Part 18

_Flora._--The flora of Japan has been carefully studied by many scientific men from Siebold downwards. Foreigners visiting Japan are immediately struck by the affection of the people for flowers, trees and natural beauties of every kind. In actual wealth of blossom or dimensions of forest trees the Japanese islands cannot claim any special distinction. The spectacles most admired by all classes are the tints of the foliage in autumn and the glory of flowering trees in the spring. In beauty and variety of pattern and colour the autumnal tints are unsurpassed. The colours pass from deep brown through purple to yellow and white, thrown into relief by the dark green of non-deciduous shrubs and trees. Oaks and wild prunus, wild vines and sumachs, various kinds of maple, the dodan (_Enkianthus Japonicus_ Hook.)--a wonderful bush which in autumn develops a hue of ruddy red--birches and other trees, all add multitudinous colours to the brilliancy of a spectacle which is further enriched by masses of feathery bamboo. The one defect is lack of green sward. The grass used for Japanese lawns loses its verdure in autumn and remains from November to March a greyish-brown blot upon the scene. Spring is supposed to begin in February when, according to the old calendar, the new year sets in, but the only flowers then in bloom are the _camellia japonica_ and some kinds of daphne. The former--called by the Japanese _tsubaki_--may often be seen glowing fiery red amid snow, but the pink (_otome tsubaki_), white (_shiro-tsubaki_) and variegated (_shibori-no-tsubaki_) kinds do not bloom until March or April. Neither the camellia nor the daphne is regarded as a refined flower: their manner of shedding their blossoms is too unsightly. Queen of spring flowers is the plum (_ume_). The tree lends itself with peculiar readiness to the skilful manipulation of the gardener, and is by him trained into shapes of remarkable grace. Its pure white or rose-red blossoms, heralding the first approach of genial weather, are regarded with special favour and are accounted the symbol of unassuming hardihood. The cherry (_sakura_) is even more esteemed. It will not suffer any training, nor does it, like the plum, improve by pruning, but the sunshine that attends its brief period of bloom in April, the magnificence of its flower-laden boughs and the picturesque flutter of its falling petals, inspired an ancient poet to liken it to the "soul of Yamato" (Japan), and it has ever since been thus regarded. The wild peach (_momo_) blooms at the same time, but attracts little attention. All these trees--the plum, the cherry and the peach--bear no fruit worthy of the name, nor do they excel their Occidental representatives in wealth of blossom, but the admiring affection they inspire in Japan is unique. Scarcely has the cherry season passed when that of the wistaria (_fuji_) comes, followed by the azalea (_tsutsuji_) and the iris (_shobu_), the last being almost contemporaneous with the peony (_botan_), which is regarded by many Japanese as the king of flowers and is cultivated assiduously. A species of weeping maple (_shidare-momiji_) dresses itself in peachy-red foliage and is trained into many picturesque shapes, though not without detriment to its longevity. Summer sees the lotus (_renge_) convert wide expanses of lake and river into sheets of white and red blossoms; a comparatively flowerless interval ensues until, in October and November, the chrysanthemum arrives to furnish an excuse for fashionable gatherings. With the exception of the dog-days and the dead of winter, there is no season when flowers cease to be an object of attention to the Japanese, nor does any class fail to participate in the sentiment. There is similar enthusiasm in the matter of gardens. From the 10th century onwards the art of landscape gardening steadily grew into a science, with esoteric as well as exoteric aspects, and with a special vocabulary. The underlying principle is to reproduce nature's scenic beauties, all the features being drawn to scale, so that however restricted the space, there shall be no violation of proportion. Thus the artificial lakes and hills, the stones forming rockeries or simulating solitary crags, the trees and even the bushes are all selected or manipulated so as to fall congruously into the general scheme. If, on the one hand, huge stones are transported hundreds of miles from seashore or river-bed where, in the lapse of long centuries, waves and cataracts have hammered them into strange shapes, and if the harmonizing of their various colours and the adjustment of their forms to environment are studied with profound subtlety, so the training and tending of the trees and shrubs that keep them company require much taste and much toil. Thus the red pine (_aka-matsu_ or _pinus densiflora_), which is the favourite garden tree, has to be subjected twice a year to a process of spray-dressing which involves the careful removal of every weak or aged needle. One tree occupies the whole time of a gardener for about ten days. The details are endless, the results delightful. But it has to be clearly understood that there is here no mention of a flower-garden in the Occidental sense of the term. Flowers are cultivated, but for their own sakes, not as a feature of the landscape garden. If they are present, it is only as an incident. This of course does not apply to shrubs which blossom at their seasons and fall always into the general scheme of the landscape. Forests of cherry-trees, plum-trees, magnolia trees, or _hiyaku-jikko_ (_Lagerstroemia indica_), banks of azalea, clumps of hydrangea, groups of camellia--such have their permanent places and their foliage adds notes of colour when their flowers have fallen. But chrysanthemums, peonies, roses and so forth, are treated as special shows, and are removed or hidden when out of bloom. There is another remarkable feature of the Japanese gardener's art. He dwarfs trees so that they remain measurable only by inches after their age has reached scores, even hundreds, of years, and the proportions of leaf, branch and stem are preserved with fidelity. The pots in which these wonders of patient skill are grown have to be themselves fine specimens of the ceramist's craft, and as much as £200 is sometimes paid for a notably well trained tree.

