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Show 5 EMPEROR ( ' Or I1PIII . GROWLED iyro ' Yosh&ito, Son of Mut-, Mut-, : suhito, Assumes His Throne as 122d Ruler t of the Empire Amid i ; Brilliant Pomp and ' ! Ceremony at Ancient I Capital. j ; I FOREIGNERS ARE j j AT coronation; i i ! ' American Embassador i and Other Diplomats ; Are Permitted to Witness Wit-ness Impressive Ritual, Which Has Formerly ; Been Open Only to ! Highest Authorities. j i ( 1 KIOTO, Nov. 10. For the first time )' i in h istorv, the people ot: Japan a ml : the representatives of the people of foreign for-eign himls were present today at the i coronation of a mikado, when Yoshihito, sun of MuUuhitu, aceCdcd to the throne of N ipH)n, 1 : lh o ylory of this epochal event is the :l !i istorv of old Japan epitomized. It is , the story of the Japanese deities of il heaven and earth, of the veneration of the imperial ancestral gods and of the !, formal accession to sanctity of the monarch of today Yoshihito direct ; desenndent of tho immortal Jimimi, the ! I first emperor and founder of the empire, ; and descendent also, according to tradi- ' tiou, of the sun goddess and imperial I. grand ancestress, Amaterasu Omikami,' who dwelt in the heavenly regions in ! prehistoric ages. ,; The essence of tho accession ceremony , centered about tho, Kashikodokoro or i ; Sacred M irror, which represents the ' ' spirit of the sua goddess Amaterasu. '. ; This divine mirror, supposed to be of bronze, though no mortal eyes have g;ced upon it, together with the sacred comma shaped jewel necklace ami the i sacred sword, are known as the imperial im-perial treasures, and symbolize the im- ' perial power. The ceremony of this morning was a ritual service of ancestor 1 worship and was held in a specially erected hall in the palace grounds, m known as the hunkoden hall, where ; was enshrined the sacred mirror brought - i from Tokio. ' Foreigners Present. The drawing of the veil of seclusion ; and the admission of foreigners and of j, ; the people of Japan to the holy service of accession was the visual evidence of Japan's transition from the early years :' when the emperor stood apart in severe !; separation from the world to a time wheu, without abandoning his heaven-1 heaven-1 ijiven sanctity, he consented to emerge from his historic isolation, in the olden 1 , days the people were not present. Vaguely tkoy heard that the monarch '! , had acceded to his throne, but thev had I no prerogative in the matter. Today they were actually invited to the ceremonies. Their representatives ' in parliament were there grouped about . the imperial throne, symbolizing the tl new Japau. The hunkoden was of plaiu. unvarnished un-varnished wood and consisted of an i outer hall, iuner It all aud shrine. It was simply decorated. Indeed, simplicity sim-plicity dominates the coronation cere- ; mi!.,mi',-. Thf decorations weie tiio T j h i mi in -m . tho fl ik: ado, .1 'd h v 1 iic j i'oi, rt . ii h is more in-mnjii ncimI v a j-ciic, ritu- t'i;iii a M-Iion pin-c ;nid ! si;riJi.'. Bnln thf main lial! wrc buiit jotin1: iialK ami ;: is ri r i'oi tin ;ii-i;in-rnniljttir,,! of tli- people par! iripiitiiig iu and w it i;c-iii the rei-cmoli k'S. Colonel Irons Present. At 'he a ; i " i i 1 1 1 p 1 1 i i i r).- th t wo -"a r es "h 1 1 1 " i -1 1 Km " aivl "k" i. ii n - n ion" i e-sjn e-sjn i -t i v- fa ' i ni; south a ii'l c; st wore opTK-fl for riin ir- eption of those allowed to Httr-il'l the I'.ili'l c : r- i-f-1 ii oi j '. 'Pie cnanl alout tlv zAr.s wro exclusively rhosc in the s''ivic? of tin; imperial house, hni'l, Then arrivrd lh-3 guests distinguish'"! distin-guish'"! (ji'iii'ials, civil mi.1 mtlirai'v, nobles, die inemhei.s of the hou.se of repreS'-nia-tivc;b and the house of pc-er.-, the diplomatic diplo-matic -orpH a nil oi her dicnlt aries. ar-i-orupri nied by iheh all in full dress or uniform. The foreign women wore the rereinniiial robes of the European court with tr;un. The.' 1'nired Stales was repreBented bv Fmhassador George W. murine and Mrs. r,u Lh r ie. On ao.-ount of lack of suffi-ijh.-nt sftaee, it was necessary to abandon tlie plan of inviting the suites of the American and other diplomatic representatives. represent-atives. They will attend the second coronation coro-nation ceremony, in Shishiiden hall this afternoon. The guests were ushered lo the waiting halls. The masters of ceremonies, cere-monies, rituals, court musicians and other officials and officers participating in tlie ceremonies also arrived In due time, all dressed in ancient ceremonial costume or uniform. A democratic note in the matter mat-ter of dress was thai the membera of the house -of repreentattes, like Embassador Guthrie, wore plain evening dress. Other Japanese who did not have an actual part in the ceremonies wore a uniform of black coat, white waistcoat and while trousers. Tlie embassadors and ministers of other countries wore their dress uniform ; Royalty Enters. Subsen;u?nf ly the princes and princesses of tlie blood and other members of tlie imperial house entered tlie Gtyoden hall near hy, and there awaited tlie arrival of the emperor. Shortly afterward the emperor em-peror made his entry. After a brief rest his majesty changed his dress, donning tlie ceremonial Shinto costume, and