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342 HONDA THE SAMUBAI.
trouble among the wage-earners and laborers. Indeed
all who could not depend on keeping away
hunger when the cost of rice was over two cents a
pound were in real distress.
Some of the daimios, while pretending to hate the
foreigners, found the profits of trade very agreeable,
and secretly investing their funds in business, had
and thus
agents among the merchants at the port
increased their income. They enjoyed strange luxuries
in food; and the
dainties, the watches, clocks,
carpets, mirrors, art works, and curiosities of Europe
and America were seen in their palaces.
In not a few districts rice-riots became numerous
and troublesome. The farmers, not being allowed
to keep or bear arms, cut and sharpened bamboo
poles, hardening them in the fire, and with these and
sickles, reaping-hooks, forks, and various agricultural
implements, they assembled in masses under their
rude banner a long, wide strip of matting, on which
was smeared in ink some motto expressing their
wrongs or demanding redress and, marching to
the government offices, clamored for justice according
to their ideas. Often in the disturbances an
officer, tax-collector, or treasurer was slain, though
usually the sharp swords of the samurai scattered
the peasants like sheep. After taking the heads off
the ringleaders, order was restored, though matters
were not always mended, for the troubles now were
less personal than political.
When Honda Jiro, arriving in Yedo from Kyoto
in June, 1863, received official permission to visit