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Rite of Descent
Kiraigou
Japanese name 帰来迎
Romaji name Kiraigou
Other names Ceremony of Passage
Location(s) Temple of Tsukiyomi, Rougetsu Hall, Rogetsu Isle
Participants Vessel, Organs
Frequency Every 10 years on September 17th
Purpose Guide all the souls into reaching Area Zero
Game Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse


The Rite of Descent (帰来迎 Kiraigou) is a forbidden ritual in Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse. It was banned from use after the first Day of Tranquility.

Purpose[]

The Rite was used to cleanse Rogetsu Island of the accumulated spirits of the deceased by sending them to what the islanders call "The Hallowed Lands".

This is necessary because the island's natural features combine to create a unique phenomenon called Resonance. This Resonance has the effect of drawing in, preserving, and amplifying the spirits of the dead. As such, those who die on the island become trapped there in death, with the island's Resonance allowing those spirits to have an abnormally strong presence, to the point where they begin to interrupt the living world. Without the regular cleansing of the island, the accumulated build up of spirits would become overwhelming and begin to taint the island.

Once per decade, Rogetsu Island experiences a natural lunar eclipse on September 17th. The reflection of this lunar eclipse on the ocean's surface opens a portal to the Hallowed Realm. The Rite was timed to last the length of the eclipse, in order to channel as many spirits as possible from the island and through this passageway to the Hallowed Lands while it was still open.

Description[]

The Rite took place in the underground Temple of the Lunar Eclipse, presumably so the chamber's Resonance could amplify the strength of the Rite.

The ceremony consists of one Vessel, a chosen maiden as the central figure. This maiden was considered an "offering" to the dead, and would perform a kagura, a traditional spiritual dance wherein the performer was said to transform into the embodiment of an invoked deity. In this case, she would become death and/ or the Moon.

For the duration of the lunar eclipse, the Vessel danced on the wide dais, surrounded by five young Organs. These were young girls who provided musical accompaniment and spiritual support for both the Vessel and the dead. Each Organ played a different instrument: drum, chimes, flute, drums, and vocal song.

As the Kagura progressed, the Vessel would seek to lose herself to the frenetic dancing and music and attain a void state. This state of emptiness allowed her to become a channel for the spirits, drawing them in and then passing them through to the other side.

All of the performers would be masked and all observers were likewise masked. The Guardians would oversee the proceedings of the Rite.

Ritual[]

Selection[]

While the exact selection criteria are unknown, it is known that the Guardians played a major part in the selection and preparation of the six participating maidens. The maidens would need to possess spiritual powers and particularly strong Moon Songs.

Organs[]

The Organs would receive instruction on their instruments and the Lunar Melodies they would incorporate into the Rite. The Organs would spend the 100 days before the eclipse, (starting June 9th) preparing for their roles and practicing their music.

Vessel[]

The Vessel would descend into the Primeval Passage under the island and live in complete darkness as she prepared for her role. There, she learned how to obtain an empty, void, state, pass through death, and return. In doing so, she gained the ability to concourse with spirits. It is uncertain how long this training lasted, or what forms this training took, but the training was considered very dangerous and few maidens were able to withstand it successfully.

Masks[]

Masks were created for all participants and observers, presumably by the members of the Yomotsuki family. Observers wore masks as a form of protection, mirroring the funerary practices of the island to make them seem like those of the dead who were drawn to the Rite, as well as providing some spiritual reinforcement against the risk of Resonance. A person's face was intrinsically tied to their sense of self, (which is why it distorts as their spirits corrupts from Budding or Blooming), and a mask aided them in maintaining their identity.

Masks were also created for the Vessel and Organs. New masks were created each Rite. Unlike the masks for the observers, these masks were intended to aid the Vessel and Organs in losing themselves and obtaining a void state. Little is known about the Organ masks, except that each had a specific design related to their designated instrument.

The Vessel's mask was black, and fairly plain. The goal being a general, ambiguous, or blank face, to aid her in losing her self. The inside of mask was lined with the removed and tanned face of an un-Budded, recently deceased person. The face must be removed, tanned, purified, and prepared by moonlight. One assumption is that by donning another person's face, the Vessel becomes even more likely to lose her own self and obtain an empty state.

Purification[]

Immediately before the Rite began, the Vessel and Organs would don their masks and purified in the Antechamber by meditating under the moonlight and listening to the Lunar Melody. There, they would "become one" with their masks, before exiting to the dais and beginning the Rite.

