Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1889-08-24
A BUDDHIST CEREMONY.
services Tor the Repo-s of Those who PER-
t~hed the Onelsta.

A peculiar ceremony was performed
on May Z, 1889, at the Ikegami TEN.
pie. omori. in connection with the
bones recovered from the sunken
man.9f-war Oneida. wrecked uine.
teen years ago In collision with tho
Pacific and Oriental steamer BOMBAY.
The idea originated with a japanese
hrm of wrcckers, who purchased the
wreck OF the Oneida. They recently
concluded operations for the recovery
Of salvage. Daring this work they
found IA number of bones. These rem
uants ~ what had once been human
liIe We're iir.t taken Ia the American
Consulate aud thence removed 10 the
hospital. whore they at present re.
main. They will probably i,c Inferred
IN the plot in the Yokohama cemetery.
where memorial stands over the re-
mains taken from the Oneida soon
after The collision.
u was In these bones that The servir,
bore "a relation. Tn. ceremony may
not accord with American or European
ldeas. but the source from which il
emanaied and the sympathetic spiri,
which conceived Il must command the
purest admiration. II was the recog.
milton Of eA.mable sentiment mani.
tested which prompted large number
OF foreigners to attend at the perform.
ance OF the rites at the ancient tempt,
OF Daishi-in. The promotion OF the
ceremony by the Japanese and the for.
eign presence accorded was warm pvi.
dence of the absence of national dis.
tinctions and OF the possession OF com.
mendable mutual religious tolerance.
The sympathy was mantle sted by
modes curious To Western canons ol
religious observance. but the spiri,
which inspired IL IL one OF the finer
feelings none too com mon in the world
to-day.
Included In the party OF one hun.
dred and thirty or one hundred aud
forty who left Yokohama by train Ia
attend the ceremony were C. X Great.
house. United States Consul General,
Admiral Belknap. twenty American
naval officers. American men-of-war's !
men. and the French and Russian
Consuls-t;eneral.
When the guests had seated them.
selves in the beautiful temple seventy.
six priests entered. intoning weird
chant t0 the accompaniment OF native
Instruments. and afierward formed
around the altar. where incense was
burned and on which Offerings Of
bread wee placed AT intervals sow.
ers were also east on the altar by tho
chief priests. This portion of tho
service occupied about fifty minutes.
AT its conclusion Amenomori Nobun.
al fiuently delivered an oration ia
English, explaining the significance
OF the ceremony and the beliefs of The
Buddhist.
After the address the priests filed
out from the temple and conducted tho
Foreigners TO point in the ounds
where there had been erected tablet
standing thirty feet high. on which
were insc ibed several Buddhist teQs :.
the date when the Oneida was lost.
and the names Of those who went down
with her. This tablet was dressed in
"A beautiful floral framework. Here
the priests again formed round. burned
incense and offered up prayers
Tor those in whose memory the monu-
ment had been erected. This ended
the ceremony. The Foreigners were
next escorted through the gardens.
taken through the temple. shown its
rich and costly relies of times and
deeds which have passed forever. each
presented with bag OF sweetmeais.
and then they departed. Japan Ga.
zette.