New Empress Masako

A little history

The oldest ruling dynasty in the world. According to Japanese historical tradition, the imperial house was founded in 660 BC. According to Japanese mythology, the Japanese islands were created by the couple of gods Izanagi and Izanami, from Izanagi the sun goddess Amaterasu was born, and she became the ancestor of the imperial house. The Emperor of Japan is a symbol of the state and nation, although he performs mainly representative functions and does not interfere in the management of state affairs (real power in the country belongs to the prime minister). The current Emperor of Japan, Akihito, in 1959 violated the thousand-year-old traditions of the Japanese dynasty and married a girl not from an aristocratic family. And although the bride Michiko Shode was the daughter of a wealthy merchant and had an excellent upbringing and modern education, the imperial family was very dissatisfied with the choice of their son. However, the Japanese Imperial Household Office made a positive decision when considering the issue of the marriage of the heir to the throne.

Imperial family

Imperial Family (from left to right): Princess Masako (1963) - wife of Crown Prince Naruhito, Crown Prince Naruhito (1960) - eldest son of the Emperor, Emperor Akihito of Japan (1933), Empress Michiko of Japan (1934), Prince Akishino (1965) - youngest son of the Emperor , Princess Kiko (1966) - wife of Prince Akishino, Princess Mako (1991) - eldest daughter of Prince Akishino and first granddaughter of Emperor Akihito.

Sayako Kuroda (formerly Princess Nori)

The imperial couple also have a daughter, Sayako Kuroda (1969), formerly Her Imperial Highness Princess Nori of Japan (Sayako). The daughter followed in her father's footsteps and married Yoshiki Kuroda in 2005. Since the princess’s chosen one was not a person of aristocratic origin, in accordance with the requirements of Japanese law, the princess lost her title and had to leave the imperial family (but for a man there are no restrictions in choosing a chosen one, that’s what Japanese law is).

Princess Noriko Takamado

Princess Noriko (1988) is the second daughter of Norihito, Prince Takamado and Princess Hisako Takamada. Prince Takamado is the cousin of Emperor Akihito of Japan. On November 21, 2002, Prince Takamado died of heart failure, but on December 1, 1984, Emperor Hirohito (Emperor Akihito's father) bestowed on his cousin the title of Prince Takamado and thereby established a new branch of the Japanese Imperial House (in case the main branch of the Imperial House dies out, rights inheritance passes to the new one). On May 27, 2014, the Imperial House of Japan announced the engagement of Princess Noriko Takamado to Kinimaru Senge. And again, Princess Noriko's chosen one is not of aristocratic origin. Noriko loses her princess title and leaves the imperial family.

Princess Mako Akishino (1991)

On September 3, 2021, the Imperial House of Japan announced the upcoming engagement of Princess Mako Akishino. The princess and her boyfriend, Komuro Kei, will get married in 2021. Since the princess's fiancé is not of noble origin, Princess Mako, as well as her aunt Sayako and Princess Noriko, will be deprived of their title and privileges and will be forced to leave the imperial family. (It seems to me that the Imperial Household Office of Japan should start worrying about losing all the princesses.)

Mikimoto - supplier to the Imperial House of Japan

Since 1924, the Mikimoto company has been a supplier of jewelry to the Imperial House of Japan. If we look closely at the jewelry of the imperial family, we will not find any sapphires, rubies, or emeralds - only diamonds and only pearls. The royal color of the imperial house is white (in China, for example, yellow, no one wears bright yellow clothes - this is the color of the emperor). The company's products for the imperial family are not only beautiful, but unique. When they come of age, which according to Japanese law is 20 years old, princesses receive a tiara and a necklace, and the pattern of the necklace is identical to the pattern of the tiara and each time it is a new, unique piece of jewelry. Work for the Imperial House is recognition of the outstanding achievements of the Mikimoto company. Elegant, graceful, sophisticated jewelry, made with the highest skill by the company's jewelers.

Princess Kiko, wife of Prince Akishino with daughters, Princesses Mako and Kako

Princess Hisako Takamada (1953)

Princess Hanako (1940), wife of Prince Masahito (1935), younger brother of Emperor Akihito.

I don’t know what it’s called: the Imperial Fund or the collection of crown jewelry of the Imperial House, that is, those jewelry that are the national treasure of Japan and are passed down from generation to generation in the imperial family. These are the jewels that we see on different generations of the Imperial House.

