Bridegroom
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Bridegroom (花婿) is the term used to describe male participants in Ghost Marriage. In order to withstand the pain of those they glanced while submerged in the Shadowspring, the shrine maidens of Mount Hikami required a partner to help ease their suffering, allowing them to last longer as Pillars. This was achieved through a posthumous ceremony binding the living soul of an Outsider with a shrine maiden's spirit, before she returned once again to the Black Water, groom in tow.
The process for selecting bridegrooms isn't specified; men were summoned from numerous places[1] to the House of Joining, a place only men who were chosen as suitable grooms could find. Inside, they would discover an altar of votive pictures depicting countless brides from which they could choose their partner.
Once he had chosen, the groom would be escorted to the Chamber of Vows, where the Wedding Celebrant would summon the shrine maiden's spirit. The groom's commitment would be tested; if the bride's shadow-touched appearance caused him to reconsider, he'd be crushed into a smaller reliquary of his own and interred within the Womb Cavern, his soul enshrined at the Grave Mound in the Forbidden Valley. If the union succeeded, his soul, now bound to the bride, would enter the casket with her, his remaining soulless body being laid to rest in the Forbidden Valley.[2]
Known grooms
- Kunihiko Asou (unwed)
- Keiji Watarai (failed)
- Mafuyu Hinasaki (successful)
- Kazuya Sakaki (failed)
Misc. Info
- Once they had decided, it is unclear if they were required to dress accordingly, though a male guest room and clothing were available upstairs, and the numerous grooms depicted in the votive pictures were dressed similarly in black formal attire.