The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-05
or AGE OLD
Ceremonies Date hack 20 Besin-
ming Of Human Race.

sB'F'Hl OFFstVOVNs 10 " Sun
TOXIC. Oct. 1.-The sacred rice. which
has such IN important value In the cere-
monies attending tho coronation Of
Yo~hihito. has been reaped. h ears
were stripped from the stalks by hand
and the straws cut with primitive i'm
plements supposed 10 have a special vir-
tue in preventing deilement OF the .ice.
The special car in which thu imperial
shrine will journey 10 Koto Is oomplet
and has been tested on the railroad. II
is the most peculiar specimen Of the
coachbuilderis work In the world. for al
though u glitters like a Jewel externally
II is a plain wooden hut within. The
coach in which the Emperor will travel
Is not quite so Spartan.
The a. fascination Of The ceremony
cl to the sacrifcial rice and the
shrine. which has been Japan's palladium
for twenty-five centuries. The shrine n
more than a memorial Of the great dead
or n historical treasure. II isthe dwelling
place OF spirits. The royal honors which
will be rendered to It by the soldiers Of
the Rising u and the officials OF the
court the homage of Tokio's kneelir&
millions who will PROSTATE themselves
m the dust as II passes. are paid to the
august shades of Japan's departed. dei-
fled rulers who dwell therein. The Offer
Ing OF food and drink which the EN-
perVr will lay before the shrine seem { o
be partly n sacrifice and partly a feast.
shrine IL worshipped.
The shrine is usually kept in a special
apartment OF the Palace in Toxic. II
is worshipped daily by the Emperor as
the son Of his fathers. and II is informed
Of every event In the imperial family
and Of every great occasion in the
erl,,- - a.
survives the ceremony by which the
shrine is annually Informed OF the
harvest and first fruits are placed be-
fore It. When n prince or princess Is
married the shrine Ia told. Two-thirds
OF the coronation ceremony consists in
informing the shrine that the Emperor
has assembled the throne.
All great national affairs have TO he
brought to the shrine, When Admiral
Togo won his memorable victory over
II Russian fleet in the Strait Of
Tsu shima the old Emperor issued a
rcscript TO the fleet IN which he said:
W are pleased that by you loyalty
and bravery we have been enabled to
answer to the spirits Of our ancestors"
Tears flowed dow the cheeks Of the
Admiral and his seamen. according to
the Japanese newspapers. which record
the incident. when Togo read tho mes
sage. for" says the Toxic Asuht. I'VE
have been enabled to answer to the
spirits OF our ancestors are no common
words and there has seldom. II ever. been
occasion for these words to leave the
Imperial lips"
That shrine. with its treasures. .
sword, a mirror. a string OF beads. is
the dwelling place OF Japan's departed
emperors. n where Il is, they are. "
There are twenty ceremonies rom
nected with the coronation. The first Is
the announcing to the shrine that the
date has been fixed. the last is an act
OF worship by the Emperor after all is
over n the sacred relic has been re-
stored to Toxic. The central part OF
the coronation itself Is the a%nnounce
ment 10 the shrine that the Emperor
has succeeded 10 the throne. and the
most sacred OF all the rites IL the sacri-
fetal feast which he offers TO and par
takes with the spirits OF his ancestors.