Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan/Series 1/Volume 1/The Geography of Japan

by Ernest Mason Satow

THE GEOGRAPHY OF JAPAN,

BY

E. SATOW, Esq.

Read before the Asiatic Society of Japan,

on the 22nd March, 1873.

———o———

Dr. Cornwell’s School Geography, a book which had reached its 47th edition in 1870, and may therefore be supposed to have a large circulation, informs us that ‘Japan consists of Niphon, Kiusiu, Sikoku, the dependencies of Jesso, the South Kouriles, and the south part of Saghalian.’

To say nothing of the incorrect spelling of the names in this sentence, it contains one error which every writer on Japan appears to have committed, and which demands immediate attention. This error consists in restricting the application of the name Nippon, or Nihon, to the largest island of the Japanese group, whereas it denotes in reality the whole of the empire. Amongst the numerous peculiarities of Japanese geography none is perhaps more curious and more difficult to understand at first sight than this, although when the manner in which the country is divided is clearly pointed out, the necessity for giving a separate name to the main island seems less absolute than would be imagined.

A native manuscript entitled Kôkoku chiri riaku, or ‘A Short Geography of the Empire,’ says: “From the most ancient times until lately Japan did not consist of more than sixty-eight provinces, namely, the five home provinces, the seven circruits, and the two islands, but in the winter of the year before last (1868) it was divided into eighty-four provinces, namely, five home provinces and eight circuits.”

The Go-kinai, or five home provinces, are Yamashiro, Yamato, Kawachi, Idzumai and Setsu. The seven circuits are the Tôkaidô, Tôzandô, Hokurikudô, Sanindô, Sanyôdô, Nankaidô and Saikaidô. The first division of Japan into provinces was made by Seimu Tennô, A.D. 131–190, in whose time the jurisdiction of the Mikado did not extend further north than a line drawn from Sendai Bay to somewhere about Niigata, the rest of the island, namely, the subsequent province of Déwa and part of Mutsu, being still occupied by the barbarous tribes of whom the Ainos are probably the remaining descendants. What in 1868 constituted sixty-six and a half provinces was divided by him into only thirty-two.^[1] In the third century the Empress called Jingô Kô-gô, after returning from her victories in Corea, divided the country into five home provinces and seven circuits, in imitation of the Corean arrangement. In the reign of Mommu Tennô (696–707) some of the provinces were sub-divided, so as to increase the whole number to sixty-six. The boundaries then fixed by him were re-surveyed in the reign of Shômu Tennô (723–756) by Kibi Daijin and the Buddhist priests Giôgi and Taishô, to whom the task was confided by that Mikado. They are said to have buried charcoal in the earth at points on the boundaries, that being the most imperishable mark which they were able to devise.^[2]

The old division is as follows:—

The Go-kinai, or Five Home Provinces are:—

	Yamashiro[3]	or	Jôshiu.
	Yamato	or„	Washiu
	Kawachi	or„	Kashiu.
	Idzumi	or„	Senshiu
and	Setsu	or„	Sesshiu.

The Tôkaidô, or Eastern-Sea Circuit, comprises fifteen provinces, namely:—

	Iga	or	Ishiu.
	Isé	or„	Seishiu.
	Shima	or„	Shishiu.
	Owari	or„	Bishiu.
	Mikawa	or„	Sanshiu.
	Tôtómi	or„	Enshiu.
	Suruga	or„	Sunshiu.
	Idzu	or„	Dzushiu.
	Kai	or„	Kôshiu.
	Sagami	or„	Sôshiu.
	Musashi	or„	Bushiu.
	Awa	or„	Bôshiu.
	Kadzusa	or„	Sôshiu.
	Shimôsa	or„	Sôshiu.
and	Hitachi	or„	Jôshiu.

The Tôzandô or Eastern-mountain Circuit, comprises eight provinces, namely:—

	Ômi	or	Gôshiu.
	Mino	or„	Nôshiu.
	Hida	or„	Hishiu.
	Shinano	or„	Shinshiu.
	Kôdzuké	or„	Jôshiu.
	Shimotsuké,	or„	Yashiu.
	Mutsu	or„	Ôshiu.
and	Déwa	or„	Ushiu.

The Hokurikudô, or Northern-land Circuit, comprises seven provinces, namely:—

	Wasaka	or„	Jakushiu.
	Echizen	or„	Esshiu.
	Kaga	or„	Kashiu.
	Noto	or„	Nôshiu.
	Etchiu	or„	Esshiu.
	Echigo	or„	Esshiu.
and	Sado (Island)	or„	Sashiu.

The Sanindô, or Mountain-back Circuit, comprises eight provinces, namely:

	Tamba	or„	Tanshiu.
	Tango	or	Tanshiu.
	Tajima	or„	Tanshiu.
	Inaba	or„	Inshiu.
	Hôki	or„	Hakushiu.
	Idzumo	or„	Unshiu.
	Iwami	or„	Sekishiu.
and	Oki (group of islands).

