Rite of Descent

This page contains spoilers for Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse.

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

A traditional ritual performed on Rogetsu Isle.

About The Ritual

The Kiraigou was the ancient predecessor of the Rougetsu Kagura, and was performed on Rogetsu Isle. Its use was discontinued many years ago, after the failure of Souetsu Yomotsuki's Mask of the Lunar Eclipse caused the first Day Without Suffering; as a result of the disaster, the Kiraigou became taboo and the islanders began to perform the Kagura instead.

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

Preparation

In the past, five young girls with a strong Lunar Melody would be selected by the Tsukimori Shrine Maidens to perform as Kanade. They would practise for a hundred days, and the chosen Utsuwa would meditate in the underground tunnels to be purified.

With the Tsukimori tradition having died out, Shigeto Haibara and his son, You, selected five girls that were hospitalized at Rougetsu Hall to be used as the Kanade in the ritual. These girls were chosen since they had not yet "broken" (become susceptible to the deadliest part of the disease). Souya Yomotsuki set about making the Mask of the Lunar Eclipse for Sakuya, and five other masks for the Kanade in the ritual, all with mind-controlling properties which enabled the girls to play their designated musical instrument. The Haibaras set about restoring the old sheet music to be used in the ritual, known as the Lunar Melody or Tsukimori Song.

On the day of the ritual, the girls were taken from the performance of the Kagura and led down to the secret ritual area underneath the hospital.

Result

When performed properly, the Kiraigou was intended to open the gate to the "Other World" at the moment of total eclipse. The reflection of the dark moon on the sea would become a hole through which the souls of the dead depart, guided by the successful Utsuwa, 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 Bloom. She and the five Kanade collapsed. As Sakuya was now in a coma-like state, Shigeto and You dragged her out from the performance area and had her locked in the basement of Rougetsu Hall. The five girls, who had lost all their memories, were taken to the Moonbeam Well 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 Utsuwa and Kanade in this ritual also collapsed; however, they all died.

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 removed lest they Bloom. He was denied, however, as Sakuya had not truly died, but lingered in a state between life and death.

Two years after the failed ritual, Sakuya awoke and broke out of the basement. She circled the island, "infecting" those who saw her face with Blooming, and thus bringing about the second Day Without Suffering.

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 Tsukuyomi Peninsula Lighthouse to be closer to the moon. There she was subdued with the Tsukimori Song and the repaired Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, and the ritual was completed, allowing the souls of the dead to cross over.

Misc. Info

• In the English fan translation of the game, the Kiraigou is called the Ceremony of Passage.
• The name 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 welcomed into the next life, they are being temporarily welcomed back during the ritual.
• Notably, the Haibaras' revival of the ritual lacked several of the components included in previous ceremonies (for example, the selection of the Kanade by the Tsukimori Shrine Maidens, and 100 days of meditation in the Rougetsu Tunnels). It is possible that these missing elements contributed to the failure of the ritual, since the ceremony might not be considered 'complete' without them.