Chapter 122: The Sacred Wedding Ceremony

July 14th.

This morning, Qiao Qiao did not take Haruka Sasaki out for an exorcism as originally planned.

It was not due to laziness, nor because Haruka Sasaki fled overnight upon hearing the news.

Rather, it was because a wedding was to be held today at Shimogamo Shrine.

As previously mentioned,

in Wa-koku, funerals are handled by temples, while weddings fall under the purview of shrines.

This is the so-called Shinto-style wedding ceremony, also known as a shrine-front wedding.

Of course, with the passage of time, more and more people in Wa-koku have begun to choose other forms of weddings, such as the recently popular Christian-style ceremonies.

Those are the ones where couples exchange rings in white gowns inside a church.

Faced with this shift, the shrines’ income has somewhat diminished.

Shimogamo Shrine was hosting a wedding today.

From five o’clock in the morning, the shrine was bustling with activity.

The bride and groom were in the preparation room, applying makeup. The groom donned a black haori, while the bride, dressed in full regalia, was to wear the pure white shiromuku.

As for the miko, they busied themselves inside and out, attending to every detail.

Though the Shinto wedding ceremony is simpler than a church wedding, five miko alone were still somewhat understaffed. Outsiders could not be brought in to help, so Asano Ariko, who had risen early, had to wait by the sidelines.

By the time Qiao Qiao woke at eight, the wedding was about to commence.

The two young people, appearing no older than twenty-five or twenty-six, were led by shrine maidens Makoto Niiki and Kotone Hashimoto, dressed in chihaya, while a priest held a large red umbrella over them. Step by step, they moved from the purification basin to the main hall of the shrine.

Behind them followed family members, some clad in traditional kimono, others in formal western suits.

“How wonderful,” Qiao Qiao murmured with feeling.

He was neither a relative nor a friend of the couple, nor part of the shrine staff, so he could not enter the main hall to attend the ceremony.

He could only stand in the corridor, watching the lively scene inside the main hall.

“The priest will recite the congratulatory words, then the couple will exchange rings, and afterwards they will perform the san-san-kudo ritual—each drinking from three different sake cups. Only then is the ceremony considered complete,”

Asano Ariko, who had not entered the hall either, came over upon seeing Qiao Qiao who had gotten up early.

“To have the union of two people witnessed by the gods is truly a blessing,”

she said, moved by the atmosphere.

“Indeed. I heard from Makoto-san that holding a full Shinto-style wedding costs around one million yen.”

“?”

So that was the crux of the matter?

Momentarily at a loss for words, Qiao Qiao fell silent. After a pause, Asano Ariko asked again,

“In your homeland, teacher, is there a similar ritual?”

“There is, indeed,”

Qiao Qiao nodded.

“However, compared to the gods’ witness, people tend to place more faith in promises made between each other.”

“Promises?”

Asano Ariko tilted her head, not quite understanding.

“For such matters, there is a phrase in Chinese culture,”

Qiao Qiao glanced at her.

“Holding your hand, growing old together.”

“%&a;a;#￥, @&a;a;￥*@?”

Asano Ariko attempted to mimic the pronunciation, but it sounded like an incomprehensible alien language.

“Simply put, it means holding hands and growing old together,”

Qiao Qiao explained in Japanese.

“Ah,”

Asano Ariko let out a soft exclamation, then covered her face with both hands, a shy expression crossing her features.

“So that’s the meaning.”

“Of course, some think it originated among soldiers during times of war, but I believe no soldier would say such words. No one wishes for war to last forever. It’s more likely those words are spoken by soldiers to their families,”

Qiao Qiao earnestly elaborated.

“Th-that really is your style, teacher,”

Asano Ariko gave a bitter smile.

At noon, the bride and groom held a reception with speeches from the matchmaker and relatives, followed by a traditional banquet interspersed with miko performing sacred kagura dances—it was quite lively.

However, none of this concerned Qiao Qiao anymore.

Haruka Sasaki had no plans in the afternoon, so Qiao Qiao took her out for an exorcism.

Accompanying them was Asano Ariko.

She seemed rather displeased with Qiao Qiao’s visit to the main office of the O-do on the previous day with Suzuka, and their evening trip to the Kamo River market.

Although Qiao Qiao had bought gifts, it did little to quell the resentment of Miko Asano.

Therefore, while Suzuka was still fast asleep, the three quietly set out.

Their destination was Pontocho.

This is a commercial street near the Kamo River.

It was said that during the Edo period, this was Kyoto’s famous red-light district, and until a few decades ago, it still had oiran courtesans.

Speaking of which, the Gion in the Gion Matsuri actually refers to Kyoto’s most famous red-light district.

Gion comes from the Buddhist concept of the Jetavana Grove, protected by the deity Gozu Tennō.

In the era when Shinto and Buddhism were unified, many Wa-koku deities were identified with Buddhist figures, and Susanoo was merged with Gozu Tennō, leading the Yasaka Shrine to also bear the name Gion Shrine.

However, with the decline of kabuki theater, the area gradually turned into an ordinary shopping street.

Today, Pontocho is a well-known tourist spot in Kyoto.

Izakayas, shops, restaurants, clothing stores—everything is found here.

Since Pontocho is not far from the Kamo River, the three chose to walk.

The long rainy season of this year was finally nearing its end, but a soft drizzle still fell.

With umbrellas in hand, they strolled along the Kamo River.

The river in the rain was quiet and peaceful, with passersby pausing occasionally to gaze out, as if transported back to the Heian capital a thousand years ago.

Haruka Sasaki was obedient, listening quietly as Qiao Qiao gave a brief explanation.

Their destination was the izakaya “Yamabuki” in Pontocho, though the client was not the owner, but the owner’s son.

Sakurai Makoto is forty-six years old and works for a construction company.

His mother, Sakurai Junko, is sixty-four and runs the izakaya in Pontocho.

The izakaya was founded by Sakurai Kuro, Makoto’s father, over fifty years ago.

Sakurai Kuro died in an accident when Makoto was six.

Since then, Junko has managed the izakaya while raising Makoto.

After Makoto began working, he urged his mother to rest and stop overworking, but she insisted on keeping the business going for over twenty more years.

“So hard,”

Haruka Sasaki sighed, perhaps recalling something.

Because of the morning’s wedding ceremony, Haruka was still dressed in the red and white miko attire, drawing many curious glances from tourists.

Yet, with the Gion Festival approaching, seeing miko was not unusual.

Outside Pontocho, the yamahoko floats were already being assembled.

Each of Kyoto’s thirty-three wards designs an ornately decorated float to participate in the July 17th yamahoko parade.

With the festival drawing near, Pontocho had become even livelier.

“But why did Mr. Sakurai Makoto seek out an exorcist?”

Asano Ariko, wearing a pale pink dress and white sandals, her hair tied in a ponytail with red washi paper, carefully stepped on the stone pavement beneath her transparent umbrella.

“Well, Mr. Sakurai believes his mother is haunted by a malevolent spirit,”

Qiao Qiao replied, consulting his notes.