The Sanyôdô, or Mountain-front Circuit, comprises eight provinces, namely:—

	Harima	or	Banshiu.
	Mimasaka	or„	Sakushiu.
	Bizen	or„	Bishiu.
	Bitchiu	or„	Bishiu.
	Bingo	or„	Bishiu.
	Aki	or„	Geishiu.
	Suwô	or„	Bôshiu.
and	Nagato	or„	Chôshiu.

The Nankaidô, or Southern-sea Circuit, comprises six provinces, namely:—

	Kii	or	Kishiu.
	Awaji (island)	or„	Tanshiu.
	Awa	or„	Ashiu.
	Sanuki	or„	Sanshiu.
	Iyo	or„	Yoshiu.
and	Tosa	or„	Toshiu.

The Saikaidô, or Western-sea Circuit, comprises nine provinces, namely:—

	Chikuzen	or	Chikushiu.
	Chikugo	or„	Chikushiu.
	Buzen	or„	Hôshiu.
	Bungo	or„	Hôshiu.
	Hizen	or„	Hishiu.
	Higo	or„	Hishiu.
	Hiuga	or„	Nisshiu.
	Ôsumi	or„	Gûshiu.
and	Satsuma	or„	Sasshiu.

The two islands are:—

	Tsushima	or	Taishiu.
and	Iki	or„	Ishiu.

It will be seen from a comparison of this list of geographical divisions that the main island contains the Go-kinai, Tôkaidô, Tôsandô, Hokurikudô, Sanyôdô, Sanindô and one province of the Nankaidô. To use the names of these divisions is just as convenient for a Japanese as to use a collective name like that which foreign geographers have misapplied to the whole island would be. The explanation of the anomaly is, therefore, that it has never been felt. The smaller of the two adjacent islands, namely Shikoku (or the Four Provinces), contains the rest of the Nankaidô; while the Saikaidô exactly corresponds to the third island, Kiushiu, or the nine Provinces. Europeans repeatedly confuse this island with the Province of Kishiu, on account of the resemblance of the two names. The fact that the names of these divisions are all derived from Chinese words confirms the statement that the system has emanated from Corea, in which country the Chinese language seems almost universally to have furnished the names of places. Every province, except the eleven of the Hokkaidô, and the seven into which Ôshiu and Déwa have been recently divided, has two names, one generally of pure native derivation, the other 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 many cases the pedantic Chinese name has completely superseded the original Japanese name in the mouth of the people, in a few both are used concurrently, while in some the original name is retained. For instance, Kôshiu, Shinshiu and Jôshiu have replaced Kai, Shinano and Kôdzuké. Isé and Seishiu, Sagami and Sôshiu, Tosa and Toshiu are used concurrently, while Yamashiro, Yamato and several more have been retained. In such cases as Higo and Hizen, where the Chinese form is the same for both, it is not adopted in speaking, though it sometimes is in books, to the great confusion of the careful reader. Higo and Hizen were formerly one province, called Hi no Kuni, or ‘the province of Fire.’ Echizen, Etchiu and Echigo are three of the modern divisions of Koshi no Kuni, of which the present provinces of Kaga, Noto, Uzen and Ugo also formed a part. Echi being the pronunciation of the Chinese character with which Koshi is written, the division nearest to the capital was called Echizen, or ‘front of Koshi,’ the next Etchiu, or ‘middle of Koshi,’ the furthest Echigo, or ‘back of Koshi.’ Kaga and Noto originally formed part of Echizen. Déwa in like manner was part of Echigo. Chikuzen and Chikugo are the two divisions of the ancient province of Tsukushi, a name which was applied in the most remote times to the whole of Kiushiu. Buzen and Bungo also constituted one province under the name of Toyo. Tamba and Tango were formed out of one province called Taniwa, Tamba being a corruption of Taniwa and Tango simply ‘back of Taniwa.’ Kadzusa and Shimôsa are contractions of Kami-tsu-fusa and Shimo-tsu-fusa, ‘upper and lower Fusa,’ while Kôdzuké and Shimotsuké are Kami-tsu-ké and Shimo-tsu-ké, upper and lower Ké, tsu being the archaic generic particle ‘of.’ The whole subject of the derivation of the names of the provinces of Japan is well treated in the ‘Shokoku-meigi-kô’ of Saitô Hikomaro, a pupil of the elder Motoöri.

Another division of Japan was made by taking the ancient barrier of Ôsaka on the frontier of Ômi and Yamashiro as a central point, the region lying on the east, which consisted of thirty-three provinces, being called the Kantô, or East of the Barrier, and the remaining thirty-three being called Kansei, or West of the Barrier. This distinction is no longer maintained, the term Kantô (or, Kuantô) being applied at the present day to the eight provinces of Musashi, Sagami, Kôdzuké, Shimotsuké, Kadzusa, Shimôsa, Awa and Hitachi. Sometimes the four provinces of Idzu, Kai, Déwa and Mutsu are also included in the term.

Chiu-goku, or Central Provinces, is a name in common use for the Sanindô and Sanyôdô taken together. Sai-koku, or Western Provinces, is an ordinary synonym for Kiushiu, which in books is frequently called Chinsei.

