The bride and groom were coming to the hall of worship, accompanied by Shinto priests
There were unexpectedly many worshippers at the Iseyama Kotaijingu Shrine in Yokohama. In particular, there were a lot of young men and women hanging around in front of the prayer hall. They were all dressed up nicely, so I guessed they were attending a wedding ceremony to be held on the shrine grounds. As I wandered around the prayer hall, looking like one of the attendees, the bride and groom appeared, accompanied by Shinto priestesses. Then, as if beckoned, the bride in a cotton hat walked past me and entered the hall.
Here at the Iseyama Kotaijingu Shrine, you can hold a Shinto wedding ceremony just like many other Shinto shrines. There is a mention of Shinto wedding ceremonies on the official website. By the way, Shinto wedding ceremonies are not traditional wedding ceremonies in Japan; they originated from the civilian imitation of Emperor Taisho's wedding ceremony in 1900. Yet it is still widely practiced more than 100 years later, and it must have fit the Japanese people's sensibilities because it looks like an ancient Japanese tradition.
Since I often see people getting married when I visit shrines, I thought that Shinto shrines and Shinto weddings were always combined, but even this is not true. There are shrines where weddings are not allowed. Surprisingly, weddings are not allowed at Ise Jingu Shrine, which is the original home of Shinto shrines. You can only report your marriage in front of the shrine. In this light, it seems that shrines hold Shinto weddings more as a way to earn money than as a Shinto ritual.
| Jun 2021 KANAGAWA PEOPLE | |
| BRIDE GROOM MEDIUM SHRINE YOKOHAMA |
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PHOTO DATA
No
11924
Shooting Date
Sep 2020
Posted On
June 1, 2021
Modified On
August 22, 2023
Place
Yokohama, Kanagawa
Genre
Street Photography
Camera
SONY ALPHA 7R II
Lens
ZEISS BATIS 2/40 CF
