The chanting continued throughout the ceremony. Akiko couldn’t look round at the protesters, but she kept stealing glances at Mr Fujimura and his group. Mr Fujimura himself kept looking forward, but his face steadily darkened, his expression becoming more and more angry. Many of his followers, although not, she noticed, Ms Yamanaka, did glance round. Akiko wondered whether she should do something, confront the protesters and get them to stop, but she had a role in the ceremony, and Shiraishi was showing no signs of wanting to stop.

As soon as Shiraishi brought the ceremony to a close, however, Mr Fujimura stood up from the ground, bowed formally towards the himorogi, and then turned on his heel, striding across the grass to the protesters. Several members of his group scrambled to their feet and followed him.

“<em>What</em> do you think you are doing?â€ He wasn’t shouting, but he sounded very, very angry. Akiko glanced at Shiraishi, and the priest shook her head slightly. <em>Stay out of it, </em>was the clear message.

“We are protesting against the ideology on display here,â€ Mrs Watanabe responded, sounding completely confident in her virtue, “and against the danger that Shinto presents to world peace.â€

“And you call yourselves Japanese? You are children of the kami, and you turn against them like this? What right do you have to live in this country? What right do you have to the protection of the emperor?â€

“The emperor is an anachronism. The Americans should have abolished him after the war.â€

“That is unforgivable. The Imperial line was established by Amaterasu herself to rule over Japan for ever. How can you set yourselves in opposition to the will of the kami, and the will of the son of the kami?â€

“How can you stand there and say that?â€

“I am not the one standing in a shrine to insult the kami. That is your choice. If you wish to turn away from the truth of your blood, the kami of your country, then I cannot stop you. But you are making a grave mistake, and sacrificing your right to live in Japan.â€

“We are citizens of Japan, and religion has nothing to do with the state.â€

Akiko and Shiraishi concentrated on tidying up the ritual equipment, but they kept glancing at each other. Akiko was feeling very uncomfortable now; Mrs Watanabe was trying to bring the shrine down, and Mr Fujimura had saved it, but she was much more in sympathy with what Mrs Watanabe was saying. From the look on her face, Shiraishi felt the same way.

“This is the country of the kami,â€ Mr Fujimura continued, “born from Izanagi and Izanami. It is rightfully ruled by the son of heaven, and we who live here should submit to him, living to respect the kami and honour our ancestors.â€

“See?â€ Akiko glanced round, to see Mrs Watanabe look round at her supporters. “<em>This</em> is the true face of Shinto. This imperialist, fascist ideology. This is what we are fighting.â€

“You are all a lost cause. It is for people like you that we need a law prohibiting disrespect for the emperor.â€

Shiraishi suddenly stood up, walking over to the entrance. Akiko followed her, and the argument paused as both Mr Fujimura and Mrs Watanabe looked at the priest.

“Would you please leave the shrine grounds,â€ Shiraishi said, looking at the protesters. “You disrupted the ceremony, and now you are causing trouble for people who are here legitimately.â€

There was a pause, and then Mrs Watanabe turned and led the protesters down the stairs. Mr Fujimura watched her go, but said nothing.