Bisbee daily review., 1915-09-01
BEGIN
FOR ELEVATION OF
JAPAN'S emperor
EarIy Preparations Are Being
Made for Celebration Attend
ant to the Formal Accession of
Yoshihito to Throne.

USiiiiilU " llU uiigs
TOXIC, Aug. 81. - Fires bursting
high from the peak Of sacred Mount
FuH last night were not volcanic as
some people who had not read the
newspapers supposed, but were mere
5onfres as signal to The world Of
Japan that the great accession cere-
monies of Emperor Yoshihito were
approaching. The glare of the flames
iehtened the heavens for a hundred
niles and a sthey scared upward with
aeir message thousands millions of
he faithful we're bowed in prayer be
ore their Shinto shrines beseechinE
happiness for their ruler-content per
lection and greatness for their ceun
ny.
The rite on Fuji summit was ar
anged by Shinto priests and was at
ended by a large company. II was
a religious function which had no real
connection with the official corona
ion program but was held to inspire
he people with the significance and
randeur of the coming ceremony.
After the prayers for the glory of
he reign of the Emperor the sacred
ae wine was passed from lip to lip
nd offered to the god of the Shinto
shrine,
About 1900 persons. il is announced,
viii attend the chief accession cere-
Monies at Kyoto i'm November. These
viii include the representatives of the
nonarchs and presidents or :he treaty
powers, princes and princesses of the
lood, officials of the Shinnin rank,
he presidents, icepresidents and
members of the Diet princes, repre-
sentatives Of various peers. as well as
S. representative of the Shinto ana
Buddhist religions.
The fact that no representative of
'hrisuanity has been invited to the
ceremonies has caused a controversy.
w. Ichik, Minister of Education, eX-
lained that no Christians i'm Japan
re accorded court rank, while the
luddhists and Shintoists are accorded
re rank known as Chokunin Not in
re sense of attaching more import
ice 20 the other religions, suggests
IT, Ichiki, but simply because Chris
ianity i'm Japan has no representative
With an official rank, the imperial
'ousehold commission probably found
impossible to include "a Christian
'elesate in the list of those who will
tend the forthcoming coronation
Japanese Christians say they are
Of satisfied with this explanation.
hey think that the Buddhist and the
hinto representatives have been i'm
tied and primarily because they hold
ne rank of Ch0kunin, but because
hey represent the Buddhist and shin
o religious organizations. The Chris
ians do not claim that they ought 10
ave q representation i'm the ceremony,
| ut they argue that when Christianity
as given given freedom of preaching
equal privilege with other religious
aodies
A japanese pastor of one of the
! 'ading Christian churches conferred
ith Count Okuma about the question,
| nd the Premier promised TO make an
| lvestigation
| Preparations for the accession are
occupying an army of workers All
yer the country devout men and
omen are solemnly and religiously
ding their share in the task of get
ing ready for the great ceremony.
AT Kumogabatamura, near Kyoto
goodmen cut the trees that will fur
ish the timbers for one of the halls
I the coronation rites. This Is the
an in which the ceremony of the
edication of the sacred rice 10 the
imperial ancestors spirits viii be held
rhe trees were cut down according tC
he ancient Shinto rites which make
his task of telling timbers some
| hing Of ceremony in itself
| First the woodmen were purified b!
1hinto priests The first tree wal
hen feled with AN due solemnity,
5Gs a cIytomeria. The branches werr
I NUNfu ON anu NNEof NNnfNlAfl W lNu lN'
lump were burned as an Offering Il
he god of The wood
r Fifteen carts, attached by leadinl
illagers, dressed in the old fashioned
ostumo of the woodman an dcaru
ng fans Of the rising sun, viii be uset
b % bring the timbers TO the site TO
be hall The villagers viii draw ant
lush these carts themselves, accom-
panying their labors by the singing O
. Inc ancient Kiyar song One hundre
imbers viii be brought TO Kyoto d
his manner.
p Some of the rice offered 10 the spil
o it's of the imperial ancestors mus
a come from the Yuki rice fields, nea
Nagoya And while this offering
made. it win be part of the ceremoI
es to have sung some OF the rusu
dyls of the people of the yhlaa
where the Yuki rice field is located
&c TO prepare for this feature of tt
all ceremony court musician is no
spending bis time in the village co