For the purposes of taxation the country was again divided into Kantô suji and Kamigata suji, of which the former comprized the twelve provinces just named, while the latter included the rest of Japan. In common language the term Kamigata is applied vaguely to Kiôto and the country round.

The islands of Iki and Tsushima are not included in any of the Seven Circuits, but form a division by themselves.

The province of Mutsu or Ôshiu formerly extended beyond the northern shore of the main island, and included the territories of the daimiô of Matsumaë, while the name Yezo, miscalled Yesso by most Europeans, was given not to the whole island, but to that part inhabited by the barbarous tribes.

In 1868, after the rebellious daimiôs of Ôshiu and Déwa had submitted to the Mikado, those two provinces, which far exceeded in extent any others in the country, were subdivided, Déwa into Uzen and Ugo, Ôshiu into Iwaki, Iwashiro, Rikuzen, Rikuchiu and Michinoku, for obvious political reasons. At the same time the island containing the Matsumaë territory and the settlements of the Aino, and the southern Kuriles were named Hokkaidô, or Northern Sea Circuit, and divided into eleven provinces, namely Oshima, Shiribéshi, Ishikari, Téshiwo, Kitami, Ifuri, Hitaka, Tokachi, Kushiro, Nemuro and Chishima, the last comprising those of the Kurile islands which belong to Japan.

The Japanese word kuni, which I have rendered by province, seems literally to mean ‘country,’ and province must be taken in the sense in which it was used in the maps of France previous to the revolution of 1789. The word kôri, which is used by the Japanese for the subdivision of a province, would be best translated ‘department.’ The number of departments in a province varies according to its size. In the old system there wore altogether 629 departments, but the addition of the Hokkaidô has raised the number to 715.

For purposes of administration all Japan except the Hokkaidô was again divided in 1872 into three Fu and seventy-two ken, without regard to the boundaries of the provinces. Fu might well be translated city, and ken prefecture. The three Fu are Yedo, Ôzaka and Kiôto, but it would be impossible to give the names of the prefectures, as a process of amalgamation is going on just now which will considerably diminish their number. The names, also, of some of the prefectures have been changed since the list was first published by the government.

The whole number of islands in the Japanese group, exclusive of the four main islands is stated to be over three thousand. Many of these are so small as hardly to deserve the title, while others are large enough to constitute provinces by themselves. Beginning from Yedo and going westwards the first island of importance is that called Idzu no Ôshima, or, the big island of Idzu, by natives, and Vries’, or Barneveld’s island, by Europeans. It is the most northerly of a chain which extends as far south as the 27th degree of north latitude. Next to Vries come Rishima, then Niijima, Shikiné jima, Kantsu jima, Miyaké jima and Mikura jima. All these lie north of the Kuroshiwo, or as we call it, the Japan current. South of the Kuroshiwo, at a distance from Mikura jima estimated variously by Japanese at 66,102 and 1711/2 miles, lies the island of Hachijô, or Fatsisio as it is spelt in our charts. Fifty miles further south is Awo-ga-shima, which, to judge by its delineation in the Japanese book of charts, is an extinct volcano. An interval of 341 miles separates Hachijô from the Bonin group, which consists of two large islands separated from each other by 50 miles of sea, and a host of islets. Europeans have corrupted the proper name Munin jima, which means ‘Noman’s islands,’ into Bonin. Ogasawara jima is another name given to the group by Japanese. The next island proceeding westward is another Ôshima lying at the south of Kii, and separated from it by a narrow strait. South of Kiushiu extends another long chain, which may be said to begin with Tané-ga-shima opposite to the province of Ôsumi and to end with Hateruma, the most southerly of the Yayéyama group, which lies close to the 24th parallel of north latitude. Yayéyama is called Pachusan in Keith Johnston’s Royal Atlas, but that is not the name given to it by the natives. The ordinary maps of Japan do not include any of the islands south of Yaku no Shima.

Due west of the province of Satsuma lies the group called Koshigi jima, and north of this, close to Higo, the islands of Amakusa and Togi. Off Hizen, in a line stretching in a south-westerly direction, are Hirado, known to the early navigators as Firando, and the Gotô, or Five islands, namely, Fukuyé, Kuga, Naru, Wakamatsu and Nakatsushima. This group contains innumerable smaller islands besides these five. North again of these are situated Iki and Tsushima, each of which constitutes a province by itself. By them lay, in former times, the ordinary route from Japan to Corea. On the north-west coast lie the Oki group, consisting of one large and three small islands, which is a province of the Sanindô, and Sado, which also constitutes a province by itself.

The Inland Sea contains countless islands. The most note-worthy amongst these are Ôshima, or Yayoshima, off Suwô, Itsukushima or Miyajima, east and west Nomi-jima off Geishiu, and Shôdzu shima off Bizen.

Besides the five small islands on the west of the Hokkaidô, the Japanese claim Kunashiri and Etorofu, the largest of the Kurile islands.

