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1、【英文读物】Japanese Girls and WomenPREFACE TO REVISED EDITION. In offering a revised edition of a book which has been before the public for more than ten years, there is little to say that has not been said in the original Preface. The work as published before, however, was always, to its authors mind, u
2、nfinished, for the reason that a chapter on household customs, which was necessary for the completion of the plan, had to be omitted because it could not be written in America. This defect has now been remedied, and the chapter Within the Home contains the supplementary matter necessary to complete
3、the picture of a Japanese womans life. In addition to this a thorough revision has been made of the whole book, and the subjects discussed in each chapter have been brought up to date by means of notes in an Appendix. The reader will find these notes referred to by asterisks in the text. Finally, a
4、second supplementary chapter has been added, in which an effort has been made to analyze present conditions. From its nature, this chapter is only a rapid survey of the progress of ten years. It is not easy to write with judgment of conditions actually present. A little perspective is necessary to m
5、ake sure that one sees things in their proper proportions. It is therefore with some hesitation that I offer to the public the result of two years experience of the present state of affairs. If subsequent events show that my observation has been incorrect, I can only say that what I have written has
6、 been the Thing-as-I-see-It, and does not lay claim to being the Thing-as-It-is. In closing, I would thank once more the friends whose names appear in the previous Preface, and would add to their number the names of Mr. H. Sakurai and Mr. and Mrs. Seijiro Saito, who have rendered me valuable aid in
7、gathering material. A. M. B. New Haven, Connecticut,November, 1902. PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION. It seems necessary for a new author to give some excuse for her boldness in offering to the public another volume upon a subject already so well written up as Japan. In a field occupied by Griffis, Morse, G
8、reey, Lowell, and Rein, what unexplored corner can a woman hope to enter? This is the question that will be asked, and that accordingly the author must answer. While Japan as a whole has been closely studied, and while much and varied information has been gathered about the country and its people, o
9、ne half of the population has been left entirely unnoticed, passed over with brief mention, or altogether misunderstood. It is of this neglected half that I have written, in the hope that the whole fabric of Japanese socialviii life will be better comprehended when the women of the country, and so t
10、he homes that they make, are better known and understood. The reason why Japanese home-life is so little understood by foreigners, even by those who have lived long in Japan, is that the Japanese, under an appearance of frankness and candor, hides an impenetrable reserve in regard to all those perso
11、nal concerns which he believes are not in the remotest degree the concerns of his foreign guest. Only life in the home itself can show what a Japanese home may be; and only by intimate associationsuch as no foreign man can ever hope to gainwith the Japanese ladies themselves can much be learned of t
12、he thoughts and daily lives of the best Japanese women. I have been peculiarly fortunate in having enjoyed the privilege of long and intimate friendship with a number of Japanese ladies, who have spoken with me as freely, and shown the details of their lives to meix as openly, as if bound by closest
13、 ties of kindred. Through them, and only through them, I have been enabled to study life from the point of view of the refined and intelligent Japanese women, and have found the study so interesting and instructive that I have felt impelled to offer to others some part of what I have received throug
14、h the aid of these friends. I have, moreover, been encouraged in my work by reading, when it was already more than half completed, the following words from Griffiss Mikados Empire: The whole question of the position of Japanese womenin history, social life, education, employments, authorship, art, m
15、arriage, concubinage, prostitution, benevolent labor, the ideals of literature, popular superstitions, etc.discloses such a wide and fascinating field of inquiry that I wonder no one has as yet entered it. In closing, I should say that this work is by no means entirely my own. It is, in the first pl
16、ace, largely the result of the interchange xof thought through many and long conversations with Japanese ladies upon the topics herein treated. It has also been carefully revised and criticised; and many valuable additions have been made to it by Miss Um Tsuda, teacher of English in the Peeresses Sc
