The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-08-26
A BIT Of REAL
MEDIEVAL
JAPAN
A Shinto Shrine Was
Dedicated Yesterday
Afternoon.

A bit of real Japan, medieval in
klearly all respects, and picturesque to
a high degree. was to be seen yester-
day at the dedication of the pretty lit,
tie temnle of Isumo. in the fiat back
of Joe Clarlx's former saloon on King
street The dedication ceremonies be-
gan yesterday morning at half-past ten
O'Clock and were not concluded until
well on after dark last night. when a
burst of fireworks in honor of the tenn
pie deity brought the big occasion, from
the Nipponese standpoint. to a glo-
rious end. tSts#
All day the temple grounds We're
thronged with japanese, of all ages
and conditions, but few others were to
be seen there.
The temple, the only one of its kind
In the Territory, belongs to the Isumo
branch of Shintoism, one of the prin-
cipaI sects of Japan and to which many
of the japanese belong, the seeming
neglect of the devotees here in not
sooner providing their particular deity
with a home consecrated to his wor-
ship being the fact that a priest of
high enough caste to conduct one could
Ehot be sooner secured. The high priest
WHO conducted the services yesterday,
and who viii remain here in charge
of the temple. arrived from Japan very
recently. although the temple itself has
been built and ready for conservation
for some months.
The temple itself. or shrine, to be
more exact. is built in very simple
style. of plain unpainted wood, with
ont the garish gildings and tinsels of
the more frequent Buddhist temples.
The building is small, the open lanai
occupyfng most of the site, the innerl
sanctuary being only about thirty feet
square. Naturally. it is uniquely Jap
anese in appearance. with heavy roof |
timbers and widely-projecting caves, |
from every point of which yesterday |
streamed japanese flags and multicol-
ored strips Of bunting. while innumer-
able lanterns swung from every projec-
ton and were strung on lines running
from all sides from fence to temple
peak. Before the shrine stand two
carved. ornamented posts with project
ing crossbars. while the main entrance
gate is arched with the heavy wooden
bars emblematic Of Shinto. In one
corner of the grounds is miniature
Japanese garden. a fountain and lily
pond and heaped lichened rocks, while
Yesterday there were booths erected
for the occasion, one a stage on which
sfa especially trained troupe of panto-
snimists from the Kahuku plantation
performed a Japanese Passion Play in
honor of Isumo. From one booth sake
was dished out to the thirsty throng
of men, and green and pink candies
and soda water for the women and !
children, and at another booth the
clerks of the shrine took the subscrip-
tons of the faithful and on tackled up
strips of wood proclaimed to the world /
the generosity of the donors. {
The dedication ceremony lasted for ]
about an hour. but was repeated at in
+ervais throughout the day. The cere-
monv proper began with procession .
of the priests and their assistants from {
che ariest house. built in the rear of the c
ebrire . The costumes of those in the q
narade. in which about thirty persons
took mart. were brilliant. In front c
stalked the high priest, wearing Y
bright yellow robe and long pink draw
ers. gathered in many folds around his ;
ankles. His headdress consisted of a t
black mitred cap. from the back Of v
which arched stiff strip of black I
crepeIike cloth, the arch rising foot !,
above his head and then falling back Il
nearly to the waist. About his neck s
was a string of heavy red silk tas-
sells Next in Importance was his first =
assistant. with salmon-coIored robes. u
Then marched another priest his dark c,
brown kimono stiff with gilt embroid- if
cry. and behind him several minor Of I,
hcials of The temple, in black and :,
white, their robes being decorated with T,
Continued on Page Two.)