Promontories of course abound along the Japanese coast. Beginning with the extreme north of the main island we have Riuhi zaki and Fujishi zaki in the Tsugaru Straits. Passing down the east coast we come next to Kuwa-ga-saki in Rikuchiu, close to the harbour of Miyako, Misaki near the port of Késen in Rikuchiu, Kinkazan, near Matsushima in Rikuzen, and Inuboyé no saki, wrongly called Inaboyé no saki in our charts, just below the mouth of the Toné gawa. Su saki in Awa, and Miura no misaki, called Capo Sagami by us, mark the entrance to the Bay of Yedo. Next come Cape Idzu, Mimae no misaki in Tôtômi, Irako zaki in Owari, Mugi zaki in Shima, Idzumo-zaki and Shiwo no misaki, both at the extreme south of Kishiu. Hii no misaki further up the west coast of Kishiu is an important landmark for the seaman. Muroto zaki and Ashizuri no misaki are the chief promontories on the southern coast of Shikoku, both being situated in Tosa. Tsutsui zaki in Hiuga and Sata no misaki, or Cape Chichakoff, in Ôsumi are well known names, especially the latter. South of Nagasaki lies Nomo ga saki, and Shijiki zaki at the south west end of the island of Hirado. After rounding Misaki on the west coast of Nagato, the next cape of any importance in Suzu no misaki in Noto. From this point up to the Straits of Tsugaru the coast is almost straight, with the exception of the large projecting head-land between the harbours of Akita and Noshiro in Ugo. This is hardly small and sharp enough, according to Japanese ideas, to be distinguished as a promontory.

The chief promontories on the coast of the Hokkaidô are, Nosshamu misaki, Erimo misaki, Esan misaki, Yagoshi no misaki, Okamui zaki, and Shirushi mizaki.

There is another peculiarity of Japanese geography which deserves to be noticed. Although the Japanese possess a fine map of the coast line of Japan and an elaborate set of charts for the use of junks, and are generally acquainted with the seas in the immediate neighbourhood of their own country, they do not give any names to the bays which abound along the coast, nor to the straits which separate them from other countries or divide their own. The bays of Yedo, Ôzaka and Owari are not known by those titles. The straits of Tsugaru, (often miscalled Saugur in our maps) of Shimonoséki, of Akashi, of Idzumi, etc., have received their appellations from European navigators, as much as those of Van Diemen, Colnet, Von Krusenstern and La Perouse. The term séto is applied by them only to narrow channels. On the other hand they make use of the terms oki, offing, and nada, sea, very freely. Thus, in going from Yokohama to Nagasaki they traverse the Sagami Nada, Tôtômi or Enshiu Nada, Tenriu Nada, Bingo Nada, Suwô Nada, Genkai Nada, Hibiki Nada, and Matsura Nada. Suwô Nada has often been supposed to be the proper equivalent for what we have naturally called the Inland Sea, but it simply means the sea adjacent to the province of Suwô. Séto-uchi (inside of the channels), which has been adopted in our later charts, is the correct name. I am reminded by the mention of the Inland Sea, that many of the names in our charts are either so badly spent as to be unrecognizable when pronounced by a foreigner, or are altogether wrong. For instance, the large island off Bizen, called Shôdzu shima, is spelt Sozu, and Mutsuré in the western entrance of Shimonoséki Straits, on which a lighthouse has been recently erected, is mis-called Rockuren. The town of Marugamé in Sanuki is called Mura kamé in many of the charts published by the English Admiralty. It is no wonder, therefore, that native pilots are often accused of being ignorant of the names of places which it is their special business to know. The blame lies, not with the surveying officers who have prepared the charts, but with the native interpreters attached to them, who are often unable to read the names on Japanese maps. The mistake of Rockuren for Mutsuré evidently arose in this manner. The native name for the Shimonoséki strait is Hayato no séto, for the Idzumi strait, Kado no Séto, and for the Tsugaru strait, Mim’maya no oki, from a port of that name in Tsugaru.

The number of harbours and trading ports called ô-mi-nato, or large harbours, by the Japanese, is fifty-six. A great many of these are no doubt inaccessible to European vessels of even moderate size.

