Neges

Neges (or more commonly CANUSIS) is tie name of an order of Japanese monks or secular priests who officiate in the mias or temples. They are either maintained by the endowment money of the mia to which they may happen to belong, or by a pension from the Dairi; but their principal support is derived from the voluntary contributions of the devotees. The Canusis wear, as a badge of their office, either a white or yellow robe over their ordinary dress. Their cap, which is made in the shape of a boat, is tied under the chin with silken strings. Upon this cap are tassels with fringes to them, which are longer or shorter according to the rank of the person who wears them. Their beards are close shaven, but their hair is very long; the superiors, however, wear it curled up under a piece of black gauze. At each ear is a long piece of silk, which comes forward over the lower part of the face. The order of the Canusis depends, with respect to spiritual concerns, on the decision of the Dairi, and with regard to temporal matters they are subject, like all other ecclesiastics, to the authority of the judge of the temple, who is appointed by the secular monarch. The superiors of the Canusis are remarkable for their pride and contempt of the common people. They are to be seen scattered throughout all the provinces and cities of the empire. The leading monks reside at Miaco; but, though invested with great authority and influence over the people, they are always subject to the imperial authority, which punishes ecclesiastical delinquents with death. The Canusis, in their discourse to the people, dwell chiefly on points of morality. They preach from a rostrum or pulpit, and alongside of them is placed the tutelar idol of the sect or order to which they belong, and to this the devotees present their free-will offerings. On each side of the pulpit there is a lighted lamp suspended from the canopy, and a little below it is a desk or pen for the younger priests, where some of them sit and others stand. The preacher wears a hat upon his head shaped like an umbrella, and holds a fan in his hand. Before commencing his sermon he appears to meditate for a little, then rings a small bell by way of enjoining silence upon his audience; and after quiet is obtained he opens a book which lies upon a cushion before him, containing the moral precepts and fundamental principles of the religion of his sect. Having chosen his text, he delivers his discourse, which is usually clear and vigorous in its language, and strictly methodical in its arrangement. The peroration very often consists of a high-flown eulogium upon the order to which the preacher belongs. The audience are called upon, by the ringing of a little bell, to kneel down and say their prayers, sometimes before and sometimes after the sermon. On certain days set apart for the dead, the Japanese priests, as well as monks, sing the Namanda to the sound of little bells for the repose of their deceased friends. See Macfarlane, Japan (Lond. 1852, 8vo), book 4.