The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-12
Coronation Day in Toxic.
Photo BY Paul Thompson.

the general impression got a. n
stands at the threshold which no un-
purified person HAY cross. Side by
side you note the two shrines called
Yuki and Suki. In which the En-
peror performed an Identical cere-
mony. duplicating It 80 there may be
no error.
The %purilcat. on bLilding, the bath
house In plain modern English, is also
easily distinguished. The rest Is just
q maze of covered passages leading
by circuitous routes from one build
ing TO another. No n now knows
why the Emperor should walk round
three sides Of the enclosure to reach
a place TO which three steps would
take him. Possibly the explanation
IL that in the very distant days when
tho rites were fixed the simple men
who devised them knew no other
way Of adding iInpressiveness to their
primitive pagan ceremony than by
l~engthening it's processes.
No eye Of ambassador or nobleman
Or minister saw the ceremony. Only
the Emperor and tho princes OF his
family and the priests and priestesses
who had duties In the ritual were per-
mitted inside the enclosure. No for
eigners were present in any capacity.
The members Of the government and
the heads OF the army and navy waited
through the night In the pavliions l
have described. At intervals they
heard the strains OF reed instruments
and saw the glare Of pine torches as
the Emperor walked from m shrine
to another. At the gates Of the rush
fence which enclosed the shrines war
riors With bows and arrows sAt all
night long around watchfires.
The public Of Kyoto came and went
and enjoyed their holiday In the usual
way. Shrines were carried about the
streets. tea houses did q roaring or
rather a silent trade. one or two strayed
jewellers might have been mel In
the evening hours. In the park Of the
palace all was silence and mystery as
the leaders Of modern Japan waited
In wooden shelters outside the gates
Of the fenced space In the wood where
their Emperor performed the most an
Gent state ceremony left on earth.
The ceremony began Just before
shutdown and closed Just before sun
rise. II Is purely Shinto and japanese
and has apparently no admixture OF
foreign Chat Is. Chinese or B~uddhist)
influence. On the whole. judging from
many conversations which ] have had
with japanese, I come to the conclu-
sion that he Dai-Josai has become but
a ceremony. II is n thing Of rituals
and ancient. half understood observ-
ances. In this II differs from the acts
OF ancestor worship performed In con-
nection with the other rites, for ances-
tor worship Is still a living thing In
Japan and IL well understood by the
people. Tho Dai-Josai goes 90 far
back.
The feast begins with the placing Of
offerings In the sanctuary. The con-
secrated lights are lit and the temple
Is made ready for the Emperor. who
when the hour comes. takes an ablu.
tionary bath. He Is clothed in white
and, baton in hand. he proceeds to the
inst OF the twin shrines.
Attendants light his way with pine
torches and unroll bamboo mating
under his feet as he passes. The
sacred sword and Jewel are carried or
his right and left and a man carries
an umbrella made OF reeds and sus.
pended from the beak OF n brazer
phoenix above his head. Songs con.
nected with the harvest are sung and
dances are performed emblematic oi
gathering In the grain
This completed. the Emperor make.
obeisance to the sacred treasures anC
| tho nrinrau fnllnuF hyu nvotnr1, rA~-
begins the second part of the rite. OF.
ferings are carried In and laid before
the shrine-a strange and picturesque
business.
In quick succession a stream o.
priests and priestesses take In fooC
and drink for the gods and a very
varied assortment Of primitive acces,
sories such as a towel box, a fresi
rush mat for the food OF the gods anc
another for the food Of the Emperor
a pair of chopsticks. "A box of rice anc
millet, bowls of seaweed broth, ar
I ttcles of clothing all the material,
for "A feast of primitive nidu. To tn,
sound Of weird music the Emperor en-.
ters the shrine and dips his hands II
consecrated water. \ curtain screen.
the inner sanctuary from every ey,
while he offers the feast to the gods
and ~partakcs of II himself.
According to the regulations which
Tx each detail # this az OF every cere,
mony connected with the coronation
his Majesty must cat four helpings OF
the rice ana drink eight cups o.
sake. 1t is fair 10 add that the Japa
resc sake cups are not much Target