Beginning. with the Hokkaidô we find Matsumaë and Hakodaté in Oshima. Across the Tsugaru straits lie Fukaura, Ajisawa, Mim’maya, Awamori, Sai and Okuto in Michinoku. Passing down the east coast we come to Miyako in Rikuchiu, Kesen, Ishinomaki, Sabusawa and Sendai in Rikuzen, Hiragata close to the boundary of Iwaki and Hitachi, Naka-no-minato in Hitachi, Chôshiga-ura at the mouth of the Tonégawa, Uchi-ura in Awa, Futsutsu, Kisaradzu, Giôtoku, Tôkiô, Yokohama and Uraga in the Bay of Yedo, Ô-ajiro, Shimoda and Kora in Idzu, Shimidzu in Suruga, Arai in Tôtômi, Kamézaki in Mikawa Bay, Ono and Miya in Owari, Toba and Matoya in Shima, both magnificent harbours, Sasara, Nié and Kowa in Igé, Nishiki, Kuki, Hayéda, Nikijima, Katsura, Uragami, Ôshima harbour, Nibu-no-fukuro, Tsuna-shirazu, Yura-no-uchi and Ôzaki in Kishiu, Kishi-no-wada and Ishidzu in Idzumi, Ôzaka, Amngasaki, Kôbé and Hiôgo in Setsu, Hino in Banshiu, Shimotsui in Bitchiu, Tomo-no-tsu in Bingo, Miyadzu, Soné, Murodzumi and Mitajiri in Suwô, Shimo-no-séki, Hinjin, Senzaki or Setozaki, Hagi and Sui in Nagato, Hamada and Yunotsu in Iwami, Kidzuki, Uriu, Sagiura, Katsu, Kumotsu and Miwo-ga-séki in Idzumo, Moroiso and Kazumi in Tajima, Iné and Miyadzu in Tango, Obama in Wakasa, Tsuruga in Echizen, Miyanokoshi in Kuga (a very bad port), Fukura, Wajima, Mawai and Nanao in Noto, Iwamachi, Niigata and Sénami in Echigo, Nezu-no-séki and Sakata in Uzen, Shiwokoshi, Honjô, Akita, Toga and Noshiro in Ugo. Mitarai harbour, between two islands near Goishiu, is a favourite port of call for the junks which trade in the Inland Sea. In Awaji is situated the port of Yura. In Awa we find Tachié, Hiwasa, Asagawa, Tomo-no-ura and Shishikui. In Tosa Murotsu, Urato, Nagahama, Inoshiri, Kuré, Yotsu, Sagadzu, Misaki, Shimo-Kawagu-chi and Suwôgata. Mitsukuyé and Nagahama in Iyo, and Takamatsu in Sanuki complete the list of ports in Shikoku. Bungo has Kushimi, Kumagé, Nadaté and Fukaé. Hiuga possesses only one port, that of Takanabé; Ôsumi likewise only one, namely, Ôdomaai. Passing westwards we come to Kagoshima, Yamagawadzu, Ichiku and Kiô-domari in Satsuma, Hinaku in Higo, Sarashimi in Chikugo, Motéki, Nagasaki, Nakatsu, Nagoya and Ayamé in Hizen, Shijiki in Hirado, Fukuoka and Kanégasaki in Chikuzen.

Tsushima has a port called Takéura, Iki also one, Katsumoto, Sado one called Ogi. Besides these there are numbers of smaller ports and harbours of refuge which can only be discovered by making an accurate survey of the whole coast.

An inspection of any native map shows that the greater proportion of the surface of the four main islands of which Japan is composed is covered with hills, which rise in many places to mountains of considerable height. The most extensive plains are those of the Kantô, of Echigo and the north of Ôshiu. The provinces of Mikawa, Mino and Owari, also, are very flat. Half-way between Yedo and Kiôto lies the table-land of Shinano, elevated at least 2,500 feet above the level of the sea, and surrounded and intersected by lofty ranges of mountains, of which those on the boundary of Hida are certainly the highest. From the eastern edge of this province there is a sudden drop of 1,800 feet on to the Yedo plain, while on the north the ground slopes gradually away down to the province of Echigo. Another lofty range divides the former provinces of Mutsu and Déwa running from Aidzu directly north as far as Tsugaru. The province of Kai is almost surrounded by mountains, amongst which the Yatsugataké, or Eight Peaks, Komagataké and Jisôgataké are the most conspicuous.

The list of mountains which are considered the most worthy of notice by the Japanese naturally begins with Fujisan, mispronounced Fusiyama by Europeans. Next come Gassan in Uzen, Mitaké in Shinano, the Nikkô range in Shimotsuké, Ô-miné in Yamato, Hakusan in Kaga, Tatéyama in Etchiu, Kirishima yama in Hiuga, Asosan in Higo, Tsukuba san in Hitachi, Onsen-ga-také in Hizen, Asamayama in Shinano, Chôkaizan in Ugo and Iwaki in Michinoku. There are several active volcanos in Japan, of which Asama yama and Asosan are the best known to foreigners. It is a curious fact that the Japanese, nevertheless, possess no word for volcano.

