The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-11-26

CEREMONY
Rare Scene at Temple
To Buddha.
MANY JAPANESE ATTEND
Beautifully Dressed Children and
DigniHed Priests in the
Procession.

Il
| in their temple on Fort Lane. Rain
have been one of the most interesting
Oriental religious fetes ever seen in
| Honolulu. The roads over which it !
was proposed to have the priests Of |
| Buddha, little children dressed in fan I
tastic garb and multitudes of devotees, !
walk to the temple, were in such a |
condition that much of the program !
had to be abandoned albeit many Of |
the disciples waded through the mud
and received their drenching with !
smiles. The temple had been hand |
somely decorated in honor of the great
occasion. The Buddhists came in hun
dreds, filling the place to overlooking
long before the appointed hour yes
terday forenoon.
When the procession reached the
grounds from Palama, the starting
place, time was permitted for the
priests and those who were TO take
part in the services to prepare for the
Ievent.
The building is of prepossessing de-
sign of japanese architectural charac-
teristics, two stories in height. The
second story is reached by a broad
, flight of steps, and here the shrine and
altar have been instaned. The room
will hold several hundred persons
, Redwood abounds in it's finishings. At
the rear of the room is a picturesque
! shrine, flanked on either side by door
ways leading to a rear room. The
shrine is elevated from the floor nearly
two feet. Four wooden pillars stained
the color of redwood, supported gilt
. work facade with winged dragons and
, flowers in relief.
, The altar erected within the shrine
, rests against the rear wall and repre-
. sents the finest class of japanese
workmanship in scroll designing and
gliding. 1t is in fact, a Buddhist tenn
pie in miniature with projecting caves.
The whole affair is nearly twelve feet
in height and about eight feet wide.
Gilded vase-like ornaments of wood
. front the altar, which is a mass of gilt
; with vermillion relief painting A
) costly cloth heavily embroidered with
D gold thread, was draped over the lower
!. part of the altar.
In the center of the shrine stood a
, long narrow table covered with a
beautiful cloth of gold upon which in
embossed embroidery were pleasing fig
ures i'm red and purple. This fell in
heavy folds to the floor. y wooden
: slab representing an ancient scroll with
upturned ends rested on the cloth, and
upon this were several bronze urns
each symbOlizing Buddha. One urn
contained incense from which smoke
drifted lazily upward TO the ceiling,
permeating the interior of the emple
with a sweet OdOr, typifying the
- boundless mercy of Buddha. Two tail
bronze candesticks with candles burn
ing throughout the day were conspicu-
Gus. A pair of lamps designed in much
the same style as Aladdin's famou:
lamp, We're suspended from the ceiling
and cast soft glow upon the altar
below them
NJ The entrance of the high priest, Y
II Imamura, accompanied by the Jesse
priests. T. Uchida, II. Matsumoto h
Avail and L. Hirokane, was the sigma
81
about to be performed. The high prizes
[. was robed in the rich vestments Of hi
Office. An undergown of purple wa
. worn. extending from the shoulders t
-. his sandalled feet. a green uppe
~ garment with flowing sleeves was wor
T. over this, while over all was a b1auti
{, ful cloth-of-gOld vestment, embroidere
e in heavy gold thread. The Jesse
priests We're ROBBED in black cowls {
4 colored silk hanging from their shou
e ders over their backs.
& Forty-two Japanese children of ter
- der years were ushered into the ten
pie wearing festival garb. Upon the
4 heads rested tinselled tiaras held
e place by green cords passed under the
6, chins. Tiny tin ornaments dangle
and tangled by means of strings
4 coral, which greatly amused II
& wearers. Each child wore a purp
q undergown covered with gauzy owe
" dresses of white and pink silk Fac
q carried an imitation lotus flower. The
r faces were whitened with powder. the
g. lips rouged. The priest took his a.
e pointed seat before the altar the less
" priests seating themselves on the side
q a written prayer carried by eat
x priest, was opened and led by Il
e. high priest, monotonous yet mel
r dous chant began, punctuat
by strokes upon a bronze bell of G.
& rious design. before which a prize
T. knelt. The chant was unbroken du
e ing its long recitation. The voices
e the priests were pitched to differe
= keys. and were not varied. The co
Y gregation bowed their heads in dew
e ton with their hands clasped togeth
in prayer Each devotee carried
circlet of coral or black beads wifi
4 were wound around the two hands du
& ing the entire service.
q The little ones were then arrang
- in order of procession two by two a.
q headed by the priests the journey abo
4 the shrine was commenced. During I
e progress of the procession the prizes
G. continued their chant. Around a
- laround they moved, the little childr
seemingly taking much interest in t
4 ceremony. The chant was given in
e. even. measured tone, and toward t
G. end became slower until with a vari
!" ton such as is intoned by Catho
priests, this portion of the service w
4 brought to an end.
G. The priests delivered addresses to t
e people in their own language Apr
pirate for the day, while Miss Barb
a teacher in the night school, made
= address in English. She said there
. one simple idea which has been [
watchword Of all religious teachers a
this was the brotherhood of man tt
is the central thought of the doctri
taught by Christ, and before Hi
Buddha gave the same ideas to Al
when he taught love TO all living
ings and the oneness of the absoll
Godhead. The altar to Buddha /
been erected in honor of the one ct
nal, Infinite, absolute existence. HI
was To be seen the japanese Chul
that stood for the name of that pow
by which all other things were erect
that power by which we live, move a
exist today.
After the morning services a rec
was taken until 2 o'clock in the aft
noon, when a similar service was g
through. More addresses were del
cred later in the afternoon. and S