The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1857-04-07
DEATH OF rHE HIGH PRIEST OF
JAPAN

JAPAN.
The Dairi, or High Priest of Japan, in
habits splendid palace in the city of Mako,
on the Island of Nippon. His court is COM
posed of 10000 priests who are intrusted
with the charge of the 1000 temples of
this immense city. His costume is a long
tunic. over which he wears a large red dress,
a white, transparent veil, ornamented with
golden fringe. is worn upon his head, fall
ing about half way down the body. His
countenance remains always invisible.
On the LIST Of July, 1856. the Dairi was
taken ill. Immediately the chief priest.
with his ghostly colleagues, 200 priests of
the first rank, who are endowed with the
religious power of the empire. were sum
moned to the palace. By the next day the
invalid's situation became more critical, and
on the Sd his death was pronounced to be
inevitable and close at hand. The priests
repaired at once to the temple. and inform
ed the populace that the Dairi had entered
into compact with the Seven Gods OF
Heaven, and was upon the eve Of reJuvenat-
ing his mind in the embrace of Ted-syo-
dali sin, the principal of these deities, who
the Japanese believe to have created the
world. She has been at the head of affairs
for about $4,000 years. and from her spring
all the royal families of Japan. To her the
inhabitants of the Empire address their in
vocations as the protectress of the land.
At the conclusion of the first prayers,
the priests declared that the inhabitants
could Immediately enter the palace and re-
gale their eyes with the sight of their high
ly venerated High Priest. At once the
crowd streamed to the palace, where they
beheld the Dairi lying stretched upon bed
of state. He was dressed in a white tunic,
and his features, covered with very thin
mask, were dimly preceptible through
veil spread over them. The'priests prayed
loudly, and waited the sweet perfumes from
their censors around the dying man. AT 9
o'clock in the morning of the 5th of July
| he breathed his last. AS the last breath
passed through his lips, the chief priest,
raising his arm as a token, of the departing
life. assured the bystanders that the soul of
the High Priest had assembled to the abodes
of the gods, but that he would certainly re-
turn again. Upon this announcement
solemn silence pervaded the audience. At
ter the lapse of ten minutes the chief priest,
surrounded by a crowd of his religious COM
panions, threw over the still warm corpse
of the Dairi large white cloth, which he
instantly withdrew, and in the place just
before occupied by the body there appear
ed another similarly attired. but alive and
strong, who, raising himself from his recum-
bent position, went to an altar standing
near the bedside, and bestowed upon the
people present his blessing. The crowd
instantly broke out into exclamation of
gladness and rejoicing.
By well concerted stratagem, the priests
had distracted the oody of the Dairi, sup
plying its place with his son, who inherits
his fathers station. The state bed being
hung around with drapery, rendered it all
the easier to perform the trick without
arousing the suspicious of the credulous
inhabitants. The corpse of the Dairi was
carried in the night time to the Ycie tenn
pie by the priests where it was laid upon a
pyre and burned to ashes. This being
done. the temple is closed, and all persons
are forbidden to enter it. A violation of
this law is punished by burning to, death.