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that your Imperial Majesty has inaugurated over our Eight Islands (151), the present glorious rule which resembles the ideal of the ancient Chinese Emperor Gyo (Yao) (152), and this New Era has brought the peaceful rule, which prevailed all over the Four Seas (153), under the venerable Chinese Emperor Shun (Shun); and now that your Imperial Majesty is endeavouring to restore the present deteriorated customs and habits into those of the good old past, and reform the imperfect system of Government, which has survived, by establishing Government institutions, such as the circumstances now require, and thereby preserve and propagate the essence of the fine customs of the past among your subjects in the hope of perfecting the observance of the ancient laws and State ceremonies by restoring or renewing the beloved old customs and usage that now lapsed into oblivion, I, your Imperial Majesty’s humble servant, sincerely pray that your Imperial Majesty will be pleased to promulgate the ceremonial rules and regulations for worshipping the Shinto gods, utilizing this opportunity, wherever the State institutions are to be reestablished, otherwise I dread that our posterity will have cause to complain of us just as we now do of our own forefathers. I, your Majesty’s humble serbant[errata 1] Hironari, instinctively loyal to the Imperial Court and deeply valuing his cherished old traditions, being now over eighty years of age and having idled my time away to such an advanced age,—if Hironari should ever die suddenly without publishing all the traditions preserved in his family in response to a gracious Imperial special message, his poor soul would be restless in its tomb. Sometimes even the
