The Meyasubako (目安箱, suggestion box) was installed in front of the Tokugawa Shogunate’s Council of Ministers (評定所) in 1721. The Meyasubako, which was set up by the eighth shogun, Yoshimune (吉宗, 1716-1745), as one of the Kyoho Reforms (享保の改革), allowed anyone, except for shogunate officials, to submit suggestions or opinions, and the shogun himself would open and read the letters.
The Meyasubako was only set up in the morning on the 3rd of each month, and while mere complaints and slander were not permitted, letters containing opinions that were useful for politics or reports of misconduct or corruption by government officials were allowed, and letters required that the name and address be clearly stated.
In fact, there are many ideas and projects that have been implemented based on suggestions submitted through the Meyasubako, after careful consideration and research.
For example,
1. The Koishikawa Sanitarium (小石川療養所) was established in 1722 so that poor people and no relatives could receive medical care.
2. In Edo city, where fires were frequent, machi-bikeshi (町火消, 1720, town fire brigades) were established, organized by townspeople. The division of areas was revised to make one group for every 20 towns, with the Iroha 48 groups (いろは48組) covering the area west of the Sumida River and 16 groups covering Honjo and Fukagawa to the east.
3. Based on a suggestion that there was land available for development in Kazusa and Shimousa (now Chiba prefecture), new rice field development was carried out.
As an aside, this is the area where Nansō Satomi Hakkenden (南総里見八犬伝, 1814 by Takizawa Bakin) and Zatōichi (座頭市, 1948 by Kan Shimozawa) are set.
4. A ronin Konai Yamashita sharply criticized Yoshimune’s economic policy based on frugality, and suggested that trying to revive the economy through frugality was fundamentally wrong, and that money only becomes valuable when it is used. Although a direct appeal to the shogun is normally a serious crime, Yoshimune distributed copies of his appeal to the magistrates.
The encouragement of frugality included the idea of taking good care of things and objects, but on the other hand, the shogunate was aware that austerity policies were highly unlikely to lead to an economic boom, and likely recognized that there was a certain merit to the proposal that active distribution would increase the total value of goods and services. (Please refer to my previous blog, which covers frugality in the Edo period from the perspective of recycling.)
Incidentally, Japan currently issues government bonds denominated in its own currency, but these are government liabilities, not the debt of the country or its people. However, the government not only implements austerity measures, but also imposes heavy and multiple layered taxes to extract income from the commoners, and the taxes are not used to invest in or maintain public facilities, but are paid back into government bonds, so that money essentially disappears at that point.
Furthermore, since not only the central banks of each country but also the Bank of Japan are private banks owned by the rulers, it could be said that by eliminating the money that arises from lending and borrowing relationships, the rulers are effectively resetting their liabilities. In other words, due to the continuing covert operations by the cults unleashed by the sinister rulers, the commoners have been driven to a state of ultimate exhaustion, and it is no exaggeration to say that they are only being kept alive in order to be forced to pay the price of their existence.
Returning to the original topic, in Japan, with the aim of achieving ideal politics that respects public opinion, the policy of accepting letters to the reformed government has been implemented since ancient times as one of the various measures to reflect public opinion in politics, and is said to date back to the Taika no Kaishin (大化の改新, 645, Taika Reforms).
As the saying goes, fires and fights are the flowers of Edo, and fires were so frequent that they could be considered a specialty of Edo. Fires were a major enemy of houses built of wood and paper, so the great work of the town firefighters at the scene of fires has been praised in novels and TV dramas, and many people will be familiar with it.
The i-ro-ha used in the names of the 48 fire brigade groups comes from the fact that the letters i-ro-ha are used instead of numbers when counting. (When the fire brigade was first established there were 47 groups, and later the N group (ん組) was added.)
i-ro-ha was originally a pangram made by rearranging the 47 letters of the Japanese syllabary, and is a waka poem that expresses a sense of impermanence. There is a theory that it was written by Kukai (空海, 774-835), but in fact the author is unknown.
