libraries carried from house to house on the backs of men.

As early as the tenth century, while the learned affected a pedantic style
so interlarded with Chinese as to be unintelligible, the cultivation of
the native tongue was left to the ladies of the court, a task which they
nobly discharged. It is a remarkable fact, without parallel in the history
of letters, that a very large proportion of the best writings of the best
ages was the work of women, and their achievement in the domain of letters
is one of the anomalies with which Japan has surprised and delighted the
world. It was their genius that made the Japanese a literary language. The
names and works of these authoresses are quoted at the present day.

4. HISTORY.--The earliest extant Japanese record is a work entitled
"Kojiki," or book of ancient traditions. It treats of the creation, the
gods and goddesses of the mythological period, and gives the history of
the Mikados from the accession of Jimmu, year 1 (660 B.C.), to 1288 of the
Japanese year. It was supposed to date from the first half of the eighth
century, and another work "Nihonghi," a little later, also treats of the
mythological period. It abounds in traces of Chinese influence, and in a
measure supersedes the "Kojiki." These are the oldest books in the
language. They are the chief exponents of the Shinto faith, and form the
bases of many commentaries and subsequent works.

The "History of Great Japan," composed in the latter part of the
seventeenth century, by the Lord of Mito (died 1700), is the standard
history of the present day. The external history of Japan, in twenty-two
volumes, by Rai Sanyo (died 1832), composed in classical Chinese, is most
widely read by men of education.

The Japanese are intensely proud of their history and take great care in