Hanayome Noren Museum

Thursday, January 9, 2020 Updated

Japanese Bridal Curtain Museum | Kanazawa

Featured on Select Quilt Festival Japan Tours vacation packages.

The Hanayome Noren Museum is a museum in Nanano City, Ishikawa dedicated to the Hanayome Noren bridal custom from the Noto, Kaga, and Ecchu Provinces during the Edo and Meiji Periods. Hanayome Noren is a Japanese wedding tradition featuring a gorgeous wedding curtain hung in the Buddhist Alter room of the Groom's house for the bride to walk through. While the curtains are often heavily decorated and intricately designed, there are almost no opportunities after the wedding for a Hanayome Noren to be used again. Due to the limited use of Hanayome Noren, shop owners in Ipponsugi-dori in Ishikawa began holding Hanayome Noren Exhibitions during Japan's holiday heavy Golden Week to attract more visitors. The Hanayome Noren Museum was opened in 2016 to showcase the gorgeous bridal curtains of Ishikawa for travelers year-round. The permanent exhibition room features multiple curtains from the Meiji to Heisei periods.

Traditional Japanese Bride Experience

In addition to the museum's permanent Hanayome Noren displays, there are also temporary exhibits, a wedding culture exhibition room, a museum shop, and an interactive area where tourists can dress in wedding costumes and walk through the bridal curtains. There are also Buddhist alter rooms meant to look like local Buddhist alters for the bridal curtain experience. During the experience, ladies can choose between a Shiromuku (white bridal kimono) or Uchikake (patterned bridal kimono) to walk through the curtain. Couples can also enjoy dressing up together, as the museum also carries men's kimono and hakama (pleated & divided Japanese pants). The curtains are made using the local Kaga-Yuzen dyeing technique, a local style known for only using 5 colors to produce gorgeously patterned designs. Learn about Japan's unique wedding culture and enjoy seeing decorative bridal curtains with Japan Deluxe Tours as we explore the Hanayome Noren Museum on select Quilt Festival Japan Tours!