Below is the order: hiragana, kanji, English translation, and meaning.
(First verse)
Iroha nihoheto chirinuru wo
いろはにほへと ちりぬるを
色は匂へど 散りぬるを
trans: The fragrant flowers that bloom in full glory will eventually wither,
meaning: It expresses the idea of impermanence (諸行無常), that even beautiful things (色 = existence) do not last forever.
(Second verse)
Waka yo tare so tsune narumu
わかよたれそ つねならむ
我が世誰ぞ 常ならむ
trans: There is no such thing as an eternally unchanging world for anyone.
meaning: Live without attachment, knowing that there is no eternal continuity in this world.
(Third verse）
Ui no oku yama kefu koete
うゐのおくやま けふこえて
有為の奥山 今日越えて
trans: If we overcome the impermanent mountain of this world today,
meaning: Effort and progress in overcoming difficulties and obstacles in life.
(Fourth verse)
Asaki yumemishi ehi mo sesu
あさきゆめみし ゑひもせす
浅き夢見じ 酔ひもせず
trans: One would not fall into the trap of fleeting dreams or becoming intoxicated with the present world.
meaning: One should face reality head on and live without being consumed by vanity.
In other words, the Iroha waka poem is a recitation of the verse “Impermanence of All Things (諸行無常偈)” from the Nirvana Sutra (涅槃経), which says that everything in this world changes and everything that is born will surely pass away, but that beyond that lies ultimate enlightenment.
諸行無常 – All things are impermanent,
是生滅法 – this is the law of birth and death.
生滅滅已 – and when birth and death come to an end,
寂滅為楽 – nirvana is found in bliss.
Additionally, the Iroha poem are said to contain encrypted messages, similar to the Bible code.
Waka poetry is divided into seven-and-five syllable meters, but when divided into seven syllables it looks like this:
i-ro-ha-ni-ho-he-to
chi-ri-nu-ru-wo-wa-ka
yo-ta-re-so-tsu-ne-na
ra-mu-u-i-no-o-ku
ya-ma-ke-fu-ko-e-te
a-sa-ki-yu-me-mi-shi
e-hi-mo-se-su
Putting the last characters of each line together, and converted into kanji, it becomes;
to-ka-na-ku-te-shi-su
咎無くて死す
One theory is that this means “dying without guilt,” and refers to Jesus Christ.
The appearance of Jesus Christ may seem sudden, but it is said that many people who lost the two countries related to Israel, the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, scattered across the Asian continent between the 6th and 8th centuries BC, and ended up in Japan, the land of the rising sun located at the eastern end of the Asian continent.
One further point to note is that it is believed that there were at least five large waves of ancient Israelites who came to Japan between the Yayoi period (弥生時代, 10th century BC) and the Yamato period (大和時代, 6th century), one of which is related to the collapse of the Kingdom of Israel around the 7th and 8th centuries BC, and it is said that the so-called 10 lost tribes, who were said to have been scattered across the Asian continent and disappeared, eventually arrived in Japan and were assimilated. In addition, the Imperial family’s ritual responsibilities are said to have originated from the tribe of Levi.
1. The first wave was around the 10th to 11th centuries BC after the Exodus. Around 1227 BC, Moses and his fellow Egyptian slaves escaped from Canaan (near present-day Israel) and founded the Hebrew Kingdom (Kingdom of Israel). Some of the Israelites spread as nomads along the Silk Road, heading in the direction of the rising sun (i.e. east), and arrived in Japan, a land where they could neither escape nor be chased. They are thought to have assimilated with the Jomon people, who believed in and coexisted with the abundant nature of Japan.
2. The second wave is associated with the collapse of the Kingdom of Israel, when the so-called Ten Lost Tribes, who are said to have been scattered across the Asian continent between the late 7th century BC and the early 8th century BC and then disappeared, came to Japan and are said to have had a variety of influences on the founding of Japan.
