It was when this prophetic song was being jauntily sung by ignorant men and women, though it gave warning to many intelligent minds, that an American squadron under the command of Commodore Perry suddenly made its appearance in the Bay of Tokyo.1 We can easily imagine the consternation into which the whole population of Yedo was thrown at the news of an alleged "foreign invasion." "In all directions were seen mothers flying with children in their arms, and men with mothers on their backs. Rumors of an immediate action, exaggerated each time they were communicated from mouth to mouth, added horror to the horrorstricken. The tramp of war-horses, the clatter of armed warriors, the noise of carts, the parade of firemen, the incessant tolling of bells, the shrieks of women, the cries of children, dinning all the streets of a city of more than a million souls, made confusion worse confounded." Nor was An alien thing of evil mien- Down in her hold, there labor men Of jet black visage dread; While, fair of face, stand by her guns, Grim hundreds clad in red. With cheeks half hid in shaggy beards, Their glance fixed on the wave, They seek our sun-land at the word Of captain owlish-grave. While loud they come-the boom of drums And songs in strange uproar; And now with flesh and herb in store, Their powers turn toward the western shore. And slowly floating onward go These Black Ships, wave-tossed to and fro. 1Cf. Callahan, American Relation in the Pacific and the Far East, pp. 72-84. The date of Perry's arrival at the Bay of Yedo is July 8, 1853. For a very minute description of Commodore Perry's expedition to Japan, see Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to China Seas and Japan performed in the years 1852, 1853, and 1854, Vol. I, published by the government of the United States. 2 Dr. Nitobe, op. cit., p. 46. the commotion restricted to the vicinity of Yedo. The ballad of the Black Ship was sung louder than ever before, the alarm was carried even to the remotest corners of the country, and the gossip about "foreign devils" disturbed the most peaceful minds of mountain villagers. But the "foreign devils" soon proved to be friends, who came to enlighten and advise, but not to subjugate, the sons of the " Fairy Land." We cannot recall without a sense of gratitude that Commodore Perry was uncommonly patient and sympathetic in persuading the secluded nation to open their ports to foreign communication, and in making them aware that there were in the West highly civilized countries, from which they could derive the benefits of learning and the arts by entering into communication with them. The labor of the American Admiral was finally rewarded by a treaty of commerce signed on the thirty-first day of March, 1854. No sooner was the conclusion of the commercial treaty between the United States and the military magistrate of Japan reported to the West than the other powers struggled to extort the same privilege from the islanders. The external pressure joined with several other causes. called forth national unity, which brought about the recent Restoration. Hence, we may rightly say that, if the dawn of western civilization in Japan was brought about by the Dutch, Commodore Perry and his successors brought the brilliant rays of daylight. A fine monument erected on the seashore where Commodore Perry first landed, and dedicated to the American benefactor of Japan, is but a token of our gratitude for the generosity and broad-mindedness of the American nation which introduced us to the arena of the world's civilization. $51. Now let us observe the political reformation which took place immediately after the Restoration. The direct and apparent aim of the Restoration was simply 1 For the Japanese nation's estimation of Easterners before the Restoration see Lafcadio Hearn's Kokoro, pp. 177-184. to restore the usurped sovereignty to the Emperor. In other words, it was a movement to replace the absolutism of the military magistracy by an absolute monarchism. Like the promoters of the French Revolution, the leaders of the Restoration movement could with a few exceptions hardly foresee its ultimate goal, and were unconsciously treading the path which necessarily leads to the gate of liberal government. The promoters of the Restoration were nevertheless unmistakably working for the cause which soon proved to be most fruitful in the political development of their country. They proclaimed through the Emperor, then newly ascended to the throne, that all measures should be decided in the light of public opinion, that an assembly should be convoked in order to promote the welfare of the people, and that intellect and learning should be sought for throughout the world. Attention must be called to the fact that one of the workers for the reformation urged the Emperor to do away with the pompous etiquette of the court and to adopt simplicity as the first attribute of government. In addition to these reformative ideas, the mighty tide of western thought was already sweeping the shores of the country. Everything now seemed to favor the growth of the idea of popular government. Previous to the Restoration, the masses had been prohibited from discussing political affairs, while the industrial class or commons had been refused the right of official appointments. Such a state of things was completely broken up soon after the reformation, and an edict was issued to the effect that all the people should be allowed the right of free discussion in politics, and of being appointed to office. The Reformation brought many changes into governmental organization. It was of course impossible to abolish feudalism, which had become deeply rooted in Japanese soil during hundreds of years, all at once. Hence, feudal nobilities, numbering almost three hundred, maintained a foothold in their respective localities for some time after the Restoration. The centralized government, organized immediately after the Reformation, was not, strictly speaking, a centralized govern ment. tion. In some respects, it resembled the German ConfederaThe central power was restored to the Emperor, but the local government, still feudalistic, was excessively powerful. It is worthy of note that the germ of a bicameral legislature already appeared under this federalistic form of government. The organization of two legislative chambers was ordained by the Emperor. The upper chamber was composed of princes of the blood royal, ministers and vice-ministers of state, and court and feudal nobles. The lower chamber was composed of deputies appointed by the feudal governors. From the composition of the two chambers it can easily be seen that the legislative body was nothing but the production of older political ideas wedded to the western form of representative government. Through a few Dutch scholars and some Japanese who had returned from a mission to occidental countries, the organizers of the new government heard of the legislative regime prevailing in the West. To statesmen disciplined in old political thought, however, it must have been uncommonly hard to get a clear idea of the western system of representative government. Nor was it possible to transplant to the virgin soil of Japan that advanced form of government without some modifications. Every reformation needs a certain period of preparation. Reformation without preparation is neither healthy nor desirable. The representative government of European countries had its germ in the free cities of the eleventh century, while the principles of the American Constitution, both federal and state, can be traced to the colonial polity. It is inconceivable that a nation, which was ruled under a military magistracy and separated from the outer world for hundreds of years, should realize advanced principles of government all of a sudden. Hence, the first legislative chambers of Japan may well be compared to occidental furnitures put into oriental buildings. The improvements thus brought about were certainly great, but the main principle of the government was still oriental. As I have already said members of neither house were elected by the people, but appointed by the Emperor or feudal lords. The idea of representation was not yet realized. Nevertheless, I do not hesitate to regard the early legislative body as the beginning of representative government in Japan. The two chambers were not coördinate. The lower chamber had no power to initiate laws, and could carry on its business only under the direction of the upper chamber. The chief matters upon which both houses had to deliberate were: framing of the laws, concluding of treaties, declaring of wars, levying of taxes, &c. It must be borne in mind, however, that the upper chamber was not simply a legislative and deliberative body; it was also an executive body. On the one hand it had the nature of a cabinet, which represents the government, while on the other it was much like an executive council. Here again it will be seen that western political ideas were not thoroughly digested by the founders of New Japan. The legislative department was not strictly separated from the executive, although the programme of the government declared that the distribution of functions among the three departments was the foremost necessity. The workers for the Restoration were not thinkers or scholars, but practical statesmen. They had practical problems to solve. They adopted only those reforms which they deemed necessary and expedient for the time being. Thus it was not simply because the Japanese failed to understand fully the nature of representative government, but also because they thought it inexpedient and impossible to adopt the occidental regime all at once, that the first legislative body of New Japan presented very peculiar features. 52. It is interesting to note that the principle of the tripartite form of government, as expounded by Montesquieu in his Spirit of the Laws, was already known by the founders of the new government. A coterie of persons, who had been dispatched to Europe for the purpose of concluding treaties, came in contact with the idea of the French thinkers, and one |