In the best tradition

A specialist fitted Sachie’s Kimono for her wedding to Ayao Komatsu, left, at Chipping Campden

Kimono fitter dressed couple for their traditional Japanese ceremony in the Cotswolds.

Photographer Denis Kennedy, from Witney, had an unusual assignment in Chipping Campden — when he photographed the traditional Japanese wedding of engineer Ayao, 31, and Sachie Komatsu, 29, a PhD student.

The couple are both from Tokyo, but met in Oxford. They now live in Northampton.
For their ceremony in Britain the couple dressed in traditional Japanese style but, says Sachie, for their ceremony in Japan in December she will be wearing a western wedding dress!

The couple hired a Kimono fitting specialist to dress them and the wedding party. Sachie explained: “In the past, all Japanese obviously used to wear Kimono in their daily life. However, we rarely wear Kimono these days, since our country has been hugely influenced by western countries.
“The Kimonos we were wearing are for special occasions, so it’s necessary to have someone to help to put them on.

“The Kimono I was wearing is called ‘furisode’, and the sleeves are very long — they almost touch ground. This special Kimono
is for an ‘unmarried young lady’. It is our tradition to give the Kimono to a lady, when she celebrates her 20th birthday, which is the official adult age in Japan.

“The furisode was a gift from my grandma when I was 20.

“We indeed do have a Kimono for a bride, which is completely white, but I thought, it would be the last chance to wear the furisode (because I’m married now), so why not?!

“Also I heard from my friend that we are not supposed to wear Kimono for someone’s wedding in this country, because Kimono is more unsusual than a wedding dress, and might get more attention than bride. But this time, I was the bride, so I could wear it!”

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