Japan and the Japanese illustrated . vear at his Court of Yeddo, and to do homaore to him in the midst ofnobles of his crcatiDii. The most numerous and ])icturesque section of the pro-cession consisted of the representatives of all the sects who recognize the spiritualsuin-eiuacy nf the Mikado. The dignitaries of the ancient Kami worship were hardlyto be distinguished by their costume from the great officers of the jialaee ; a costumewhiih reminds us that there was no priesthood in the ancient religious system ofJapan. Buddhism, on the contrary, which c;ime from China, and spread rapidlythroug
Japan and the Japanese illustrated . vear at his Court of Yeddo, and to do homaore to him in the midst ofnobles of his crcatiDii. The most numerous and ])icturesque section of the pro-cession consisted of the representatives of all the sects who recognize the spiritualsuin-eiuacy nf the Mikado. The dignitaries of the ancient Kami worship were hardlyto be distinguished by their costume from the great officers of the jialaee ; a costumewhiih reminds us that there was no priesthood in the ancient religious system ofJapan. Buddhism, on the contrary, which c;ime from China, and spread rapidlythroughout the Empire, was represented by an infinite variety of sects, rites, orders, and 94 LIFE IN JAPAN. fraternities. The Buddhist bonzes and monks formed endless files of grave per-sonages with tonsured or completely shaven heads, some bare, some covered withextraordinary caps, mitres, or broad-brimmed hats. A few carried a crozier in the righthand ; some, a rosaiy; others, fly-brushes, , or a holy-water brush with paper. t€^, rt —.•* ACTUK8 ANU DANCKUS AT THE CoriiT OF Till! MIKADO. streamers. Soutanes, surplices, cloaks of every shape and colour, composed theiraccoutrement. ?? They were followed by the household of the Mikado. The pontifical body-guardsurpassed all iu the elegance of their costume. They left halberts and shirts of mailto the Siogouns men-at-arms, and each wore a lacquered cap ornamented with an openfan upon each side, and a rich silken pourpoint edgecl with pink festoons of the same THE MIKADOS PROCESSION. 95 material. Their feet were hidden in the voluminous folds of their trousers, and a largesword, a bow, and a quiver full of arrows, completed their equipment. Some of them,mounted on horseback, flourished a long switch fastened to the wrist by a cord of silk,with large tufts. Under all this external grandeur there lurked great brutality. Theturbulence and dissoluteness of the young cavaliers of the sacerdotal Court of Japanhave furnished h
Size: 1822px × 1372px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookidjapanjapanes, bookyear1874