17、hool in Tky, and an old and intimate friend. Miss Tsuda is at present in this country, on a two years leave, for purposes of further study. She has, amid her many duties as a student at Bryn Mawr College, given much time and thought to this work; and a large part of whatever value it may possess is
18、due to her. I would say, too, that in the verification of dates, names, and historical incidents, I have relied altogether upon Griffiss Mikados Empire and Reins Japan, knowing that those two authors represent the best that has been done by foreigners in the field of Japanese history. This work also
19、 owes much, not only to the suggestions and historical aids contained xiin the Mikados Empire, but to Mr. Griffis himself, for his careful reading of my manuscript, and for his criticisms and suggestions. No greater encouragement can be given to an inexperienced author than the helpful criticism of
20、one who has already distinguished himself in the same field of labor; and for just such friendly aid my warmest thanks are due to Mr. Griffis. A. M. B. Hampton, Va., February, 1891.CHAPTER I. CHILDHOOD. To the Japanese baby the beginning of life is not very different from its beginning to babies in
21、the Western world. Its birth, whether it be girl or boy, is the cause of much rejoicing. As boys alone can carry on the family name and inherit titles and estates, they are considered of more importance, but many parents hearts are made glad by the addition of a daughter to the family circle. As soo
22、n as the event takes place, a special messenger is dispatched to notify relatives and intimate friends, while formal letters of announcement are sent to those less closely related. All persons thus notified must make an early visit to the newcomer, in order to welcome it into the2 world, and must ei
23、ther take with them or send before them some present. Toys, pieces of cotton, silk, or crpe for the babys dress are regarded as suitable; and everything must be accompanied by fish or eggs, for good luck. Where eggs are sent, they are neatly arranged in a covered box, which may contain thirty, forty
24、, or even one hundred eggs.1 The baby, especially if it be the first one in a family, receives many presents in the first few weeks of its life, and at a certain time proper acknowledgment must be made and return presents sent. This is done when the baby is about thirty days old. Both baby and mothe
25、r have a hard time of it for the first few weeks of its life. The baby is passed from hand to hand, fussed over, and talked to so much by the visitors that come in, that it must think this world a trying place. The mother, too, is denied the rest and quiet she needs, and wears3 herself out in the ex
26、citement of seeing her friends, and the physical exercise of going through, so far as possible, the ceremonious bows and salutations that etiquette prescribes. Before the seventh day the baby receives its name.2 There is no especial ceremony connected with this, but the childs birth must be formally
27、 registered, together with its name, at the district office of registration, and the household keep holiday in honor of the event. A certain kind of rice, cooked with red beans, a festival dish denoting good fortune, is usually partaken of by the family on the seventh day. The next important event i
28、n the babys life is the miya mairi, a ceremony which4 corresponds roughly with our christening. On the thirtieth day after birth,* the baby is taken for its first visit to the temple. For this visit great preparations are made, and the baby is dressed in finest silk or crpe, gayly figured,garments m
29、ade especially for the occasion. Upon the dress appears in various places the crest of the family, as on all ceremonial dresses, whether for young or old, for every Japanese family has its crest. Thus arrayed, and accompanied by members of the family, the young baby is carried to one of the Shinto t
30、emples, and there placed under the protection of the patron deity of the temple. This god, chosen from a great number of Shinto deities, is supposed to become the special guardian of the child through life. Offerings are made to the god and to the priest, and a blessing is obtained; and the baby is
31、thus formally placed under the care of a special deity. This ceremony over, there is usually an entertainment of some kind at the home of the parents, especially if the family be one of high rank. Friends are invited, and if there are any who have not as yet sent in presents, they may give them at t
32、his time. 5 It is usually on this day that the family send to their friends some acknowledgment of the presents received. This sometimes consists of the red bean rice, such as is prepared for the seventh day celebration, and sometimes of cakes of mochi, or rice paste. A letter of thanks usually acco
33、mpanies the return present. If rice is sent, it is put in a handsome lacquered box, the box placed on a lacquered tray, and the whole covered with a square of crpe or silk, richly decorated. The box, the tray, and the cover are of course returned, and, curious to say, the box must be returned unwash
