The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-03-31

The Dairi, or High Priest ct Japan innsohs
splendid palace In the city Of Mako on sne i.'na
OF Nipou. His court Il composed OF 2ooOo priests
vho are entrusted with the charge ofthe4 GOO tenn
Ma ~ shIs immense city. His costume IL long
tunic. over which he wears large req dress
white Transparent veil, ornamentea WIN golden
srsrse Il worn upon bis head, falling about half
NV dawn The body. His countenance remains al
a. The ist Of July, 1856, the Dairi was taken ill.,
I'm neds,ely the chief priest with bis gbostly col
$500 o01 priests of tho first rank, who are en-.
loved With the religious power of the empire were
aummoned to the palace. By the next day the in-
vaHd's situation became more critical ard on the
IA his death was pronounced TO be inevitable and
close at hand The priests repaired at once to the
10 npls. and Informed the popuiace that the Dairi
ba1 entered into compact with the Seven Gods of
Heaven. and was upon the eve OF rejuvenatipg his
miad In the embrace of Tedsyo dasin, the princi.
pal of these deities. who the Japanese believe to
have created the world. She has been At the head
of affairs for about % 600 years. and from her
spring oil the royal families of Japan To her the
inhabitants Of the entire empire address their
Voc uious - the protectresss of the land.
At the conclusion of the first prayers, the priests
declared that the inhabitants could Immediately
enter the palace and regale their eyes with the
sight Of their highly vsnerated High Priest At
once the crowd streamedto the palace, where they
beheid the Dairi lying stretched upon BED OF
state. He was dressed in white tunic, and his
features, covered WIKI y very tuiu HASA, Woic
dimiy percep,ible through veil spread over them
The priests prayed loudly, and waited the sweet
perfumes from their censers around the dying man
At 9 O'Clock in the morning of the 9th Of July he
breathed his last. AS the last breath passed
through his iips the chief priest, raising his
4 token of the departing life, assured the bystan
ders that the soul of the High Priest bad assembled
to the abodes of the gods, but that 1t would Short
" return and resume its earthly habtatiou. Up
on this announcement . solemn silence pervaded
ha AnsQ of Tar mil rfoofh a
chief priest, surrounded by crowd of his reli-
Qious companions, threw over the still warm corpse
Of the Dairi large white cloth. which he instant
" withdrew. and in the place just before occupied
BY the body there appeared another similarly at.
tired but alive and strong. who, raising himself
from his recumbent position, went to an altar
standing near the bedsides, and bestowed upon
the people present his blessing The crowd n-
ssantly broke out into exclamation of gladness and
rejoicing
By q we'll concerted stratagem the priests had
distracted the body of the Dairi. supplying its
place with his son, who inherits bis fathers sta
ton. The state bed being hung around with dra-
perry, rendered it all the easier to perform the
trick Without arousing the suspicious of the ere
dulous inhabitants. The corpse of the Dairi was
carried 10 the night time to the Ycie temple by the
priests where 1t was laid upon pyre and burned
to ashes. This being done, the temple is closed
and all persons are forbidden TO enter it. A vio-
lasion of this law is punished by burning to
death.
The Ycie temple, the handsomest one in the
city, contains several rows of earthen statues Of
the deity Tensyo-dai-sn These statues are abou,
one yard high, are hollow, and have each large
opening In the back of the head The ashes OF
each Dairi are preserved in of these statues
the same as in an urn. The inhabitants are NOT
permitted to enter the portion of the temple where
these figures stand On the day after the death
occurred ceremonies of q very different character
take pace-the inauguration of the new High
Priest, who, as the people suppose, has had hi
soul renewed in the residence of the great gods.
On the 7th of July, the new Dairi surrounded
by chosen priests, issued from his palace, and pa
raded the different portions of the city of Mako
The people threw themselves to the EARTH and
addressed prayers to him god Upon this day,
all work was forbidden, all prisoners were set at
liberty, and all criminal processes annulled