Bridal boat traveling on water with bride dressed in white shiromuku kimono. Sound of oar echoes in the darkness.
Kotaro Yamada
– Bridal Boat (Itako-shi, Ibaraki Prefecture) –
Groom escorting his bride on dock, gently holding her hand.
A small wooden boat is setting off in the dark with a bride in a traditional white wedding Kimono. It’s the bridal boat, which had long been used in Itako-shi, Ibaraki Prefecture, until 1960s, when brides travel to their new home on their wedding day. Nowadays, this traditional event can be seen in late May and June with some couples selected from among applicants. When the sun is setting and the day is at an end, Ai Suzuki, aged 25, got on the boat, dressed all in white and accompanied by her matchmakers. The boat moved slowly toward the gloom, Takuya Suzuki, aged 25, who was waiting down the canal. “Congratulations!” A lot of tourists gathered on the bank called out, and she responded with a smile. After she arrived at the dock to meet with her new husband, a certificate was handed to the couple from a representative of the city. Ai looked happy and said, “I was so moved when I saw many people kindly giving their blessing to our marriage. I really appreciate the opportunity.”
Itako is a city surrounded by rivers and lakes such as the Kita-Tonegawa River and the Lake Kasumigaura. It used to have extensive waterways for residents to travel around on boats. It was also a local tradition for the boats to transport brides to their new home, where their wedding ritual takes place in the evening. However in 1970s, the city constructed farming roads as part of its efforts to improve agricultural infrastructure, causing the tradition to fade away. Then in 1985, Itako decided to restart the operation of the bridal boat in an attempt to recall the pride and the good old days of the city. This year, a total of 38 couples are experiencing the tradition on Wednesday and weekends from May 24 to June 29.
Bride walking along pathway in colorful iris garden to bridal boat. Bridal boat wedding ceremonies are performed also during the day.
Canal boat tours to go around the JR Itako Station are also offered as tourists attractions. One of the gondoliers, Shitsuyo Ishigami, now aged 80, also used the bridal boat when she got married at the age of 23. “I’ve always lived near the water. The waterscape has changed a lot, but the bridal boat is the same as it was long time ago,” she smiled.
(June 8, 2014)
Riverside of Itako, which once prospered as trade and shipping hub. Nostalgic tours on small wooden boats are offered here as tourist attractions.