In the Imperial City the ritual services were very imposing. Those in
expectation of the harvest were held in the great hall of the
Jin-Gi-Kuan, or Council of the Gods of Heaven and Earth. The description
of the ceremonial is given by Mr. Satow.[11] In the prayers offered to
the sun-goddess for harvest, and in thanksgiving to her for bestowing
dominion over land and sea upon her descendant the Mikado, occurs the
following passage:
I declare in the great presence of the
From-Heaven-Shining-Great-DEITY who sits in Ise. Because the
sovran great GODDESS bestows on him the countries of the four
quarters over which her glance extends, as far as the limit
where heaven stands up like a wall, as far as the bounds where
the country stands up distant, as far as the limit where the
blue clouds spread flat, as far as the bounds where the white
clouds lie away fallen--the blue sea plain as far as the limit
whither come the prows of the ships without drying poles or
paddles, the ships which continuously crowd on the great sea
plain, and the road which men travel by land, as far as the
limit whither come the horses' hoofs, with the baggage-cords
tied tightly, treading the uneven rocks and tree-roots and
standing up continuously in a long path without a break--making
the narrow countries wide and the hilly countries plain, and as
it were drawing together the distant countries by throwing many
tons of ropes over them--he will pile up the first-fruits like a
range of hills in the great presence of the sovran great
GODDESS, and will peacefully enjoy the remainder.
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