view
of the Chinese, it is not summer or spring unless it becomes hot or
mild all of a sudden. Their principles sound very plausible but are
unpractical. [Kamo Mabuchi.]

"Japan is the country which gave birth to the goddess of the Sun,
which fact proves its superiority over all other countries that also
enjoy her favours. The goddess having endowed her grandson with the
Three Sacred Treasures, proclaimed him sovereign of Japan for ever
and ever. His descendants shall continue to rule it as long as the
heavens and earth endure. Being invested with this complete
authority, all the gods under heaven and all mankind submitted to
him, with the exception of a few wretches who were quickly subdued.
To the end of time each Mikado is the son of the goddess. His mind is
in perfect harmony of thought and feeling with hers. He does not seek
out new inventions but rules in accordance with precedents which date
from the Age of the Gods, and if he is ever in doubt, he has recourse
to divination, which reveals to him the mind of the great goddess. In
this way the Age of the Gods and the present age are not two ages,
but one, for not only the Mikado but also his ministers and people
act up to the tradition of the divine age. Hence, in ancient times,
the idea of michi, or way, (ethics) was applied to ordinary
thoroughfares only, and its application to systems of philosophy,
government, morals, religion, and so forth is a foreign notion.

"As foreign countries (China and India, particularly the former) are
not the special domain of the Sun goddess, they have no permanent
rulers, and evil spirits, finding a field of action there, have
corrupted mankind. In those countries, any bad man who could manage
to seize the power became a sovereign. Those who had the upper hand
were constantly scheming to maintain their positions, while their
inferiors were as constantly on the watch for opportunities to oust
them. The most powerful and cunning of these rulers succeeded in
taming their subjects, and having secured their position, became an
example for others to imitate. In China the name of 'holy men' has
been given to these persons. But it is an error to count these 'holy
men' as in themselves supernatural and good beings, superior to the
rest of the world as are the gods. The principles they established
are called michi (ethics), and may be reduced to two simple rules,
namely, to take other people's territory and to keep fast hold of it.

"Th