Rite of Descent

Rite of Descent "..." Kanji 帰来迎　（きらいごう） Location Rogetsu Isle Participants Sakuya Haibara, Ruka Minazuki, Misaki Asou, Madoka Tsukimori, Marie Shinomiya & Tomoe Nanamura Frequency Every 10 years on September 17 Purpose To worship the lunar eclipse and summon a doorway to the other side Game Fatal Frame IV

The Rite of Descent (also called the 'Ceremony of Passage' and the 'Kiraigou' in fan translations) was an ancient ritual performed on Rogetsu Isle.

About The Ritual

The Rite of Descent was the ancient predecessor of the Rogetsu Kagura, and was performed on Rogetsu Isle. Its use was discontinued many years ago, after the failure of Soetsu Yomotsuki's Mask of the Lunar Eclipse caused the first Day of Tranquility; as a result of the disaster, the Rite of Descent became taboo and the islanders began to perform the Kagura instead.

In the 1970s, Shigeto Haibara resurrected the ritual with the help of Soya Yomotsuki, using the revelatory powers of the Camera Obscura to learn about forgotten aspects of the Rite of Descent. Shigeto's own daughter, Sakuya, performed as the dancer. Soya believed that, by studying the Mask of the Lunar Eclipse made by his ancestor Soetsu, he could finally "complete" the mask, and prevent the Day Without Suffering from occurring again.

Preparation

In the past, five young girls with strong Moonsounds would be selected by the Guardian to perform as Organs, and the chosen Vessel would spend time in the Primeval Passage, learning to enter the necessary trance at will. Immediately before the rite, the Organs and Vessel would enter the Rogetsu Antechamber and spend time meditating beneath the enormous mask on the ceiling, becoming one with their masks. Then, the Moonsounds from the altar would open the way to the Temple of Tsukiyomi, where the rite was performed.

With the Guardian tradition having died out, Shigeto Haibara and his son, Yo, selected five girls that were hospitalized at Rogetsu Hall to be used as the Organs in the ritual. These girls were chosen carefully for their obedient and impressionable personalities. Soya Yomotsuki set about making the Mask of the Lunar Eclipse for Sakuya, and five other masks for the Organs in the ritual, all with mind-controlling properties which enabled the girls to play their designated musical instrument. The Haibaras attempted to recreate the music to be used in the ritual, with only partial success.

On the day of the ritual, the girls were taken from the performance of the Kagura and led down to the Temple of Tsukiyomi underneath the Temple of the Lunar Eclipse.

Result

When performed properly, the Rite of Descent was intended to open the gate to the Hallowed Realm at the moment of total eclipse. The reflection of the dark moon on the sea would become a gateway through which the souls of the dead depart, guided by the successful Vessel, who becomes the channel through which they all flow.

Failure

At the climax of the ritual, Sakuya's mask broke, and her face visibly began to blossom. She and the five Organs collapsed. As Sakuya was now in a coma-like state, Shigeto and Yo dragged her out from the performance area and had her locked in the basement of Rogetsu Hall. The five girls, who had lost all their memories, were taken to the Moonglow Cavern to recover, and were discovered there two weeks later by the detective Choshiro Kirishima.

The tourist kagura, which was being performed above at exactly the same time, also failed. The Vessel and Organs in this ritual also collapsed, and the Vessel died from the resonance of Sakuya's blossoming.

Aftermath

Sakuya was kept in the basement, constantly monitored by her nurse and the guard stationed outside. The guard wanted to cut off Sakuya's face, as the island's tradition dictated that the faces of the dead must be harvested lest they blossom. However, Sakuya had not truly died, but lingered in a state between life and death, and so it was forbidden to remove her face.

Two years after the failed ritual, Sakuya awoke and left the basement. Her resonance caused everyone who saw her to blossom, thus bringing about the second Day of Tranquility.

Her ghost continued to wander the island, and ten years after the failed ritual, on the date of the next lunar eclipse, she ascended to the Cape Tsukiyomi Lighthouse to be closer to the moon. There she was subdued with the Moonsong and the repaired Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, and the ritual was completed, allowing the souls of the dead to cross over.

Misc. Info

• The name 'Kiraigō' is a play on the Japanese Buddhist idea of the Raigō. While Raigō means "welcoming approach", Kiraigou means "welcoming return" - rather than the dead being beckoned on to the next life, they are being temporarily welcomed back during the ritual.