Japan and the Japanese

JAPANESE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE. 55!V
passes the other in dignity, as when Jesus Christ and John the Baptist,
or Christ and his apostles, are spok' n of in the same sentence, there must be
added to the names of the persons of lesser rank both a honorific particle to
mark the speaker's respect for them, and at the same time a particle of
humility to indicate their inferiority to the other. In speaking of one's self
it is usual to employ a particle of humility, except, indeed, in familiar and
domestic conversation, in which simple
or neutral words are used." This
peculiarity of their diction, no doubt, has an intimate connection with that
scrupulous politeness for which the Japanese are distinguished, and is prob-
ably the source of the discrepancy in the missionary grammars as to the personal
pronouns.
Rodiriguez, in his grammar, enumerates the following Japanese writings :
1. Uta- and Renya, poems. 2. Mai, historical incident*, theatrically represented,
with musical accompaniments. 3. Sosi, histories and lives of their
great personages (also intended, apparently, to be sung). 4. Sagkeo, lives
of saints. 5. Monogatari, histories, entertaining and instructive narratives,
in prose. 6. Taifeki, history written in a graver style. 7. Laws and
customs.
Of the Monogatari, above-mentioned, we may obtain some notion from a
brief statement of the contents of three of them, mentioned in the treatise on
marriage ceremonies, of which Titsingh has given a translation, as proper
to form part of the woman's marriage outfit. These are, Ize Monogatari,
" by Ize, a female attendant of one of the wives Of the Dairi, showing how a
certain Mari Firu had lived in adultery with Nisio-no-Kisaki, one of the
wives of the Dairi, which, to his indelible disgrace, was published in
a great number of books ;" Gonsi Monogatari, or " History of Gensi-no-
Kami, a kinsman of one of the Dairies, containing an account of his adven-
"
and "
Jeigawa Monogatari, History of a
tures in several countries ;
Spendthrift, from which may be drawn useful moral precepts of economy."
Rodiriguez, who mentions also the two first of the above, specifies, as
among the best of these writings, the Feike Monogatari, the story of the civil
wars between the families of Fieke and Gundsi, and of the downfall of the
Sioguns of the family of Feike, an event which fills a great place in Japanese
legend iry history. This latter work is also mentioned by Kampfer, as
is also the Osaca Monogatari (of which he brought home with him both the
original and a translation), giving an account of the civil war which followed
the death of Taiko-Sama, and the elevation of Jesi-Jas to the supreme power.
In this class of Monogatari must also be placed " The Forms of the Pass-
ing World ; in Six Folding Screens," translated by Dr. Pfizmaier, and of
which an analysis is given in the Journal of the American Oriental Society,
vol. II.
Of their histories we have a specimen in the JM'porc odai itsi ran, of which,
as translated by the labor of Titsingh and Klaproth, an account is given in
p. 423 of the text.
The Uta consist of distiches complete and perfect in themselves. Thi