“It is no exaggeration to say that this book probably contains more practical information about Japan and the Japanese than any other volume of the same size. This is no disparagement of a number of excellent and informative works written by English and American authors, but is a tribute to the conciseness of Mr. Clement’s book and the manner of arrangement. Of all the books published upon Japan there is hardly one which covers the same ground in the same way that Mr. Clement’s book does.”—_Chicago Tribune._ A. C. McCLURG & CO., PUBLISHERS FOOTNOTES: [1] It is also used as a toilet-box, in which to keep combs, brushes, etc. [2] See Conder’s illustrated paper in vol. xvii of the Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan.—EDR. [3] The most recent visitors to Japan all agree in representing the common tea of the country as an inferior article, not suited for exportation. [4] These great retinues are thus accounted for by Thunberg: “As both the monarch himself and all the princes of the country are clothed and dress their hair in the same manner as the rest of the inhabitants, and being destitute of thrones, jewels, and other like paraphernalia, cannot be so distinguished from others, they have adopted the expedient of exhibiting themselves on journeys and festive occasions according to their condition in life, and the dignity of their respective offices, with a great number of people, officers, and attendants hovering about them.” The statement already quoted from Caron (see vol. i, p. 259) as to the numbers composing these princely retinues, is much less than that given above, and probably nearer the truth. [The numbers of the retinues which Kämpfer gives are too large.—K. M.] [5] This is the Sanscrit. [6] The letters of the Jesuit missionaries contain accounts of Buddhist devotees who went so far as to drown or otherwise destroy themselves. Kämpfer, and the writers since his time, make no mention of such extreme fanaticism, which, however, is a natural outgrowth from the doctrine of the Buddhists. [7] Great numbers of the Japanese musicians, as Kämpfer tells us in another place, are blind men, who constitute a sort of order or society which boasts as its legendary founder a certain general of the family of the Heiji, who, at the time of the civil war which ended in the destruction of that family, was taken prisoner by Yoritomo. Notwithstanding repeated attempts at escape, he was very kindly treated, and was pressed to enter into the service of his captor. But, not being able to look upon the destroyer of the Heiji without an irresistible desire to kill him, not to be outdone in generosity, he plucked out his eyes and presented them to Yoritomo on a plate! There is another—more ancient, but less numerous—order of the blind, composed exclusively of ecclesiastical persons, and claiming as its founder a legendary prince, who cried himself blind at the death of his beautiful mistress.