Japanese Science and Arts
From Recollections of Japan by Vasiliĭ Mikhaĭlovich Golovnin, 1819.
From: 1811 C.E. To: 1819 C.E.
Location: Hokkaido, Japan
Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.
From Recollections of Japan by Vasiliĭ Mikhaĭlovich Golovnin, 1819.
In respect to the degree of knowledge to be found in the people, the Japanese, comparing one nation with another, are the most enlightened people in the world. Every Japanese is able to read and write, and knows the laws of his country, which are seldom changed, and the most important of which are publicly exposed on large tables in the towns and villages, in the public squares and other places. In agriculture, horticulture, the fishery, the chace, the manufacture of silk and woollen stuffs, of porcelain, and varnished goods, and in the polishing of metals, they are not at all inferior to the Europeans: they are well acquainted with the art of mining, and understand how to make several works in metal.
In the arts of cabinet-making and turnery they are perfect masters: they are, besides, admirably skilled in the manufacture of all articles belonging to domestic economy. What knowledge can be more useful to the common people? The arts and sciences, indeed, have attained a higher degree of elevation among us; we have men who prescribe their orbits to the heavenly bodies, the Japanese have not; but on the other hand, for one such we have thousands who are unacquainted with every element of knowledge.
We possess in Europe great mathematicians, astronomers, chemists, physicians, &c. such as we must not look for in Japan, though these sciences are not unknown there, as I have already had occasion to mention in my narrative; but those learned men do not make a nation, and, generally speaking, the Japanese have more correct ideas than the lower classes in Europe—I will mention an example. A common soldier, who was one of our guard, one day took a tea-cup, pointed to it, and asked me if I knew that our earth was round, and that Europe and Japan lay in such a situation in respect to each other? (pointing out, at the same time, the respective situations of both upon the globe pretty accurately upon the cup.)
Several other soldiers shewed us geometrical figures, and inquired whether these methods of measuring and dividing the earth were known to us. Every Japanese is acquainted with the medicinal virtues of the various herbs which grow in that climate, and almost every one carries about him the most usual medicines, such as laxatives, emetics, &c. which he immediately uses in case of need.
The Japanese have, however, in common with other nations, the absurd, and often injurious, prejudice of curing themselves by sympathy, as I have mentioned once before in my narrative.
Except the principal people, who have a part in the government, and the literati the Japanese have very confined notions of other nations; because the Japanese policy obliges the government to hinder the spreading of knowledge of foreign manners and customs, that it may not corrupt the people, and make them deviate from the object to which the wisdom of the laws conducts them; namely, to live in peace, tranquillity, and abundance.
The geographical knowledge of the Japanese consists in their being able to shew upon the map where a country lies, and what space it occupies.
They consider the histories of other nations, except that of the Chinese, as useless, and unworthy of their attention, and ask to what purpose they must know all the tales which every nation invents out of vanity. The members of the govern- ment, and the learned, however, concern themselves about the modern history of the European states, and particularly of those who are become their near neighbours.
The government endeavours to obtain, by means of the Chinese and Dutch, information respecting the political events in Europe, and observes the course they take. The Russian settlements in America, and the preponderance of the English in India, make them very uneasy.
Notwithstanding all the pains we took to convince them of the truly pacific intentions of our humane monarch and his government, many of them were afraid that their turn to be attacked would come sooner or later: they communicated their conjectures by circumlocutions. " All sovereigns," said they, "have not the same dispositions; one loves peace, and another war:" once they owned to us, that a tradition had been current among them from ancient times, that the time would come when a people from the north would subdue Japan.
The Japanese are very well acquainted with the history and geography of their own country: the reading of historical books is their favorite amusement.
In painting, architecture, sculpture, engraving, music, and probably also in poetry, they are far inferior to the Europeans. In the art of war they are still children, and wholly unacquainted with navigation, except that along the coasts.
The Japanese government will have the people satisfied with the degree of knowledge they possess, and to make use of the productions of their own country, and forbid them to adopt anything foreign, that foreign manners may not creep in with foreign arts and sciences. Their neighbours must thank providence for having inspired the Japanese lawgivers with this thought, and should endeavour to give them no inducement to change their policy for that of Europe.
What must we expect if this numerous, ingenious, and industrious people, who are capable of every thing, and much inclined to imitate all that is foreign, should ever have a sovereign like our Peter the Great: with the resources and treasures which Japan possesses, he would enable it to become, in a few years, the sovereign of the eastern ocean. What would then become of the maritime provinces of eastern Asia, and the settlements on the west coast of America, which are so remote from the countries by which they must be protected?
If the Japanese should think fit to introduce the knowledge of Europe among them, and adopt our policy as a model, we should then see the Chinese obliged to do the same: in this case these two powerful nations might soon give the situation of Europe another appearance. However deeply a horror of every thing foreign may be impressed on the Japanese and Chinese government; yet a change in their system is not inconceivable: necessity may compel them to do that, to which their own free will does not impel them!
Attacks, for example, like that of Chwostoff, often repeated, would probably induce them to think of means to repel a handful of vagabonds who disturbed a nation. This might lead them to build ships of war on the model of those of Europe; these ships might increase to fleets, and then it is probable that the good success of this measure would lead them also to adopt the other scientific methods, which are so applicable to the destruction of the human race.
In this manner all the inventions of Europe might gradually take root in Japan, even without the creative spirit of a Peter, merely by the power and concurrence of circumstances. The Japanese certainly would not be in want of teachers if they would only invite them; I therefore believe that this just and upright people must, by no means, be provoked. But if, contrary to all expectation, urgent reasons should make it necessary to proceed otherwise, every exertion must be made to act decisively: I do not mean to affirm that the Japanese and Chinese might form themselves on an European model, and become dangerous to us now; but we must take care to avoid giving cause to our posterity to despise our memory.
Golovnin, Vasiliĭ Mikhaĭlovich. Recollections of Japan. Printed for H. Colburn, 1819.
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