Princess Masako, wife of Crown Prince Naruhito and young Empress Michiko

Princess Chichibu, Emperor Akihito's aunt and Princess Masako, wearing a pearl necklace.

And there are very few photographs of Empress Michiko wearing long pearl necklaces. Basically this is a string of pearls under the neck (classic version).

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko 2014

Empress Michiko

Change of Emperor

Reigning Emperor Akihito abdicated the throne in favor of his eldest son Naruhito on April 30, 2021. According to Japanese tradition, the emperor holds his throne for life, but an exception was made for Akihito due to his advanced age. On May 1, 2019, Naruhito became emperor. In Japan, with the change of emperors, eras change. Heisei (“Establishment of Peace”) is gone . It lasted from January 7, 1989 until April 30, 2021. On May 1, 2021, the era of Reiwa (“Order and Harmony”) of the new Emperor of Japan, Naruhito, began.

Dear Gossip Girls.
We recently discussed the new monarchs of Japan and touched upon the personality of the new Empress Masako. The girls asked me to make a post and I hope this post will work out. In fact, I am not an expert on this topic and all I know is what I read on Ru-Royalty. There is the wonderful Tatiana, who often and productively writes about the imperial family of Japan. With her permission, I will make this post using information from her posts.

One more nuance is not quite on topic. Girls, I haven’t finished the series of posts about the Jordanian royal family for a year now. Unfortunately, either there was a malfunction on the gossiper, or something else, but the last time, last year, I got very nervous and gave up on this matter just so as not to get angry. The post was not saved. disappeared, I re-printed everything three times, the pictures weren’t inserted, I basically got tired of it and stopped. I hope after this post I will revive the others as well, as many have asked.

So, on April 30, a significant event occurred for the first time in 210 years. The Emperor of Japan decided to retire and give up the throne, passing it on to his eldest son. According to the constitution, the Emperor must fulfill his functions until the end of his life, and therefore a special law had to be passed that would allow Emperor Akihito to transfer the throne to his son. Japan is a special country, the approach to certain situations is different than in European countries. They pay great attention to various rituals and features. The retired Emperor (as he will now be called), who ruled since 1989, was an ideal ruler in every sense and, together with his wife, enjoyed great respect and enormous popularity among the people. After his death, Akihito would become known as the Heisei Emperor, after the era of his reign. Heisei translates as "Establishment of Peace" and marks the peak of Japanese economic power in 1989. The new era is called "Reiwa".

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga announces the name of the new Reiwa era (April 1, 2019)

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko (I’ll have to make a post about the story of their love and relationship someday)

Akihito and Michiko have three children. Daughter and two sons. Naruhito's eldest son became Emperor on April 30 and accordingly his wife Masako became the new Empress. However, here some nuances begin. I'm afraid I won't be able to explain everything in detail, but let's start with something simple. Masako Hisashi Owada's father is a diplomat and President of the International Court of Justice. By the way, she went to kindergarten in Moscow, where she was with her parents at that time. Then she moved to the States, where her father was deputy ambassador of Japan and taught at Harvard. For some time she even worked at the Japanese Foreign Ministry and was preparing to become a lawyer. They say that Prince Naruhito fell in love with her immediately, but there were some difficulties. Her maternal grandfather, Yutaka Egashira, was the chairman of the Chisso corporation, whose activities led to an environmental disaster: in 1953-1956. 43 Japanese from the coastal city of Minamata died from mercury poisoning from contaminated fish. The source of mercury was liquid waste from one of the local polyvinyl chloride production plants that got into the water. Thus her grandfather was responsible for this disaster. After some time, they finally got married; they say the annoying prince showed enviable persistence. In 1993, their marriage took place.

The problems did not begin immediately, but nevertheless, many doubt which Masako will become the Empress. She is often called lazy due to the fact that she rarely performs her official duties. The official explanation is rapid fatigue, a severe form of depression. The diagnosis sounds like “Adjustment Disorder Syndrome.” They say the reason for the depression was that Masako could not get pregnant for a long time, gave birth to a daughter and then could not give birth to a son. And so there was a lot of pressure on her. Whether this is actually true is not clear because, while refusing official duties, Masako could nevertheless go abroad for a walk, shopping, or resorts. I often had fun with friends, bypassing direct responsibilities. The princess was often criticized for allowing herself too expensive purchases (like Erme, Chanel bags, etc.). Back then, the princess was often accused of always feeling great when she had to meet foreign guests, but to “work” within the country she always said she was sick. also for a very long time she was reminded and still remembers that she gave the crown jewels to her sisters and mother to wear, which is considered unacceptable. It is believed that Masako is more favorable towards foreigners (meaning Europe and especially the USA) than towards her own people. By the way, the grandfather of the new Emperor (Emperor Showa) was categorically against his grandson’s marriage to Masako Owada.

