Page:A handbook of modern Japan (IA handbookofmodern01clem).pdf/361

Rh were four classes of society,—the knight, the farmer, the mechanic, and the merchant, besides the outcasts. In 1901, below the nobility, there were only two classes,—the gentry and the common people; and the distinction between these two is one of name only. In official records and on certain occasions the registration of the nominal rank is necessary; but in actual life few questions are asked about a man's standing, and merit finds its reward.

In 1801 the samurai (knight) was the beau ideal of the Japanese. His courage was unimpeachable; he was the model, not only of a warrior, but also of a gentleman, and before him the common people had to bow their heads to the ground. But now the sword which was his "soul" is a curio, the bow and arrows are also curiosities, and the panoply either hangs rusty in a storehouse or is offered for sale by a dealer in second-hand goods. The samurai is now only an historical character; and when feudalism was abolished, many an individual of that class fell into a pauper's grave, or, forced into unaccustomed manual labor, learned the culinary art, and entered service in the despised foreigner's kitchen!

Indeed, although the soldier is still highly honored, and deeds worthy of the best of the old samurai are still performed, the merchant, formerly despised because he bartered for profit, has risen in esteem and become one of the most important factors in Japanese society and civilization. The age of 1801 was feudal