Owing to the comparative narrowness of the main island of Japan and the small size of the other three, none of the numerous rivers are of great length. The longest and widest is probably the Toné gawa. The Shinano gawa and Kiso gawa, both of which take their rise in Shinano, come next. In addition to these may be mentioned the Ôi gawa, Fuji gawa and Tenriu gawa on the south, the Sakata gawa in Uzen, the Abukuma gawa in Ôshiu and the Ishikari in Yezo, or as we ought now to say, in the Hokkaidô. Almost every one of these rivers takes its name either from a province, a department, or a place on its course. Many Japanese rivers change their name several times between the source and the mouth. The Baniu gawa, which flows into the sea between Fujisawa and Odawara, is called the Kadzura gawa from its source in the Yamanaka lake at the buse of Fuji down to the town of Atsugi. The Yodo gawa, at the mouth of which is situated the city of Ôzaka, is called the Seta gawa at the point where it leaves the lake of Ômi, and the Uji gawa between the towns of Uji and Fushimi. Above Hashimoto it receives the waters of the Kidzu gawa, absorbing its name as well, which re-appears below the city of Ôzaka. The Yodo gawa disappears at Ôzaka, and the other mouths are called Nakatsu gawn, Aji kawa and Shirinashi gawa. The Sumita gawa which flows through Yedo is called the Ara kawa near its source, and the Toda gawa at the point where it intersects the Nakasendô. What foreigners have been accustomed to call the Logo or Logos ever since the opening of Japan, is the Tama gawa, and that part only which runs by Kawasaki is called Rokugô, which word we have corrupted into Logo. Not even those rivers whose reputation is most widely spread, such as the Toné gawa and Kiso gawa, retain the same name throughout.

The Toné gawa rises on Monjiuzan behind Fujiwara in the department of Toné in the province of Kôdzuké. From its source to Chôshi point, where it falls into the Pacific Ocean, it measures more than 70 ri, or 1711/2 miles. It is nicknamed Bandô Tarô, which may be rendered ‘the eldest son of the region west of the pass.’ The first town of any importance on its banks is Numata, formerly the seat of a small daimiô. A little way below this town the Adzuma gawa flows into it on the right. Just above the town of Maëbashi, important as a silk producing centre, it separates into a network of steams, which unite again near the point where the Karasu gawa falls in. After receiving the waters of the Watarasé gawa, which drains the province of Shimotsuké, it separates into two branches opposite the town of Kurihari on the Ôshiu-kaidô. The Southern branch is called the Gongendô gawa, and passing by Sékiyado, becomes the Yedo gawa, falling into the Yedo Bay at Horiyé. The main stream is here called the Akahori gawa. In passing Sékiyado it throws off a branch which usually falls into the Yedo gawa, during floods its current becomes reversed, thus earning for it the name of Sakasa gawa, or ‘upside-down river.’ After receiving the waters of the Kinu gawa, whose source is at the boundary of Shimotsuké and Iwashiro, and the Kokai gawa, which rises near Utsunomiya, besides the surplus water of numerous meres, such as the Aga numa, Imba numa and Naga numa in Shimôsa, and those of Ô-ura, Kasumi-ura and Sakaura in Hitachi, and attaining a breadth of 1,740 yards, or nearly an English mile, it enters the sea at Chôshi. At Chôshi it narrows down considerably, and passes between some sharp rocks on the Shimôsa side and a long sandy spit which forms part of Hitachi. In stormy weather the bar is completely impassable, even for the strongly built native boats. This part of the coast has been fatal to at least four foreign vessels since the opening of the country to commerce, the last victim being the “Wanja,” whose loss was reported about a fortnight ago.

The Shinano gawa rises in the department of Saku in the southeast corner of Shinano. It flows in a north-westerly direction and then due north past the towns of Komuro, Uyéda and Matsushiro. During this part of its course it is called the Chikuma gawa, probably after the department of that name, though it does not pass by it. A little below Matsushiro it is Joined by the Sai gawa, which rises on Koma-ga-také. After passing the town of Iiyama it enters the province of Echigo, which it traverses in a north-easterly direction, and falls into the sea at Niigata.

The Kiso gawa likewise rises in Shinshiu. It flows westward down the valley of Kiso, being joined by several small streams of no great importance. Entering Mino at Ochiai, it shortly afterwards unites with the Hida gawa, which rises in the north of the province of Hida. At the point where it intersects the Nakasendô it is called the Ôta gawa, after a town on its right bank. From Inuyama it forms the boundary between Mino and Owari. Near this town, and at several points further on, it throws off branches which traverse Owari, and fall into the sea. On the right it is joined by the Sunomata gawa which drains the western part of Mino, and shortly before reaching its mouth near Kuwana splits into several branches. The Tenriu gawa flows out of the Lake of Suwa in Shinano, runs past the town of Iida almost parallel to the Kiso gawa, and traversing the province of Tôtômi falls at last into the Tenriu nada. It has no tributaries of any importance.

The Oi gawa rises in the south-west of Kai and traverses the province of Tôtômi, intersecting the Tôkaidô between Kanaya and Shimada. It is more remarkable for the breadth of its bed, which near the mouth is 21/2 miles wide, and for the swiftness of its current, than for the length of its course.

The Fuji kawa rises in the north of Kai on the group of mountains called Yatsu-ga-také, and receives several tributaries of varying volume. During the lower part of its course it traverses the centre of Suruga. It is famous for being one of the swiftest streams in all Japan.

The Sakata gawa rises in the range of mountains which separates Uzen from Rikuzen, and flowing due west between the departments of Mogami and Akumi on the north and Murayama and Tagawa on the south, enters the Sea of Japan at Sakata.

