The history of Japan, according to the traditions of the country, begins with the dynasty of the heavenly gods, consisting of seven generations, and reigning from four to tive million years. It was followed by the dy- nasty of the earthly gods, consisting of five generations, and reigning 2,342,1G7 years. The native population (the Ainos) was at a very early period (according to some as early as B.C. 1240) puslied back by the immi- grants from China. Probably Simnu (tlie divine war- rior), the founder of the Japanese empire, with whom the authenticated history of the country begins, was also a Chinese. He first conquered Kiusiu (about B.C. 6G7), subsequently Nipon, where he erected a palacious temple (Dairi) to the sun goddess (Miako), and consti- tuted himself ruler, under the honorary title of Mikado. When he died he was regarded as a national hero. His successors were called Jlikado or Kin Rey (emperor) ; also Ten Oo (Heavenly Prince) or Ten Zin (Heavenly Child). In the century before Christ the dignity of the four commanders-in-chief (Djogoon) was created in the war against the Ainos. As chiefs of the army, they concentrated the executive po\v-er in their hands, stead- ily enlarged it, and, under the reign of a weak Mikado, succeeded in making it hereditary in their families. This was, in particular, the case with the Kubo (crown general) Yoritimo, who had rescued the country from a perilous situation during the administration of the Mi- kadi^Koeyei (1141-55); he added to his title Kubo the word Sama (lord). Henceforth ha and his successors resided in Yeddo, while Jliako remained the residence of the Mikados ; his dynasty was in 1334 supplanted by another, but the separation of tha ecclesiastical and sec- ular authority remained unchanged.
In the middle of the 16th century the first Europeans visited Japan, which, up to this time, had been only known to them from Arabian geographers, and from the accounts given in the 13th century by the traveller Marco Polo, after his return from China. Through the efforts of three runaway Portuguese sailors, who in 1545 had found a refuge on board a Chinese merchantman, and who, having by storms been driven to the Japanese island Yanega, had found a kind reception at the resi- dence of the prince of Bungo, in Kiusiu, a lively com- mercial intercourse arose with Portugal, which soon proved to be of immense value to tlie latter country. In 1549, the celebrated Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier, j who had converted a Japanese at Goa, arrived in Japan. | Diuing a stay of two years he visited the territories of [ several princes and founded missions, which he con- i fided to zealous priests of his order. The Koinan Cath- olic faith spread rapidly, and soon the Catholic Church I numbered about 250 churches and 13 seminaries. The 1 Buddhist priests made a desperate resistance to the ! progress of Christianity, but a number of the Daimios favored it, as they expected from tlie success of Chris- tianity great commercial advantages. In 15(52 the [ prince of Omura, and soon after the princes of Bungo and I Arima, embraced Christianity, and sent a splendid em- | bassy (embracing also three princes), with rich presents, \ to pope Gregory XIII and to king Philip II of Spain, i But when the suspicion arose that the Daimios who had i embraced Christianity intended, with the aid of foreign j Christian governments and of the native Christian pop- | ulatipn, to establish their entire independence, the Kubo Sama Fide Yose, an upstart who, being of low birth, had
in 1585 usurped the dignity of Kubo Sama, curtailed the rights of the subordinate princes, took from the IMi- ka'do everything except the administration of the ec- clesiastical affairs, and issued a stringent edict against Christianity, which had been favored by his predecessor Nabunanga. Tlie edict provided for the exile of all tlie missionaries and the destruction of the churches. It was not executed at once, but in 159G a real persecu- tion of the Christians began, the beginning of a relig- ious and civil war which lasted for forty years. Fide Yose died in 1598, while preparing for the invasion and conquest of China ; and he was succeeded by the guar- dian of his minor son, Yie Y'azoo, prince of Mikava, whose descendants have reigned at Yeddo until the pres- ent day. Yie Yazoo made the dignity of Kidjo hered- itary in the three houses founded by his sons, shut the Mikado up in his palace at !Miaco, and gave to the coun- try a legislation and constitution under which it remain- ed at peace for more than two hundred years.
In the mean while tlie Dutch liad gained a footing in Japan, and, from commercial jealousy against the Por- tuguese, aided and encouraged the Kubo Sama in his proceedings against the Christians. With their aid, at the close of the ICth century, 70,000 Christians who had intrenched themselves on the peninsiUa Simabara were crushed. Since then the Itoman Catholic faith became gradually extinct. The number of Christians put to death has been estimated at nearly two millions, and the annals of the Jesuits, Franciscans, and Dominicans are filled with narratives of the deaths of members of their orders in Japan. Besides Xavier, the greatest missionaries were Valignani, father John Baptist, a Span- ish Franciscan, Philip of Jesus, a IVIexican Franciscan, both crucified at Nagasaki, father Charles Spinola, etc. The last Catholic priest who entered Japan was Sedotti, who in 1709 found means to land, but was never again heard of.