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Bunkwa-den. It was only after the war with Japan that Bunkwa-den came to be used for the ceremony.

The policy of Soyejima’s mission was war with Corea, and his whole energy was directed to nullifying obstruction from the side of China in case of its declaration. But it was already known that the Iwakura mission would also return before long, with a wider view of the world, and presumably inclined towards the policy of peace. This made a portion of the men in power more agitated than before.

How the military circle, with the great Satsuma man, Saigo, Generalissimo of the Japanese Army, for its centre, looked upon the policy of Europeanization at this time can be judged from the exchange of views which took place between him and General Koyata Torio (now Privy Councillor Viscount Torio), who had done much for the reorganization of the Japanese army. In his ‘Souvenirs’ (Jikkwason) General Torio writes that his theory was as follows: That the real strength of a nation consists in the just balance of martial vigour and polite learning; that Japan of the new era necessitated a thorough reform of both these forms of national activity; and that, as it was impossible to carry on both reforms at the same time, and as militarism was at the root of the real strength of Japan, as well as capable of reform in a comparatively shorter period of time, so it would be more profitable for Japan to educate its people militarily at first, by restoring the old Samurai class and enlisting all its male members between twenty and forty years of age in active service. For this two-thirds of the whole revenue should be devoted to the maintenance of the army, and the utmost economy should be practised in all the other branches of the administration.

General Torio pressed on Generalissimo Saigo to consent to his theory, and endeavour to carry it out before the return of the Iwakura mission. Saigo entirely agreed with his theory, writes the General, and promised upon his life to carry it out, on condition that war with Corea be made the first step in its realization! He intimated that as the members of the Imperial Government had solemnly promised Lord Iwakura to introduce no change until his return except those absolutely indispensable, so there was no way but to argue it out openly after the return of the mission, and in the presence of the party of Europeanization.

This fact, coupled with the fact that Soyejima, on his way to China, had called at Kagoshima especially for the purpose of seeing the Generalissimo, puts it beyond doubt that they