cleansed his hands with sacred water. Meanwhile tlie princes and princesses of the blond, household minister, lord keeper of the privy seal, lord chamberlain, chief coronation commissioner, grand master of ceremonies, chamberlains, maids-of-honor and other court dignitaries changed their costumes to the ancient ceremonial court robes. There were nine imperial princesses at f lie coronation ceremonies, four of them sisters of tlie emperor: Their , Imperial I lighnesses Aaaka, Higashi-Kuni, Kita-Shlnakawa Kita-Shlnakawa and Takeda. Of highest rank is the Princess Kan-in, daughter of the late Prince Sanjo, a famous Kioto lord of the Meiji era. Next in rank is the Princess Prin-cess Migashi-Fushimi. There follow the Princess Fnshimi, Jr., the Princess Kuni and the Princess Nashlmoto. All appeared at the ceremonies in the ancient ceremonial dress of the Nara period, pe-riod, consisting of a half dozen kimonos of different colors, surmounted by an outer kimono of green and scarlet brocade bro-cade and a hakama or divided skirt of scarlet silk brocade. With this ancient dress no obi was worn. The hair was unbound un-bound and hung straight, being loosely tied at intervals with cords of red and white. Two long strands of hir fell in front on either side of the face. While the costumes were not identical in every detail, due provision being made for the rank and age of the wearers, they adhered ad-hered strictly to the court regulations which have been observed at coronations for twelve centuries. In these costumes they will also appear at the grand harvest thanksgiving festival, but at social functions func-tions such as banquets, dinners, official balls, they will be gowned in European dress. The peeresses of the realm also wore the historic court robe. Colorful Scene. The guards of honor Eissembled In the courtyard without the gates, and high officials of-ficials attached to tne coronation committee com-mittee took positions to '-the right and left sides of the south gate, newly built for the entrance of the Shnnkoden hall. The costumes worn by these officials were ceremonial court robes of very ancient an-cient origin. The outer garment was a loose vestment worn by the courtiers in olden times and resembling in form the flowing robe still used by Shinto priests. The color was light blue. Over this was a long garment of gold brocade. Uke warriors of old, they carried long lac- ; ouered bows in their hands, while quivers of arrows were slung across their backs. Each man wore a coronet with a pennant , of silk gauze coiled at the back of the head, while on the sides, just above the ears, were a pair of cokades in tlie shape of a fan and made of horse hair. Inner ; and outer trousers, a belt of white cloth, ; and leggings of scarlet, as well as a sword with a broad girdle, completed the costume. A many-colored beautiful scene slowly grew. Two senior and twelve junior officials of the coronation committee in charge of the gongs and snare drums or tsuzuml entered the courtya rd a nd stood in two separate rows right and left, facing the main hall of the Shnnkoden. The two senior officials were dressed in scarlet overdress. They wore coronets or hoods woven with silk gauze, and carried old-fashioned old-fashioned swords at their side. Their wide, full trousers showed below the robe. Tlie junior officials were dressed in almost al-most the same manner, tut the overdress was of blue, and their loose trousers were of white. They wore cockades, white leggings leg-gings and shoes of braided cloth. Next entered forty high officials of the coronation corona-tion committee. "Eight of them carried swords in double-faced brocade scabbards. Eight others carried bows in sacks of flaming scarlet silk, and still another eight bore quivers of arrows in sacks of purple. The last group held shining shields and halberds. Their dresses were j almost the same style as that worn by ; the men in charge of the gongs and drums. Those of the sword-bearers were black. The guards holding tlie bows and arrows wore scarlet, and those holding shields and halberds were attired in light bine, the difference of color representing the degree of their official rank. Seated on Cushions. A score of other high officials, wearing similar ceremonial robes and carrying swords, bows and arrows in quivers." entered en-tered the hall and took their places. Their role was that of tlie ancient warrior of the guard. Those of the front row wore black robes, with coronet and cockades. Their busts were encircled with corslets of thin gold-plated metal bound together with leather strips. Around the protect- ing corslets were girdles from which hung the swords. This, together with the bows, luivers and arrows, formed the weapons of the ancients. Tho.se of the back row-wore row-wore robes of scarlet and carried pot-shaped pot-shaped quivers. At a given signal the chief participants in the ceremony seated themselves in Japanese fashion on cushions resting on the floor or matting. Then the pounders of gongs and drums beat their instruments instru-ments three times by way of announcing the commencement of the ceremony. Led by high court officials, all those present., including civil a nd military ofiicers and tlie diplomatic corps who had assembled in the ante-chamber, rose and