Japan and the Japanese

PRINCELY RETINUES. 31
crown lands to from one to several hundreds, according to his
quality or revenues.*
" If two or more of these princes and lords should chance to
travel the same road, at the same time, they would prove a great
hindrance to one another, particularly if they should happen to
meet at the same post-house, or village; to prevent which, it is
usual for great princes and lords to bespeak the several post-houses
by which they are to pass, with all the inns, those of the first quality
a month, others a week or two, before their arrival. The time
of their intended arrival is also notified in all the cities, villages,
and hamlets, by putting up small boards on high poles of bamboo,
signifying in a few characters what day of the month such or such
a lord will be at that village,
to dine or to
sleep there.
" Numerous troops of fore-runners, harbingers, clerks, cooks, and
other inferior officers, go before to provide lodgings, victuals, and
other things necessary for the entertainment of their prince and
master, and his court. They are followed by the prince's heavy
baggage, packed up either in small trunks, as already described,
and carried upon horses, each with a banner, bearing the coat-ofarms
and the name of the possessor, or else in larg chests, covered
with red lackered leather, again with the possessor's coat-of-arms,
and carried upon men's shoulders, with multitudes of inspectors to
look after them. Next come great numbers of smaller retinues,
belonging to the chief officers and noblemen attending the prince,
with pikes, seymitars, bows and arrows, umbrellas, palanquins, led
horses, and other marks of their grandeur, suitable to their birth,
quality, and office. Some of these are carried in norimons, others
in kangos, others go on horseback.
* These great retinues are thus accounted for by Thunberg : " As both
the monarch himself and all the princes of the country are clothed and dress
their hair in the same manner as the rest of the inhabitants, and being des-
titute of thrones, jewels, and other like paraphernalia, cannot be so distinguished
from others, they have adopted the expedient of exhibiting themselves
on journeys and festive occasions according to their condition in life,
and the dignity of their respective offices, with a great number of people,
officers, and attendants, hovering about them." The statement already
quoted from Caron see ante, p. 199 as to the numbers composing these
princely retinues, is much less than that given above, and probably uearei
the truth.