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Of these the first dates from the time of the creation, Japan being then governed by a succession or evolution of seven Celestial spirits, each of which reigned for a very long but undefined period, and who were succeeded by a race of Demi-Gods, five in number and called Dsi Sin Go Dai.
Passing to the second or doubtful era of Japanese history Mr. Kaempfer observes, “It is a little known what was the state of these countries and the way of life of the inhabitants, from the beginning of the creation to the time of their first Monarch, Sin Mu Ten Oo, whose reign comes down within 660 years of Our Saviour’s nativity. It is highly probable that in those days the Japanese lived up and down the country, disposed in hordes (as do the Scythian inhabitants of Great Tartary) separated from the rest of the world by a rocky tempestuous sea, being as yet in a state of nature and freedom, without a settled form of government, and destitute of arts and sciences. The neighbouring Empire of China was then already grown very powerful, arts and sciences flourished there and were by the Chinese brought over into Japan. It was owing to this that the Japanese became in time polite and civilised. That so considerable a period of time should not remain empty in their chronological books, they have filled up the vacancy with the names of the most eminent monarchs who after the demise of Katsurakuki and the five descendants of his family sat on the throne of China.” The names of the Chinese Emperors alluded to are as follows:—(1) Fuki or Fohi, who is said to have discovered the twelve Celestial Signs and divided time into years and months, and to have invented many useful arts and sciences. According to one of the Japanese historians consulted by Kaempfer this Emperor began his reign 20,446 years before the Japanese emperor Synmu, or 21,106 years before Christ; and this pretension is considered by the orthodox historian to be sufficient to exclude him from even the doubtful era, since, says Kaempfer, it would place him thousands of years before the creation of the world. Kaempfer, however,
