cution of that sentence will be a very gradual and prolonged affair. In the mean time it behooves the disciples of Jesus Christ to be unremitting in their labors of teaching the Japanese people to substitute for "the Way of the Gods" the religion of Him who said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

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See Rein's "Japan," Peery's "Gist of Japan," Cary's "Japan and its Regeneration," Knapp's "Feudal and Modern Japan," and Lowell's "Soul of the Far East," pp. 162-193. But especially valuable are "The Religions of Japan" (Griffis), “ Occult Japan" (Lowell), Hearn's works, and papers by Sir Ernest Satow and Dr. Florenz in Transactions Asiatic Society of Japan, vols. ii., iii. (App.), vii., ix., xxvii. These references are, of course, on the general subject of Shintō rather than the special topic of this chapter.

CHAPTER XVIII

CONFUCIANISM, BUSHIDO, BUDDHISM

OUTLINE OF TOPICS: Confucianism; "Five Relations"; Bushidō; influences of Confucianism and Bushidō. - Buddhism; general view; chief sects; Tendai sect; Shingon sect; Zen sect; Jodo sect; Shin sect; Nichiren sect; New Buddhism; influences of Buddhism; corruption of Buddhism; control of cemeteries; mixed sects. Relations of Shinto, Confucianism, and Buddhism. - Religious toleration. - Bibliography.

T

HE philosophical teachings of Confucius were very popular in Japan among the educated classes, who, caring little for religion, were content to supplement Shinto with Confucianism. Its moral code undoubtedly proved beneficial to Japan in many respects; but now it is practically superseded by the doctrines of Western atheistic, agnostic, and materialistic philosophy.

The "five relations" (gorin), around which clustered the Confucian ethical code, were those of Father and Son, Ruler and Ruled, Husband and Wife, Elder and Younger Brothers, and Friends. In China, "filial piety," the great virtue of the first relation, was the foundation of the whole system; but in Japanese Confucianism this was relegated to the second place, and "loyalty," the great virtue of the second relation, was put first. The scope

of this relation, moreover, was quite wide; it included not only the relation between the sovereign and his subjects, but also that between a lord and his retainers, and even that between any master and servants. The virtue of the third relation was known as "distinction," which practically meant that each should know and keep his or her own place; that of the fourth relation was "order," which insisted upon the primacy of seniority in age; and between friends the typical virtue was "faith," or "trust,” or "confidence."

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The word Bushidō means, literally, "The Warrior's Way," which was the code of ethics that prevailed in Feudal Japan, and whose influence is still felt, although waning, in Modern Japan. It was the moral code of Japanese chivalry, of the knight and of the gentleman. It has not inaptly been styled Japonicized Confucianism," for it was chiefly Confucian in its constitution. But it gathered elements from Shintō and Buddhism: from the latter it received fatalism (Stoicism); and from the former it received loyalty and patriotism, which meant practically the same thing. It ignored personal chastity (except in women); it encouraged suicide and revenge; but it emphasized justice, courage, benevolence, politeness, veracity, honor, and self-control. One of its most powerful principles was giri (right reason), which is difficult to translate or define, but comes pretty close to what we call "duty" or "the right." This still maintains a potent influence

in New Japan, and often accounts for erratic procedures. Indeed, so-called peculiarities of the Japanese cannot be understood without a knowledge of Bushido, which has been analyzed in a flattering manner in Dr. Nitobe's book, entitled "Bushidō, the Soul of Japan."

Inasmuch as the influence of Confucianism in Japan was chiefly manifested through Bushidō, to be correct, we ought to speak of their joint influences. But since Bushido, as we have just seen, was largely Confucianism, slightly modified to suit the needs of the Japanese spirit (Yamato-damashii), we shall, for convenience, follow other writers in using the term "Confucianism." Rein testifies that in Japan "widely diffused religious indifference and formal atheism are the consequences" of the pursuit of Confucianism. Chamberlain says that "during the two hundred years that followed, the whole intellect of the country was moulded by Confucian ideas." Griffis bears similarly strong testimony, and emphasizes the fact that "all Japanese social, official, intellectual, and literary life was permeated with the new spirit of Confucian thought. It is not strange, therefore, that when Japan was opened to the world, and Occidental learning and literature poured in, the materialism and the agnosticism of the West met with a sympathetic reception.

Buddhism is the accepted faith of the great mass of the Japanese people. It was introduced into Japan from Korea, in the sixth century A. D., and