What is the name of the traditional Shinto marriage ceremony?

What is the name of the traditional Shinto marriage ceremony? Shinzen shiki is the traditional Shinto marriage ceremony, literally a wedding ceremony conducted before the kami.

The rite is usually officiated by a Shinto priest at a shrine or a dedicated wedding hall. It centers on purification, formal prayers, offerings, and the couple’s presentation before the kami. A famous element is san-san-ku-do, the ceremonial exchange of sake from three cups, with the drinking pattern traditionally repeated three times.

Modern shrine weddings are a relatively recent formal tradition rather than an unchanged survival from ancient Japan. The style spread widely after the 1900 marriage of Crown Prince Yoshihito, later Emperor Taishō, and Princess Kujo Sadako. Earlier Japanese marriages were commonly family-centered ceremonies held at home.

Shinzen shiki is often also described as shinzen kekkon, “marriage before the kami.” It should not be confused with omiai, a meeting or matchmaking arrangement, or seijin shiki, a coming-of-age ceremony.