Result[]

If carried out successfully, the island would be cleansed of all lingering spirits.

The Vessel was given the difficult task of needing to be able to fully empty and forget herself, in order to be unaffected by the spirits of the dead passing through her, while also having a strong enough sense of self and identity to withstand the strain and come back to herself afterwards. Vessel who failed in achieving this balance went insane and/ or lost or damaged their Moon Song, resulting in Budding. Several sacred texts admonish that the Vessel must be chosen with extreme care, since so few were capable of withstanding the training and experience.

Outside of this, the fate of former Organs and Vessel is unknown.

It is most probable that retired masks were enshrined in the Shugen Temple, or else destroyed.

On an unknown date in ancient history, the Rite of Descent was corrupted when the genius master artisan, Soetsu Yomostuki, created the Mask of the Lunar Eclipse using forbidden techniques and materials and subbed it in for the Vessel to wear. Instead of cleansing the island, Soetsu wished to explore the Hallowed Realm and further understanding of the place where souls are made, return to, and are reborn from.

Because the mask completely erased the Vessel's soul, she was unable to return to herself after the Rite completed, and her connection to the Hallowed Realm remained open. The mask shattered during the Rite, and the Vessel's face Blossomed, before she fell into a coma and appeared to have died. Shortly after, she awoke, fully Bloomed, and wandered the island. Her strong Resonance caused everyone who looked upon her face to die instantly.

The disaster was called the Day of Tranquility, because those who died, did so without thought, struggle, or pain, in perfect tranquility.

Outlawing and Evolution[]

In the aftermath of the Day of Tranquility, the survivors took steps to ban the Rite of Descent to prevent a re-occurrence.

The Temple of the Lunar Eclipse was sealed shut and the Rite of Descent forbidden. Many sacred texts were destroyed, hidden, or locked away. The Yomostuki clan and their masks, blamed for the disaster, were nearly snuffed out, with the majority of their preserved masks destroyed.

The new practice of face-cutting was begun as a way to prevent those from Budded in life from returning and corrupting others via Resonance.

However, the features of Rogetsu mean that without the regular cleansing of the island, the spirits of the dead would continuously build up, and Resonance and Moonlight Syndrome would begin to impact the islanders. Within two generations, it became necessary to bring back the Rite in an altered form: the Rogetsu Kagura.

Sogen Yomostuki aided in rebuilding the mask-making arts of the island and creating new masks which fit with the new ritual, and the Guardians again took up overseeing and preparation of the new ritual, and administering the sacred songs.

Recreation[]

With most of the records of the original Rite of Descent lost to time and the unexplained decline and possible dissolution of the Guardians some time between 1910-1950s/ 1960s, there was little evidence of what the Rite of Descent had actually been like, and even pieces of the Rogetsu Kagura had been lost. Shigeto Haibara, Yo Haibara, and Soya Yomotsuki sought to recreate the Rite of Descent and the Mask of the Lunar Eclipse. They spent years doing research, aided by the Camera Obscura to recover lost texts.

They succeeded in recreating the Rite of Descent in 1970.

However, instead of their intended goal, they essentially repeated the outcome of the original disaster, though to a stronger degree. For example, the new and more refined Mask of the Lunar Eclipse merely split instead of being fully destroyed, and Sakuya, the chosen Vessel, had previously Budded, and so Blossomed to an even greater extent, killing every person on the island during the Second Day of Tranquility, instead of roughly half.

Choshiro’s Notebook[]

Summary[]

The Rogetsu Kagura evolved from an earlier, more primitive form called the Rite of Descent.

Failure[]

For some reason, the Rite of Descent was not completed successfully. Yo Haibara’s sister became “the living dead” and remained in a sleep-like state.

Yo Haibara was hiding on this island, waiting for his sister to wake up…

Trivia[]

An unused folklore/ diary note discovered in the gaming code by fans doing the fan translation revealed that they originally intended for the instruments used during the Rite of Decent to have special properties or powers. It described a mother who had discovered her young daughter had found and played to flute intended for the Rite. The girl was compelled to play the flute all night long, and was dead by morning though she continued to play on, since the flute could only be played safely during the Rite. These extra notes are not considered canon as they were not included in actual gameplay or bonus content, and were never intended to be seen.

Gallery[]

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