CURRENT LITERATURE

Hokitika Guardian, 10 July 1926, Page 4

CURRENT LITERATURE

A HISTORY OF JAPAN. The late. James Murdoch, formerly Professor of Japanese in our University, was a conversationalist of singular charm, hut was very reticent about himself. ’Few outside academic circles were aware of his eminence ; fewer still knew that he had had a most varied career. His monumental “History of Japan” though incomplete, is the standard authority for the period which it covers, and it is a classic which was written ainuist other engrossing labours. The third volume, which has just appeared, contains a biographical sketch of a man who, in his lime, played many parts, and all ol them with distinction.

Like so many Scottish intellectuals, Murdoch sprang from humble origins. He was horn in 1856, in Stonehaven, Aberdeen, where his father farmed a small plot, of hind, aiid kept the village general shop. At the local grammar school Murdoch won a bursary, which took him to the University of Aberdeen, and there lie carried all before him. His inclination was Inwards mathematics, but, as there were no scholarships in that subject, lie, of necessity, studied the classics. I hole followed courses at Oxford. Gottingen and the Scrbouiie, in Paris. His linguistic repertoire now included Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, French, German, to which lie .subsequently added Spanish alul Portuguese in. order to read flic records of the early missionaries to Japan, and also Japanese. He gave up an assistant professorship at Aberdeen to accept the position of second master in an Australian school, and shortly afterwards became headmaster. Tint tho administrative duties which fall upon a “head” were uncongenial to him; ho resigned and eventually went into journalism, associating himself with Hie Labour movement, which v.as then in its early days.

Later he was sent by an Australian newspaper to China, to investigate industrial conditions, and when his mission was accomplished, went on to Japan, where he remained for several years, engaged in teaching and in literary work. Alhilo in Australia lie had formed a friendship with William Lane, and when the latter founded the New Australia Colony in Paraguay, Murdoch offered his services as teacher. 'They were accepted, but when he reached the colony its members were already at sixes and sevens. "My experience of the practical working oi socialism,” he once said, “was the serving out of meat to a community almost starving, with envy and jealousy so strong that tho butcher weighed the meat with one hand while he kept a revolver in. the other.” Also Lane had developed into an overhearing mi toe rat. who (-tainted divine inspiration for liis decrees, So Murdoch returned to Japan, where lie lived, with intervals of travel, until In- came to Australia, to occupy the Sydney chair of Oriental studies, lie died in IG2I. In, the memoir are one or two inaccuracies. Tho chair in question is described as being at the .Melbourne University, and Sydney is spelt “Sidney.”

Tho “History” had its genesis Jit iiis history of the period of early foreign intercourse '.v'itli Japan, from 1542 A.D., whejii Japan may In? said to Have Ixnfn discovered by the Portuguese, to 1651 A.IX, when the country was closed to foreigners. This was published in 1903. Tiieii Murdoch conceived the- plan of treating Japanese history from its legendary beginnings down to. tiie present day. The “first” volume', published ill 1910. dealt with tho history of Japan from its origin to tiie arrival of the Portuguese in 1542. The third, the one under eon- ' sideration, takes up the tale in ,1651, a and carries it to 1868', when the Toku- * gawa Siiogunate came to an end. 1 he fourth and last was to have covered the Meiji era, with its momentous changes aiid events. An idea of the magnitude of the task may be gathered from the fact that the third volume atone comprises 823 pages, while tho list of authorities consulted is a formidable one. Vet Murdoch is not a historian of the ilry-ns-dust order. His enthusiasm for his subject prevents him from being duli. He writes in a lively, entertaining style, plentifuly seasoned >vith humour. Shoguns, statesmen, scholars, swordsmen, ladies exerting “influence” from their elegant seclusion, the industrious tax-paying peasantry, the deposed merchants, arc shown to us in tlieir mutual relations in a pageant which brings the past vividly before our eyes, incidentally wo may note that the population problem is by ro means a recent development. Immigration was forbidden by law, and already in the early nart of tho ibtli century the pressure was being felt. The Shogun Yoshiimine, a far-sighted statesmen, took steps to combat it by encouraging the cultivation of foodstuffs, such as sug'iir, which had pieviusly come from abroad, and also by j inculcating among aristocrats and facials, a spirit of simplicity aiid 'frugality. ] But, perhaps, the most interesting portion of tiie volume is tliat which is concerned faith the reopening of Japan. .The attitude cf tiie Japanese to the foreigners after 1651 was not dictated by narrow and selfish insularity. Tt proceeded from--the genuine belief that the foreigners cherished territorial designs, and that if they wore allowed free ingress it would lead to annexation, trade and missionary enterprise being tbe levers by which (his would he effected. The Japanese knew what had happened in the Philippines, the Hast Indies, and fndia. However, even after Japan was closed to outsiders, the exclusion was never complete. The,Dutch and the Chinese continued to have commercial relations with Japana. a Dutch “colony” maintaining a precarious existence on the little island of Reshiina, .in Nagasaki Harbour. But their operations were restricted and vigilantly supervised. Any arms their ships,carried had to he sent ashore. Only a limited and a continually decreasing amount of the principal commodity, namely, copper, which the Dutch sought, was permitted to be exported. The number of vessels engaged in the trade dwindled, and there is little ] doubt that the Dutch abused their i privileges. Directors and captains were j exempt from examination on their : visits ashore. They had special suits < made, in which they smuggled quan- i titles of goods. So heavily laden were 1 they that they could not walk without 1 support! But the trick was discover- t ed by accident. A Dutch vessel, d«s- j allied in a typhoon, and abandoned by s her erfew, drifted on to the ceast of v Japan. The Japanese found in her ] a number of chests, all marked with s the names of the functionaries to, whom c they belonged, ancl crammed to the lids g

