Even in the present reign
(that of Meiji)--the most glorious in Japanese history--there
have been two rebellions, during one of which a rival Emperor was
set up in one part of the country, and a Republic proclaimed in
another.
This last sentence, though it states sober historical fact, is scarcely
credible to those who only know twentieth-century Japan. The spread of
superstition has gone _pari passu_ with the spread of education, and a
revolt against the Mikado is now unthinkable. Time and again, in the
midst of political strife, the Mikado has been induced to intervene, and
instantly the hottest combatants have submitted abjectly. Although there
is a Diet, the Mikado is an absolute ruler--as absolute as any sovereign
ever has been.
The civilization of Japan, before the Restoration, came from China.
Religion, art, writing, philosophy and ethics, everything was copied
from Chinese models. Japanese history begins in the fifth century A.D.,
whereas Chinese history goes back to about 2,000 B.C., or at any rate to
somewhere in the second millennium B.C. This was galling to Japanese
pride, so an early history was invented long ago, like the theory that
the Romans were descended from AEneas. To quote Professor Chamberlain
again:--
The first glimmer of genuine Japanese history dates from the
fifth century _after_ Christ, and even the accounts of what
happened in the sixth century must be received with caution.
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