Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-23
Hirohito Officially to Rule
Continued from Third Page

the greatest number of subjects may
watch the progress. This is the only
part of the long proceedings which the
public has the opportunity OF observ-
ing Equally as imposing as the En-
peror and his coach of six. f1anked by
imperial guards and postillions, is the
Kashikodokoro. This is the place OF
reverence which holds the sacred treas
ures, emblematic of sovereignty. The
Kashikodokoro is large covered cuol-
cal box mounted on long poles, giving
it palanquin-l appearance. It is
heavily guarded and imperial ritualistS
accompany 1t.
Three Sacred Treasures.
The Sacred Treasures number three.
The Mirror, the Sword and the Jewel,
so legend has it, were presented TO the
first Emperor by the Sun Goddess with
the solemn instructions that he and his
descendants should rule forever, de-
cree to which this dynasty has glorl-
ously adhered. One pious Emperor,
SUNNI Tenno, who reigned from 20
BIC. to 70 AID, found the care OF the
Sacred Treasures a bit wearing. up
to that time they had remained in the
throne room at the EmDeror'S side,
that all affairs of state might be con-
Quoted in their presence. But SUNNI
Tenno found the responsibility of such
priceless objects most irksome, so ne
had replicaS of the Mirror and Sword
made. He put the originals in shr1neS
and substituted the duplicates, which
soon were reverenced as highly as one
could desire.
The Sacred Mirror was placed finally
in the great shrine at Use dedicated TO
AmateraSu, the Sun Goddess. An I'M
perial princess, virgin, was appointed
to guard the sacred object. The Mirror
lies in a Silken bag and it is said that
when the bag becomes worn another Is
sewn over it, and it has probably been
many centuries since it has been in the
sight of man. At this same shrine of
Use there is an image of the Sun God
deSS, so sacred that none but the En-
peror and the highest priest have the
right to look upon it. This sacred OBJ
ject is kept in sack. The Sword
found resting place at the shrine at
Atsuta, after a long and remarkable
series of adventures in the hands of the
early emperorS. The Jewel is preSun-
ably the original, since there is no men
ton Of its replacement.
Represents Divinity.
The Mirror represents divinity, for
AmateraSu said in one version: This
Mirror is my spirit: regard it as my
self" And in another, Let it be as
though thou were looking on me-" 1t
reflects good and evil alike, which ac-
counts for its assigned qualities of in
tegrity and impartiality. Other SYM
bolic meanings attributed to it are the
virtues of being unbiased and unpreJu-
diced This is rather an unusual SYM
boil, and yet it is perfectly adapted to
its purpose. The Sword, partly intended
to defeat enemies. is symbolic of cour-
age and the accompanying virtues OF
justice, sureneSS of judgment and power
of intellect.
The Jewel exalts it's own perfect
shape and stands for purity. In addi-
ton it represents firmness, boundleSs
charity, benevolence and mercy. A finer
choice of qualities in clearer symbolism
would be difficult to find. Each En-
peror has had these three emblems be-
fore him to guide his conduct. ACID to
their meaning their vast antiquity and
it is easy to understand how the Place
of Reverence came by its name. In
1915, when the father of Hirohito pro-
ceeded to Kyoto. many of the news
papers spoke of the KaShikodokoro and
the Emperor as though the Emperor
we're the lesser of the two, Indeed, it
is not incorrect to speak of him as the
representative Of the godly qualities
SymboliZed in the three Sacred Treas
ureS.
There is a village in a province near
Kyoto upon whose sons rests the honor
of bearing the Kashikodokoro. 1t came
about in this way. In former times
all matters pertaining to the Emperor
and state were decided by means of
divination. Because of its long life,
the tortoise was endowed by the
ancientS with the greatest wisdom, since
of all the animals 1t had the most time
in which to acquire knowledge.
In consideration of this, the court
conjurers chose a tortoise she'll which
they scraped on the inside until it was
very thin. The outer surface was hol-
lowed in small squares, in each of which
were drawn inken characters. The shell
was then subjected to heat, preferably
that made by cherrywood charcoal, be-
cause of its especially propitious quail
ties. When the shell cracked the con-
jurers studied the marks in reference
to the characters and reached their
conclusions with the aid of ancient
formulas.
Dates Back TO Early Times.
The custom itself dates from very
early times. In China. where it orig
mated, a stag shoulderblade was often
used The Vase village was the lucky
one repeatedly. Again and again her
youths carried the Kashikodokoro In
the procession. It finally became ira
ditional and at present they are chosen
without recourse to divination.
The procession moves slowly, both In
Toxic and Kyoto, where it makes its
way from the station to the MILO Palace,
the imperial palace. One interesting
feature is the provision made for the
aged. All people over 80 are given seats
along the route of the progress. Sake
cups are given to all aged in the empire
as souvenirs. At the 1915 coronation
many thousands of these lacquered cups
were distributed. In country where
ancestors are reverenced old age has
an important value.
At the MILO Palace the Emperor re-
mains in residence until the ceremonies.
In 1915 the trip from Toxic was broken
by an overnight stop at Nagoya, and
the same thing will be done this year.
On the 10th of November the coro-
nation takes place. Hirohito will make
his way to the shrine called Shinko-den
(Spring Rise HalD, which will be built
on the palace grounds for the occasion.
All Shinto rituals emphasize purity. In
every conceivable place new material
is used. Thus the clothing and build
ingS are usually made for the exclusive
purpose. For the same reason, purity
the builders and participants of the
various ceremonies, in fact, all having
to do with the ceremonies in any way
undergo special publication acts. This
means that not only the Emperor and
the priests but the cooks and the dis
tillerS, those who fashion the silk for
the robes and those who build the sane
tuaries, all are purified" for their
duties.
White Robes of Silk.