Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 13.djvu/597

569 JAPAN HE empire of Japan consists of a long chain of islands separated from the eastern coast of Asia by the Seas of Japan and Okhotsk, and extending from 24 to 50 40 N. lat., and from 124 to 156 38 E. long. It com mences with the Kurile Islands and descends in a south westerly direction to the Loochoo group, to which the Japanese Government reasserted their claim in 1875. The southern portion of the island of Saghalien was ceded to Russia in exchange for the Kuriles. The whole empire is called by the natives Dai Nippon, or " Great Japan " ; but Ntypon or Nikon is often employed alone. Nippon means literally "sun s origin," i.e., the land over Avhich the sun first rises, and thus denotes the position the empire occupies in the extreme East. The principal islands may be enumerated as follows : 1. The main island, which does not bear any special name. In many of the older geographical works it is stated that Niftpon 1 is the distinctive appellation of this one island, but by the Japanese themselves the name is applied only to the whole country. 2. Kiushiu (lit., " the nine provinces "). 3. Shikoku (lit., " the four provinces"). 4. Yezo. 5. Sado. 6. Tsushima. 7. Hirado (often wrongly written Firando). 8. -Avaji. 9. Oshima (" Vries Island") and the chain adjacent to it, ter minating with Hachijo (misspelt on charts Fatsisio). 10. Iki, with several smaller isles. 11. The Oki group. 12. The Goto group. 13. The Boniu group. 14. The Eiukiu (Loochoo) group. 15. The Kurile group (Chijima ; lit, "the thousand islands"). Owing to the lack of reliable surveys, it is exceedingly difficult to form a correct estimate of the area of the Japanese empire. A few years ago the Government insti tuted surveying operations under the direction of skilled foreign engineers, and an ordnance map of the city of TokiO has already been prepared and published ; but any correct calculation of the size of the whole country can hardly be obtained for some years to come. In a work on general geography published a few years ago by the Educa tion Department at Tokio, the area of Japan is stated to be 24,780 square ri, which measurement, taking the linear ri as equal to 2 4 5 English miles, gives a total of about 148,742 miles, or nearly one-fourth more than the area of the United Kingdom. This estimate, however, is founded on maps which are far from correct. 1 The old division of Japan into provinces was made by the emperor Seimu (131-190 A.D.), in whose time the jurisdiction of the sovereign did not extend further north than to a boundary line running from the Bay of Sendai, on the east coast of the main island, to near the present treaty port of Niigata on the west coast. The northern 1 Even in ordinary Japanese maps there are noticeable very glaring discrepancies as to distances, &c. The common measurement of length is the ri, equivalent, as has been said above, to about 2 45 miles. The ri usually contains 36 cha, though in the extreme western portion of the country 50 ch6 are sometimes reckoned to the ri. In hilly regions we often meet with what is termed the "mountain rt, 1 which is one-half of the ordinary one. In former days, in stating distances along the roads, &c. , the space occupied by temple enclo sures was not reckoned, and thus the traveller had often to traverse a far longer route than that actually noted in the guide-books. The minor linear measures are the svn, or inch, 10 of which make the shaku, which is as nearly as possible equivalent to our foot ; 6 shaku, or 71^ English inches, make up the Japanese ken , while the jo contains 10 shaku. See recent works on Japanese weights and measures by Mr W. Bramsen. portion beyond this line was then occupied bj* barbarous tribes, of whom the Ainos (still to be found in Yezo) are probably the remaining descendants. The whole country was then divided into thirty-two provinces. In the 3d century the empress Jingo, on her return from her victorious expedition against Corea, portioned out the empire into five home provinces and seven circuits, in imitation of the Corean system. By the emperor Moinmu (696-707) some of the provinces were subdivided so as to increase the whole number to sixty-six, and the boundaries then fixed by him were resurveyed in the reign of the emperor Shomu (723-756). The old division is as follows : I. The Go-kinai, or "five home provinces," i.e., those lying immediately around Kioto, the capital, viz. : Yamasliiro 2 also called Joshiu. Idzumi, also called Senshiu. Yamato, ,, Washiu. Sctsu., Sesshiu. Kawachi, ,, Eashiu. II. The seven circuits, as follows : 1. The TGkaido, or "eastern-sea circuit." which comprises fifteen provinces, viz.: I;/a Isliiu. Seishiu. , Shishiu. , Siskin. , Sanshiu. , EnsMu. , Simsfiiii. , Dzushiu. Kai Saga mi Musashi Awa Kadzusa Shimdsct, Hitachi or Ktisliiu. Sdshiu. Bushiv. Bdshiu. Soshiu. Soshiu. Jdsliiu. Ise Shi ma Oicari Mikawa Totomi Suruga Idzu 2. The TGzando, or " eastern-mountain circuit," which com prises eight provinces, viz. : Omi or Goshiu. Kodzuke or Joshiu. Mino ,, Noshiu. Shimotsuke ,, Yasliiv. Hida ,, Hishiu. Mutsu Oshiit. Shinano ,, Shinshix. Dewa ,, Ushiu. 3. The HokwriJcudd, or " northern-land circuit," which com prises seven provinces, viz. : EtcMu or Esshiu. Echigo ,, Esshiu. Sado (island) ,, Sashiu. Wakasa or Jakushiu. Echizen ,, Esshiu. Kaga Kashiu. Noto ,, Noshiu. 4. The Sanindo, or "mountain-back circuit," which com prises eight provinces, viz. : Tanibn or Tanshiu. Hoki or Hakushiu. Tango ,, Tanshiu. Idzumo ,, VnsMu. Taj i ma ,, Tanshiu. Iwami ,, Stkishiu. Inaba ,, Inshiu. OJci (group of islands). 5. The Sanyodo, or " mountain-front circuit," which com prises eight provinces, viz. : Ilarima Mimasaka Bizen Bitchiu Bingo or Bishiu. Aki ,, Geishiu. Suu 6 ,, Boshiu. Nagato ,, CMshiu. southern-sea circuit," which corn- viz. : Sanuki or Sanshiu. Iyr> ,, Yoshiu. Tosa ,, Toshiu. 7. The SaiJcaidd, or " western -sea circuit," which comprises nine provinces, viz. Hlgo or Hishiu. Hiuga ,, Nisshiu. Osumi ,, Gushiti. Satsuma ,, Sasshiu. or Ban shin . Sakushiu ,, Bishiu. ,, Bishiu. 6. The Nankaidd, or prises six provinces Eii or Kishiu. A wciji (island) ,, Tanshiu. Awa ,, Ashiv. Chikuzcn or Chikushiu. Chikugo ,, Chikushiu. Bazcn Hoshiu. Bungo Hoshiu. Hizcn ,, Hishiu. III. The two islands, viz.: 1. Tsushima or Taishiu. 2. Iki ,, Ishiu. Upon comparing the above list with a map of Japan it 2 The names given in italics are those more commonly used. Those in the first column are generally of pure native derivation ; those in the second column are composed of the Chinese word shiu, a "province," added to the Chinese pronunciation of one of the characters with which the native name is written. In a few cases both names are used. XIII. 72