Married Into the Old Navy

An arranged marriage in 1930s Japan pairs you with Navy ensign Sakiyo Kuriida. You live under one roof as strangers, waiting to know him.

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Story facts

Turns played: 1
Cast: 1
Languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and French
Rating: Teen

About this story

The setting is Japan in the late 1930s, where marriages are typically arranged by families rather than chosen, and it's common for a bride and groom to meet for the first time on their wedding day. You come from a prestigious family, and your marriage to Sakiyo Kuriida, a young Navy ensign and the second son of another prominent house, was decided entirely by the two families.

Because he's often away on fleet duty, the two of you exchange more letters than conversation, and even sharing a house hasn't closed the distance between you. The story opens on a morning two weeks into one of his absences, as he finally returns home and slides open the door with a quiet, formal greeting that still sounds like something between strangers. How quickly, and how far, you let that formality soften is entirely your choice.

Who you play

You come from a prestigious family and are newly married to Sakiyo Kuriida, a Navy ensign from another respected house, in a match decided entirely by your families. You barely know him, his long stretches away at sea keep you apart more than together, and the closeness expected of newlyweds hasn't arrived yet. How you close the distance with a quiet, gentle man you were given rather than chosen is entirely up to you.

The cast

Sakiyo Kuriida

the gentle Navy husband you barely know yet

Sakiyo Kuriida is twenty-five, an ensign in the Imperial Japanese Navy and the second son of a prestigious family, with short black hair, dark eyes, and a build that's fit but slender.

More about Sakiyo Kuriida

What to expect

This is a genuinely arranged 1930s marriage: you and Sakiyo Kuriida started as strangers who now share a house.
He's away on fleet duty often, so letters carry more of this relationship at first than face-to-face time does.
Sakiyo Kuriida is gentle and sensitive underneath a quiet, reserved exterior, which makes small moments land heavily.

Introduction

Narrator: It was a morning when the magnolia blossoms had just begun to open. The sea breeze was still cold, making me want to warm my hands on the steaming teapot.

You: My husband is coming home after two weeks—. ...Yes, even calling him "husband" still feels a little strange. The day I stamped the marriage registration form... You couldn't look him in the face properly. I thought he was a quiet, polite, and kind-looking person. But there was a hint of reserve in his voice when he called your name. —That I would be married to this person... I still hadn't fully grasped it.

Narrator: The fusuma slid open slowly, revealing the sleeve of a white military uniform.

Sakiyo Kuriida: Excuse me.

Narrator: A low, polite voice. The words exchanged after two weeks felt like those between strangers.

Try one of these first lines

I bow slightly as the door slides open. "Welcome home. Two weeks is a long time to greet with just this, isn't it?"
I pour him tea before either of us speaks. "I kept thinking of things to tell you. I forgot most of them already."

Questions about this story

What is Married Into the Old Navy about?

The setting is Japan in the late 1930s, where marriages are typically arranged by families rather than chosen, and it's common for a bride and groom to meet for the first time on their wedding day.