The Abukuma gawa rises near the town of Shirakawa in Iwaki, flows northwards close to the eastern boundary of Iwashiro, passing not far from the towns of Miharu, Nihommatsu, Fukushima and Shiraishi, traverses the upper end of Iwaki, and then, making a turn to the right, becomes the boundary between that province and Rikuzen, falling at Inst into the Pacific Ocean near the town of Watari.

There are numerous lakes in Japan, some of which, such as those of Hakoné, Suwa and Chiuzenji near Nikkô, lie far above the level of the sea. Only one, the Biwa lake in Omi, is worthy of notice on account of its size. It measures about 50 miles in length, or four miles more than the lake of Geneva, while its greatest breadth is about twenty miles or more than twice that of the lake of Geneva. At Katada, about ten miles from its southern end, it suddenly contracts to a breadth of one mile and a half, after which it expands again slightly.

The Inawashiro lake in Iwashiro, seven ri from which on the south side was formerly situated the castle of the Princes of Aidzu, is stated by natives of that part of the country not to exceed ten miles in length, but it is certainly is drawn much larger on the maps. Out of it flows the Aka no gawa, which was formerly at ributary of the Shinano gawa, but now falls into the sea some miles north of Niigata.

For a country in which the only vehicle used in travelling was until lately the palanquin, Japan possesses a very good system of high-roads. Amongst these the Tôkaidô is best known to foreigners. Its existence probably dates from the time when the country was divided into circuits, though it has of course been much improved since it was first constructed. It is the only road in the country which is named after the circuit which it traverses. Whether it begins at the Nihom bashi in Yedo and ends at the Sanjô bashi in Kiôto or vice versâ is a point which would be difficult to determine. A great many writers have stated that all the roads in the Empire start from the Nihom bashi, but this evidently cannot be true of roads on the west of Kiôto. The length of the Tôkaidô, according to an estimate lately prepared for the Japanese Post Office, is 125 ri 13 chô, or nearly 307 miles. The other road between the two capitals, called either Nakasendô or Kiso-kaidô, which traverses half the Tôsandô and the province of Musashi, is said to be 135 ri, 32 chô, or a little over 323 miles, in length. The longest high-road is the Ôshiu kaidô between Yedo and Awomori on the Tsuruga Straits. It traverses Musashi, Shimotsuké, Iwashiro, Rikuzen, Rikuchiu and Michinoku, and its length is given as 181 ri, 6 chô, or nearly 444 miles.

Two roads from Yedo to Niigata exist, the one by way of Takasaki in Jôshiu, over the Mikuni pass into Echigo, the other by Oiwaké, Zenkôji, Takata and Kashiwazaki. The former, which is said to be impassable in winter, measures 91 ri, 29 chô, or about 225 miles, the latter 108 ri, 17 chô, or about 264 miles. Neither possesses a name, and for a considerable distance each is identical with the Nakasendo. Another road which possesses great interest for the traveller in search of mountain scenery is the Kôshiu kaidô. It unites Yedo and the town of Kôfu, distant from each other 31 ri 14 chô, or 77 miles, and a continuation of it from Kôfu joins the Nakasendô at Shimo-no-suwa, 13 ri, 6 chô, or about 32 miles further. The book of itineraries called Gokai-dôchiu-saikenki contains the itineraries of thirty-seven roads, all of which lie on the east of Kiôto. There are of course high-roads on the west of Kiôto, but they are of less importance because there is little traffic in the Sanindô, and that of the Sanyôdô is conducted in junks which ply on the Inland Sea. I have heard Europeans call the read which passes through Kôbé westwards to Shimonoséki ‘Tôkaidô,’ but this is an error. It is not even called Sanyôdô after the circuit which it traverses.

In a work on general geography lately published by the Education Department (entitled Yochi shiriaku) the area of Japan is stated to be 24,780 square ri, or taking the linear ri as equal to 2.45 English miles, about 148,742 miles. This is about one fourth more than the area of the United Kingdom, which contains 121,115 square miles. The Japanese estimate cannot be looked upon as exact, since it is founded on maps which are far from correct. The population is generally asserted to be about 30,000,000, the authority being a census made in 1804, which was founded to a great extent on the reports furnished by the officers of the daimiôs, and is therefore not accepted as authentic. It is doubtful whether Japan, in spite of her greater area, has as large a population as the British Isles.

The notion that miako, which means Imperial Capital, is the name of the old metropolis, has by this time been exploded. The real name of the city was Kiôto, until the year 1869, when it was changed to Saikiô, or ‘western capital,’ in order to distinguish it from Tôkiô, the new name given to Yedo. Tôkei is merely another pronunciation of Tôkiô, but it is certainly to be wished that the Japanese would adhere to one of the two, to the complete exclusion of the other. The population of Tôkiô is variously stated, but is probably not much over 800,000. Saikiô had about 370,000 inhabitants in 1870. Next in importance after these two cities comes Ôzaka with a population of 414,000 souls. Foreigners generally both spell and pronounce the name of this city wrongly. Nagoya, the capital of Owari, is next in size, followed closely by Hiroshima in Geishiu, Saga in Hizen, Kagoshima in Satsuma, Kanazawa in Kaga, the double town of Hakata and Fukuoka in Chikuzen, and Himéji in Banshiu. Most of these towns are said to have over 100,000 inhabitants. Kumamoto in Higo, Kurumé in Chikugo, Fukui in Echizen and Gifu in Mino rank in the second class, but I am unable to say what is the population of each. Of the ports open to foreign trade, Ôzaka being excluded, Nagasaki is said to have the largest population, but Yokohama bids fair to surpass it before long. Hakodaté and Niigata have, I believe, about 30,000 inhabitants each.

