Japanese Memories | Page 9

eldest son's name. This prefix signifies "loyalty," and is given to most of the sons of this princely house, on account of their devoted loyalty to their Emperor. Another name is added to the prefix to distinguish them individually from their ancestors or living relations.
The four youngest boys were given only temporary names which were discarded on reaching years of discretion. The name of the second son, "Tomijiro," signified "Tomi" "rich," and "jiro" "second one," thus indicating the position he held in the family. Before I left this name was dropped, and "Tadamitzu" substituted in place of it. In course of time the third boy's name was also changed to "Tadahiro." As this family is not Imperial, the title of Prince is borne only by the eldest son. The two brothers next to him were created Barons, and the two youngest bore no titles at all. The Prince is, however, closely connected with the Imperial family, and I called him Prince when addressing him, but his brothers and sisters always called him "eldest brother," as is customary in the country.
Precedence of age is of vital importance in all Japanese families. The great veneration in which the eldest son is held is quite astonishing, and he never fails to receive the deepest respect and obedience from all the other members. In our home, indeed, the little brothers soon created an English form of address for their all-important senior, and when speaking of him to me, and to his face, they called him " Big Brother," which name, as years went on, was gradually changed into the abbreviated form of "B.B."
It was a surprise to me to learn the ages of the four little boys, for the youngest did certainly not look more than four years old. I afterwards learnt that the Japanese reckon age by a system different from our own; years are counted by the solar years of the almanac, and should a child be born on the last day of the year, he is said to be two years old the next morning. This is a scheme which would hardly commend itself to any women but the Japanese, to whom age is immaterial, as the colour of her kimono, the mode of doing her hair, and the use and number of her hair ornaments all indicate the age of a married woman. On this point they differ greatly from European women, in whom there is apparently a growing dislike of any style which will make them appear middleaged or matronly.
When first I saw Prince Tadashige I was struck by the sad expression of his countenance. He was exceedingly handsome, with large and beautiful eyes, but there was a look of real care on his brow. His face was oval, a type which, curiously enough, belongs almost exclusively to the nobility, the lower classes being heavyjawed and round-faced. Despite the Prince's youth, he had fully realized the solemnity of his ancestral vow, and, in looking back, I am quite able to understand why he fulfilled his duty so conscientiously in submitting to my education for himself and his brothers. But it was not until later that I realized what an awful contrast that ugly European house, with its bare walls and closed windows, its garden with four walls, its rigid economy, must have been to the dreamy fairy-land garden and house of priceless treasures which he had given up.
He was tenderly interested in his small brothers, and almost paternal as to their training, but to me he seemed at first, and until I understood him better, unapproachable and quite impenetrable.
The second boy, Tomijiro, was so clever a child that I have never met his equal. He was only put under my care for a short time, as the Guardians thought it advisable to give him a different training from his brothers. He needed entirely individual care. Junnosuke, often called "Zun," was a very thin, delicate child, but remarkably wiry. He was full of fun and spirits, with an extraordinary sense of humour, in spite of the old stoical life of the past, in which all expressions of his feelings had been forbidden.
Akinoshin, " Arkey," was of a more meditative and quieter nature; his feelings, which he avoided showing, were deep. He was the strongest built of the brothers, and of a plodding disposition. Yonosuke, or " Tiny," as I nicknamed him in those far-off days, was quite an irresistible little person, very delicate, but full of fun, nothing escaped his notice. The seven years of constant care and watching quite changed his physique.
At first it was a mystery to me why the children had such terribly turned-in feet. I did not know at the time that it was an oldfashioned necessity of the polite world for the feet of a