Face-Cutting
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Face-cutting or harvesting (顔刈り, literally 'face-pruning' or 'face-reaping', a verb often associated with cutting flowers or grass) was a ritual performed on Rogetsu Isle so that the dead would not blossom. It became tradition after the first Day of Tranquility.[1]
Preparation
When somebody who was dying had showed signs of Budding, they would be watched over until they were no longer breathing.[2]
The Ritual
A Shrine Guard who knew the island's ritual traditions would cut the face of the deceased from the body, using a curved blade like a small sickle.[3]
Result
The dead person could not blossom, and the islanders were protected.
Facial skin might also be removed from those who had not budded, and this skin could be used to make ritual masks. Skins removed this way were purified overnight in the Shugen Temple, then tanned and used in the Vessel masks.[4]