Tales of Old Japan - Maybe You Like It

idegroom take their seats in the places appointed for them. The two
trays are then brought out, and the ladies-in-waiting, with complimentary
speeches, hand dried fish and seaweed, such as accompany presents,
and dried chestnuts to the couple. Two married ladies then each take one
of the wine-bottles which have been prepared, and place them in the
lower part of the room. Then two handmaids, who act as wine-pourers,
bring the kettles and place them in the lower part of the room. The two
wine-bottles have respectively a male and female butterfly, made of paper,
attached to them. The female butterfly is laid on its back, and the
wine is poured from the bottle into the kettle. The male butterfly is then
taken and laid on the female butterfly, and the wine from the bottle is
poured into the same kettle, and the whole is transferred with due ceremony
to another kettle of different shape, which the wine-pourers place
in front of themselves. Little low dining-tables are laid, one for each person,
before the bride and bridegroom, and before the bride's ladies-inwaiting;
the woman deputed to pour the wine takes the three wine-cups
and places them one on the top of the other before the bridegroom, who
drinks two cups 128 from the upper cup, and pours a little wine from the
full kettle into the empty kettle. The pouring together of the wine on the
wedding night is symbolical of the union that is being contracted. The
bridegroom next pours out a third cup of wine and drinks it, and the cup
is carried by the ladies to the bride, who drinks three cups, and pours a
little wine from one kettle into the other, as the bridegroom did. A cup is
then set down and put on the other two, and they are carried back to the
raised floor and arranged as before. After this, condiments are set out on
the right-hand side of a little table, and the wine-pourers place the three
cups before the bride, who drinks three cups from the second cup, which
is passed to the bridegroom; he also drinks three cups as before, and the
cups are piled up and arranged in their original place, by the wine-
127.The god who created Japan is called Kunitokodachi no Mikoto. Seven generations
of gods after his time existed Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto—the first a
god, the second a goddess. As these two divine beings were standing upon the floating
bridge of heaven, two wagtails came; and the gods, watching the amorous dalliance
of the two birds, invented the art of love. From their union thus inaugurated
sprang the mountains, the rivers, the grass, the trees, the remainder of the gods, and
mankind. Another fable is, that as the two gods were standing on the floating bridge
of heaven, Izanagi no Mikoto, taking the heavenly jewelled spear, stirred up the sea,
and the drops which fell from the point of it congealed and became an island, which
was called Onokoro-jima, on which the two gods, descending from heaven, took up
their abode.
128.Each cup contains but a sip.
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