skip to main |
skip to sidebar
*Click on the image for a clearer version.
© 2008 Japanese Christian-style Weddings Blog
This diagram shows the transformation from the 'original' (Stage 1) Euro-American model to the Japanese (Stage 2) version. The form has become secularized to some degree but a resemblance to the 'archetype' is still in evidence. It shows the inversion of importance in the sacred and the secular factors which define wedding celebration.
Over the period of about thirty years (since 1975), the Japanese wedding industry appropriated, took ownership of and started exporting this cultural product. It is expected that the Japanese export into other Asian countries (Stage 3) will have less religious markers but will still be recognizable as a Christian cultural form.
----------
Asian countries are not the only ones to be receiving Wedding Celebrations which have been filtered through Japan:
A Japanese wedding company is looking for a branch manager at Las Vegas.
[This ad was featured on an on-line recruitment website (Work In Japan Jobsearch April 2008) which will likely expire when the job is filled so the link does not appear here.]
The phrase "selling sand to the Arabs" might be fitting here. It is inconceivable that these events, emanating from a Japanese company, could aptly be dubbed Western-style when they are being marketed in the USA.
-----------------
Having been filtered through Japan; to what extent can this Japanese export be described as Western-style?
What features have changed in say the Chinese version?
How does the true Church in China regard this boom in Christian-style weddings?
In this section the question posed in the title will be addressed from a protestant perspective. Marriage is to be understood as the union of one man and one woman in lifetime commitment.
The Christian wedding ceremony is an extra-biblical ritual. It is not a sacrament. There are no more than two rituals which are advocated in scripture for Christian believers. One is water baptism, the other is the Lord's supper. The Christian wedding ritual is not essential to salvation or even prescribed in the Bible. In fact, scripture is remarkably silent over the whole matter. There are hints as to what constituted the official marking of matrimony in ancient times but very little is definitive and even less is prescribed for universal application.
The Bible does not teach that a wedding must be conducted in a designated building. Neither must an ordained Christian minister preside the ceremony. Indeed, the Bible does not even prescribe the need to have a wedding celebration at all. Even the public making of vows before God was largely unknown before the 16th century.
The Church Wedding ritual which is universally recognized as an established cultural form is utterly man-made. It has far more to do with the traditions of men rather than the revealed Word of God. As such, it is plain wrong to elevate the event to a status which it should not enjoy. From a biblical perspective, a marriage formalized at the Registry Office is equally valid in the sight of God (Rom 13:1) as one conducted in a Church. There are misconceptions in the deep mindsets of believers about Christian weddings and false assumptions can easily be transferred into the understanding of non-Christian people.
Primary activities of the church in all nations are to preach, baptize and make disciples (Mat 28:19). Whatever is conducted beyond this may be going beyond what God has ordained. When extra-biblical traditions of men are added to the mix then an element of confusion and inconsistencies are introduced. So how does this apply to the topic in hand? Well, it is a great tragedy that one of (if not the) most well recognized expressions of 'Christianity' in Japan is the ubiquitous Christian-style wedding. It is desperately sad that the main point of contact that many irreligious Japanese have with anything remotely Christian is the chapel wedding. The ritual is at best an add-on to the revealed Word of God; at worst a stumbling block to those in the dark.
The phenomenal rise in popularity of Christian-style weddings in Japan is hardly surprising. The attractive aesthetic, the novelty, the convenience and a religious form which is not girded by the weight of Truth. In other words, religion can easily be digested by the culture without the offense of the blood stained cross.
It cannot be concluded that the fact that Japan has embraced the Christian-style wedding marks a change in perception of Christianity.
In 2006, a Gallup poll recorded a major leap in the number of Japanese who associated with Christianity. This made headlines across the world. Commentators have remarked that this sudden jump is partly because of the popularity of Christian-style weddings. On the understanding of the factors detailed above, it is not to be heralded as a victory for the sake of Christ. It seems that Japanese people are increasingly appropriating the religious form and claiming to be favourable towards Christianity. This is to be lamented.
Here's an interesting case.http://www.ai-dream.co.jp/*If you use Firefox as a browser you can get the page translated into rough-n-ready English if your Japanese isn't up to scratch.This agency basically offers two types of ceremony. The Christian variety (the link is a picture with a western priest in the top right) or the one without religious overtones, the link to the right of it. This agency clearly thinks that people do care if their celebration is religious or not.I was interested in the Christian celebration. I called them and had an interesting chat. I asked them if the priests were Catholic or Protestant. They told me that they are Catholic Priests. There is not so much as a hint on the website that non-catholics would be required to undergo the mandatory 3-5 month preparatory counseling given by the Catholic church.
This gets stranger as it clearly says on their homepage that the ceremony is (effectively) true to Protestant tradition. Also, they boast of their mobile Church set which can be set up in a hall, garden or restaurant. How do these Catholics get around the consecration issue? Please comment if you know.
