, 1889-12-01
A JAPANESE WEDDING.
SINGULAR SYMBOLIC RITES AT THE
TIME OF MARRIAGE.

age L. Not a fanure-some Wedding.
ar. Occasions of Jor1ity.
In the dusk Of evening the bride, in a
carriage, surrounded and followed by a
train of uplifted lanterns, proceeds to the
b~ridegroom's house. Hurrah for Hymeni
Every chamber and every room, from
nook to corner, the whole house is mer-
rily lit and ablaze with a forest Of
candles. Upon the altar of family wor-
ship, unseen gods seem to assemble, de-
scending the beams of Pickering lights
and g~raciously accepting the joyful
offerings Of game of the mountains,
fishes of the seas and the first growths
of the earth. Hurrah for the holy
unioni
Yonder in the best hall OF the house,
the candles, larger than u mans arm,
blithely spread their ray over the new
carpets, the new ceilings, the new doors,
and the new walls; and in n deep cut
niche there hangs a silken panel wherein
stand a venerable couple OF snow
crowned ages, under an evergreen
bower of stalwart pine, praising the rise
of yonder sun, mathematical Of happy
union, pure life, old age, and increasing
uCAAbhs ~ 10 ttlb aAlObhtI bdDkh Will a
picture OF "A snow white crane leisurely
contemplating the serene blossoms of
the ume tree-suggestive of chaste lofti-
ness of philosophic salvation.
On the right hand side the third panel
represents a tortoise, covered with sea-
weeds, trailing like long tassels OF golden
wool, in calm rest under a few graceful
bamboo trees, famous for their pliable
but unbeatable strength the whole
symbolizing the meek but uncrushable
virtue and slow but sure triumph of
righteousness. Then in the center OF the
hall, on a small lacquered table, are dis
played heaps of Kombu, a seaweed of
great tenacity and duration, and OF other
vegetables, equally mathematical of vari-
GUS human virtues, skillfully piled and
carved into shapes of a p%rospering pine
tree, a pair of cranes, their nest and
nestlings and 30 on-indicating the happy
future of the union which is now going
to be made.
But hushi here comes Mrs. Nakaudo,
the earthly representative Of the god
Hymen, leading by the arm the bride,
so fair and SO modest, blushing under a
silken veil; they pass In solemnly through
bllc kut5bo oOoi ahu btal lutu1StlNe5 De-
fore the symbolic table. Three minutes
later, Mr.. Nakaudo leads in the BRIDE
groom, who takes his seat opposite the
bride; and Mr.. N. opposite Mrs. N. These
are truly a man and wife OF estimable
character and are the mutual friends OF
the bride and bridegroom's parents or
guardians, honored by the latter with
the trust Of officiating at the holy cere-
mony.
Well, then, the Ms introduce the young
people each to the other. Inaudible &C.
acknowledgements and solemn bowling on
both sides follow. Then Mr.. N. proceeds
to declare the duties OF a man and a
wife, and Of their welded life-a solemn
declaration, uttered in slow, soft, but
penetrating tone. A funny sight, how
ever, looked from its funny side-two
men and two women sitting cross legged
OF the carpet, numbling gravely over a
heap Of tasteless weeds and rootsl But
to see the matter SO ~funnily one must be
a funny creature too. Looked at from
the serious side, how much more pro-
found in its truth than in a mere show
Of ceremony
"Henceforward you are husband and
wifer' 50 says our Nakaudo; and they
become husband and wife. They do not
exchange promises, nor do they grasp
each other by the hands.
"Henceforward you are husband and
wifel' So commands the Nakaudo, and
they vow each other in unuttered words
strict obedience to this commandment,
and signify this by drinking spirit of
Sake out of the same cup. three and
three and three-nine times.
So ends the sacred ceremony. Then
the nearest relatives of the husband are
hurried in turn to the presence of the
bride to be introduced to her. Ali but
now follows the banquet, only not a
good, jolly one. 1t is a family banquet;
none but the blood relatives of the hus-
band and the very nearest of the bride
are present. 1t is a solemn, formal one
in spite of all the magnificent dishes and
sparkling wines.
So ends a Japanese wedding in solem-
nifty from beginning to the end, and l
rather think it should. or course l am
not writing Of our Embellishments and
coolies wedding, which some smart for
eigners saw, and to which they added a
little color and introduced silly modiica-
tons, and finally fitted up for a model
festival Of Christian churches to raise
charity! Yet / do not mean to say u
lower classes marry without any cere-
mony; only they are generally jolly peo-
pie, and everything goes in a jolly way
with them.
The legal side of marriage in Japan is
only this, that no marriage is legal until
it is registered at the registry office, and
the law recognizes only one man and one
woman as a wife and a husband. Japan
is not a ~polygamous nation.
II it is the question of law, Japan is
not a polygamous nation. II, as a matter
of popular sentiment, the younger gener-
alton has it entirely against anything
short Of total announcement of the old
idea-and what nation has not had its
old idea in practice at one time or an
other? At all events, il the Japanese
marriage system seems all unnatural to
foreigners, we have still the satisfaction
OF being able to disprove that silly state
ment which has of late greatly tickled
the incurable sore of b~ald-headed, false
teetled bachelors and maileDs .sAar-