The work on Geography to which I alluded at the commencement of this paper contains numerous other errors besides that of supposing Nippon to be the name of the main island of the group. Considering that the country had been open to foreign trade for at least eleven years when the edition from which I quote was published it is a little strange that the author should not know better than to assert that there are few domestic animals in Japan. Cows, horses, dogs, cats and poultry may certainly be included in this category, and the experience of every one who has resided here even for a short time must have convinced him that all these species of domestic animals abound. Another statement is that the country is deficient in timber, which may perhaps be correct of the neighbourhood of Nagasaki, but certainly does not apply to the rest of Japan. The facts that all the houses are constructed of wood, and that the maritime inhabitants possess countless junks and fishing-boats are a sufficient contradiction.

It is also incorrect to state that “the imports, mainly Cotton and Woollen goods, are paid for largely in Copper, in bars.”

Hakodaté is spelt Ho-Kodadi. Japan is far enough from London to excuse the author for being ignorant of the fact that the Tycoon is no lounger Emperor of Japan, but even supposing the news of the Mikado’s restoration to have taken two years to reach England, that is no reason for calling the Tycoon a Kouba, and stating that he was assisted by a council of the great feudal princes.

The word Kubô, which the common people applied to the Tycoon, was no official title. The opinion of one or two of the great daimiôs may now and then have been asked for or offered, but no such institution as a council composed of the eighteen Kokushi daimiôs existed at any time.

The great earthquake at Yedo, which is said by Dr. Cornwell to have occurred in 1860, took place five years earlier, and the number of persons who lost their lives on that occasion, which is stated by him at 200,000, is certainly immensely exaggerated. Even the Japanese, who have a passion for large figures, allow that not more than 104,000 were killed.

In order to give his readers a general idea of the manners and customs of the people, the author states: “One of their amusements, which they share with the Chinese, is strange to us—that of flying immense kites; not by the boys, who only look on and admire, but by the men.” Certainly, if the men do now and then indulge in this pastime, the little boys cannot be said to abstain from it. Any one can convince himself of their ardent devotion to the sport by taking a walk through Yedo in the month of January. Yedo is called ‘a handsome city of park-like appearance, with a population of 1,500,000 inhabitants.’ Yedo can never have corresponded to such a description, even in its most flourishing days, and there is no reason to suppose that its population ever exceeded a million or twelve hundred thousand at the outside. A “colossal idol” is spoken of as still existing at ‘Miyako,’ by which the great bronze Buddha coined into ‘cash’ in the 17th century is evidently intended.

The rectification of these misstatements does not properly come within the scope of my paper, in which I profess to speak only of the physical geography of Japan, but so much that is erroneous has been written about this country that no opportunity should he lost of correcting mistakes or inaccuracies of whatever kind even when they appear in a mere school hook. A great deal has yet to he done to complete our knowledge of these islands, which is at present limited to the information which we can gain from native books and maps, from our own incomplete surveys of the coast, and from the notes of the few travellers who have passed along the high-roads of the interior.

The authorities for the statements in this paper are the following books:—

• Yochi Shiriaku.—Epitome of Universal Geography.
• Shokoku meigi kô.—Derivations of the Names of the Provinces.
• Kokugun kungi.—Meanings of the (names) of Provinces and Departments.
• Kôchô Enkaku dzukai.—Historical Atlas of Japan.
• Kiso Meisho-dzuyé.—Guide to the Nakasendô.
• Toné guwa Dzushi.—History of the Toné gawa.
• Chiuzan Denshin-roku.—Account of Loochoo.
• Zôho Nihon Shiwoji no ki.—Japan Pilot. And the following maps:—
• Jissoku Nihon Chidzu.—Map of Japan in four sheets.
• Fujimi Jiusan shiu Yochi no Zendzu.—Map of thirteen Provinces from which Fuji can be seen.
• Kokugun Zendzu.—Atlas of Japan in two volumes.
• Dai-Nihon Yochi Zendzu.—Map of Japan in one large sheet.
• Hokkaidô Kokugun-dzu.—Map of the Hokkaidô, published by authority of the Kaitakushi.
• Keith Johnston’s Royal Atlas.
• Dai-nihon Kairo-dzu.—2 Vols. Charts of the Japan seas.
• Dai-Nihon Chiukai Dzushi.—Charts of the Japanese seas in 5 Volumes.

 

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1. Kôchô enkaku dzukai.
2. Chikata hanrei-roku, Vol. I. p.p. 20, 21.
3. The names given in italics are those most in use.