There exists among many foreign observers an impression that Japan is comparatively poor in wild-flowers; an impression probably due to the fact that there are no flowery meadows or lanes. Besides, the flowers are curiously wanting in fragrance. Almost the only notable exceptions are the _mokusei_ (_Osmanthus fragrans_), the daphne and the magnolia. Missing the perfume-laden air of the Occident, a visitor is prone to infer paucity of blossoms. But if some familiar European flowers are absent, they are replaced by others strange to Western eyes--a wealth of _lespedeza_ and _Indigo-fera_; a vast variety of lilies; graceful grasses like the eulalia and the _ominameshi_ (_Patrina scabiosaefolia_); the richly-hued _Pyrus japonica_; azaleas, diervillas and deutzias; the _kikyo_ (_Platycodon grandiflorum_), the _giboshi_ (_Funkia ovata_), and many another. The same is true of Japanese forests. It has been well said that "to enumerate the constituents and inhabitants of the Japanese mountain-forests would be to name at least half the entire flora."

According to Franchet and Savatier Japan possesses:--

Families. Genera. Species.

Dicotyledonous plants 121 795 1934 Monocotyledonous plants 28 202 613 Higher Cryptogamous plants 5 38 196 --- ---- ---- Vascular plants 154 1035 2743

The investigations of Japanese botanists are adding constantly to the above number, and it is not likely that finality will be reached for some time. According to a comparison made by A. Gray with regard to the numbers of genera and species respectively represented in the forest trees of four regions of the northern hemisphere, the following is the case:--

Atlantic Forest-region of N. America 66 genera and 155 species. Pacific Forest-region of N. America 31 genera and 78 species. Japan and Manchuria Forest-region 66 genera and 168 species. Forests of Europe 33 genera and 85 species.

While there can be no doubt that the luxuriance of Japan's flora is due to rich soil, to high temperature and to rainfall not only plentiful but well distributed over the whole year, the wealth and variety of her trees and shrubs must be largely the result of immigration. Japan has four insular chains which link her to the neighbouring continent. On the south, the Riukiu Islands bring her within reach of Formosa and the Malayan archipelago; on the west, Oki, Iki, and Tsushima bridge the sea between her and Korea; on the north-west Sakhalin connects her with the Amur region; and on the north, the Kuriles form an almost continuous route to Kamchatka. By these paths the germs of Asiatic plants were carried over to join the endemic flora of the country, and all found suitable homes amid greatly varying conditions of climate and physiography.

