Japanese Emperor Naruhito spends night with sun goddess in final accession ritual
- The Daijosai rite has prompted lawsuits from critics who say it echoes Japan’s militaristic past and violates the separation of church and state
- Although Daijosai existed more than 1,000 years ago, the current ritual largely took its form in the late 1800s
The “Daijosai” rite centres on Amaterasu Omikami – the sun goddess from whom conservatives believe the emperor is descended. It is the most overtly religious of the series of rituals marking Naruhito’s taking over after his father Akihito’s abdication.
The rite has prompted lawsuits from critics who say it smacks of the militaristic past and violates the constitutional separation of church and state since the central government pays the 2.7 billion yen (US$25 million) cost.
Rumours have persisted that the emperor has conjugal relations with the goddess, a view put forth in pre-world war two textbooks, an era when the emperor was considered divine. Naruhito’s grandfather Hirohito, in whose name Japan fought the war, was stripped of his divinity after Japan lost. But scholars and the government say the rite involves sharing a meal of dishes from across Japan to seal the emperor’s new status.
“This ritual is basically a feast involving the sun goddess and the emperor,” said John Breen, professor at the International Research centre for Japanese Studies, Kyoto, who notes that most coronations have mystical elements. “The emperor is transformed by partaking of this feast.”
At about 7pm the emperor, dressed in pure white robes, entered a specially built shrine compound by torchlight, disappearing behind white curtains.
Although the empress, dressed in robes with a long train, also appears, she does not follow him in.