THE MODERN PART OF AN Universal History, FROM THE Earliest ACCOUNT of TIME. Compiled from ORIGINAL WRITER S. By the AUTHORS of the ANTIENT PART. IN RECTO DECVS LONDON: Printed for S. RICHARDSON, T. OSBORNE, C. HITCH, M.DCC.LIX. Modern History: BEING A CONTINUATION OF THE Univerfal History. BOOK XIII. T CHAP II. The Empire of Japan. HIS large and potent empire is indifferently called Japan, by the Europeans. Japan and Japon, but by the its names natives Niphon and Hiphon, or Nippon and Hippon, from the largest ifland belonging to it. The maritime Chinese pronounce it Zippon or Sippon, but the reft call it Je-pwen or Ge-puen; all which come to the fame fignification, and were probably given to it on account of its eastern fituation, the word Ni or Hi fignifying fire, and, in a more emphatical fenfe, the fun, and pon or phon a bafis or foundation; conformably to which, Martini fays, that the words Je puen, in the Chinese, fignify the place of the fun's rifinga: but, befides that of Niphon or Hiphon, the natives give it several other pompous ones, fuch as we have observed Atlas in Japon. vid. & KAMPFER Hift. Japan. c. iv. & al. MOD. HIST. VOL. IX, A the Situation. Extent. the an tients. the Chinese bestow upon their own; and which being lefs known to other nations, and ferving only to fhew the high value they fet upon their own, we shall content ourselves with giving a fpecimen of them in the margin (A). JAPAN is fituate on the most eastern verge of Afia, and confifts of three large, and a number of smaller islands; and lies about 160 leagues eaftward of the coafts of China and Korea, and about 130 degrees to the eastward of London, fo that they have their fun-rifing, noon, &c. about eight hours before us. Its extent is from 30° to 41° of latitude, and from 130° to 147° eaft longitude; and the author of the churchhiftory of Japan, published in English Anno 1700, computes all thofe iflands together to contain about 600 leagues in compafs, or 200 leagues in length, and fo proportionably in breadth, exclusive of their various windings, and of fundry remote islands which are fubject to that empire. Were South and North Britain divided by an arm,of the fea, Japan might be moft aptly compared to England, Scotland, and Ireland, with all its attendants of other finaller iflands, peninfula's, bays, chanels, &c. and all under the fame monarch. Whether WHETHER the Japan islands were known to the antients, known to or the fame with the Satyr Ifles of Ptolemy, as Mr. De Lifle conjectures, is justly doubted; but it is not to be questioned that they are the fame which the famed Venetian traveller Marco Paolo hath deferibed under the name of Zipangri, from the account which the Chinese gave him of them (B). However, Sce before, vol. viii. p. 7. (A) They often give it, efpecially in their writings, the name of Ten-ka, or under beaven; and the emperor that of Ten ka-fuma, or the monarch under heaven, as if his country was the only one under it. They have however condefcended to give that title not only to the Chinefe empire, which they ftyle To-fin Ten-ka; but even to the Dutch, whofe country they call Hollanda Terka. They likewife Ayle Japan Sin-kokf and Caminokuni, that is, the abode or coun try of the gods, Sin and Kuni being the names of their two chief antient deities: Tout-fio, or the true morning, or fun-ifing, and others not worth farther mention (1). (B) That author mentions likewife the expedition which the Tartarian prince Koblay, who had conquered all China, made against the island of Zipangri; and the Chinese annals tell us, that this was the emperor Shi-tfu, founder of the Ywen family, or, as the Tartars call (1) De bis, vid. Kaempfer Hift. Japan, cap.iv. However, we had but a very imperfect knowlege of them When dif till they were discovered by the Portuguese, at what year is covered. not agreed, fome placing that epocha as early as Anno 1535, others Anno 1542 and 1548, and others ftill later. Be that How, and as it will, we are told, that, whilft Alphonfo de Soufa was by whom. viceroy of the East-Indies, three Portuguefe, viz. Antonio da Motta, Francifco Zeimoto, and Antonio Peixola, were, by stress of weather, driven upon fome of the Japanese coafts, being then in a fmall veffel loaden with leather, and bound from Siam to China, and were the first Europeans that dif covered thofe iflands. Upon the report they gave of it, others of their nation, particularly fome of their miffionaries, were fent thither; and, by their skill in the liberal sciences, fo recommended themfelves to the Japanese, that they easily got not only free admittance into, and commerce with, that empire, but likewise the free exercise of their religion, and, in procefs of time, the liberty from the emperor of propagating it through his dominions, as will be feen in the fequel. ALL the coafts of this empire are furrounded with fuch Rocky craggy, high, and inacceffible mountains, and fuch shallow and coafts, and boisterous feas, as make failing about them, as well as to and dangerous from them, extremely hazardous; and their creeks and bays are feas. for the most part choaked up with fuch rocks, shelves, fands, &c. that it feems as if Providence had designed it to be a little world within itself. Thofe feas have likewife many dangerous Whirlwhirlpools, which are very difficult to pafs at low-water, and pools. will fuck in and fwallow up the largeft veffels, and all that comes within the reach of their vortex, with a most dreadful quickness, and dafh them in fmall pieces against the rocks which lie at the bottom, fome of which are never seen again, d BARROS Decada da Asia, p. 183. |