On an auspicious day of June, the First Meal Ceremony of Meishu-sama’s great-great-grandson, Mikoto-sama, who is the third child of Masaaki-sama and Mami-okusama, was held at Hekiun-so. I, the reporter, was given special permission to be present.
Mikoto-sama looked very dignified. He wore a hakama (traditional Japanese garment) with the Okada family crest—an ivy within a circle. Accompanied by Masaaki-sama and Mami-okusama, Mikoto-sama made his entrance for the First Meal Ceremony. Under the instructions of Mayumi-okusama and Mami-okusama, the dishes were wholeheartedly prepared in a splendid manner and following the customs of this traditional ceremony, and they were arranged on lacquerware bearing the Okada family crest.
Since Mikoto-sama is a boy, Kyoshu-sama, his grandfather, took on the role of bringing the food to his mouth. The ceremony was carried out following tradition—Kyoshu-sama brought food to Mikoto-sama’s mouth with chopsticks, brought the chopsticks to his mouth after touching the chopsticks on a stone called hagatame-no-ishi (for healthy, hard teeth) and so forth. During the ceremony, Mayumi-okusama, Masaaki-sama, Mami-okusama and Mikoto-sama’s older sisters, Mei-sama and Miyu-sama, were all watching over. In this warm atmosphere, Mikoto-sama was in good spirits from beginning to end, showing a smile occasionally.
After the First Meal Ceremony, Kyoshu-sama, Masaaki-sama and Mikoto-sama took a commemorative photo in front of the divine image of Meishu-sama. Witnessing this rare scene where Meishu-sama’s grandson, great-grandson and great-great-grandson were all together under Meishu-sama, made me, the reporter, go blank with nervousness and honor.
This was a blissful day where I felt that the lineage of Meishu-sama will continue to prosper without end, by seeing with my own eyes the children who will certainly become the Kyoshu-sama in the future in good health, and Meishu-sama’s family gathered together in a harmonious atmosphere. At the same time, I was deeply moved and became emotional when I thought of how happy Meishu-sama must be to welcome this day.
Congratulations, Meishu-sama! Thank you, Meishu-sama!
*The First Meal Ceremony is a traditional Japanese ritual held to celebrate the 100th day of a baby’s life, where feeding gestures are imitated, wishing the baby a life without hunger. This ceremony is usually carried out between 100 and 120 days after birth.