_Fauna._--Japan is an exception to the general rule that continents are richer in fauna than are their neighbouring islands. It has been said with truth that "an industrious collector of beetles, butterflies, neuroptera, &c., finds a greater number of species in a circuit of some miles near Tokyo than are exhibited by the whole British Isles."

Of mammals 50 species have been identified and catalogued. Neither the lion nor the tiger is found. The true Carnivora are three only, the bear, the dog and the marten. Three species of bears are scientifically recognized, but one of them, the ice-bear (_Ursus maritimus_), is only an accidental visitor, carried down by the Arctic current. In the main island the black bear (_kuma_, _Ursus japonicus_) alone has its habitation, but the island of Yezo has the great brown bear (called _shi-guma_, _oki-kuma_ or _aka-kuma_), the "grisly" of North America. The bear does not attract much popular interest in Japan. Tradition centres rather upon the fox (_kitsune_) and the badger (_mujina_), which are credited with supernatural powers, the former being worshipped as the messenger of the harvest god, while the latter is regarded as a mischievous rollicker. Next to these comes the monkey (_saru_), which dwells equally among the snows of the north and in the mountainous regions of the south. _Saru_ enters into the composition of many place-names, an evidence of the people's familiarity with the animal. There are ten species of bat (_komori_) and seven of insect-eaters, and prominent in this class are the mole (_mugura_) and the hedgehog (_hari-nezumi_). Among the martens there is a weasel (_itachi_), which, though useful as a rat-killer, has the evil repute of being responsible for sudden and mysterious injuries to human beings; there is a river-otter (_kawauso_), and there is a sea-otter (_rakko_) which inhabits the northern seas and is highly valued for its beautiful pelt. The rodents are represented by an abundance of rats, with comparatively few mice, and by the ordinary squirrel, to which the people give the name of tree-rat (_ki-nezumi_), as well as the flying squirrel, known as the _momo-dori_ (peach-bird) in the north, where it hides from the light in hollow tree-trunks, and in the south as the _ban-tori_ (or bird of evening). There are no rabbits, but hares (_usagi_) are to be found in very varying numbers, and those of one species put on a white coat during winter. The wild boar (_shishi_ or _ii-no-shishi_) does not differ appreciably from its European congener. Its flesh is much relished, and for some unexplained reason is called by its vendors "mountain-whale" (_yama-kujira_). A very beautiful stag (_shika_), with eight-branched antlers, inhabits the remote woodlands, and there are five species of antelope (_kamo-shika_) which are found in the highest and least accessible parts of the mountains. Domestic animals have for representatives the horse (_uma_), a small beast with little beauty of form though possessing much hardihood and endurance; the ox (_ushi_) mainly a beast of burden or draught; the pig (_buta_), very occasionally; the dog (_inu_), an unsightly and useless brute; the cat (_neko_), with a stump in lieu of a tail; barndoor fowl (_niwa-tori_), ducks (_ahiro_) and pigeons (_hato_). The turkey (_shichi-mencho_) and the goose (_gacho_) have been introduced but are little appreciated as yet.

