I was with a group of tourists at the Meiji temple and was wondering if we would be lucky enough to see a traditional wedding. Even after all this time, if I was still fascinated by the bride in the white kimono, shiromuku, I could see how picturesque it must be for those newly arrived in Japan. And I was lucky: I saw two such Japanese women pass by accompanied by the whole procession. The tourists were happy, they took dozens of pictures, and I wondered how the hell no one dies of sunstroke on a hot August day. Then I was asked if this is how all weddings are in Japan. I almost burst out laughing, remembering the tacky European weddings I’ve had to attend and how much money is spent on them. You might be asking yourself, “Wait, Yamamoto, didn’t you have a wedding in Japan?”. Well, yes, I had, I can’t lie: money was spent even then, not mine anyway, because I was too young to have money and too naive to understand the whole industry behind these events. However, my wedding was not in bad taste, because it was mine. And to answer the question: no, not all weddings are traditional.
Sabina YamamotoPhoto: Personal archive
Today, Christian themed weddings are the most popular, with 64.3% of couples choosing this style – although it’s almost always just a style, rarely linked to the religious beliefs of those choosing them. These are followed by civil weddings (16.8%) and Shinto weddings (16.7%). A very small number opt for a Buddhist ceremony or simply register the documents without any other hassle.
Wedding – marriage (religious); ceremonial and party organized on the occasion of a (religious) marriage. Wedding in Japan – a show where two people in love celebrate the beginning of a joint venture, with the promise to stay together through thick and thin…a centuries-old tradition…a billion-yen business.
Getting married in Japan is one of the most expensive ways to unite your destinies. A huge industry has blossomed around this business, from high-quality Blu-ray movies of the event, to parties where the bride changes her outfit several times – wearing extravagant dresses – to handing out wedding rings, cutting the cake, gallons of champagne and pretentious priests . Nevin Thomson says in an article published in December 2016: I have married 900 people in Japan. Back in the late 1990s early 2000s, I moonlighted as a fake priest and officiated 450 weddings without ever being ordained – or even being especially religious. I’m white, male, and I was available. And that’s really all it took to get the gig.*
It is easy to notice the numerous chapels with exaggerated design, the European churches that put a faux – faithful imitations – in the most famous areas of Tokyo, but inside which hides a well-oiled economic machine that offers an incredible exchange of profitable for the big corporations that own them. Many wedding dresses are imported from China or Europe and are rented out to brides-to-be, often being reused, not once, but several times. Savvy agents might claim it’s green business, but in reality, it’s just a smart business move. right Marriage Trend Survey 2021, the average number of people invited to a wedding is 43, and the average cost is 2,923,000 yen (around $20,000). But are they getting their money’s worth? Probably yes, the wedding gift differs depending on the degree of kinship and relationship the guests have with the bride and groom, so friends and colleagues will contribute 30,000 yen ($203), bosses 50,000 yen ($340) , distant relatives around 30,000-50,000 yen, and close relatives will give between 50,000-100,000 yen.
When east meets west
For most Japanese, the concept of marriage has been shaped by decades of cinema and romance novels. The modern wedding ceremony is a combination of tradition and Hollywood influences, but beneath the layer of commercialism lies a deep meaning. In 1993, Princess Masako’s wedding was a very popular event that blended Japanese and Western formal traditions, spawning a wave of copycat brides. These new wedding traditions are taken very seriously by Japanese couples, but let’s not forget that even the oldest customs are relatively new, only a few hundred years old.
What does a traditional wedding mean?
During the Edo period (1615–1868), the social structure was heavily controlled by the Tokugawa military regime. mARRIAGE daimyo (feudal ruler belonging to the samurai elite) and of the families of the shogunate were arranged based on political interests, with the need for the consent of the shogun. Wedding ceremonies were formal, based on the conventions of the Muromachi period, and had traditionally been held at night, but by the Edo period it had become common to take place during the day. When a daimyo was marrying the shogun’s daughter, the ceremony was more elaborate, involving the construction of a new wing at his residence. Wedding suits were significant for daimyo rich and powerful and represented social rank and political alliances. They were elaborate and carefully prepared. The wedding ceremonies of the Edo period left valuable traces in cultural history.
On the other hand, common people had a similar tradition, and wealthy merchants ordered expensive and refined housewares, furniture, and kimonos for their daughters. However, their wedding ceremonies were much simpler, and the kit could be carried to the groom’s house in just a few crates. Laws issued by the shogunate strictly limited the use of gold and other expensive materials by the less affluent social strata in order to control how they displayed their wealth.
The Shinto wedding ceremony in Japan is one of the most complicated and fascinating, although it is a relatively modern invention. The first mention of a wedding in a Shinto textbook was in 1872; but they were not reported until the 1880s, and these were confined to the families of Shinto priests.
The twelve steps of the Shinto wedding ceremony is a complex ritual that preserves the deep meaning of the Shinto faith. The bride and groom are dressed traditionally and go through stages such as the procession to the shrine (where priests and guests are present), entering the shrine (with the bride’s family on the left and the groom’s family on the right), the purification ceremony (essential in the Shinto faith), the reading of the prayer Shinto to announce the marriage of the gods, the exchange of three glasses of sacred sake in a powerfully named ritual San-San-Kudo, the dance offered to the gods by Shinto priestesses and others. But in recent years, very few choose a traditional wedding.
Buddhist temple weddings are even less sought after, but still a special experience, especially in one of the Zen temples in Kyoto, for example. The ceremony is much simpler and involves the recitation of Buddhist sutras and the exchange of formal vows before a Buddhist priest.
What does a modern ceremony look like?
When I said the Japanese wedding is a spectacle, I wasn’t kidding. Everything is directed, everything is thought out, there is nothing unplanned. Everything was planned to the smallest detail months in advance, including when and how the bride and groom would appear at the ceremony and later at the party (how to walk, how to hold hands, how to look at each other, what to say). The event itself is usually divided into two parts: the wedding ceremony (kekkonshiki) and the wedding party (hiroen). One essential, important thing to know is that there is no dancing at Japanese weddings, no one is dancing. Would it be difficult to control the dancing of dozens of guests if someone stole the bride? How would that be explained? Instead, those in attendance will witness a series of speeches from the bride and groom: one from the bride’s boss, one from the groom’s boss, and one from each of the couple’s best friends. There will be many tears, and one of the highlights is when the bride, followed by the groom, reads a letter to her parents, in which she remembers moments from her childhood, her transition to adulthood, and ends her speech by thanking them for all their efforts. This would be an extremely emotional moment if it weren’t for the whole backstory. The groom, while the bride pulls her snot, holds the microphone and discreetly hands her the handkerchief from his pocket. Another very well thought out thing is the serving of the meal. It’s simple, the bride and groom don’t get to stick their forks in the steak because, around their table, all their friends, colleagues, bosses, cousins, grandparents, nephews, parents, aunts and uncles will pass; all with a bottle of drink in hand, to pour into the bride and groom’s glasses, to give luck and to take pictures. –Read the entire article and comment on Contributors.ro
