Page:Brinkley - Japan - Volume 4.djvu/296

 —Now for the first time hair-dressers for men began to open shops at street corners or on bridges.  —This change was not entirely a caprice of fashion. Leather had become almost prohibitively expensive, owing to its general use for garments worn in times of conflagration.  —Ladies could not command the services of a professional hair-dresser until the middle of the eighteenth century, and in 1835 the Premier, Mizuno Echizen no Kami, declared such a profession illegal,—naturally a futile prohibition.  —In former times titles did not exist. There were official ranks, and very often these were prefixed to a name in the manner of a title. But actual titles were not introduced until 1885. In the interval separating the latter date from the fall of feudalism in 1871, the former territorial chiefs and Court nobles could not be titularly distinguished from commoners. But in 1885, the Emperor, acting on the advice of Itō (afterwards Marquis), instituted five orders of nobility (apart from Princes of the Blood), namely, Princes, Marquises, Counts, Viscounts, and Barons. These, of course, are translations. The Japanese terms—affixed, not prefixed, to a name—are ki, kō, haku, shi, dan. The greatest of the territorial nobles received the title of prince; the smallest, that of baron. The practice was also inaugurated of bestowing titles on men of merit without regard to their original social status. There are no life titles. The Princes now number 11; the Marquises 33; the Counts 89; the Viscounts 363, and the Barons 280.  —Princes and Marquises sit by right of their titles; Counts, Viscounts, and Barons are elected by their respective orders; each prefecture returns one member representing the highest tax-payers, and the Emperor nominates men of learning or public merit. The House of Peers now contains 319 members. A salary of 2,000 yen (£200) annually is paid to the members of the Diet; each House has a President, nominated by the sovereign from among three names selected by the House. He receives 4,000 yen a year. The Vice-President is elected by the House independently of Imperial nomination, and receives 3,000 yen annually. Members of 