Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1888-11-22
sACRRD DANCE Seen IN JAPAN.
Young Priestesses Conduct the Ceremony
Old, Historic Dress.


Young PrIestesses Conduct the Ceremony
Old, Historic Dress.
from ths st. Loais Glote Democrat.1
Flo n Kasuga gate tn, upper avenue
OF lanterns leads the way to the Wax
amiya shrine, d6d cIted t. the early
gods of the Shinto religion. Here the
old custom of the sacred dance is kept
up, and group of young priestesses
are in waiting to repeat the measures
sncsd by Uzume before the sun god
de s. cave in prehistoric times. The
little priest ssses are all between the
ages OF and u, as timid, g, ntle and
harmless it'll, things as the deer that
often stray in and watch them. Their
dress il the old, old costume OF the
inn erial court, pictures lue lower gar-
ment or divided skirt of the brightest
cardinal rel silk, thai half covers the
white kimono, with squa e sleeves and
point d neck, filled up high with alter
nate folds of red and white. When
they dance they wear over this loose
kimonos of white gauze, painted with
the wistaria crest of the Kasugl tenn
pie, the front of the gauzy garment
half covering the red skirt, and the
back pieces trailing on the mats. Their
faces are plastered so thickly with
white paint that they lose all express
sion, and, following the old fashion,
their eyebrows are shaved, and two
tiny black spots high up in the middle
of their foreheads take their place
With lips heavily rouged, the coun-
tenance is more a mask than ANYTHING
human. The hair is gathered together
at the back of the neck and tied with
loops of gold paper, and then, folded in
soft white paper, allowed to hang
down the back. Long hairpins, with
clusters of wistaria and red camellia
are thrust across the top of the head
and fastened so that they stand out
like horns over the forehead. In detail
the costume is not pretty, but in its
general effect it is singularly bright
and picturesque.
One can have as many priestesses
and as long dance as he will pay for
and as soon as the money is handed
over the two priests get into their GER
emonial white gowns and high black
hats, and, sitting before the ancient
drums, chant, pound and blow on
doleful pipes an accompaniment FOR the
little dancers. The sacred dance is
solemn enough, and each dancer has a
fan and bunch of bells, from which
hang long strips of bright-colored silks.
They advance, retreat, gil lie to right
and let, raise their fans, shake their
sacred baby rattles, and with few
changes in the measure repeat the
same figures and movements for cer-
tain length of time. If one pays mo-e
money they continue repeating the
same thing, and the priests can vail
the endless accompaniment by the
hour. To IS the dance is simply Gu
rio1s and picturesque custom, but one
should see the faces of the devout old
pilgrims, who have boarded up their
money for months and often years for
the Tip, to know something OF what it
means to them. 1t is really pathetic
to see their faces glowing and their
eyes almost filled with tears at Their
satisfaction with the fine spectacle that
is so rare an event in their lives, and
which crowns their summer pilgrimage
to the o,d sbrines of their faith.