Page:Nihongi by Aston volume 2.djvu/404

Rh Cho-chi, of Keupson rank, and others, fifty persons in all, immigrated to Japan.

17th day. The Empress visited the Palace of Yoshino.

19th day. A feast of vegetarian food was given within the inner precinct.

25th day. Hö-man, of Han Nama rank, and other Silla men, twelve persons in all, who had come as immigrants, were settled in the province of Musashi.

3rd month, 20th day. Rice of the Shima Palace was given to those inhabitants of the capital and the Home provinces who were eighty years of age and upwards. Each person had twenty sheaves, and those who had official rank received in addition two tan of cloth.

Summer, 4th month, 3rd day. Envoys were sent to worship the great abstinence Deity of Hirose and the Wind-gods of Tatsuta.

7th day. Presents of rice were made to 5031 old men and old women of the capital and Home provinces. Each person had twenty sheaves.

14th day. An edict was issued, as follows:—"Let all public functionaries and people of the Home provinces be divided into nine classes according to the number of days in which they have done service. In the case of those who have official rank, reckoning is to be made for six years, and not longer, and in the case of those of no rank, for seven years only. In accordance with the regulations for the examination of public service, let those of the first four classes receive cap-rank in proportion to their merits, their services, and the importance of the House to which they belong. Their court costume shall be dark purple for those from the rank of Jō-dai-ichi down to that of Kwō-ni, bright purple for those from the rank of Jō-dai-san to that of Kwō-shi, for the eight Shō grades bright purple, for the eight Jiki grades dark red, for the eight Gon grades dark green, for the eight Mu grades light green, for the eight Tsui grades deep blue, and for the eight Shin grades light blue. Apart from this, those of Jō-kwō-ni or higher rank may wear all manner of thin silk gauzes, etc., of one breadth and one kind, while those from the rank of Jō-dai-san to that of Jiki-kwō-shi may wear all manner of thin silk gauzes, etc., of