The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-11-16
MIKADO OFFERS
 SACRED RICE TO
 HIS ANCESTORS
Rite of Coronation Is Accom- pIiShed With Impressive
 Ceremonial.

Kioto, Nov. 16-One of the most picturesque of all coronation rites were those connected with the plant ing, growth and serving of the rice to be offered by the Emperor to the spirits of the imperial ancestors and the deities of heaven and earth. The regulations concerning the planting take account of certain forms of di- vnation.
 The fields to be honored with the
 planting and growth of the sacred
 rice were selected from the region to
 the southwest of Kioto, called the
 Yuki district, and others in the north
 western district of Kioto known as
 the Suki region. In making the choice the officials concerned rely upon the finding Of the diViners, who, taking the thinnest part of a deer's shoul- der blade and a branch of the habaka, a species of cherry tree. place the lat ter in a fire and then apply the burn ling brand to the deer's bone until the bone splits with the heat. The direc- ton of the split decides the fields to be selected. The bone has been used from the earliest time, but latterly lsthe use. of the bone was replaced by "a piece of polished tortoise shell
 which is subjected to the same pro-
 ceedings. fg3r ' 1 The ceremonies for deciding the Yields for the planting and growth of 1 the sacred rice for the present cor ionation were held before the imperial ancestors shrine of the imperial pal ace in Tolxio. The hall was decorated
 and the ceremony was officiated by l Prince Iwa,kura, chief ritua1ist, and 1 ceremonial robes The ceremony
 was opened with music; food offer ings were presented by ritualists, and the chief ritua1ist read a, Shinto pray
 CT before the altar The chief of the 1,coronation committee handed a case 1 containing paper on which was in l scribed the names of the prefeotures I of the Yuki and Suki districts to Il Count Toda, Grand Master of Cere- I rnories who passed it to Chief Ritu- I aIist Prince Iwakura. The chief rit- l ualist ordered the rites of divination I to be commenced. Prince kujo, vice. Fl chief ritua1ist, asked the deities to H descend, receive the food offering
 presented in their honor. and assist lin the divination for the sacred fields.
 "A sacred fire was made and two pieces of polished tortoise shell, one |i for the Y Yuki sdistrict and the other
 for the Suki, were held up over the |E flames of the burning habaka tree. H When the tortoise shells cracked with
 the. heat they were handed to the
 chief of the coronation committee
 The ceremony was conducted amid |l the most profound silence. The chief
 ritualist saw that divine choice had fallen on the prefecture of Aichi, in the Yl1ki district, and the prefecture
 
 ll Of Kagawa, in the Suki region. hTe |t result was reported to Prince F'ushi- mi, president of the coronation board, | and was submitted to the Emperor for sanction.
 One Kolxu, or about five bushels of rice. was taken from each field Ex- traordinary care was observed In ' tn e E cultivation The area used for the
 cultivation of the plant was about
 an acre or more in each field, and each plantation was enclosed with a H row of 8 trees garlanded with ropes of straw
 The rice sprouts were planted by virgins in fulfilment of sacred tradl- tions. The fields were guarded day
 and night.
 The men who weeded the fields and I | drove away hungry birds during the A growth and ripening of the plants T were purified daily. The plucking of al the ears of the matured rice plants 4 l that is, the harvesting of the sacred rice was attended by zceremonials l l dictated by ancient practice and rig slidIy observed from times imnemorla1 l TnperiaI. messengers were sent to I inc fields, and those participating I wore flowing robes and red lacquered I lfootgear First of all they lcleansed l their bodies on the bank of the neigh s Iborine river and then they formed, a z procession to the rice ileids. Ears Ears ] were pIucked for two different pur- noses one for preparing rice for the s -Yuki ceremony, to be performed at the Yuki hall, and the other for dis filling black and white sake wine us
 ed for the ceremony at the Suki hall
 The separate portions of rice were placed in a. basket over which 3 \ branch of the sakaki tree was laid
 while twisted reeds were used as 2
 cover The basket was then carried , to Kioto ~in a ceremonial procession 5 called "the procession of the sacred
 rice.''
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