Although so-called singing birds exist in tolerable numbers, those worthy of the name of songster are few. Eminently first is a species of nightingale (_uguisu_), which, though smaller than its congener of the West, is gifted with exquisitely modulated flute-like notes of considerable range. The _uguisu_ is a dainty bird in the matter of temperature. After May it retires from the low-lying regions and gradually ascends to higher altitudes as midsummer approaches. A variety of the cuckoo called _holotogisu_ (_Cuculus poliocephalus_) in imitation of the sound of its voice, is heard as an accompaniment of the _uguisu_, and there are also three other species, the _kakkodori_ (_Cuculus canorus_), the _tsutsu-dori_ (_C. himalayanus_), and the _masuhakari_, or _juichi_ (_C. hyperythrus_). To these the lark, _hibari_ (_Alauda japonica_), joins its voice, and the cooing of the pigeon (_hato_) is supplemented by the twittering of the ubiquitous sparrow (_suzume_), while over all are heard the raucous caw of the raven (_karasu_) and the harsh scream of the kite (_tombi_), between which and the raven there is perpetual feud. The falcon (_taka_), always an honoured bird in Japan, where from time immemorial hawking has been an aristocratic pastime, is common enough, and so is the sparrow-hawk (_hai-taka_), but the eagle (_washi_) affects solitude. Two English ornithologists, Blakiston and Pryer, are the recognized authorities on the birds of Japan, and in a contribution to the _Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan_ (vol. x.) they have enumerated 359 species. Starlings (_muku-dori_) are numerous, and so are the wagtail (_sekirei_), the swallow (_tsubame_) the martin (_ten_), the woodchat (_mozu_) and the jay (_kakesu_ or _kashi-dori_), but the magpie (_togarasu_), though common in China, is rare in Japan. Blackbirds and thrushes are not found, nor any species of parrot, but on the other hand, we have the hoopoe (_yatsugashira_), the red-breast (_komadori_), the bluebird (_ruri_), the wren (_miso-sazai_), the golden-crested wren (_itadaki_), the golden-eagle (_inu-washi_), the finch (_hiwa_), the longtailed rose-finch (_benimashiko_), the ouzel--brown (_akahara_), dusky (_tsugumi_) and water (_kawa-garasu_)--the kingfisher (_kawasemi_), the crake (_kuina_) and the tomtit (_kara_). Among game-birds there are the quail (_uzura_), the heathcock (_ezo-racho_), the ptarmigan (_ezo-raicho_ or _ezo-yama-dori_), the woodcock (hodo-shigi), the snipe (_ta-shigi_)--with two special species, the solitary snipe (_yama-shigi_) and the painted snipe (_tama-shigi_)--and the pheasant (_kiji_). Of the last there are two species, the _kiji_ proper, a bird presenting no remarkable features, and the copper pheasant, a magnificent bird with plumage of dazzling beauty. Conspicuous above all others, not only for grace of form but also for the immemorial attention paid to them by Japanese artists, are the crane (_tsuru_) and the heron (_sagi_). Of the crane there are seven species, the stateliest and most beautiful being the _Grus japonensis_ (_tancho_ or _tancho-zuru_), which stands some 5 ft. high and has pure white plumage with a red crown, black tail-feathers and black upper neck. It is a sacred bird, and it shares with the tortoise the honour of being an emblem of longevity. The other species are the demoiselle crane (_anewa-zuru_), the black crane (_kuro-zuru_ or _nezumi-zuru_, i.e. _Grus cinerea_), the _Grus leucauchen_ (_mana-zuru_), the _Grus monachus_ (_nabe-zuru_), and the white crane (_shiro-zuru_). The Japanese include in this category the stork (_kozuru_), but it may be said to have disappeared from the island. The heron (_sagi_) constitutes a charming feature in a Japanese landscape, especially the silver heron (_shira-sagi_), which displays its brilliant white plumage in the rice-fields from spring to early autumn. The night-heron (_goi-sagi_) is very common. Besides these waders there are plover (_chidori_); golden (_muna-guro_ or _ai-guro_); gray (_daizen_); ringed (_shiro-chidori_); spur-winged (_keri_) and Harting's sand-plover (_ikaru-chidori_); sand-pipers--green (_ashiro-shigi_) and spoon-billed (_hera-shigi_)--and water-hens (_ban_). Among swimming birds the most numerous are the gull (_kamome_), of which many varieties are found; the cormorant (_u_)--which is trained by the Japanese for fishing purposes--and multitudinous flocks of wild-geese (_gan_) and wild-ducks (_kamo_), from the beautiful mandarin-duck (_oshi-dori_), emblem of conjugal fidelity, to teal (_kogamo_) and widgeon (_hidori-gamo_) of several species. Great preserves of wild-duck and teal used to be a frequent feature in the parks attached to the feudal castles of old Japan, when a peculiar method of netting the birds or striking them with falcons was a favourite aristocratic pastime. A few of such preserves still exist, and it is noticeable that in the Palace-moats of Tokyo all kinds of water-birds, attracted by the absolute immunity they enjoy there, assemble in countless numbers at the approach of winter and remain until the following spring, wholly indifferent to the close proximity of the city.

