Spring Marriage (1)

Wedding ceremonies in early 20th-century Japan were elaborate affairs governed by centuries of ritual protocol, and a spring wedding added seasonal symbolism to the occasion. This oban woodblock print by Igawa Sengai likely depicts a bride or wedding party amid the cherry blossoms and mild weather of the spring season. A Japanese bride of this era would wear a white kimono, or shiromuku, symbolizing purity, with her hair styled in a traditional arrangement and her face made up in the formal manner. The spring setting provides a backdrop of renewal and new beginnings that harmonizes with the marriage theme. Igawa Sengai's woodblock technique would render the bride's white garments through careful use of the paper's natural color, accented by subtle grey or cream tones that give dimension to the white fabric without darkening it. Cherry blossoms in the background provide delicate pink accents against the bridal white.