---------------
The author is collecting data about various wedding agencies. The sensitive nature of some of the material (in regard to Japanese law) prevents further posting here until legal advice has been received.
--------------
Here is something which can be openly shared:
Watabe are one of the 'market leader' Japanese companies offering Christian-style weddings. From the FAQ's page of Watabe Weddings:
What is the difference between churches and chapels?
"Churches" offer specific religious services to people (including wedding couples) who are usually the believers of the religion that a church represents. Usually "Chapels" are used for wedding ceremonies of couples regardless of their religion.
How did this company derive that definition of the word "Chapel"? This is misinformation at very best. Some might conclude that they are attempting to change the meaning of commonly used English words. Others would suggest that they are deliberately attempting to legitimize their services and distance themselves from the obvious religious issues.
Bearing in mind the opinion that "Japanese people don't care for the substance"; this is very clear evidence that even if they care to ask questions of the industry leaders they may be fed half-truth, mis-information and possibly lies. This is morally unacceptable.
Not only has Christian marriage been mis-represented,and reduced to a fashion accessory; now, the English language is being maligned. Moreover, there is no consistency across the industry. Here is a link to another major player, Bellclassic. Here you see the careful juxtaposition of different types of wedding celebration. I'm not really sure what the one in the bottom right is but the others are self-explanatory. The Civil Wedding is billed as not having any spiritual significance; separate from Church and Temple. By deduction; the other types do have religious meaning.Click on the Chapel ceremony wedding bar. Here you see a description of the venue. It is called, wait for it, Cana Gospel Church. It's clear that this company uses the words church and chapel synonymously (just like many westerners do) and they do not ascribe to Watabe's definition.If a company wants to go out on a limb and start defining it's own terms; it can only legitimately be done when the orthodox understanding of the words are flagged up first.
------
Here is a website which claims that Wedding Ministry is an 'entertainment job'. This was backed up by a commented made in the NY TImes article which is linked to that page. The lawyer I contacted today's initial reaction was that being a Christian-style wedding pastor is actually defined in Japanese law as a religious activity.
------
Wikipedia and Billy Smolesworthy
Billy Smolesworthy is the internet username of a man who operates as a Christian-style Wedding Celebrant for TMC in the Tokyo area. He denies that the Christian-style celebrations he conducts are about Jesus and downplays the religious meaning of these events to a great extent.
Wikipedia is a useful source of information. It is an open access source of a wealth of information. There is an entry titled Western Style Weddings in Japan. In that entry we read:
[Western Style Weddings in Japan sic] are devoid of any sanctioned spiritual significance
That is inaccurate to say the least. It is tantamount to saying that the reading of the Bible, singing of hymns and praying in the name of Jesus is devoid of sanctioned spiritual significance. There is a clear agenda in some quarters to de-spiritualize these events without removing the essential religious elements which happen to be regarded as part of the aesthetic. Another point of interest here is that the author of that entry goes by the name of Billy Smolesworthy. This can be verified by clicking on the history tab.
------------------
http://uk.videogames.games.yahoo.com/e9/news/japanese-man-marries-virtual-girlfriend-d439e9.html
"A Japanese gamer has taken the highly unusual step of ‘marrying’ his videogame sweetheart, in what must have been a very bizarre ceremony recently.
.....during a ceremony overseen by an actual priest and witnessed by dozens of onlookers at a recent technology festival in Tokyo."
-----------------------
Why are there so many inconsistencies, bizarre and unlawful practices in this industry?
Why are people trying to redefine the English language in this way?
It seems that these Wedding Companies exclusively hire men - are they within the law to refuse employment on the basis of gender? The answer is a firm "no".The revised Equal Employment Opportunity Law enforced in 1999 prohibits gender discrimination in every stage of working lives starting from classified advertisements, recruitment process, and employment until retirement.Are there any female Celebrants out there? Anyone seen a woman priest on those glossy ads? ........Ironically, the popularity of the Christian-style wedding is partly because it represents more emancipation for women. The Shinto wedding headdress for women is to 'hide the horns'.This hat is a 角隠し, tsunokakushi.
(Image from Wikipedia under CCL)-----------------
Employers cannot discriminate on the basis of gender in either western countries or in Japan. However, there is still debate in certain Christian circles about the issue of the ordination of women in the Church. In that the Japanese wedding chapels try to recruit men exclusively; the industry bears more resemblance to certain Christian groups rather than Western culture. On this understaning it is not accurate to call the Japanese phenomenon as Western-style - it is much more akin to (some) Christian-styles.
---------------------
Job Type: Entertainment jobs
Looking for male foreigners living in Japan to become wedding ministers. Part-time positions available right across Japan.
