Omukae Ceremony

By the way if you go on the Volks japanese site you can see a new chapter added about " owner's ".They have several pages of customised - and renamed -dolls.Has anyone else seen it ? Some dolls are great .Do you think they are the pictures of the dolls you are talking about - ceremonies and stuff
PS:I don't speak a word of japanese so I can't be more specific about what the site is about.The link is:http://www.volks.co.jp/jp/superdollfie/owner/index_owner.aspx

 

I'm reviving this topic rather than starting a new one, because I was lucky enough to witness an Omukae while I was at Tenshi no Sato a little over a week ago. It was really quite beautiful and moving and although I didn't know anything about it at the time, having only read the article in FDQ since my return. Even not understanding Japanese very well, I could still get the gist of the ceremony. I have a full description of it in my travelogue from the trip in the Stories section of my site.

What I am wondering is if anyone has a translated transcript of the ceremony or knows specifically what was said. Also, a lot of opinions were expressed in this thread, but I am curious to read more. I have heard from a couple of my friends that they think that it sounds a little creepy, one of whom pointed out that she has heard the name translated as "soul catching", something that she didn't want for her dolls. I am not a spiritual or superstitious person at all, but my dolls are very alive-seeming to me, so I kind of like the idea of formally "breathing" life into them. What do you think?

 

I really like the idea as well.. Kellyhime you're so lucky to have witnessed it!!! Do you think it'd be the same if I do the ceremony??? If you do, I think I may set something up.. Miyuki deserves it.. ^.^ :grin:

 

actually I was just wondering the same thing. I was thinking about trying to do the ceremony, but I'd want to know what at least the BASIC translation of the words were before attempting it!

 

While I haven't attended one of the Omukae Ceremonies, I'm a native Japanese speaker and I can attest that Omukae cannot be translated as "Soul-catching".

Volks' term for "buying" an SD is "mukaeru" or "to welcome it into your life". If you go to Japanese doll sites, they generally don't talk about the purchase date of their dolls, they talk about when the doll actually arrived into their hands, and they were able to "welcome" it. The Omukae Ceremony is a formal version of it... and yes, it can be taken to have mystical/semi-religious undertones to it. Whether this is beautiful, creepy, sacreligeous or neat depends on your interpretation... and probably your own attitudes to spirituality and religion.

A sidenote: Many Japanese 1/6 doll customizers don't like to talk about "selling" and "buying" dolls either. Female dolls are said to "have gone off to be brides", and male dolls "go off to be grooms". Alternately, they talk about a doll having gone off to be adopted. It seems to be quite common for the buyers of the dolls to send a "how the doll is settling in" photo to the seller, which sort of emphasizes the "adoption rather than exchange of goods for monies" aspect.

 

Oh, gosh, that's fascinating. How neat! Thanks for this info, that is AWESOME!

 

is it wierd for me to want to do this even though I wont be able to understand what they are saying? Do you think that would bother them?

I dont want to be one of those people with "cool writing" on their shirt that they don't understand. ha ha.

 

Wow! That is fascinating information. I am actually glad to hear that "soul catching" was not accurate, because that was borderline too religious for me.

I love the attitude about adopting though. Karin still gets little reports every once in a while whether she wants them or not about how Megumi, who I "adopted" from her, is doing.

I wonder if we could do a mass "welcoming into our lives" at the next SD convention or if Volks would be willing to officiate over one. I think that would be fun!

And Aimee, I don't think that it is weird. Like I said, I could get the gist of the ceremony even though my Japanese is on the basic vocabulary level. And hopefully, if we work on it, we could get the translation from Volks.

 

Oh, I really want to.. Maybe I'll set somethin up this week, and do the basics... Then when I go to Japan I can have them officially do it. *excited* I can use her box and the pillows she came with, along with some fake flowers, ne? :grin: I'll post pictures when I do! Aimee, you've gotta do the same. I want to see what everyone does when they do their own little ceremony.. Maybe everyone who tries can post pictures in the same thread.. *dunno*

Will definately try to do so later though. ^_^

 

When I first saw those pictures I thought it was a Dollfie Funeral! Does sort of look like a coffin...

 

Yehhhh I'm not too sure about the coffin look, otherwise I think it's really a neat idea. :grin:

 

Think if it were a sleeping one. Then it would really look like a funeral!(if this is offensive, I'm sorry!! Black humor...)

I think it'd be less morbid if there were just a bed or something... O_O Not a box! The flowers and the candles make it look so morbid!!

My naming ceremony will consist of this:

*Lilly gets box*
Lilly: OMG!! OMG!! OMG!!
*she rips off the cardboard*
Lilly: ODEEEETTEEE!!!
Odette: o___o Dear Lord help me...
Lilly: She is my squishy, and she shall be mine! And she shall always be my squishy!
Odette: Help meee!!!

 

Ever since i saw the pictures on gothiclibirian's site I wanted to do this for my doll, if someone could get the translation or the jist of it that would be wonderfull.

If not I think I'll write mo own welcomeing cermoney for my doll when I'm finialy able to bring him home.

This kinda thing is right with my line of thinking, I used to hold stuffed animal adoptions at all of my parents garage sales. :grin:

 

How about a clear glass case of some kind?

 

Personaly I think something as simple as a bed would look nice, it would be kinda symbolic of the doll "'waking up to the world"

 

ooo I like that I like that. I think any kind of a box is going to sort of resemble a coffin, at least for me personally. OO wouldn't a bed be neat, with pillows etc., then it would be like waking up versus coming to life or something.

 

Maybe something meant to support a plant of the right size would look like an SD gazebo, that you could then drape with netting, if that's your taste.

I've seen some iron-work tables with ivy leaves & such designs.

Ann in CT

 

Uhh. Then it'd be Snow White. XD

 

Does anyone know if it costs extra to have this ceremony performed? Probably, I mean this is Volks we're talking about. ops:

I think it sounds really neat, but honestly, as much as I want to do it, I would feel really embarrassed. I wouldn't know what they were saying and any other Japanese people in the store would probably just think I was another annoying American tourist.

 

Yeah. Any sort of box sort of brings images of "night of the living dead" or something... I think the bed's a great idea. :grin: