Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-03-09
JAPANESE FUNERAL.
Alan and Inurnment Of . Baddhist
o. High Priest.

e High Priest.
.,onth ago the high priest of the
D ~ across the creek from the for
Temp 'ement of Yokohama died and
esa ga was cremated. His ashes were
n' u IN an urn and then in a pine DO,
pa ~ shane of miniature temple. and
nun o,iests from all the diocese were
nc ppOued to take part in the funeral
'a ll,Dss. The long interval between the
,sl, " and final rites robbed the affair
a : .av exhibition of poignant grief,
!, ~ syery thing was given up to the
'ra ~ forms and elaborate ceremonies
sss .ss Buddhist funeral ritual. The son
J, .be high priest succeeded to his
Chars % office by inheritance, and he
As .nsred himself for the services by
9.,s Of fasting and prayer. and at the
w. .,smonies knelt below the officiating
's .;sst and wore the plain white robes
p., mourner. He had no part in the
'.,,;ce. and was like a statue until he
~. and. taking the mortuary tablet
rsu, the altar, walked behind the cas-
:. sv' irom the temple to the graveyard.
~ Tina priests came from near and far.
.,me arriving by train on the day and
's !. ~ hour Of the funeral, and, hurry
10 to the temple with servants carry
no ,.s bscs full of ceremonial robes at their
NJ hssl,. Slipped their brocades on in the
. .,te.room and joined the solemn COM
, ..nv sitting in rows like SO many i'm
fss. The hundred and odd priests
Il 4 either side of the altar with the
.s,tet before it, and for general effect
, ,o,hing was ever more dazzling than
,h.t row Of smooth-faced, shaven-head-
j priests in superb brocade garments
S.t elowed with all the richest colors
and e4iistened with gold thread. The
..r,ices consisted in chanting by all
Me priests in chorus, and in responses
n the intoned readings Of the high
PRIESTS. The big temple drum was
,ruck at stages of the chanting, and
hs priests played on an instrument
nat resembled the bundle of reeds or
ujues that the god Pan played in Greek
anthology. The noise was q harsh,
hrill wall, combining the worst OF
hsgpipe and flute melody. They
ehsnted from open books, and, stand
iuo held plates of pierced brasswork
from which they sifted the leaves Of
he 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 sprinkled incense in the
large bronze burner. Later the in
csnse burner and the box incense was
passed before the priests, each one NUT
lering prayer and dropping pinch
offragrant powder on the Goals.
As the procession Of priests wound
out through the crowded court yard,
passed under the heavy gabled gate
way and down the long terrace steps
to the street, it was a brilliant and
dazzling spectacle. Their rich bro
caded 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-
cate The rich, soft old colors, toned
BY age are as different from the gay
hh cclors of the modern dye pots as
possible, and except in temple services
and at the great theaters one seldom
ices these old brocades now. An at
tsndant carried large red umbrella
over the head of each priest, and as
the line of rainbow color and glisten-
ing bullion threads came down the
long terrace steps, it was a fine pic
ture As the procession went out the
long street crowded solidly with Japa-
nese, every thing was swallowed up
and hidden but the red umbrellas, and
these 1amingo signals alone marked
The line OF the funeral train. At the
graveyard there was more chanting.
incense food and Aswers were laid at
'he tomb, and the ashes of the high
priest were finally at rest. - Yokohama
VI. N T. Sun.