The Irish standard., 1888-01-14
q JAPANESE FUNERAL.
Cremation and Inurnment of Buddhist
High Priest.

"A JAPANESE FUNERAL.
Cremation and Inurnment of Buddhist
High Priest.
A month ago the high priest of the
temple across the creek from the for
eign sett ement of Yokohama died and
his body was cremated. His ashes were
placed. in an urn and then in q pine box
in the shape of miniature temple, and
the priests from all the diocese were
summoned to take part in the funeral
services. The long interval between the
death and final rites robbed the affair
of any exhibition Of poignant grief,
and every thing was given up to the
exact forms and elaborate ceremonies
of the Buddhist funeral ritual. The son
of the high priest succeeded to his
fathers Office by inheritance, and he
prepared himself for the services by
days of fasting and prayer, and at the
ceremonies knelt below the officiating
priest and wore the plain white robes
of a mourner He had no part in the
service, aud was like a statue until he
rose and, taking the mortuary tablet
from the altar, walked behind the cas-
ket from the temple to the graveyard.
The priests came from near and far,
some arriving by train on the day and
at the hour Of the funeral, and; hurry
ing to tie temple with servants carry
ing bags full of ceremonial robes at their
heels, slipped their brocades On. in the
ante-room and joined the solemn COM
pany sitting in rows like so many in1.
ages. The hundred and odd priests
sat at either side Of the altar with the
casket before it, and for general effect
nothing was ever more dazzling than
that row of smooth-faced, shaven-head-
ed priests in superb brocasle garments
that glowed with all che richest colors
and glistened with, gold thread, The
services consisted i'll chanting by all
the priests in chorus, and in responses
to the intoned readings OF the high
priests, The big temple drum was
struck at stages OF the chanting, and
the priests played on an instrument
that resemblet| the bundle Of reeds Or
pipes that the god Pan played in Greek
mythology. The noise was q ha:sh,
shrill wall, combining the worst of
bagpipe and flute melody. They
chanted from open books, and, stand
ing, held plates of pierced brasswork
from which they sifted the leaves Of
the icho tree at regular intervals, these
leaves being prayer symbols in the
Buddhist service. While the chanting
and pipe playing was going on, the
friends Of the deceased came forward
one by one, and, kneeling at the edge
of the mats, Frustrated themselves in
prayer and sprink,ed incense il the
large bronze burner. Later the in
cepse burner and the box incense was
passed before the priests. each one NUT
tering % prayer and dropping a pinch
of fragrant powder on the Goals,
AS the procession Of priests wound
ont through the crowded court yard,
passed under the heavy gablel gate
way and down the long terrace steps
to the street. it was a brilliant and
dazzling spectacle. Their rlch bro
cade,l robes shone with gold thread,
and many of them were fifty, sixty and
more years old, heirlooms handed
down from one priest to another, and
now priceless and impossible to dupli-
cafe. The rich, soft old colors. toned
by age, arc rs different from the gay
ish colors of The modern dye pots as
possible, and except III temple services
and at the great theaters ONE seldom
sees these old hrocades now. An at"
tendant carried 81 large red umbrella
over the head of each priest, and AS
the liae of rainbow color and glisten-
ing bullion threads came down the
long terrace steps, it was Is fine pic
t,,re. AS the procession went out the
long street crowded solid]y with Jap;e-
nese. every thing was swallowed up
and hidden but the red umbrellas, and
these Aamingo signals alone marked
the line of the funeral train. At the
graveyard there was more chanting,
incense food and flowers we're laid at
the tomb, and the ashes Of the high
priest were finally at rest. - Totc'ts2za2
Cor. ". z. San.