in New Japan, and often accounts for erratic procedures. Indeed, so-called peculiarities of the Japanese cannot be understood without a knowledge of Bushidō, which has been analyzed in a flattering manner in Dr. Nitobe's book, entitled "Bushidō, the Soul of Japan."
Inasmuch as the influence of Confucianism in Japan was chiefly manifested through Bushidō, to be correct, we ought to speak of their joint influences. But since Bushidō, as we have just seen, was largely Confucianism, slightly modified to suit the needs of the Japanese spirit (Yamato-damashii), we shall, for convenience, follow other writers in using the term "Confucianism." Rein testifies that in Japan "widely diffused religious indifference and formal atheism are the consequences" of the pursuit of Confucianism. Chamberlain says that "during the two hundred years that followed, the whole intellect of the country was moulded by Confucian ideas." Griffis bears similarly strong testimony, and emphasizes the fact that "all Japanese social, official, intellectual, and literary life was permeated with the new spirit of Confucian thought." It is not strange, therefore, that when Japan was opened to the world, and Occidental learning and literature poured in, the materialism and the agnosticism of the West met with a sympathetic reception.
Buddhism is the accepted faith of the great mass of the Japanese people. It was introduced into Japan from Korea, in the sixth century A. D., and