with contraband articles. Measures were, then taken to suppress the practice.

In ISO", tho first accredited envoy from any European Court to Japan, since the repulse of the Portuguese mission in 1647, appeared at Nagasaki, on board the first European man-o-w"ar til at ever cast anchor in a Japanese harbour. Roth were from St. Petersburg, llezanor, the leader, uas interviewed by a representative of the Emperor, and told that lie must prostrate himself before him. This, Rozanov declined to do, but agreed, as a compromise, to sit on his heels on the floor for a few minutes. Hie concession availed nothing for the Emperor refused to receive the envoy and the presents. The pretext was that if they were received, it would be necessary to send a return mission with presents of equal value, and this was impossible on account of Japan s poverty, and the strict law which forbade a Japanese to go abroad. In 1808, Nagasaki Harbour was the scene ol great excitement, Britain was at war with Holland. H.M.S. “Phaeton,” a frigate of the “Saucy Channel Four” type, swooped out of the blue and seized two Dutch ships which were Iving at anchor. The city was thrown into a state of consternation. -he Governor urged tho garrison to take action against tho “Phaeton,” but nothing was done. One officer, ordered to tho batteries, said that he had no clothes suitable for the service; another bo-sought - his Excellency to remember his mother. Eventually a fleet was concentrated, but- by tliat time the birds had flown. It was lucky for the fleet- that it arrived'too late.' The old tokugawa regulations prohibited tho construction of fighting ships of more than SO tons burthen, and tho guns of one of the crack frigates of the British navy would lmvo made short work of these Lilliputian craft. As !t result of this affair, tho Governor and many officials committed liari-kari.

. Til the last chapter of tlie story of Japanese isolation, Japan had to contend with a neve candidate for admission in the shape of America. In 1846. in pursuance of a resolution of Congress which provided that measures should be taken for effecting commercial arrangements with Japan, Commodore Biddle appeared at Grasp with two worships. His. instructions told him to he careful not to excite hostile feeling, and he carried ceriiptaisalnce to h’.n extreme. Not only did he consent to go in person to receive tho reply to his letter to the Emperor, but when a Japanese pushed him hack into tlie boat' as ho was stepping on board the junk, he readily accepted the apology tendered. News of tho 'incident spread far and wide. Evoryono heard how a common -soldier Had knocked down an American commander with impunity. Meanwhile the crows of American winders who iiad fallen into Japanese hands woi;e ill-treated. If American sailors sought refuge in Japanese waters Trom storms they were imprisoned. Perry was sent to investigate the position generally. On the strength of his report, ho was despatched with a squadron of men of war to obtain a treaty.. He occupied the time while his vessels were assembling in selecting presents for the Japanese. In 1853 he arrived off Uragn, the port of Yedo, with a fine display of force, transmitted the President’s letter to the local authorities, and, since there .seemed no immediate prospect of successful negotiations, sailed away, announcing fliat lie would return in the spring. Ijue to lib promise, the next spring saw his squadron hack again. The, Government realised that it was impotent before Us steam warships, 'and on March 31st concluded that treaty which was to,have such a profound influence upon the destiny of Japan and of the world.