3. The third wave is said to be when Xu Fu (徐福) came to Japan in the 3rd century BC, under the orders of the First Emperor of Qin, in search of the elixir of immortality. It is said that neither Qin Shi Huang nor Xu Fu were of Han Chinese (漢民族).
4. The fourth wave is said to have begun around the time of Emperor Chuai’s (仲哀天皇) reign in the 3rd century. Emperor Ojin (応神天皇) is said to have supported the entry of the Hata clan (秦氏), who believed in Nestorianism (景教) from Yuzuki Province (弓月国) in Central Asia and had arrived in Silla (新羅) at that time, into Japan. They built ancient tombs (古墳) and shrines, and were also involved in the establishment of the Yamato dynasty (大和王朝).
5. The fifth wave is said to have started in the Asuka period (飛鳥時代) around the 6th century. The Soga clan (蘇我氏), who came to Japan, deeply infiltrated the government and served Prince Shotoku (聖徳太子). The Nestorians are a sect of Christianity that was persecuted by the Roman Empire during the Jewish Wars in the 2nd century and converted to Christianity in the process of scattering to the East. The Soga clan means “I am resurrected,” and is said to be the Tsuki clan (月氏族), descendants of the Kassites (Galz), who founded the three great dynasties of Old Babylon around 1475 BC.
In ancient Japanese history, many people, things, and events brought from continents such as Europe and Eurasia were closely involved with and infiltrated the Imperial Family, the ruling and governing class. Furthermore, there are many things that have been passed down as customs, traditions, and beliefs that still exist in commoner society, so although there may be some overlap with the history of immigration mentioned above, let’s look back a little further.
The Taika Reforms (645), mentioned earlier as a topic related to the Meyasubako, are an incident in which the Imperial family regained power from the Soga clan, who had risen to become a powerful clan. After that, the nation-building centered on the Emperor progressed rapidly, culminating in the completion of the Taiho Code in 701 (the first year of the Taiho era), which marked the beginning of Japan’s history as an independent nation.
In other words, Japan began to be recognized as a Ritsuryo state based on legislative, administrative, and judicial systems from the time of the Taiho Code (大宝律令), which was completed and enacted in 701 during the reign of Emperor Mommu ( (文武天皇, 683-707) in the Asuka period (飛鳥時代, 592-710).
Until then, Japan was called Wa (倭) or Yamato (大和). Wa is a derogatory term used by the Wei dynasty (魏), while Yamato comes from ya-mato, which means god-people in ancient Hebrew. Moreover, the kanji used for Yamato means “big-harmony,” which suggests some kind of intention behind it.
The compilation of the Taiho Code began in 681 by order of Emperor Tenmu (天武天皇, unknown-686), and was led by Prince Osakabe (刑部親王, unknown-705) and Fujiwara no Fuhito (藤原不比等, 659-720), who used the ritsuryo codes of the Tang Dynasty (唐, 618-907) as a reference. The compilation of the Nihon Shoki (日本書紀, 720) and Kojiki (古事記, 712), Japan’s oldest historical books, was started by Emperor Tenmu and completed after his death.
Therefore, Japan existed before the Taiho Code, and is the oldest civilization in the world, dating back through the Yayoi period (弥生時代, around the 10th century BC – mid-3rd century AD) to the Jomon period (縄文時代, around 14,000 BC – around the 10th century BC). And it is believed that between ancient times and the establishment of the Taiho Code, people who fled ancient Israel arrived in Japan, an island nation in the far east, via Eurasia (such as the Silk Road) or sea routes.
Furthermore, although it is difficult to say whether the legends of Atlantis and Mu are true or not, the stories about these continents are sometimes told as background to the Y chromosome, which is said to be genetically inherited by the Israelites, Japanese, and etc., who are said to be descendants of Mu.
When the Mu continent was destroyed, the survivors were said to have been dispersed to Israel, Tibet, the Andaman Islands, the Hawaiian Islands, etc., and the Jomon people who fled to present-day Japan are also said to be descendants of Mu.
