Wedding
Expose Canada was in Izumo, Japan for the wedding of Yukiko and Tetsuko Matsumoto. The Shinto ceremony takes place at a shrine and is typically a small affair, mainly involving family members. This Shinto ceremony took place at Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine (出雲大社), Japan’s oldest shrine dating back to the early 700’s.
We were awestruck as we ventured past the pine trees leading to the main shrine grounds, marked by a bronze torii gate. We were met by a large wooden statue known as, “shimenawa,” which symbolizes the presence of a deity and separates divine space from the mortal world. It was here that we caught our first glimpse of Yukiko, who looked stunning, dressed in an "uchikake," a traditional white kimono with a white scarf, the colour symbolizing purity. She also wore a traditional wig under a large, bulky paper hat, called a “tsuno-kakushi” or horn hider. The origins of the headdress-style hat date back to early times when it was thought to conceal the horns of a jealous demon, and is symbolic of a wife’s submission to her future husband. In contrast, Tetsuko donned a black kimono with his family symbol embroidered in white.