed a white powder on it. The poison used is said to be aconite of some form, and so virulent is it that the Ainu bear is killed by it.

Japanese Homes and Their Surroundings. E-book. Formato PDF Edward Sylvester Morse   -  Forgotten Books, 2017  - 

Thanks to the activity of a number of students of various nationalities in the employ of the Japanese government, and more especially to the scholarly attache's of the English legation in Japan, much information has been obtained concerning this interesting people which might otherwise have been lost. If investigators and students would bear in mind the precept of Miyada, and seize upon those features in social life — forms of etiquette, games, ceremonies, and other manners and customs which are the first to change in any contact with alien races, a very important work would be accomplished for the future soci ologist. The native Japanese student might render the great est service in this work by noting down from the older per sons, before it is too late, the social features and habits of his own people as they were before the late Revolution. Profound changes have already taken place in Japan, and other changes are still in progress. As an indication of the rapidity of some of these changes, reference might be made to an interesting me moir, by Mr. Mcclatchie, on The Feudal Mansions of Yedo; and though this was written but ten years after the revolution of 1868, he speaks of the yashiki, or fortified mansions where dwelt the feudal nobles of Japan, as in many cases deserted, ruined, and fallen into decay; and he describes Observances and manners connected with the yashiki, such as etiquette of the gates, exchange of yashiki, rules relating to fires, etc., which were then obsolete at the time of his writing, though in full force but a few years before.