The Jomon people are said to have inherited a strong YAP gene = D type of Mu, and have characteristics such as hating fighting, abandoning oneself to serve others, being kind, and being hardworking, and they lived a life based on harmony with nature, and the Jomon period lasted for about 14,000 years.
The genetic information of the Y chromosome is passed down only from father to son, down the male line, but there are 20 groups of Y genes from A to T, and only the D and E lines have a special gene sequence called YAP. It is said that Japanese people have inherited the old YAP gene D type, and Israelis have the YAP gene E type.
Among the Japanese, Ainu and Okinawans, who are said to be descendants of the Jomon people, have a high purity of YAP+ (positive), 88% in Ainu, 56% in Okinawa, and the only place outside Japan where it is found is Tibet. In addition, about 40% or more of modern Japanese men are said to have inherited YAP- (negative), and this gene is only found in Japanese and ancient Israelites, which is why Japanese people are considered to be the bloodline descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Meanwhile, the Sumerian, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Indus civilizations, etc. are said to have been born by the survivors of the Atlantis continent, which existed at the same time, and some of these memories can be seen in the murals of Sumer and Egypt.
The Atlanteans did not value spirituality, and were biased toward the extremes of human ego, such as scientism, materialism, profit-ism, expediency, and exclusivism, and inherited genes that led to thoughts and actions based on plunder and exploitation, as well as the idea of retaliating when attacked, and this is said to have been passed down to the present day as the so-called continental way of thinking.
Therefore, it is believed that the Jomon people were driven to the northern and southern ends of the Japanese archipelago because barbarians, who would later be called the Yayoi people, migrated from the continent via the Korean Peninsula. It can be surmised that the circumstances and tactics involved were similar to the process by which the descendants of those barbarians plundered the American continent from its indigenous peoples.
Based on the description in the Nihon Shoki, there is a Japanese calendar system called the Jinmu Tenno Sokui Era (神武天皇即位紀元), which sets the year when the first emperor, Jinmu (神武天皇, 711 BC – 585 BC), ascended to the throne as the first year. According to this calendar system, the first year of Japan in the Gregorian calendar (i.e., the Christian era) is 660 BC.
Further investigation is needed to determine whether this is a coincidence, a fabrication, or the truth, and it may be difficult to pinpoint an exact date at this point, but there is a theory that 660 BC, the year considered to be the first year of the founding of Japan, coincides with the year of the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel as estimated from the Old Testament.
Of course, considering the large discrepancy in dating based on the calendar system, it is difficult to say that the first year of the Imperial calendar is necessarily accurate, but it is said that the reason the first year of the Imperial calendar was set as 660 BC is because the year of his accession to the throne was recorded as the year of Mizunotou (癸卯, water rabbit, gui-mao).
In the Old Testament, the Israelite nation that is said to have existed in the area that is now Palestine was the Hebrew Kingdom (or Kingdom of Israel); later the southern region separated to become the Kingdom of Judah, and the original region is called the Northern Kingdom of Israel to distinguish it from the period of the unified kingdom.
There were 12 tribes of Israel with designated areas of residence, with 10 tribes living in the Northern Kingdom of Israel and 2 tribes living in the Kingdom of Judah (Judah, Benjamin, and Levi). The Northern Kingdom of Israel was destroyed in 660 BC, the sixth year of the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah (2 Kings 17, 18), the Babylonian Captivity began in 525 BC, the Kingdom of Judah was destroyed in 526 BC, 70 years later in 456 BC, the order to rebuild the temple was issued, and 483 years later in AD 28, Jesus was baptized and the Messiah (Christ) arrived (Luke 3, Daniel 9).
Around AD 720, when the Nihon Shoki was compiled, the Hata clan (秦氏) was already ruling as a powerful clan in Japan. The Hata clan is a clan whose surname is Hata, and is said to have been founded by Yuzuki no Kimi (弓月君), who is recorded to have come to Japan from Baekje (百済) in 283 with tens of thousands of people.
