There is a commonly held view that because there are many non-believing people celebrating weddings in churches in the West; it is perfectly acceptable for Japanese couples to do the same.
But it is not the same. There are significant differences in many respects:
- Firstly, the likelihood of a wedding being presided over by a fake priest in the West is extremely slim.
- Secondly, irreligious people from cultures which have been shaped by Christianity have a greater degree of understanding of the significance of matters deemed holy before choosing to reject. Japanese people, by and large, do not have this advantage.
- Thirdly, should the clients be moved by the Bible message delivered by the celebrant, the option for further pastoral care is rarely offered or even possible.
- Fourthly, the conduct of a wedding ceremony in the West has legal ramifications. The Japanese version does not share that degree of weight.
- Fifthly, in western countries, the wedding blessing is seen as part of the wider remit of the Church. The Church corporate offers services to parishioners from cradle to the grave. In
- Sixthly, the Japanese form is in many instances the simulation of a ‘real’ ritual, the Western counterpart is not a simulation.
- Additionally, the Japanese experience casts a narrow stereotype and does nothing to promote gender equality which is a hallmark of Western cultures.
In Japan, 'Korean-style' kimchi is is still universally recognizable as kimchi but leaning a little more towards Japanese pickles than the famous product of its immediate neighbour. It is also inaccurate to call the wedding celebrations which are in focus here as Western-style and efforts should be made to resist labeling them as such. However, in that a usable, overarching term is required, Christian-style wedding is the most appropriate when considering all the relevant factors. It is hoped that in this modern age, consumers would be developing a keen sense of healthy skepticism about anything touted as "..............-style".
The motivation people have to choose a Church based wedding in the west is not only for aesthetic reasons:
75 per cent of those opting for a church ceremony say that one of the main reasons for their choice is that they want a 'proper' wedding. They see church as a positive choice, and not ‘just another venue’. In fact, 60 per cent of those surveyed said that their church has a particular meaning for them or their fiancé.
“Couples preparing to commit their lives to each other clearly value an environment and support network that is about far more than just being a ‘venue’. The Church offers an open door before and after the wedding day itself – and this research shows that people appreciate that.” (The Church of England)
Incidentally, the most popular Christian hymn at these weddings is "What a friend we have in Jesus" (the sad irony being that many participants do not know Christ), whereas in the UK, the song doesn't even feature in the 'most popular' listings. This is yet more reason to call these celebrations something other than western-style.
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Dr Andrew Meeko (Japan Harvest magazine, Spring 2008) writes:
"Pagans build [wedding chapels sic.], then pack sanctuaries and beg you to come preach"
Many people beg to differ. Type 1 agencies (see Types of Agency) certainly do not share that opinion and Type 2 agencies are not so positive in the assertion that the clients are begging ministers to preach. In fact, things are to the contrary in the vast majority of cases.
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There are voices to the contrary of Dr Meeko's perspective. These words appear on Seiyaku's website; the contents of which are an attempt to play down the Christian element of the Christian-style wedding experience:
The trappings are there in these Western Style Weddings; the Bible reading, prayers, hymns, but it is not a time for preaching. The couple are there to get married and would be pretty annoyed if they were bombarded with evangelism. The ceremonies are based on Christian teachings but perceived by the couple primarily as a western style, rather than a Christian style.... which is why we call them 'Western Style Weddings' and not 'Christian Style Weddings'.
The writer is assuming that 'real Christian weddings' are distinguished by the congregation being 'bombarded with evangelism'. Quite what is meant by that is left to the reader to decide. If, in actual fact the words Western and Christian are synonymous to the Japanese (on the understanding that Christianity is seen as a foreign religion) then perhaps a more accurate descriptor would be "Christian (Western) style Weddings". It is unsatisfactory to remove the word 'Christian' when the Bible is about Christ, the hymn is about Christ and prayers are offered in the name of Christ. Rev. Kenny Joseph echoes this point:
They are 100% religious sacraments - not cultural - with two hymns, a sermon, two prayers, 15 Bible verses, a solemn proclamation and a benediction.
......................
There are, of course, problems associated with stereotyping. Western-style (wedding) actually means bearing the marks of a Euro-American, High Church tradition. Yet are these forms of wedding a majority in Euro-America? This point on the Church of England's website suggests otherwise:
Today more than a quarter of all marriages in England take place before God in the traditional setting of a Church of England church.
This is also the trend in the United States. There are few statistics available but this was published in 2003:
Fewer American couples who marry today see the need for religion's approval. The rate of civil marriage is on the rise coast to coast, a USA TODAY analysis of marriage license statistics suggests.
The same pattern is being reported in Catholic churches in Australia.
If Church based weddings are actually in the minority or decreasing in Western countries, then it is hardly accurate to name the Japanese expression as Western-style. It may even be more accurate to describe the Western version as subordinate (at least in terms of numbers) as a cultural expression and give kudos to the Japanese version as being definitive. In other words, describe Western church weddings in reference to Japanese church-style weddings and not the other way around. It is therefore, a false perception that Christian-style weddings in Japan are actually Western-style.
