Sendō Grand Shrine, Shinkyō
09:05First on the list of arrivals was, of course, Maria Mikhailov and her husband, Ivan Mikhailov. She was, from what Shikō remembered of the guest list, some sort of Samantran minister, no doubt involved in foreign affairs otherwise she would not have been sent. Someone of such a low station hardly deserved a welcome, but he was nothing if not polite. Sure, she was Rus', and not even the good kind, but he wasn't exactly in the mood to cause a diplomatic incident. That being said, he found their decision to wear the traditional clothing of their homeland to be... quaint, suffice to say. Whether it was appropriate or not, he would not say, after all, were they to switch places she may feel the same of his own sokutai, although he was sure that they would have far worse issues with his presence. Whether or not they would, as the Ardians before them, view him and his people as the so-called "spawn of Satan" for believing in the old way was of little consequence today, and so he bit his lip on that particular subject. Nonetheless, he would bow briefly when they approached before speaking briefly.
"Welcome, Mikhailov-san, and thank you for the well-wishes to the Imperial Couple." He spoke in a calm manner, his eyes fixated on the first of these honoured guests, even if he felt, whether justified or not, that some of them did not deserve it. "I apologize that such a ceremony may be... different to what you know up in the north, but know that it is not performed in this manner in order to offend. Rather, it is a time-honoured tradition of our people that such a sacred vow be taken not in the presence of the common man, but rather before the Kami and those few close enough to the couple." He said, making sure to clarify the reason for what was, from his perspective, viewed as troublesome. He was, of course, not going to mention that the specific ceremony only went back to the 19th century, at least in its current form. "Besides, as I am sure you are aware, you will get a chance to see them
after the wedding itself has been completed. In the meantime, feel free to speak with the other guests."
A few moments later, with the Samantran delegation moving further into the shrine, no doubt either to find their designated spot or to speak with some of the other attendees, Marquess Shikō Nakanoin found himself face to face with another delegation, this time one which he held a far higher opinion of. They were, of course, the Achkaerinese, more specifically Princess Esme Azurewind and her children, Princess Cerys and Prince Jack. Compared to his views on the Rus', which was in part due to wartime tragedy, he was quite favorable to the Achkaerinese, having studied for a year in the country while he was in university. While there he had come to garner a certain appreciation for their customs, even if he still preferred his own. Once again, he would bow before greeting the guests.
"It is my honor to extend the welcome of my homeland, your Imperial Highnesses." He spoke, looking up at the trio. Certainly worthy of respect, even for members of foreign royalty, so he would adjust the way he spoke accordingly. "I do, on that note, appreciate the well-wishes that you have offered, and I am certain that His Majesty and Lady Mayumi appreciate it as well. It would be my honour, of course, to offer any assistance that you may require during your stay, but nonetheless, I thank you for your presence."
As yet another group passed, another would approach, this time one far more familiar to him, being that they were as kin, culturally speaking. The Rokkenjimans had garnered something of a reputation, even within Daitō. Whether it was a good reputation or ill, that depended on who you asked. Nonetheless, the presence of the Empress herself was quite important for the two countries, given the complicated relationship they had in the years prior to this current era. After all, Daitō had sided with Tytor during the cold war, which put the two sibling-states at odds for many decades. Be that as it may, past rivalries had turned into a growing rapprochement, and now the Imperial government viewed Rokkenjima as a close ally, although one not to be fully trusted as of yet. Long was the memory of the state, after all, and it would take some time before many would come to fully trust their eastern neighbor, much as they had taken to trust the Ardians.
"It is my honour to welcome you, your majesty." He said, yet again with a bow, before looking at the Rokkenjiman entourage. "Like with those who have come before, I thank you on the behalf of my liege for the well-wishes given unto the Imperial family. If you need anything whatsoever, please, say the word, and I shall do everything in my power to achieve it." He added; sure, he didn't like having to do work for someone not in the Imperial Family, but such was the task he had been given today. Besides, it wasn't as though he was all alone, he had an army of servants at his beck and call to do most of the work for him anyways.