Incidentally, the period from 266, when the Queen of Wa (倭女王) paid tribute to the Western Jin Dynasty (西晋), as recorded in the Book of Jin (晋書), to 413, when an envoy from Wa (倭), together with Goguryeo (高句麗), paid tribute to the Eastern Jin Dynasty (東晋), is called the blank 150 years or blank 4th century, and although it is unclear whether this was intentional or coincidence, there is a period of Japanese history that has been omitted.
During this period, as described in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三国志演義), Wu (呉) was destroyed in 280 and the Western Jin Dynasty (西晋) unified the country, but the Western Jin Dynasty also collapsed in about 35 years and the Eastern Jin Dynasty (東晋) took control of the government. The Yamatai Kingdom (邪馬台国), ruled by Himiko (卑弥呼), became estranged from Wei (魏), and is said to have significantly declined and weakened around the middle of the blank 150 years, and eventually disappeared. Instead, from around the middle of the blank period, the Yamato dynasty (大和王朝) rose to power and reigned supreme at the end of the period.
During the blank 150 years, not only did Yamataikoku disappear, but many changes occurred in Japan due to the reign of the Yamato dynasty.
For example,
1. The simple square and round burial mounds of the ancient tombs took on complex shapes such as keyhole-shaped burial mounds in the 5th century, and their size increased to an incomparably large size.
2. The grave goods of the ancient tombs, which were mainly swords, mirrors, and jewels, changed to continental influences such as horse equipment and crowns, and murals began to be painted on the burial chambers where the coffins were placed.
3. The manufacture of bronze bells, which had been used as ritual tools until the Yayoi period, ceased, and metal tools, which had been mainly made of bronze, were replaced by iron tools.
4. The stocky Jomon people changed to the tall and slender Yayoi people, and customs such as tattooing disappeared.
5. It is believed that the origin of Japan’s native horses dates back to the Kofun period, when they were used as military horses or livestock, transported by ship from Mongolia via the Korean Peninsula to Tsushima, and then across the Genkai Sea to the Kyushu mainland. The Gishi Wajinden (魏志倭人伝) records that there were no horses, tigers, leopards, or sheep in Wakoku (倭国) prior to that time.
6. Emperor Ojin (応神天皇) actively employed immigrants, introducing culture and technology through trade with the continent.
There are several theories about the Yuzuki clan (弓月氏), including one that they were descendants of the Israelites (Jews) and lived in the country of Yuzuki in Kazakhstan, located north of the Tianshan Mountains, which is considered to be a primitive Christian country, another that they were descendants of the First Emperor of Qin (259-210 BC) who fled to Silla (新羅) when the Later Qin Dynasty fell (417), and another that they were descended from Baekje (百済). In addition, since people other than the Han Chinese were called Qin people in China, it is thought that the Qin clan was a general term for people who came from the Western Regions along the Silk Road, and it is believed that Jews and Israelites were among them.
In any case, it is highly likely that the Hata clan were of Jewish descent who immigrated to Japan; a mask of Hata no Kawakatsu (秦河勝), who served Prince Shotoku (聖徳太子, 574-622), is enshrined at Oosake Shrine (大避神社, the Oosake means David) in Ako City, Hyogo Prefecture, and his face is said to be a typical Jewish face, with a high nose and deep molars.
Prince Shotoku is said to be a mysterious figure, but it is said that the theory that most of the influential clans that made up the Yamato court (大和朝廷) were naturalized people who arrived via the Silk Road cannot be dismissed. Prince Shotoku’s name during his lifetime was Prince Umayado (厩戸王子), which comes from the legend that Jesus Christ was born in a stable.
The Hata clan is said to have provided the land and construction techniques for the construction of Heian-kyo (平安京, AD 794), and after the 7th and 8th centuries, they founded Yasaka Shrine (八坂神社, AD 656), Matsuo Taisha Shrine (松尾大社, AD 701), Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine (伏見稲荷大社, AD 708-715), and others. The shrine dedicated to Hachiman (八幡宮, or Hachiman Shrine 八幡神社) enshrines Emperor Ojin (応神天皇, late 4th century to early 5th century) as the god Hachiman (八幡神), and there are currently about 44,000 shrines throughout the country.