entered the main hall. All these people were seated also. There was a period of impressive silence, suddenly broken by strains of music. The steady, clear note of the Japanese Jap-anese flute was succeeded bv harmonious softer strains, symbolic of sanctity and ,1oy. This was the kagura or Shinto music plaved by the court musicians. s the chords filled the air, the doors of the imperial sanctuary were slowly opened and the ritualists placed sacred offerings hefore the altar. This over, the chief ritualist, majestic in flowing robes and wearing the stiff, oval bonnet of the Shinto priest, knelt before the altar and then, rising, read the "norito." br ceremonial cere-monial address, announcing to the soul of the imperial ancestress, Amaterasu Omikami, Omi-kami, the beginning of the grand accession acces-sion or coronation ceremonies. Another profound silence. It was the precursor of the supreme moment and this was the stately entry of the emperor and his suite. The grand roaster of ceremonies, the minister of tire household and two chamberlains preceded his ma.iesty, and each chamberlain bore a sacred object, one the sword and-.the other the commit -shaped jewel necklace. Following the emperor em-peror were the lord chamberlain, chamberlains, cham-berlains, chief aide de camp, aides de camp and, at a short distance, the princes of the blood, the lord keeper of the privv seal and the chief coronation commissioner. commis-sioner. Premier Count Okuma, who is 77 years old, refrained from attending the ceremonies, cere-monies, in order to preserve his strength for the events of the afternoon. The premier pre-mier was represented by Lieutenant General Gen-eral Oka, minister of war. All rose as his majesty entered, and bo wed low as he slowly made his way toward the sanctuary. With stately nods to right and left, the emperor acknowledged acknowl-edged the respectful greetings of the court, his people and the envoys from foreign lands. The emperor was a striking vision in a pure milk-white cobe of gloss silk. The color white Is always worn in ritual services, ser-vices, being symbolic of purity and sanctity. sanc-tity. All the garments, outer and inner, were white, in accordance with the ancient an-cient court regulations, and the shoes were of the same hue. The robe, which was encircled with a belt of pure white, was in the form of a kimono and hung loosely below the knee, with two flaps at the bottom just touching the floor. The sleeves hung free and were about two feet in length. The outer garment was closed by being- folded over from the left to the right and was fastened with a large silk cord at the collar. On his head the emperor wore a eilk coronet of Imperial shape, which was fastened fas-tened under the chin with bands of silk. The emperor, accompanied by the chamberlains holding the sacred sword and jewel, seated himself on a dais at the inner side of the hall. The sacred sword and jewel were placed on stands beside him. The divine mirror had been previously enshrined in the sanctuary, which was decorated with bamboo blinds, silk portieres and silk curtains. The emperor's seat was a square mat, bordered with brocade woven alternately with vertical lines and floral patterns. The princes and princesses of the blood and other members of tlie imperial family stood in a row in the southern gallery of the hall; the prime minister, household minister, lord keeper of the privy seal, lord chamberlain, grand master of ceremonies, cere-monies, chamberlains, lord steward to the empress, vice grand, master of ceremonies and maids of honor standing behind the members of the imperial family. The chief aide de camp and aides de camp, who were in full military dress, stood near by. Thus was set this historic picture pic-ture of old Japan in marvel of costume and maze of color. Announces Accession. After a brief Interval, the emperor arose and. facing the imperial sanctuary, read an address before. the Kashikodokoro announcing his coronation as the one-hundred one-hundred -and -twenty-second ruler of the Japanese empire and its dependencies and his acquisition of the sacred treasures. treas-ures. Then lie murmured a prayer beseeching be-seeching the protection of his empire by the imperial ancestors. The prayer concluded, con-cluded, the emperor took the sacred bell held by a chamberlain and rang it before the sanctuary, according to Shinto ritual. When the emperor had resumed his place on the dais, the crown prince, princes and princesses of the blood and other members of the imperial family made their obeisance before the sanctuary. A court lady, in ancient robes, made an obeisance as representative of the absent empress. The ceremony Itself was very simple and brief, but was impressive and was august. Subsequently, the emperor, followed fol-lowed by his retinue, retired from the place of ceremony, amid the bow-s of all present. The ministers of state, members of the diet, nobles and other dignitaries were given an opportunity to pay their respects before the imperial sanctuary. The ceremony having been concluded, the offerings were removed from the altar by the ritualists and the doors of the sanctuarv were closed, while the kagura music w;as again played. Then to the sound of sacred gongs and drums all the spectators retired. |
