Why does Tengen Uzui have three wives in Demon Slayer?

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba’s Entertainment District Arc features the Sound Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, Tengen Uzui. Tengen is a tall and well-built Demon Slayer with a conspicuous personality. He often boasts about his flamboyance and excellence in front of Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu. He has even proclaimed that he’s a God of Festivals while belittling the new recruits.

Tengen Uzui comes from the lineage of Ninjas. He despised his Shinobi clan for their wicked mentality of making their children go against their own siblings. His last remaining brother, out of eight, inherited the same barbaric commandments.

This made him leave his clan and the village permanently alongside his three wives: Suma, Makio, and Hinatsuru. But why does Tengen have Three Wives?

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Does Tengen practice polygamy in Demon Slayer?

In the outro of season 2's episode 12, Tanjiro explained that the Uzui family practices polygamy, which means the custom of having more than one spouse at a time. When the male member of the family turns 15, the head of the family chooses three wives for the man, based on their compatibility.

Initially, Suma approached Tengen solely without being picked, apart from Hinatsuru and Makio. All of his wives are excellent Kunoichis and Tengen holds a great amount of respect for each of them equally.

Before he sent his wives to Yoshiwara District to be his eyes, he instructed them to keep their lives as a top priority. The well-being of the citizens of Yoshiwara and his were to be set after theirs.

Polygamy has been practiced since the Hein Era and continued throughout the Edo Era without objection, as during that time, major wars and adversities wreaked havoc upon everyone’s lives, including the Shinobis. The idea of polygamy at that time was not just about having more spouses but increasing the number of warriors in the family so that they could survive the harsh realities.

Later, in Taisho Era, where the anime’s timeline takes place, it became obsolete to carry on the custom, but the Uzui Clan still upholds the tradition. Tengen had to go with the clan’s decree for the sake of family.

Tengen regards his wives as the toughest Kunoichi warriors, and besides, the fans got to see more of their bravery and strength in the recent episodes of Demon Slayer.