Another reason that she is often criticized is that she constantly violates protocols, communicating with foreign guests ahead of the Emperor (already former). He fawns over foreign guests too much. especially by Americans. Ben Hills once wrote the book “Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne” - “Princess Masako. Captive of the Chrysanthemum Throne." The book caused a terrible scandal in Japan. Judging by the book, Masako is unhappy, whom everyone around her oppresses, torments and does not give her a life. Moreover, the annotation says “the tragic story of a Japanese princess.” Empress Michiko, Masako's mother-in-law, was then hospitalized, the scandal was terrible and the book, naturally, was not translated into Japanese.

Here is the abstract in Russian: “The story is about the tragic fate of Masako Owada, an energetic modern girl, a graduate of Harvard University, who married Prince Naruhito, heir to the Japanese throne, and could not withstand the complex, stressful life behind the “chrysanthemum curtain.”

True, last year Masako swore to the Japanese people to fulfill her duties. help her husband in her “emperorship” and do everything possible to overcome the disease. Time, of course, will tell. Who knows, maybe she will really succeed. The question of succession to the throne remains open. The Emperor's brother is no longer the heir to the throne, he is now the "Guardian of the Chrysanthemum Throne." Most likely, neither he nor his son will be allowed to inherit the throne after the current Emperor. Many years ago, the youngest daughter-in-law of the Imperial couple was told that at least she should give birth to a son. so that there is someone to pass on the throne after Naruhito and his younger brother. At her own peril and risk, she became pregnant, although doctors categorically forbade her to do this due to many health problems. On ru-royalty there was material about this, how Princess Kiko (that’s the name of the youngest daughter-in-law) was almost on the verge of death and her older daughters were on duty at her door at home to urgently react if she needed help. In the end, although with difficulties, she gave birth to a healthy and handsome boy, whom his uncle pushed away from the throne. Everything possible and impossible was done to transfer the throne to the only daughter Aiko in the future. Whether this will be possible is still unknown. However, it is already known that most Japanese would still prefer to see his brother Fumihito as Emperor after Naruhito rather than his daughter.

Prince Fumihito and Princess Kiko

A little prince

And daughters Fumihito and Kiko

Photos from the enthronement of the new Emperor

I would like to express my gratitude to Tatyana, she is a resuscitator and an active user of the Ru-royalty community on LiveJournal. An incredibly literate woman, well versed in all issues of the monarchy in Japan and Thailand. Everything I know, I know thanks to her posts. which are very interesting to read. All materials are taken from this community and partly from Wikipedia.

Updated 03/05/19 14:21

I found another interesting photo.

Enthronement of the 125th Emperor of Japan, Akihito, on January 9, 1989. The imperial family was in deep mourning for the recently deceased 124th Emperor Showa.

Coronation of the new Emperor of Japan

On October 22, 2021, a new emperor was crowned in the ancient capital of Japan in Kyoto. The new 126th Emperor of Japan is 59-year-old Naruhito. He assumed the throne on May 1, 2021, after the official abdication of his 85-year-old father, Emperor Akihito. Due to mourning for those killed due to Typhoon Hagibis (it hit the country on October 12, killing 70 people and causing widespread destruction), the coronation parade was postponed to November 10. The gala dinner on the occasion of the ceremony was attended by numerous royal houses of Europe and Asia, representatives of 183 foreign countries. The total number of guests was 2000 people.

For the curious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFtRDPRIubE The first ritual of Emperor Naruhito https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZg4m0vx-Tw The enthronement ceremony of the Emperor of Japan I have always believed that “ Banzai" translated from Japanese - "Hurray", actually means - "10 thousand years!"

Notes

Masako // Encyclopædia Britannica (English)
Masako // Munzinger Personen (German)
May 5, 2013
Japan's Crown Prince and Princess to attend Coronation
Saturday, July 4, 2015 09:02
Garden Party at the Emperor's Palace 11/12/2015
2015 11 12 18 10 10
The Japanese reclusive princess attended a palace banquet for the first time in 11 years on October 30, 2014.
The Crown Princess turned 52 years old. 2015-12-09