e four great walls that inclose the palace with its
grounds. They saw the changes of the seasons in the flowers that bloomed
in their lovely gardens, when, followed by numerous attendants, they
slowly walked through the bamboo groves or under the bloom-laden boughs
of the plum or cherry trees, forming their views of life, its pleasures,
its responsibilities, and its meaning, within the narrow limits of the
daimi[=o]'s _yashiki_.

Their mornings were passed in the adorning of their own persons, and in
the elaborate dressing of their luxuriant hair; the afternoons were
spent in the tea ceremony, in writing poetry, or the execution of a sort
of silk mosaic that is a favorite variety of fancy work still among the
ladies of Japan.

A story is told of one of the Tokugawa princesses that illustrates the
amusements of the Sh[=o]gun's daughters, and the pains that were taken
to gratify their wishes, however unreasonable. The cherry-trees of the
castle gardens of T[=o]ky[=o] are noted for their beauty when in bloom
during the month of April. It is said that once a daughter of the
Tokugawa house expressed a wish to give a garden party amid the
blossoming cherry-trees in the month of December, and nothing would do
but that her wishes must be carried out. Her retainers accordingly
summoned to their aid skillful artificers, who from pink and white
tissue paper produced myriads of cherry blossoms, so natural that they
could hardly be distinguished from the real ones. These they fastened
upon the trees in just such places as the real flowers would have chosen
to occupy, and the happy princess gave her garden party in December
under the pink mist of cherry blooms.

The children of a daimi[=o]'s wife occupied her attention but little.
They were placed in the charge of careful attendants, and the mother,
though allowed to see them when she wished, was deprived of the pleasure
of constant intercourse with them, and had none of the mother's cares
which form so large a part of life to an ordinary Japanese woman.

When we know that the average Japanese girl is brought up strictly by
her own mother, and thoroughly drilled in obedience and in all that is
proper as regards etiquette and the duties of woman, we can imagine the
narrowness of the education of the daimi[=o]'s poor little daughter,
surrounded, from early childhood, with numerous attendants of the
strictest sort, to teach her all that is proper according to the
highest and severes