Add to this the fact that Japanese wedding agencies are setting their sights on emerging economies like China to expand their enterprises:
Fast forward about 10 years and now Japanese wedding companies are wanting to export the business to China, Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
This cultural form has been adopted and adapted in Japan and is now going through a new permutation in other Asian countries. The Chinese may well understand the import as being Western (and that is almost certainly how it will be marketed), but in fact it is actually the thoroughly Japanese version. Many players are already in the market in China which started to boom in the mid-nineties.
This photo (credit to the previous link) shows a Chinese couple posing in front of a Church building on their wedding day. It is expected that the desire for an 'authentic' Christian-style wedding will be evident in increasing measures in China.
Compared to other parts of the world (the UK being a special case in point), the Japanese version of Christian-style weddings is setting the trends. They have appropriated elements of the 'original', transformed them to some extent and are now exporting the result to other nations. This is about 'ownership' of culture; it has not only been assimilated into Japan, but it is now mature enough to spread to neighbouring countries. But it will not likely be seen as a Japanese import. It will probably be received as Western-style yet will possibly be even further removed from the noble ideals of the original than the Japanese type.
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Fake wedding cakes have been a peculiarly Japanese twist on the Christian-style wedding for decades. Further evidence of the way this is shaping Western forms of wedding is the very recent (2007) growth in popularity of fake cakes in American weddings. Ms Aya is meeting the demand of Western couples who want fake cakes. This is arguably an adoption of what has previously been a laughing point for westerners and is now an import of a Japanese Christian-style wedding norm.
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There is a striking venue in Karuizawa (Japan) which is known to be the worlds number one wedding chapel. Although difficult to believe it boasts over 4000 weddings a year. The Hoshino Wedding Chapel is a monument to the popularity of so-called Western style weddings in Japan. But it is the Japanese who lead the world with this phenomena. The Japanese have really taken ownership of this Christian form.
Click on the image (credit to the next link) for a larger version. The 'Lord's Prayer' can be clearly seen on the altar steps in this picture of a church which perhaps inspired the architect of the Hoshino Church. This picture is taken from an on-line forum which can be reached here.The video which features next shows the interior of the Church and is taken from a YouTube clip.
The author contacted the producer of the video (a cousin of one of the newly-weds) and was informed that the participants are not Christians.
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Quiz Time
A:Which of these ceremonies (courtesy of Bellclassic) actually draws on thousands of years of sacred heritage?
B: Which of them is a thoroughly modern invention?
C: Which of them are modeled after Christian forms?
A = 1. Yes, Christian marriage taps into the root of Judaism and therefore sacred marriage goes back to the book of Genesis.
B = 2. Shinto ceremonies (the type you see today) are little over 100 years old. You can read it here
Surprisingly, however, the Shinto wedding is wholly a product of modern times. It is reported to have begun with the wedding of the Crown Prince (later Emperor Taisho) in 1900.
C = 1+2. Actually both of them!
So are Shinto ceremonies better described as Shinto (Christian-style) Weddings? Or maybe Shinto (Western-style) Weddings would be better in that the Christian elements have been removed?
The people of Meiji Era Japan learned from Westerners the concept that marriage should be a sacred event. Japanese who witnessed weddings conducted in Christian churches were impressed by the dignified atmosphere and the teaching of the meaning of marriage. They decided to create a comparable wedding ceremony. (Assoc.Prof. Kiyoshi Shida)
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This picture is from the website of a large Buddhist Temple in Tokyo. This Temple offers 'Western Style' Buddhist weddings. The pipe organ which can be seen on the far left was imported from Germany. Although these weddings are not billed as Christian or even Church-style, the potential blurring of Western and Christian is very evident. If there are Japanese people who equate Western with Christian then it is a very inadequate perception.
Whereas the Shintoists adopted the Christian form in respect of its 'dignified atmosphere and the teaching of the meaning of marriage', the Buddhist version seen here adopted the aesthetics in a greater measure (the organ, the dress) and panders much more closely to the wishes of a modern Japanese bride.
Of course, this is a real Buddhist, religious ceremony. In their attempts to make the event Western they are up against this widely held attitude about 'Western-style weddings':
"It would seem very unreal and fake if there was a Japanese person conducting the ceremony. Very shady actually.
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Christianity shapes (and is shaped by) culture, and actually transcends culture. It is a personal religion which is expressed through well established traditions, norms and forms in many countries of the world. It is a living faith which is not bound by culture.To label the form as Western rather than Christian is to attempt to dismiss the practice of faith which actually shaped the Western form over an extensive period of time.
Christianity is undeniably a world religion. Japanese Christians do not perceive Christianity as a Western import --- they see it as the very welcome growth of the kingdom of God which is not to be constrained by borders, labels, or cultural conventions.
There are voices which state that Christianity is regarded as a foreign religion in Japan. But then again, Christianity in the UK was thought of in much the same way in the first centuries. To impose language which will affirm the perception that Christianity is foreign, or alien, is to undermine the appreciation that Christianity is a personal faith of which Japanese people can have equal 'ownership'.
Arguably the greatest reason not to refer these events as Western Style is that the Japanese do not refer to them in this way. The industry, clients and general public tend to use the terms Church-style and Chapel -style much more.
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What is the best term to describe this phenomena?
Is the Shinto ceremony also to be described as 'Western-style'?
Why are certain people trying to remove Christ out of the equation?
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