shirasu

Updated: June 22, 2025

Ushi-haku signifies "to hold in intimate lordship" as one wears a garment whereas shirasu means "to exercise public rights as head of a State." If the ancient prerogatives of the sovereign be tabulated, they stand thus: to conduct the worship of the national deities as general head of all the uji;

F. (Frank) Brinkley - A History of the Japanese People : From the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era