The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1899-12-29
RITES OF JAP FANATICS.
The Old Ceremonial Of Walking Over
Fire Is still Practiced In the
FlOyvery Kingdom.

The religious fanatics who have a
habit of walking through fire and not
smuggling hair have again appeared in
Japan.
These are the devotees of the god of
the Ontaki mountain, a very terrible
person, indeed, but one, they say, who
takes care of them when there is any
fire about.
Like the Greek of old, your modern
Jap-unless he is very advanced per-
son-"sees gods in thunderstorms," '
and SO on, and above all puts their fa-
vorite habitation on the top of the high
est mountains-where nobody goes to
see them.
This is the halcyon season of their
year when the devotees of these many
mountain deities go through the vari-
Gus and generally dangerous acts of
homage.
The occasion of the recent demon
stration of perfectly public fire-walk-
ing was the special festival of the god
of the mountain Ontaki, and the scene
of the wonderful performance small
Shinto temple in the Kanda quarter.
In the first place there was a long,
blazing and smoldering heap of damp
straw. Underneath this was a bed of
lighted charcoal.
By the time that the walking began
the straw had been consumed. 1t was
now almost dark, the lurid glow upon
the faces of the white-robed worshipers
and the crowd of japanese against the
surrounding rail was most weird.
Some stood by one side of the fire and
with huge fans made it hotter even
than before. Then two of them took
each a wand, attached to the end of
which were shavings or strips of paper;
third took a flint and steel; fourth
an offering of salt.
Placing themselves one at each end
and one at each side of the blaze, they
went through long and impressive
ceremonial, INDUCING in much waving
of wands and marching or dancing
about the fire like Americans on the
night of an old-fashioned presidential
election, each man in his turn assum-
ing the position occupied by his prede-
cessor.
At length and suddenly, after care
fully stepping on some of the scattered
grains of salt, one of the men deliber-
ately walked through the fire from end
to end. He took seven PAGES, the sew
enth pace landing him just clear of the
fire at the other end.
Others then, but at the first only men,
followed his example. Some of the old
men hurried a little; but most of them,
old or young, were very deliberate.
stamping each foot hard into the red
hot charcoal at every step.
Examined afterward, the feet were
found quite soft, and not trace of fire
upon them. Before the people walked
through the fiery furnace the center of
it, where they walked, was beaten fiat
with long poles. They therefore,, had
level surface to walk on and they did
not get the sides of their feet burned.
Of course the secret of this whole per-
Torrance lay in the fact that the feet
were carefully protected by the salt,
which is non-combustible substance.
But even then the operation must be
painful and dangerous, too.
The feat of fire walking is very I'M
usual thing in Japan. There were pres
ent at its performance some Europeans
who had been rs years in the country
and had not only never seen it before,
but never heard of it.
1t appears that those who walk
through the fire expect to obtain from
the god certain indulgences for them
selves, relatives and friends.-Phila-
delphia Press