Hachiman (八幡) can also be read as Ya-Hata, with Ya being an abbreviation of the god Yahweh, and Hata being the Hata clan, so it is said to include the meaning of Yahweh, the god of the Hata clan.
Furthermore, Inari (稲荷) is an acronym of the Latin words IESVS NAZARENVS REX IVDAEORVM, meaning Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, or it can be written as Inari (異也, different), meaning immigrants, and the torii gate (鳥居) is said to be a symbol of the Passover of the Exodus.
Listing the evidence would be too extensive to list here, but in addition to this, there are many other descriptions in the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki that are said to originate from ancient Israel and the history of Japanese immigrants. Furthermore, 3,000 words in Japanese are said to be of Hebrew origin, and there are many kanji characters, place names, and personal names that were not introduced from China but were created in Japan by the Hebrews.
Moreover, the Gion Festival (祇園祭) is one of the three major festivals of Kyoto, the capital founded by the Hata clan. Gion comes from the Hebrew word Zion, and features a parade of floats modeled after Noah’s Ark.The climax of the festival is on July 17th, the same day that the great flood subsided and Noah’s ship ran aground on Mount Ararat.
In addition to the above, there are many other topics that connect ancient Japan and ancient Israel, and it would be impossible to write them all here, so please do some research.
For example,
* the three-legged torii gate (三柱鳥居) and the three-legged crow called the Yatagarasu (八咫烏).
* the relationship between the Ark of the Covenant and the mikoshi (神輿).
* the connection between Israel’s sacred treasures and the Three Sacred Treasures (三種の神器).
* the mysteries of Mount Tsurugi (剣山) and Ise Shrine (伊勢神宮).
* the barrier line (結界線) and ley lines that starts from Awaji Island (淡路島).
* the Hebrew translation of Japan’s national anthem, Kimigayo (君が代), and the children’s song, Kagome Kagome (かごめかごめ), and the ancient song Sakura Sakura (さくらさくら).
* the hiragana and katakana characters that originate from the Hebrew alphabet.
* the secrets of the Yamato Three Mountains (大和三山 – Mt. Amanokagu (天香久山 – east), Mt. Unebi (畝傍山 – west), and Mt. Miminashi (耳成山 – north)). Man-made theory, layout (isosceles triangle), pyramid theory.
etc..
In any case, as can be seen from the story of the collapse of Atlantis, it is clear that believing in or relying solely on science without raising spirituality or consciousness makes the commoners more susceptible to the malicious tactics implemented by the rulers.
For example, the following hardships have been frequently experienced in various places recently:
1. Submission to peer pressure that induce the commoners to receive toxic vaccinations by fabricating virus turmoils.
2. Disasters caused by DEW attacks disguised as natural occurrences such as earthquakes, torrential rains, and wildfires.
3. The eradication of innate nature through genetic modification and robotization.
4. Destructive strategies that incite violence and military action through deceptive conflict structures.
5. The blanking out of history, traditions, customs, and ethnic identities through globalism.
etc..
The idea of the suggestion box introduced by Tokugawa Yoshimune can be traced back at least to the Taika Reforms of the Asuka period, and it can be said to contain and reflect the wisdom and high spirituality that Japan inherited and cultivated from the Jomon people, as Prince Shotoku also wrote at the beginning of his Seventeen-Article Constitution, “harmony is the most valuable thing.”
In other words, the ruling class and politicians of the Edo period did not exploit the common people and pursue their own selfish desires, but rather implemented policies that enabled them to live prosperous lives together, based on the fundamental premise that they were doing things for the people. This brought richness to the common people’s hearts, and it also fostered the maturity and cultural prosperity of commoner society.
Here are some impressions from foreigners who visited Japan around the beginning of the Meiji period, when vestiges of the Edo period still remained.
