The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1886-04-07
A JAPANESE MARRIAGE.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CEREMONY
By AN EYEWITNESS.
GeOrgeous Raiment Of the Guests
The Toddling Bride aud Abashed
Bridegroom-Odd Customs.

y gentleman WHO mas seen WeuuluB |
in high life in Japan has given an ac-
count of the ceremony to a Philadelphia
Press representative: 81 had been,' he
said, Staying four days in a tea house at
Osaka, which, on account of being the
seat Of all that is prominent in art, liter
atl1re and the drama, is often spoken of
as the Paris of Japan, when l was in
formed that Toliwa, a pretty maid of
seventeen, the daughter of my host, Fu-
lama Madura was to be welded to YOri-
tomO Sanjo, rich young man who was
proprietor of big theatre. The wedding
was tremendous affair owing to the
high standing of the families of the bride
and groom 1t was celebrated in. the
evening, and three of the largest rooms
on the second a. top floor were thrown
into one for the occasion by simply push
ing the paper screen walls that separated
them out of the way. Then the spacious
apartment was lavishly decorated with
bright scrolls of pictures and notices
and verses from the Japanese poets and
with proverbs about matrimony and por-
traits of all sorts of jolly looking gods of
good luck and wealth and happiness.
''The raiment of the young ladies and
little boys and girls were simply too
gorgeous to be described without the aid
of well-stocked paint box. All the
girls, big and little had their odd faces
very few of them are pretty powdered
and painted in a manner most fearful to
behold, but considered very charming
by their countrymen. Their eyebrows
were blackened, too, and the girls under
twelve years had all sorts of odd pins in
hasr hot 70
BILE female ever makes use of them.
''At last everyone had arrived and was
seated on the floor of the big room where
the wedding was to take place. They
made the place fairly hum with their
merry clatter, and the youngsters gathered
about me in a sort of irregular circle and
shook with laughter whenever l spoke to
or smiled at them. Their parents tried
to keep them still, but couldn't, and had
it not been for their sense of politeness
they too would have stared as hard as
the children. As it was they would
keep their eyes on me when they thought
l was not observing them, but instantly
| looked away and pretended not to be at
all curious whenever l glanced their way.
/ At the end of the room where the cere-
mony was to take place there stood on
the matted floor dwarf pine tree about
three feet high and under it the figures
| of an old man and old woman, the
| whole symbolizing a long life of
married happiness and green old age.
There were also two brown storks and a
bronze tortoise, and a swinging censor
of the came metal gave forth the rich
perfume of burning sandal-wood. On a
low stand of gold lacquered wood there
were three slender porcelain bottles
covered with figures of the god of
wealth and health and other desirable
features of life, one being twice the size
of the others, and also a beautiful little
cloisonne vessel, looking like a teapot
with two spOuts, the one opposite the
other, and with a handle of laquered bam-
boo. A small tray, on which were three
delicate little china cups, each standing
! in the one beneath it, completed the out
fit necessary for the proper performance
of the marriage, which in Japan is
neither u religious or a civil ceremony
and no priest or government official is
needed to tie the knot The Japs call
the ceremony san-san-ku-do, or three
times three are nine.
"When three young girls had ceased
I
tion on a native guitar, a small drum
and squeal1y flute the wedding party
entered First came two girls who were
to act as the bridesmaids, and they were
dressed in the loveliest shade of coral
pink crepe embroidered with an irregu-
lar fight Of butterflies, which, the Japs
say, always fly in pairs, and which are
nearly always present in some design or
another at weddings. Their sashes
were blue and silver The fair TOkiwa
then appeared, toddling between her
proud parents (all japanese women
'tOddle' rather than walk, and complete
ly veiled with a white scarf. Her dress
was of dove-colored crepe. with here and
there a white stork in full flight across
the face of great round golden sun, from
which the rays shot out two or three
inches in all directions. Her sash was
of the same shade of pink as the brides
maids dresses, with graceful sprays of
cherry blossoms stamped upon it, and
her tiny feet now and then peeped out
clad in snOw-white little mitten socks.
Following came YoritOmO, quite
abashed by the attention he was receiv-
ING from the audience and tianked on
either side by his mother and father, both
very old people and both the picture Of
antique good humor. YOritOmO was
about twenty-four, short, sturdy, with
jet black hair, arranged in the conven-
tional fashion, and wore costume OF
claret-colored material, over which were
designs that looked like a terrific thun-
der-storm, with sheet, chain and fork
lightning playing about the forms Of the
most amazing collection Of dragons and
fishes. which were disporting themselves
by twisting themselves into double bow
knots and other uncomfortable positions.
It was the most stunning garment l ever
saw on a man There was a tremendous
amount Of etiquette gone through with,
but the way that these two young people
really got married was about as follows
Zach of the bridesmaids took one oil