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342 HONDA THE SAMUBAI. trouble among the wage-earners deed all who could not depend and laborers. In- on keeping away hunger when the cost of rice was over two cents a pound were in real distress. Some of the daimios, while pretending to hate the foreigners, found the profits of trade very agreeable, and secretly investing their funds in business, had agents among the merchants at the port and thus increased their income. They enjoyed strange lux- uries in food; and the dainties, the watches, clocks, carpets, mirrors, art works, and curiosities of Europe and America were seen in their palaces. In not a few districts rice-riots became numerous and troublesome. The farmers, not being allowed to keep or bear arms, cut and sharpened bamboo poles, hardening them in the fire, and with these and sickles, reaping-hooks, forks, and various agricultural implements, they assembled in masses under their rude banner a long, wide strip of matting, on which was smeared in ink some motto expressing their wrongs or demanding redress and, marching to the government offices, clamored for justice according to their ideas. Often in the disturbances an officer, tax-collector, or treasurer was slain, though usually the sharp swords of the samurai scattered the peasants like sheep. After taking the heads off the ringleaders, order was restored, though matters were not always mended, for the troubles now were less personal than political. When Honda Jiro, arriving in Yedo from Kyoto in June, 1863, received official permission to visit
LIKE THE BREATH OF A CLAM. 343 the foreign settlement of Yokohama, he took care to be well armed with the writing stamped with the government seal, as well as with his passport, for he wanted to see everything possible without let or hindrance by intermeddling yakunin, or subordinate officers. He found that while the merchant and trader had from the first settled at Yokohama, yet at Kanagawa several American families had located themselves. They professed to be physicians, teachers, or, as they called themselves, missionaries. How- ever, by the threatening state of affairs in Japan, and by the orders of the Yedo government, even they had been compelled to live in Yokohama. The patriotic assassins came even within the settlement, arid in their zeal murdered two Dutch sea-captains ; while only a few miles away two British officers and a gentleman on horseback had been cut down by the swiftly drawn swords of men whose pride and hatred made them willing murderers in the name of patriotism. A wholesome lesson had been taught the assassins, when a samurai who had killed an English officer was not allowed to commit honorable hara-kiri, but was beheaded as a criminal in the place for the execution of common criminals. Europeans accustomed to honorable battle could not understand how Japanese, professing to be gentlemen, or samurai, with high notions of honor, could be such cowards as to attack unarmed civilians or to cut down men by striking from behind. Ameri- cans were reminded of Indian warfare, in which sav- ages will not face rifles if they can help it, but
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342<br />
HONDA THE SAMUBAI.<br />
trouble among the wage-earners<br />
deed all who could not depend<br />
and laborers. In-<br />
on keeping away<br />
hunger when the cost of rice was over two cents a<br />
pound were in real distress.<br />
Some of the daimios, while pretending to hate the<br />
foreigners, found the profits of trade very agreeable,<br />
and secretly investing their funds in business, had<br />
agents among the merchants at the port and thus<br />
increased their income. They enjoyed strange lux-<br />
uries in food; and the dainties, the watches, clocks,<br />
carpets, mirrors, art works, and curiosities of Europe<br />
and America were seen in their palaces.<br />
In not a few districts rice-riots became numerous<br />
and troublesome. The farmers, not being allowed<br />
to keep or bear arms, cut and sharpened bamboo<br />
poles, hardening them in the fire, and with these and<br />
sickles, reaping-hooks, forks, and various agricultural<br />
implements, they assembled in masses under their<br />
rude banner a long, wide strip of matting, on which<br />
was smeared in ink some motto expressing their<br />
wrongs or demanding redress and, marching to<br />
the government offices, clamored for justice according<br />
to their ideas. Often in the disturbances an<br />
officer, tax-collector, or treasurer was slain, though<br />
usually the sharp swords of the samurai scattered<br />
the peasants like sheep. After taking the heads off<br />
the ringleaders, order was restored, though matters<br />
were not always mended, for the troubles now were<br />
less personal than political.<br />
When Honda Jiro, arriving in Yedo from Kyoto<br />
in June, 1863, received official permission to visit