* Townsend Harris (1804-1878, the first United States Consul General to Japan)
“The number of people seen increases. They are all fat, well clad and happy looking, but there is an equal absence of any appearance of wealth or of poverty, — a state of thongs that may perhaps constitute the real happiness of a people; I sometimes doubt whether the opening of Japan to foreign influencers will promote the general happiness of this people. It is more like the golden age of simplicity and honesty than I have ever seen in any other country. Security for person and property, universal frugality and contentment, seem to be the apparent condition of Japan at present.” (Townsend Harris: First American Envoy in Japan By William Elliot Griffis, 1895, p198)
* Basil Hall Chamberlain (1850-1935, Japanologist)
In Japan there exists a “comparative social equality of all ranks and stations…. The rich not being blatant, the poor are not abject…. A genuine spirit of equality pervades society.” (Things Japanese, 1890–1936)
* Henry Heusken (1832-1861, a Dutch-American interpreter for the first American consulate in Japan)
(trans from Japanese) “The country I am beginning to love. I admire its simplicity, its people and their simple manners. I have seen the richness of the land, heard the joyous laughter of children everywhere, and found no misery anywhere. This happy scene is now coming to an end. It seems to me that the Westerners are bringing their grave vices with them.” (Japan Journal, 1855-1861)
* Isabella Bird (1831-1904, English explorer, writer, photographer and naturalist)
Bird clearly presented Japanese values such as omotenashi (the spirit of hospitality) and Japanese politeness. In an account of her stay in Tenoko, Yamagata Prefecture, she wrote:
“When the women of the house saw that I felt the heat they gracefully produced fans and fanned me for a whole hour. On asking the charge, they refused to make any, and would not receive anything…. I told them truly that I should remember them as long as I remember Japan, and went on, much touched by their kindness.”
Bird passed through towns stretching for some seven miles:
(trans from Japanese) “Most of them consisted of the dwellings of the poorest classes; but it was an industrious poverty, without vice or squalor, and nearly every shabby, cramped, dark dwelling bore at least one flower of a large, mounded chrysanthemum, the envy of a temple gardener.” (Unbeaten Tracks in Japan, 1880)
* Willem Huijssen van Kattendijke (1816-1866, Royal Dutch Navy)
(trans from Japanese) “One of the characteristics that distinguishes the Japanese from other Asian peoples is their lack of attachment to luxury, and even the mansions of the most noble people are extremely simple and austere: even the great halls have no furnishings such as chairs, desks, or bookshelves.” (In 1860, van Kattendijke published a memoir of his experiences in and around Nagasaki in 1857-59, Days at the Nagasaki Naval Training Center, 1964)
Japanese wisdom, traditions, customs, and spirituality inherited from the Jomon period can be said to be a model of the ultimate harmony for the coexistence of nature and humans, and even ancient immigrants had no choice but to assimilate instead of invade.
The following are the principles of Bushido, but they were once also widely accepted and taken for granted in commoner society.
* Live in harmony with the laws of heaven, earth, and nature.
* Transcend time and space.
* Seek clarity of mind.
* Be fair and keep honesty.
* Aim for integrity.
* Keep compassion in your heart.
* Value courtesy and know shame.
* Maintain loyalty.
* Understand that filial piety is a way of repaying a favor.
* Work hard to cultivate yourself.
The virtue of Bushido is a path of self-improvement in order to acquire normative values in life, destiny, and mission, so losing the history that has been cultivated and nurtured would lead to a loss of one’s identity as an existence.
The wisdom, traditions, customs, and spirituality preserved and passed down by the Jomon and Edo people will continue to fascinate and awaken future generations as the foundation for living rich in spirit and safe in peace.
Sincerely grateful for your financial support.
Sources and references:
Proteins in vaccines cause food allergies
vs.
Five Years of Medical Tyranny: Crimes Against Humanity
US Lands On Soros-Funded ‘Human Rights’ Watchlist… Alongside North Korea & China
