Sketches of Japanese Manners and Customs by J. M. W. Silver
page 26 of 61 (42%)
page 26 of 61 (42%)
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the free exercise of his human functions, as his feet are never
permitted to touch the ground out of doors; nor is he allowed to cut his hair, beard, or nails, or to expose himself to the rays of the sun, which, would detract from the excellency of his person. His principal titles are, 'Zen Zi'--'Son of Heaven;' 'Mikado,'--'Emperor;' and 'Dairi,' or 'Kinrai,'--'Grand Interior:' the latter denoting the perpetual seclusion of his person. It is said that his ancestry can be traced in an unbroken line from nearly 700 years before the Christian era. The Mikado never goes beyond the precincts of the Imperial residence, which occupies a large portion of the city of Miako, comprising numerous palaces and gardens; and connected with it are the schools alluded to in the last chapter, which are established on the plan of a university, and are much resorted to by the children of the nobility. [Illustration: A MINISTER OF THE MIKADO ON A RELIGIOUS EXPEDITION.] Whenever this great personage wishes to take an airing, he is carried by fourteen men in a large norimon with latticed windows, through which he is able to see without being seen; and even when granting an audience he is said to be concealed from view by bamboo screen-work. His court consists of the members of his own family and certain great officers of State appointed by the Tycoon, who nominally receive and promulgate his commands; but, in ordinary times, he has no real power in the temporal affairs of the empire, and only refuses to confer legality on the acts of his lieutenant under the pressure of intrigue, or of undue family influence. To relieve the wearisome monotony of his life, as well as to prevent |
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