Finally, one more foreign guest to handle, and one who had only accepted the invitation at the last possible moment. Whether the Clysperi Pharaoh had forgotten the invitation or had elected to only announce her presence so soon to the wedding was of little consequence, save that of a headache that Shikō, the de-facto wedding planner, was given trying to find accommodations for her and her staff. Such was life, unfortunately, and while thankfully not an insult to the Emperor, he did feel somewhat annoyed how things had turned out in this regard. Just a few more minutes and he would be back in the company of his countrymen, that was all that mattered. At long last, finally, he would bow once more, welcoming Pharaoh Akasha to Daitō.
"Welcome, your Majesty." He said, at this point almost, as one might say, going into autopilot with the introduction. It was dull work, but necessary work too. Everything had to go perfectly, even if it had already become monotonous. "On behalf of His Imperial Majesty, I thank you for the well-wishes, both for him and Lady Mayumi. I will admit that I share such sentiments, of course, but for now, please, feel free to look around, speak with those assembled if you wish. We still have an hour or so to go." He said with a smile, which was something almost uncharacteristic for him. But then again, what could he say? This was, after all, a most joyous occasion to be celebrated. But now, the real work would begin, as members of the nobility began to arrive en masse.
Imperial Palace, Shinkyō
10:00The world seemed rather still, a rarity in the Imperial Capital. Normally, this was seen in the aftermath of some great tragedy, such as the death of an Emperor or a natural disaster. But today? Today, it was for a far different reason. As the Emperor, Eijiro, son of Emperor Antei, stood at the gate of the Imperial Palace, he saw, stretched out for as far as the eye could see, people gathered to catch a glimpse of the couple, cordoned off by members of the Imperial Guard and the police of course. To his side, his bride to be stood under the shade of a finely-crafted parasol hoisted aloft by a servant. She wore a
jūnihitoe, the formal court dress first worn by noble women and ladies-in-waiting in the 11th century. It was accompanied by a modified
wataboshi, similar in function to the occidental bridal veil. As for himself, Eijiro wore the dark yellow
sokutai that was reserved for himself and him alone.
Behind them stood three musicians, members of the Imperial Gagaku Ensemble, who each held a flute; the first, a
shō[1], the second, a hichiriki
[2], and the third, a ryūteki
[3], and behind them them members of the Imperial Court, the cabinet, and members of both families as well as those closest to them. In all, it was a sizeable procession, made up of dozens of individuals, each of whom had been personally invited. Behind
them were a group of
miko, shrine maidens as the English translation of the term went, who carried with them
suzu bells, meant traditionally to call kami, allowing for the acquisition of positive power and authority while repelling evil. At the head of the procession was a priest, not the one in charge of the day's ceremony but simply there to officiate the procession, blew a
horagai trumpet, made from a large conch shell, thus initiating the slow and steady walk to the Sendō Grand Shrine. Almost immediately, the musicians began to play their instruments while the miko rang their bells, and soon the crowds began to cheer their Emperor on as he made his way towards the shrine.
"Well... This is finally it." Mayumi said with a smile, looking briefly at Eijiro.
"Indeed it is. Indeed it is." Eijiro replied, glancing at Mayumi. "Time to begin a new life."
Sendō Grand Shrine, Shinkyō
11:00Almost an hour later, the procession would arrive at the shrine, where guests from all across the world had assembled to offer their best wishes for the new couple. However, much to some peoples surprise, the procession did not stop in the area that they had gathered, instead proceeding deeper into the shrine, into a part of it which had been restricted for the duration of the ceremonies. So private was it, in fact, that even film crews would be prohibited from entering. Nonetheless, at roughly 11:00 AM, the couple would reach the inner sanctuary of the shrine, where two people stood, waiting for them. They were the Head Priest, Hideyuki Sashihara, and Head Miko, Yasuko Hanai, both of whom would be conducting the ceremony as was tradition. Both of them would bow deeply out of respect, after which they would gesture for those assembled to sit so that they may begin the wedding ceremony proper.
