[Illustration: Cover] [Frontispiece: Fuji San.] The Gist of Japan The Islands Their People And Missions By the Rev. R. B. Peery, A.M., Ph.D. With Illustrations New York -- Chicago -- Toronto Fleming H. Revell Company M DCCC XCVII Copyright, 1897, by Fleming H. Revell Company To My Wife To whose Kindly Sympathy and Help is Largely Due Whatever of Value there may be in these Pages This Book is Affectionately Dedicated {3} PREFACE Although a great deal has already been published in English concerning Japan and the Japanese people, nothing, to my knowledge, has yet been published which attempts to give a full treatment of mission work in Japan. "An American Missionary In Japan," by Dr. Gordon, is the only book I am aware of that deals exclusively with this subject; but its scope is quite different from that of the present volume. Therefore I have been led to believe that there is a place for this book. I have written for the common people and hence have tried to give the subject a plain, popular treatment. There has been no attempt at exhaustive discussion, but great pains have been taken to make the hook reliable and accurate. In the preparation of this little book I have consulted freely the following works in English: "Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan"; files of the "Japan Mail"; "Transactions of the {4} Osaka Conference, 1882"; Rein's "Japan"; Griffis's "Mikado's Empire"; Griffis's "Religions of Japan"; Chamberlain's "Handbook of Things Japanese"; Miss Bacon's "Japanese Girls and Women"; Dr. Lawrence's "Modern Missions in the East"; "Report of the World's Missionary Conference, London, 1888"; and reports of the various missionary societies operating in Japan. In Japanese I have consulted some native historians and moral and religious writers--especially in the preparation of the chapters on History, Morality, and Religions. The book is sent forth with the prayer that it may be the means of begetting in the American churches a deeper interest in the work it portrays. R. B. P. SAGA, JAPAN. {5} CONTENTS I. The Land of Japan II. A Brief History of the Japanese People III. Japanese Characteristics IV. Manners and Customs V. Japanese Civilization VI. Japanese Morality VII. Religions of Japan VIII. First Introduction Of Christianity IX. Modern Roman and Greek Missions X. A Brief History of Protestant Missions in Japan XI. Qualifications for Mission Work in Japan XII. Private Life of the Missionary XIII. Methods of Work XIV. Hindrances XV. Special Problems XVI. The Outlook {7} LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Fuji San . . . . . . . . . _Frontispiece_ A Bridge Scene A Kitchen Scene Hara-kiri A Shinto Temple A Buddhist Priest A Buddhist Cemetery The Author's Home Jinrikishas {9} I THE LAND OF JAPAN