Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 16.djvu/769

* KAI SANYO. 677 BAJATARANGINI. the Empire by the military class, from the twelfth century onward, picturing the rise of those military clans, the Taira and Minamoto, that usurped the power of the Jlikado, and end- ing with the establishment of the Tokugawa sliogunate in the early part of the seventeenth centur}". In his other work, the yihon Heiki, also in Chinese, published posthumously, Eai / sketches in 10 Tolumes the histori' of Japan from B.C. OGO to 1590, discussing the character and conduct of each sovereign in turn. The effect of these writings was to educate the Jap- anese Samurai (q.v. ) into a bitter hatred of the Shogun, and to set forward the revolution of 1808. The name of Rai Sanyo is cut upon the front of the Boston Public Library as one of the great names in the world's literature. Five books of the SihoH-Guaishi were later translated into English in 1872 by Satow ( q.v. I . British Minister to Japan, and afterwards Minister to China. Consult: Chamberlain, Things Japanese (London and Xew York, 1891) : and Aston, His- iory of Japanese Literature (London, and Xew York, 1901). RAISINS (OF. raisin, reisiii, Fr. raisin, It. racemo, grape, dried grape, cluster of grapes, from Lat. racemus, cluster of grapes; connected with Gk. pd|, rhax, berry). The dried fruit of the grape. Raisin grapes are usually the product of warm climates and contain from 28 to 30 per cent, of sugar. They are for the most part dried in the sun. and as this requires several weeks of prac- ticallv rainless weather, the areas of commeiicial culture are limited to a few countries about the ^Mediterranean Sea and in the Western Hemis- phere to Southern California and Chile. The principal and most valuable class of raisins is the Muscatel or Muscat from ilalaga and Valencia in Spain, and from California. The seedless raisins of commerce are largely the product of the sultana grapes. The Thompson seedless, which is a promising seedless raisin grape in California, produces raisins a little larger than the sultana. The smallest raisins come from the small currant grape, originally from Corinth. The small black currant of Zante belongs to this class. (See Cukbaxt. ) In the sun curing of standard raisins in California the bunches of grapes are picked by the stems, and all imperfect berries, dirt, etc., having been removed, laid in trays slightly raised so as to incline toward the sun. When about two-thirds dry. which will be at the end of si. to eight days, they are turned by placing an empty tray over the filled one and inverting both. The upper or original tray is then removed and the grapes exposed four or five days longer for further drying. At the end of this time the grapes are stored and put through a sweating process of from fifteen to twenty days, when they are ready for packing. Sometimes the drying is done entirely in drying houses. In the Mediterranean districts the stems of the ripened bunches are sometimes partially cut and the sun drying begun on the vines. An- other method of curing is to dip the bunches into a hot solution of potash lye. to which has been added a little salt and olive oil. This method is practiced much more in Europe and Asia Minor than in California. Some of the best raisins of commerce are thus treated. The raisin industrv in California has developed rapidly, and in 1900 about 40,000 acres were devoted to this crop. Consult Li=,en, J/ie Raisin Industry (San Francisco, 1890). RAJA, ra'ja (Skt. rajan, king). Originally a title of those princes of Hindu race who, whether independent or not, governed a territory. It subsequently became a title given by the native governments, and in later times by the British Government, to Hindus of rank, and it is now not uncommonly assumed by zemindars or land-holders. The native princes now frequently assume the title of mahiraja, or great king. According to the ancient social .system of India, the raja belonged to the kshatriya or military caste (see Caste), although the title is now also given to or assumed by members of inferior castes. Consult: Foy, Die kOnigliehe Geualt naeh den aJtindischen Reehtsbiichern (Leipzig, 1895) ; Jolly, Recht and Sitte (Strassburg, 1890 I. RAJASEKHARA, ra'ja-sha'k'ha-ra (c.900 A.D. ). A Sanskrit dramatist. He seems to have been born in the Deccan, doubtless in the regioii about Vidarbha and Kuntala, whence he came to the Court of Mahendrapala. King of Kanauj. He was a Brahman, and his wife, Avantisundari, was a Rajput princess. Four plays jye ascribed to Rajasekhara. The first is a drama in four acts, entirely in Prakrit (q.v.), entitled Ear- purnmaiijari, or Camphor-Cluster. It was edited by Vamanacarya (Benares. 1872), and, together with the Balahharata, by Durgaprasad and Parab (Bombay, 1887), and with an ad- mirable English translation, glossary, and ac- count of the author by Konow and Lanman (Cambridge, ilass.. 1901). The second drama is the Viddhamlahhai'ijika, or Broken Statue, also in four acts, which much resembles in plot the Karpuramaiijari. It has been edited by Vama- nacarva (Benares, 1871), by Vidvasagara (Cal- cutta,' 1873; 2d ed., ib. 1883), and by Arte (Bombay. 1886). The remaining plays are based on the two great epics of India, the Ramayana (q.v.) and the ilahahharata (q.v.). Of these dramas the Balarumayana, in ten acts, is the more important. It was edited by Sastri (Benares, 1869) and bv Vidyasagara (Calcutta, 1884). The last play, the Baleibharata or Praeandapandava, in only two acts, seems to be incomplete. It has been edited by Capeller (Strassburg, 1885). Consult .Apte, Rajasekhara, Bis Life and Writintis (Bombay, 1886). RAJATARANGINI, ra'ja-tA-riin'ge-ne (Skt., river of Kings i. A wurk of the Kashmirian poet and historian Kalhana. In eight cantos with a total of about 8000 verses it tells the histories of the various d^Tiasties which ruled Kashmir from the earliest (mythic) period down to the time of the author. Kalhana describes himself as the son of Campaka. the minister of the fa- mous King Harsha. who ruled from 1089 to 1101. The history was written between 1148 and 1150 under the reign of Sinhadeva. Kalhana 's chron- icle is practically the sole extant work of a truly historical character in the entire range of Indian literature. He reports that he studied eleven his- torical works, but not content with that, he e.xamincd old documents, grants, proclamations, laws, and sacred l)Ooks. He is especially well acquainted with the great epic, the Mahaiharata (q.v.). which he cites frequently. Above all he has the gift of character portrayal. The his- torians whom Kalhana mentions as his predeces- sors are all lost, so that the Rajatarangini