"Hear me, O' spirits of old, and hear my decree. These two young souls, bound together by a love unwavering, come before you so that you may bear witness to their joining as one." The priest, Hideyuki, announced. "His Majesty, the hundredth heir of Emperor Shin'ō, descendant of Amaterasu, the sun goddess, and Lady Mayumi Tachibana ask for your blessing of their union as they commence the
san-san-ku-do[4] ceremony." He reported, looking at the shrine before gesturing first to the couple, then to a table with a bottle of sake and three cups, each slightly larger than the one that came before. "You may begin, your Majesty." The priest said to Eijiro, who would take the first cup, the smallest, before the priest would pour some of the sake into it. Eijiro would then take three sips from the cup before passing it to Mayumi, who would likewise take three sips from it. Following this, Mayumi would place the cup back on table before taking the second one, slightly larger than the first, after which it would also have sake poured into it, followed by her taking three sips of it before passing it to Eijiro, who would do the same. Finally, Eijiro would take the final cup, performing more-or-less the first part of the ritual once more, after which this first part of the wedding was then deemed to be complete.
With this completed, Eijiro and Mayumi would rise from where they had been seated and approached the altar, whereupon a piece of paper rather familiar to the Emperor sat. After all, it was necessary that it be familiar to him, given that it was his wedding vows and all. The two would face each other as Eijiro took the paper into his hands, unfolding the paper before reading from it.
"I, Eijiro, son of Nobukatsu, Emperor Antei, and Nagako Arakawa, do take you, Mayumi Tachibana, daughter of Eikichi Tachibana and Miyū Suzuoki, to be my wife, forever recognized as such in the eyes of the kami. I vow to, despite what hardship may ever come, love and cherish only you, to protect you, even if I must follow you into yomi as Izanagi, the creator, did for Izanami when the world was yet young. It is this that, in the presence of the kami, upon my honour I do vow." Once he had concluded, it would be Mayumi's turn to read her vows to him.
"I, Mayumi, daughter of Eikichi Tachibana and Miyū Suzuoki, do take you, Eijiro, son of Nobukatsu, Emperor Antei, and Nagako Arakawa, to be my husband, forever recognized as such in the eyes of the kami. I vow to, despite what hardship may ever come, love and cherish you, to aid you as you complete your divinely-appointed duties as best as I might. It is this that, in the presence of the kami, upon my honour I do vow."
With them having exchanged their vows, those assembled would raise their glasses of sake and shout the traditional cheer of "kampai!", acknowledging and celebrating the vows they had taken. Immediately afterwards, Hideyuki would offer a branch of a sakaki tree, decorated with shide
[5] strips of silk as part of the tamagushi ritual, reflecting gratitude to the kami which blessed the union. They would be followed by Eijiro and Mayumi, who would make the same offering, offering a prayer for their new family, after which representatives of the two families would do the same. For Mayumi's family, this would be performed by her father, Marquess Eikichi Tachibana, while for Eijiro, it was somewhat more troublesome, owing to his father's unfortunate passing in the year prior. As such, his younger brother, Eijiro's uncle, Prince Etsuji, would take this role. In many regards, Etsuji was like a surrogate father figure to Eijiro anyways, given his own father's distance when he was a child, but that was neither here nor there. What
was, however, was the presentation of the newlyweds rings, which they would finally exchange nearly thirty minutes after the ceremony had begun. At long last, after many delays, Eijiro and Mayumi were finally wed.
11:35The new couple would once more be accompanied back to the main hall of the shrine, stopping short so that the Head Priest, Hideyuki, could make an announcement.
"Honoured guests, may I present to you, at long last, Emperor Eijiro and Empress Mayumi." He said, raising his voice so that he may be clearly heard.
"Well, that's it. If it wasn't official earlier, it is now." Eijiro whispered to his wife, the two positively beaming with joy, before they would enter the hall.