Rogetsu Kagura
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The Rogetsu Kagura was a ceremony performed every decade on the evening of September 17 during the lunar eclipse. A Vessel and five Organs performed a traditional Japanese theatrical dance known as kagura. The ceremony was based on a much older ritual known as the Rite of Descent. After a tragedy, the Rite of Descent became taboo, and the Kagura sprang up in its wake. Originally only island natives were allowed to view the kagura (although Dr. Kunihiko Asou was allowed to view it during his visit in 1909, escorted by a guardian), but it was opened to tourists in the mid-20th century.[1]
Preparation
Like the performers of the Rite of Descent,[2] the Vessel and her Organs must meditate beneath the mask in the Antechamber for a certain period of time, in order to become one with their masks.[3] Islanders preparing to attend the Kagura would receive masks at the Shugen Temple.[4]
Formerly, the Guardians played an important role in preparations for the festival, particularly in selecting the Organs,[5], but gradually the Guardian traditions declined and their role was all but forgotten.[6]
The Ritual
At 10pm on the day of the festival,[4] the attendees donned their masks and gathered in the Temple of the Lunar Eclipse. The five Organs stood around the stage with their instruments, playing music to accompany the dance. The Vessel, dressed in white, would then begin to dance.
Beginning with the Vessel, the participants in the Kagura (audience members were considered participants) would enter a trance-like state in which the soul was said to have departed the body and they could briefly commune with the dead.[7] This state was referred to as the "utsusemi", or "void" state.[8] At the end of the ceremony, the souls would return, along with lost memories; however, entering the void state could be dangerous. Some participants would find the trance overwhelming, and Moonlight Syndrome was the result.[7]
The Result
On the night of the lunar eclipse, it was believed that the minds of the living sank closer to death, while the souls of the dead returned.[8] The Kagura honoured the dead and protected the living[1] by maintaining the harmony between the two realms.[9].
Although the Rite of descent was intended to summon a gate to the underworld and guide lingering spirits to the other side, the tourist Kagura never served this purpose.
Disaster
On the night of the lunar eclipse in the 1970s, the true Rite of Descent was secretly performed at the same time as the Kagura. When the Mask of the Lunar Eclipse shattered, the Vessel and Organs participating in the Kagura collapsed and the Vessel died. After the tragedy, Rogetsu Isle seemed to exist under a dark cloud of misfortune; people left or disappeared, Moonlight Syndrome patients began to act more strangely,[10] and the place was shunned by locals from nearby islands.[11]
Misc. Info
- During an ordinary kagura, the dancers perform to summon a deity which possesses them. The possession element was used in Fatal Frame IV, but the Rogetsu Kagura is supposed to summon spirits, not deities.[12]
- During Makoto Shibata's background research, he heard accounts of a shrine that performed its kagura ceremonies above and below ground, which gave him the idea to have the Rite of Descent take place underground at the same time as the Kagura was performed above.[13]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "What is the Rogetsu Kagura?", Fatal Frame IV
- ↑ "History of the Rogetsu Antechamber", Fatal Frame IV
- ↑ Spirit list Entry #225, "Utsuwa and Kanade Meditating"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "To Rogetsu Kagura Visitors", Fatal Frame IV
- ↑ Rogetsu Kagura Chronicle, Fatal Frame IV
- ↑ Letter to Soya, Fatal Frame IV
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Rogetsu Kagura (2), Chapter 5: Glossary, Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse Digital Art Book, 2023.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Keywords, Fatal Frame IV official website. English Translation
- ↑ Rogetsu Kagura (1), Chapter 5: Glossary, Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse Digital Art Book, 2023.
- ↑ Nurse's Notes, Fatal Frame IV
- ↑ Choshiro's Investigation Notes (6), Fatal Frame IV
- ↑ Image #35, Chapter 3: Ghosts and Other, Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse Digital Art Book, 2023.
- ↑ Rite of Descent (2), Chapter 5: Glossary, Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse Digital Art Book, 2023.