From tae "Sun Tape Jovrnat."
The following is taken from "Japan in the Beginning of the 20th Century," published by the Department of Agriculture and Commerce.
At the time of the foundations of the Empire when the political institutions of the country wore so simple that civil and military affairs were one and indivisible, all the adults in the realm were obliged to offer their services in the army with the Emperor as the commander-in-chief. Coming to the "Middle Ages," however, we find that a distinct line of tion was drawn between civil and military affairs. 'The army had then regular generals and captains under the control of a regular office which had under it the " Left and the Right Horse Departments," where horses contributed as a tribute from the provinces were kept. In' each province a military corps was established, and every third adult male was enrolled in it. In time of emergency all these adults were liable to be called out for the active service.
When the military power of the country "had passed into the hands of the Genii and the Heike clans, a class of professional soldiers made its appearance. Both the leaders and their retainers trained their sons in their own profession, which therefore became an hereditary one. Thus the system of feudalism was at last evolved. The powerful barons maintained their strongholds in the various districts, and encroached upon the surrounding places, till at last they brought those districts under their arbitrary sway and detached them from the direct control of the right ful owner, the Imperial court... These professional soldiers enjoyed hereditary pensions, were bound to their masters by the relationship of liege lords and retainers, and kept up the system of feudalism which was carried to a state of great perfection during the Tokugawa Regency.
This system ceased to exist with the ent of-the Imperial regime at the time of the Restoration, and was superseded by a regular local administrative institution by which all the evils engendered by the arbitrary rules of feudal government were swept away, the Imperial form of administrative unification was re-established, and all the different public institutions were restored and bloomed forth with renewed glory and power. The hereditary pensions of the professional warrior class were redeemed by public loan bonds, and the warriors wore made to shift for themselves in other productive walks of life. The vacancy thus created inthe military ranks was filled with the adults of the country of all classes, and the system of horediary soldiers was superseded by that of conscription. The successful consummation of this tion, without any heavy price being paid in bloodshed or in the other national disasters usually incidental to such mighty changes, reflects great credit on the solidarity of our national system and on the tremendous influence of the Imperial court.
In the very beginning of the now era administrative affairs were subdivided into seven departments, one of which: took charge of military and naval matters. This office was next designated as the iperseded in its turn by the system of Military and Naval Commissioners taking charge of the Military and Naval Office, Fortification Office, Warship Office, Arms and Weapons Office, and Horse Office. The Military College and Military Hospital were also attached to the Board of Commissioners. In the 2nd year the post of commissioners was abolished, and the Military and Naval Department was established and was made to attend to matters relating to military and naval education, finance, and discipline. An arsenal was attached to the Department in the 3rd year. In the 4th year the two military garrisons, the Tosan and Sai-kai Garrisons, were organised and also the Army medical office. The organisation of the Department was subjected to thorough readjustment in the same year, and gradually a line of demarcation began to be drawn up between the land and the sea services. According to this now arrangement the department was subdivided into the Army and the Naval Sections, the former to comprise the Education Office, Army Medical Office, Court-inertial, Arsenal and Magazine, Staff Office, " Three Services" Headquarters, and the three Garrisons of Tokio, Osaka, and Chinsei. The Naval Section
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.