Of reptiles Japan has only 30 species, and among them is included the marine turtle (_umi-game_) which can scarcely be said to frequent her waters, since it is seen only at rare intervals on the southern coast. This is even truer of the larger species (the _shogakubo_, i.e. _Chelonia cephalo_). Both are highly valued for the sake of the shell, which has always been a favourite material for ladies' combs and hairpins. By carefully selecting certain portions and welding them together in a perfectly flawless mass, a pure amber-coloured object is obtained at heavy cost. Of the fresh-water tortoise there are two kinds, the _suppon_ (_Trionyx japonica_) and the _kame-no-ko_ (_Emys vulgaris japonica_). The latter is one of the Japanese emblems of longevity. It is often depicted with a flowing tail, which appendix attests close observation of nature; for the _mino-game_, as it is called, represents a tortoise to which, in the course of many scores of years, confervae have attached themselves so as to form an appendage of long green locks as the creature swims about. Sea-snakes occasionally make their way to Japan, being carried thither by the Black Current (Kuro Shiwo) and the monsoon, but they must be regarded as merely fortuitous visitors. There are 10 species of land-snakes (_hebi_), among which one only (the _mamushi_, or _Trigonocephalus Blomhoffi_) is venomous. The others for the most part frequent the rice-fields and live upon frogs. The largest is the _aodaisho_ (_Elaphis virgatus_), which sometimes attains a length of 5 ft., but is quite harmless. Lizards (_tokage_), frogs (_kawazu_ or _kaeru_), toads (_ebogayeru_) and newts (_imori_) are plentiful, and much curiosity attaches to a giant salamander (_sansho-uwo_, called also _hazekai_ and other names according to localities), which reaches to a length of 5 ft., and (according to Rein) is closely related to the _Andrias Scheuchzeri_ of the Oeningen strata.

The seas surrounding the Japanese islands may be called a resort of fishes, for, in addition to numerous species which abide there permanently, there are migatory kinds, coming and going with the monsoons and with the great ocean streams that set to and from the shores. In winter, for example, when the northern monsoon begins to blow, numbers of denizens of the Sea of Okhotsk swim southward to the more genial waters of north Japan; and in summer the Indian Ocean and the Malayan archipelago send to her southern coasts a crowd of emigrants which turn homeward again at the approach of winter. It thus falls out that in spite of the enormous quantity of fish consumed as food or used as fertilizers year after year by the Japanese, the seas remain as richly stocked as ever. Nine orders of fishes have been distinguished as the piscifauna of Japanese waters. They may be found carefully catalogued with all their included species in Rein's _Japan_, and highly interesting researches by Japanese physiographists are recorded in the Journal of the College of Science of the Imperial University of Tokyo. Briefly, the chief fish of Japan are the bream (_tai_), the perch (_suzuki_), the mullet (_bora_), the rock-fish (_hatatate_), the grunter (_oni-o-koze_), the mackerel (_saba_), the sword-fish (_tachi-uwo_), the wrasse (_kusabi_), the haddock (_tara_), the flounder (_karei_), and its congeners the sole (_hirame_) and the turbot (_ishi-garei_), the shad (_namazu_), the salmon (_shake_), the _masu_, the carp (_koi_), the _funa_, the gold fish (_kingyo_), the gold carp (_higoi_), the loach (_dojo_), the herring (_nishin_), the _iwashi_(_Clupea melanosticta_), the eel (_unagi_), the conger eel (_anago_), the coffer-fish (_hako-uwo_), the _fugu_ (_Tetrodon_), the _ai_ (_Plecoglossus altivelis_), the sayori (_Hemiramphus sayori_), the shark (same), the dogfish (_manuka-zame_), the ray (_e_), the sturgeon (_cho-zame_) and the _maguro_ (_Thynnus sibi_).