FISHERMAN’S LUCK

Taranaki Daily News, 17 July 1929, Page 3

FISHERMAN’S LUCK

AN ORIENTAL RITUAL. MIKI-SAN’S INVOCATIONS. On the west coast of Vancouver Island in the spring of the year an ancient Oriental ritual is observed among the Japanese trollers. Miki-San, who has the,reputation of being one of the best trollers on the coast, attributes his success in a . large measure to the proper and solemn observance of this time-honoured custom.

According to this practice,- the fishing season must be commenced on the most auspicious day with appropriate ceremony. Although the formalities, are generally the same, the chbice of day is left to individual judgment. • • This year Miki-San started the season rather late, for it took him many days with his almanac to unravel the I mysteries of celestial phenomena. His I final decision was that the greatest good luck was forecasted on Monday, March 4.

He made preparations accordingly, and when March 4 came, he arose before sunrise. His family shrine from the night before was quaintly decorated with evergreens, offerings of oranges and r-fe cakes, and two small bottles of sake corked with crisply-folded white paper.

After having washed’ himself with more than his habitual thoroughness he went, before the shrine to pray to the gods of his ancestors.

At breakfast he took down from the shrine, in the ceremonious manner of a Shinto priest, the sake, which, according to his oelief, was now transformed into a sacred wine. Although it was his custom to take sake hot, in this instance he took it cold, for to warm the sake that the gods had tasted would be sacrilegious.

Soon after breakfast he went out, waving from his boat to his wife and children. It was after daylight. On this day even his three-months-old baby had to see him off.

The ritual however, did not end with Miki-San’s departure. In the afternoon he came back with one large spring salmon. This he cut up into slices and distributed among his neighbours, reserving to himself and his family only the head and the tail.