Japan was anciently one monarchy.  The emperor, whom all those isles obeyed, was called the Dairy; and was descended from the Camis, who, according to the popular opinion, came in a direct line from the Sun.  The first office of the empire was that of the Cubo, that is to say, captain-general of the army.  For the raising of this dignity, which in itself was so conspicuous, in process of time, the name of Sama was added to that of Cubo; for Sama in their language signifies Lord.  Thus the general of Japan came to be called Cubo Sama.

Above three hundred years ago, the Cubo Sama then being, beholding the sceptre of Japan in the hands of a Dairy, who was cowardly and effeminate, revolted from him, and got possession of the regal dignity.  His design was to have reduced the whole estate under his own dominion; but he was only able to make himself master of Meaco, where the emperor kept his court, and of the provinces depending on it.  The governors of other provinces maintained themselves in their respective jurisdictions by force of arms, and shook of the yoke as well as he; insomuch, that the monarchy came to be suddenly divided into sixty-six cantons, which all assumed the names of kingdoms.

Since these revolutions, the king of Meaco took the title of Cubo Sama, and he who had been deprived of it still retained the name of Dairy; and, excepting only the power, there was still left him all the privilege of royalty, in consideration of the blood of the Camis.  His descendants have had always the same title, and enjoyed the same advantages.  This, in general, was the face of the government, in the time of St Francis Xavier.  For some years afterwards, Nabunanga, one of the neighbour kings to him of Meaco, defeated the Cubo Sama in a pitched battle, and followed his blow with so much success, that, having destroyed all those petty princes, he re-united the whole empire of Japan under his sole obedience.

As to what concerns religion, all the Japonians, excepting some few who make profession of atheism, and believe the soul mortal, are idolaters, and hold the transmigration of souls, after the doctrine of Pythagoras.  Some of them pay divine worship to the sun and moon; others to the Camis, those ancient kings of whom we have made mention; and to the Potoques, the gods of China.  There are divers of them who adore some kinds of beasts, and many who adore the devil under dreadful figures.  Besides these, they have a certain mysterious deity, whom they call Amida; and say, this god has built a paradise of such distance from the earth, that the souls cannot reach it under a voyage of three years.  But the god Xaca is he of whom they report the greatest wonders, who seems to be a counterfeit of the true Messiah, set up by the devil himself, or by his ministers.  For if one would give credit to them, Xaca being born of a queen, who never had the carnal knowledge of man, retired into the deserts of Siam, and there underwent severe penances, to expiate the sins of men:  that coming out of his wilderness, he assembled some disciples, and preached an heavenly doctrine in divers countries.