search of a place
more to the taste of the gods, carrying it from province to province,
until old age overtook her, yet finding no spot that reflected the clear
light of holiness from the surface of the sacred mirror. Another
priestess took up the task, many places were chosen and abandoned, and
finally, in 4 A.D., the shrine of Uji, in Ise, was selected. This
apparently has proved satisfactory to the deities of Japan, for the
emblems of their divinity still rest in this sacred shrine. Sujin had
copies made of the mirror and the sword, which were kept in the "place
of reverence," a separate building within the palace. From this arose
the imperial chapel, which still exists within the palace bounds.

We speak of the "palace" of the mikado, but we must warn our readers not
to associate ideas of splendor or magnificence with this word. The
Emperor of Japan dwells not in grandeur, but in simplicity. From the
earliest times the house of the emperor has resembled a temple rather
than a palace. The mikado is himself half a god in Japanese eyes, and is
expected to be content with the simple and austere surroundings of the
images of the gods. There are no stateliness, no undue ornament, no
gaudy display such as minor mortals may delight in. Dignified simplicity
surrounds the imperial person, and when he dies he is interred in the
simplest of tombs, wonderfully unlike the gorgeous burial-places in
which the bodies of the monarchs of continental Asia lie in state.

When Sujin came to the throne the people of Japan were still in a state
of barbarism, and there was scarce a custom in the state that did not
call for reform. A new and better system of arranging the periods of
time was established, the year being divided into twenty-four months or
periods, which bear such significant names as "Beginning of Spring,"
"Rain-water," "Awakening of the Insects," "Clear Weather," "Seed-rain,"
etc. A census was ordered to be taken at regular intervals, and by way
of taxation all persons, men and women alike, were obliged to work for
the government for a certain number of days each year.

To promote commerce, the building of boats was encouraged, and regular
communication was opened with Corea, from which country many useful
ideas and methods were introduced into Japan. Even a prince of one of
the provinces of Corea came to the island empire to live. Agriculture
was greatly developed by Sujin, canals being dug and irrigation
extensively prov