Earn up to 12,000 per ceremony. Perfect job for English teachers or students.
This ad can be seen here. If in fact jobs are being offered then it is in contravention of Japanese law. Not only is it inaccurate to call it an Entertainment Job, but the gender requirement makes it illegal. It is only appropriate for English teachers or students with the correct visa.
-------
Homosexuality
To the author's knowledge, there is nothing preventing a homosexual couple celebrating a Christian-style wedding in Japan. There are videos which can be seen on YouTube which show a man dressed as a Christian priest conducting a mock wedding for a lesbian couple which attracted a degree of media attention. If Christian-style wedding events are religious events in law, what measures are there to prevent homosexuals from making the error of celebrating a 'wedding' in a Christian context?
------
The provision of Japanese Law (for the protection of consumers) is evident in the requirement of a Religious Activities visa for foreigners to preside at Christian-style wedding celebrations. The strong suggestion therefore is that these events are religious.There are people who argue that these celebrations are not religious but better understood as the simulation of a genuine religious ritual. However, a cursory glance at websites and promotional material issued by Wedding Agencies reveals no hint that the services offered are merely a simulation of the 'real'. In fact, many draw attention to the solemnity of the pastor's involvement and blessings. This is unsatisfactory.If the product is a simulation rather than a religious experience then it must be clearly advertised as such.The current ruling party in Japan is making steps to create a new consumer agency. Following a string of business scandals (many were the mis-labeling of food items), the government is moving towards firming up consumer protection. It is hoped that the Christian-style wedding industry will be high on the agenda for the new consumer agency.
------------
The author posed a question to a lawyer with particular expertise in Japanese law relating to religious matters and church affairs:
Are Christian-style wedding celebrations a 'Religious activity' or part of the 'Entertainment Industry'?
In Japan wedding celebrations including Christian-style ones would be regarded as an ordinary service business. Anyone may do it without any license. For a foreigner to do it either an investment/business management visa or a religious visa would be required. ........ As I have found no particular references in laws/regulations on Christian-style wedding celebrations the above opinion is based on my personal interpretations from the general rules of law. You may wish to confirm with the Immigration Office on this subject.
This lawyer's comment is backed up by other sources which help understand the place of religion as defined in law.
...religion is conceptualised as an industrial category which is part of the service industry in contemporary Japan. www.japanesestudies.org.uk
It could be that the ambiguity of being an expression of the service industry means that these Christian-style wedding celebrations can potentially be perceived as religious, or entertainment or even religious entertainment. But the question about why a Religious Activities Visa is preferred over a Humanities Visa (or even an Entertainers Visa) remains.
------------
Being a Wedding Celebrant is not a career. Training is minimal. The value of this occupation in preparing the laborers for future employment is questionable.
Wedding Orientation DVD
----------------
This blog evolved out of dialogue on the internet with Christian-style Wedding Celebrants in Japan. It became evident to me early on that there is much intrigue and deception which is rife in this peculiar industry. I intend for this blog to be the place where I will collect various pieces of evidence which will help debunk unregulated and often dodgy business practices.My intention is three-fold. Firstly, to uphold the name of Jesus Christ which is being much maligned by fake Christians. Secondly, to protect unsuspecting consumers in Japan from unscrupulous people. Thirdly, to support the humble heroes of faith who are genuinely called into Wedding Chapel ministry.There are many misconceptions and erroneous ideas which all too often crop up. People say things like: "Who cares", "It's just Japanese Pop-Culture", "It's the same in Western countries" and so on. I beg to differ. The Church and Japanese Civil Law cares about these matters.
--------------
To bring light to the grey areas of law would be a welcome development. If the wedding chapel experience is defined in law as a religious one, then much work must be done to ensure that the celebrants are real agents of the Church. Are there any concerned groups lobbying to fortify the law?
On the other hand, if the phenomenon is purely a cultural expression and the participants are no-more than simulating a religious ritual than this needs to be made much clearer in publicity materials from websites, posters and TV commercials. In this case a religious activities visa is not especially desirable as a humanities or entertainers visa (actors) would suffice.
The situation as it is today (and has been for years) is far from acceptable. Which way is it going to go? Are there any Type 1 and 2 agencies lobbying for the latter? It would make business sense by legitimately enabling them to hire from a much larger labour pool. Having said that; are they willing to play down the 'authenticity' of their services? What would the public opinion be about that?
----------------------
The substance of the beautiful video clip "For My Wedding Day" which features here is largely lost to the Japanese. My sincere prayer is that more and more Japanese will discover the truth of holy matrimony.---------------The high profile presence of the Christian-style Wedding industry in Japan is arguably a 'shop window' of the expression of Christianity in Japan. Despite the unique opportunities it affords the Church and despite the many various anomalies in this moral maze; there has been little or no academic research into this phenomena.Why is that?--------------
