Prince Akihito and Michiko Shoda 1959

[pdas1201]

Crown Prince Akihito married Michiko Shoda, a commoner, on April 10 1959.

Already "Crown Princess Michiko" Michiko Shoda makes her way to the Imperial Palace Shrine for the ancient marriage ceremony.

[pdas1201]

Crown Prince Akihito and Michiko Shoda, in their traditional dress, enter the holy shrine for the wedding ceremony. After the ceremony, they pose for the photographers.

[pdas1201]

Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko make way to the Royal Palace for the reception. The couple posed with Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako.

[pdas1201]

The couple leaves the palace

[HMQueenElizabethII]

Thanks for pics pdas1201.

[Alexandria]

It would be great to have more information on this wedding, especially on the traditional Japanese kimono Emperess Michiko wore, as well as the traditional Western white gown she wore.

There are also many special traditions carried out by the Imperial court -- does anyone have information on those tradtions?

[mandyy]

Photos of the wedding day of Prince Akihito and Michiko Shoda on April 10, 1959.
The last photo is a photo of the traditional costumes they wore on their wedding day.

From Corbis

[Princess BellyFlop]

Those wedding day pictures are very beauiful. There is always something special about the japanese imperial weddings (theirs and their son's). A mix of magnificent opulence and zen spirit, if that it possible.

[mandyy]

An official portrait from HELLO

[tiaraprin]

I do find it strange that the reigning Emperor and Empress cannot attend ceremonies concerning members of their own family or other royal families of lower rank. They could not attend the wedding of their son to Masako. They watched it on television. After the wedding, the couple came to report to the Emperor and Empress that they were married?? Even the Tsar of Russia in his day attended weddings of lesser royals of his family and other royal dynasties!!

[Elspeth]

You could look at the weddings of Akihito and the weddings of his sons and not know which was which. The traditional Japanese costumes don't change, obviously, but the western clothes don't seem to have changed since the 1950s either.

[lucien]

TM celebrate their 48th wedding anniversary today.

[TLLK]

Congratulations to them both.

[magnik]

Happy wedding anniversary

[EmpressRouge]

Originally Posted by tiaraprin

I do find it strange that the reigning Emperor and Empress cannot attend ceremonies concerning members of their own family or other royal families of lower rank. They could not attend the wedding of their son to Masako. They watched it on television. After the wedding, the couple came to report to the Emperor and Empress that they were married?? Even the Tsar of Russia in his day attended weddings of lesser royals of his family and other royal dynasties!!

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko broke with tradition and made rare exception by attending the wedding of their only daughter the former Princess Nori, now Sayako Kuroda, in 2005.

[lotus]

The traditional Japanese kimono that Emperess Michiko wore is very heavy, 5 kg...

And Michiko is the first commoner Princess and Emperess in the Imperial Palace.