A Shiromuku Kind of Day

I've heard that wedding planning can be difficult and stressful. So far, I've not had to deal with that. I guess it's living in a foreign country where I'm basically incapable of arranging things myself that makes it so much more relaxed for me. That and the fact that I know so little about Japanese traditional weddings that I really don't have any expectations and am fine going along with whatever. Yup, not Bridezilla for me. Perhaps for the Canadian ceremony, but I think even then I'll be able to avoid falling into stereotypes. 

Anyway, H and I were to Kichijoji the other day to take a look at some shiromuku. Now, most people these days rent the whole wedding kimono shebang because buying new is so expensive. That seems a little sad to me, though - I want a souvenir out of this experience, and I want something more substantial than a few photos. But buying everything is just impossible. 

Luckily, H discovered that you can buy second-hand shiromuku for relatively cheap. The beautifully-coloured red ones are a mite more expensive (about 2.5 times more expensive, actually), but the basic white (and there are various patterns to choose from) are decent. And they're pretty high quality as they are sold by rental companies who generally buy high quality stuff. 


So that is what took us to Kichijoji on a cold, grey November day. We took a look at a few patterns, but the one with embroidered plum blossoms, in addition to the more common embroidered crane, caught my eye and it is that shiromuku that I wish to buy. We left with empty hands, but I do hope we make it back at some point. Following are a few pictures. 


The picture on the right, quite obviously, is me wearing the shiromuku. Since it is worn over top of a kimono and obi, as well as all sorts of undergarments, to get the idea of what it will look like and how it will fit, you have to have a pillow fastened underneath, on your upper back, and then it has to be pinned in place. It made me look a little like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, but with a kimono showing underneath, rather than a sweater and jeans, I think it will look okay.


The one up top was originally of me wearing the shiromuku, but to make it front and centre, I cut myself out of the picture and stuck it over top of some squid drying in Shikoku, for no other reason than it amused me.

Here is a little bit of detail. This is a close-up of the right-hand sleeve. You can see the bird, which is a crane (tsuru in Japanese) and the plum (ume) blossoms. Cranes seemed to be a popular pattern for shiromuku...I wonder if it's just this store, or are cranes somehow connected with weddings in Japan, I wonder. Anyway, the colour is a tad off. The reason being, I wanted to increase the contrast to make the pattern easier to see. The downside is that it looks a little yellower than it actually is.


So that, everyone, is the shiromuku that I desire. Not as sleek and elegant as a Western-style dress, but oh so traditional, which, I think, is befitting a history major.


Thoughts??