Japan and the Japanese

436 JAPAN. A. D. 17791791
who takes it into the apartment prepared for the wedding and
hangs it up. The bride is also led to her apartment, the woman
with the lantern preceding.
The marriage being now about to take place, the bride is led, by
one of her waiting-women, into the room where it is to be cele-
brated, and is seated there with two female attendants on cither
gide. The bridegroom then leaves his room and comes into this
apartment. No other persons are present except the mediator and
his wife. The formality of the marriage consists in drinking
gaki after a particular manner. The saki is poured out by two
young girls, one of whom is called the male butterfly, and the other
the female butterfly, appellations derived from their susti, or
saki-jugs, each of which is adorned with a paper butterfly. As
these insects always fly about in it is
pairs, intended to intimate
that so the husband and wife ought to be continually together. Tho
male butterfly always pours out the saki to be drank, but, before
doing so, turns a little to the left, when the female butterfly pours
from her jug a little saki into the jug of the other, who then proceeds
to pour out for the ceremony. For drinking it, three bowls
are used, placed on a tray or waiter, one within the other. The
bride takes the uppermost, holds it in both hands, while some saki
is poured into it, sips a little, three several times, and then hands
it to the groom. He drinks three times in like manner, puts the
bowl under the third, takes the second, hands it to be filled, drinks
out of it three times, and passes it to the bride. She drinks three
times, puts the second bowl under the first, takes the third, holds it
to be filled, drinks three times, and then hands it to the groom, who
does the same, and afterwards puts this bowl under the first.
This ceremony constitutes the marriage. The bride's parents, who
meanwhile were in another room, being informed that this ceremony
is over, come in, as do the bridegroom's parents tnd brothers, and
seat themselves in a certain order. The saki, with other refresh-
ments interspersed, is then served, by the two butterflies, to these
relations of the married parties in a prescribed order, indicated by
the mediator; the two families, by this ceremony, extending, as it
wood or stone, supposed to operate as a sort of amulet, something like tht
medicine-bag of our North American Indians.