It would seem that the Tanabata festival was first established
in Japan eleven hundred and fifty years ago, as an Imperial Court
festival only, in accordance with Chinese precedent. Subsequently
the nobility and the military classes everywhere followed imperial
example; and the custom of celebrating the Hoshi-mat-suri, or
Star-Festival,--as it was popularly called,--spread gradually
downwards, until at last the seventh day of the seventh month became,
in the full sense of the term, a national holiday. But the fashion of
its observance varied considerably at different eras and in different
provinces.

[Footnote 5: For a translation and explanation of this song, see
_infra_, page 30.]

The ceremonies at the Imperial Court were of the most elaborate
character: a full account of them is given in the _K[=o]ji
Kongen_,--with explanatory illustrations. On the evening of the
seventh day of the seventh month, mattings were laid down on the east
side of that portion of the Imperial Palace called the Seir-y[=o]den;
and upon these mattings were placed four tables of offerings to the
Star-deities. Besides the customary food-offerings, there were placed
upon these tables rice-wine, incense, vases of red lacquer containing
flowers, a harp and flute, and a needle with five eyes, threaded
with threads of five different colors. Black-lacquered oil-lamps were
placed beside the tables, to illuminate the feast. In another part of
the grounds a tub of water was so placed as to reflect the light of
the Tanabata-stars; and the ladies of the Imperial Household attempted
to thread a needle by the reflection. She who succeeded was to be
fortunate during the following year. The court-nobility (_Kugé_) were