Rite of Descent
 This page contains spoilers for Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse. |
| ||||||||||||||||||
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 a strong Lunar Melody would be selected by the Tsukimori Shrine Maidens to perform as Organs. They would practise for a hundred days, and the chosen Vessel would meditate in the underground tunnels to be purified.
With the Tsukimori tradition having died out, Shigeto Haibara and his son, Yo, selected five girls that were hospitalized at Rogetsu 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). Soya 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 Moonsong.
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 Rite of Descent 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 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 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 Vessel and Organs in this ritual also collapsed, and the Vessel 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 blossom. 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 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 welcomed into the next life, they are being temporarily welcomed back during the ritual.