34、ed, as it would be very unlucky to send it back clean. A piece of Japanese paper must be slipped into the box after its contents have been removed, and box and tray must be given back, just as they are, to the messenger. Sometimes a box of eggs, or a peculiar kind of dried fish, called katsuobushi,
35、is sent with this present, when it is desired to make an especially handsome return. When as many as fifty or one hundred return presents of this kind are to be sent, it is no slight tax on the mistress of the house to see that no one is forgotten, and that all is6 properly done. As special messenge
36、rs are sent, a number of men are sometimes kept busy for two or three days. After all these festivities, a quiet, undisturbed life begins for the baby,a life which is neither unpleasant nor unhealthful. It is not jolted, rocked, or trotted to sleep; it is allowed to cry if it chooses, without anybod
37、ys supposing that the world will come to an end because of its crying; and its dress is loose and easily put on, so that very little time is spent in the tiresome process of dressing and undressing. Under these conditions the baby thrives and grows strong and fat; learns to take life with some philo
38、sophy, even at a very early age; and is not subject to fits of hysterical or passionate crying, brought on by much jolting or trotting, or by the wearisome process of pinning, buttoning, tying of strings, and thrusting of arms into tight sleeves. The Japanese babys dress, though not as pretty as tha
39、t of our babies, is in many ways much more sensible. It consists of as many wide-sleeved, straight, silk, cotton, or flannel garments as the season of the year may require,all cut after nearly7 the same pattern, and that pattern the same in shape as the grown-up kimono. These garments are fitted, on
40、e inside of the other, before they are put on; then they are laid down on the floor and the baby is laid into them; a soft belt, attached to the outer garment or dress, is tied around the waist, and the baby is dressed without a shriek or a wail, as simply and easily as possible. The babys dresses,
41、like those of our babies, are made long enough to cover the little bare feet; and the sleeves cover the hands as well, so preventing the unmerciful scratching that most babies give to their faces, as well as keeping the hands warm and dry. Babies of the lower classes, within a few weeks after birth,
42、 are carried about tied upon the back of some member of the family, frequently an older sister or brother, who is sometimes not more than five or six years old. The poorer the family, the earlier is the young baby thus put on some ones back, and one frequently sees babies not more than a month old,
43、with bobbing heads and blinking eyes, tied by long bands of cloth to the backs of older brothers or sisters, and living in the streets in all8 weathers. When it is cold, the sisters haori, or coat, serves as an extra covering for the baby as well; and when the sun is hot, the sisters parasol keeps o
44、ff its rays from the bobbing bald head.* Living in public, as the Japanese babies do, they soon acquire an intelligent, interested look, and seem to enjoy the games of the elder children, upon whose backs they are carried, as much as the players themselves. Babies of the middle classes do not live i
45、n public in this way, but ride about upon the backs of their nurses until they are old enough to toddle by themselves, and they are not so often seen in the streets; as few but the poorest Japanese, even in the large cities, are unable to have a pleasant bit of garden in which the children can play
46、and take the air. The children of the richest families, the nobility, and the imperial family, are never carried about in this way. The young child is borne in the arms of an attendant, within doors and without; but as this requires the care of some one constantly, and prevents the nurse from doing
47、anything but care for the child, only the richest can afford this luxury. With the baby tied to her back, a9 woman is able to care for a child, and yet go on with her household labors, and baby watches over mothers or nurses shoulder, between naps taken at all hours, the processes of drawing water,
48、washing and cooking rice, and all the varied work of the house. Imperial babies are held in the arms of some one night and day, from the moment of birth until they have learned to walk, a custom which seems to render the lot of the high-born infant less comfortable in some ways than that of the pleb
49、eian child. The flexibility of the knees, which is required for comfort in the Japanese method of sitting, is gained in very early youth by the habit of setting a baby down with its knees bent under it, instead of with its legs out straight before it, as seems to us the natural way. To the Japanese, the normal way for a baby to sit is with its knees bent under it, and so, at a very early