Japanese Enthronement Celebrations: April - October 2019


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Hemp twine for key imperial succession rite handed to weavers - Kyodo News+
Twine made from locally grown western Japan hemp was handed Monday [September 2] to weavers of a fabric that will be used in a key imperial succession rite to be performed by Emperor Naruhito in mid-November.

A wooden box containing the shiny 50-kilometer-long thread was given to the weavers at a Shinto shrine in Yoshinogawa, Tokushima Prefecture.

The weaving of the fabric called "aratae" will begin on Sept. 10 and will be delivered upon its completion to the Imperial Palace before the Great Thanksgiving Ceremony known as the Daijosai. [...]
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Weaving of fabric for key imperial succession rite begins - The Mainichi
[...]

In Tuesday's ceremony at the Yamasakiimbe Shrine in Yoshinogawa, Tokushima Prefecture, seven local women wearing traditional maidens' clothes started to rhythmically work a loom at the Shinto place of worship to create the fabric out of the shiny hemp.

[...]

The aratae fabric will be about 32 centimeters wide and 44 meters long.

The weavers are parishioners of the Yamasakiimbe Shrine, which is said to have been the base of the Awaimbe clan that had supplied the aratae to emperors since the ancient times.

"I will put my heart into the work so that Reiwa becomes an amazing era," said Ryoko Kimura, 22, one of the seven weavers.

[...]

The thread was spun out of the stem fiber of the hemp plants over a period of one month using spinning wheels.
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https://www.asahicom.jp/articles/images/AS20190910002335_comm.jpg
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sophie25 said:
It would be fantastic if she went.
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To be honest, I don´t care anymore if she attends anything or not - she never acted like a Princess of Monaco, and she never will. She´s a real disappointment. OK, she gave the Principality 2 heirs, but that´s it.
 
Regarding the conversation about why some countries are sending the kings and queens instead of heirs. My understanding is that the reason that heirs instead of monarchs usually attend coronations/enthronements/inaugurations is because they don't want anyone to outrank the new monarch but since Japan has an emperor instead of a king it's not a problem for foreign monarchs to attend because they wouldn't outrank him anyway.

(Edit: Sorry, I just went back and read more of the thread and Princess Larisa made the same point on page 4.)

So far the foreign royals attending are:
  • King Philippe & Queen Mathilde of the Belgians
  • King Jigme & Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan
  • Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg
  • King Willem Alexander & Queen Maxima of the Netherlands
  • Crown Prince Haakon of Norway
  • King Felipe & Queen Letizia of Spain
  • King Carl Gustaf & Queen Silvia of Sweden
  • Prince Charles

If it follows 1990, the banquet on the 22nd will be white tie and the Prime Minister's banquet on the 23rd will be less formal. Does anyone know what the dress code will be for the court banquets on the 25th, 29th, and 30th?
 
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:previous: I think only the October 22 court banquet "Kyoen no Gi" will be white tie.

Emperor Akihito's enthronement had 7 banquets over 4 days but only the first seemed to be white tie. The others were black tie or formal day dress/kimono.

Getty Images - Kyoen-no-Gi 1990
 
wartenberg7 said:
To be honest, I don´t care anymore if she attends anything or not - she never acted like a Princess of Monaco, and she never will. She´s a real disappointment. OK, she gave the Principality 2 heirs, but that´s it.
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She's definitely been a disappointment and a confusing character to follow. She accompanied Albert all over the place before they married, official trips abroad, royal weddings and loads of stuff in Monaco itself then they marry and virtually nothing since. That's why it would be great if she did go as it would be interesting to see her in an official setting for a change. To be honest though it wouldn't surprise me if she did go all the way to Japan, watched a few rugby matches and went nowhere near the enthronement celebrations. In fact that's what I am expecting her to do.
 
Thank you Prisma for the quick answer even though it's not the one I wanted, haha! Now I'm putting all of my hopes in the banquet on the 22nd to provide us with better pictures of the princesses jewels especially those further down the line. I've only seen really far away, blurry pictures of many of them.
 
malluu said:
Regarding the conversation about why some countries are sending the kings and queens instead of heirs. My understanding is that the reason that heirs instead of monarchs usually attend coronations/enthronements/inaugurations is because they don't want anyone to outrank the new monarch but since Japan has an emperor instead of a king it's not a problem for foreign monarchs to attend because they wouldn't outrank him anyway.

(Edit: Sorry, I just went back and read more of the thread and Princess Larisa made the same point on page 4.)

So far the foreign royals attending are:
  • King Philippe & Queen Mathilde of the Belgians
  • King Jigme & Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan
  • Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg
  • King Willem Alexander & Queen Maxima of the Netherlands
  • Crown Prince Haakon of Norway
  • King Felipe & Queen Letizia of Spain
  • King Carl Gustaf & Queen Silvia of Sweden
  • Prince Charles

If it follows 1990, the banquet on the 22nd will be white tie and the Prime Minister's banquet on the 23rd will be less formal. Does anyone know what the dress code will be for the court banquets on the 25th, 29th, and 30th?
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When was the presence of the Kings of Spain confirmed?

It is strange that the Royal House of Denmark has not yet confirmed the presence of the Crown Princes or Queen Margrethe II.
 
malluu said:
Regarding the conversation about why some countries are sending the kings and queens instead of heirs. My understanding is that the reason that heirs instead of monarchs usually attend coronations/enthronements/inaugurations is because they don't want anyone to outrank the new monarch but since Japan has an emperor instead of a king it's not a problem for foreign monarchs to attend because they wouldn't outrank him anyway.

(Edit: Sorry, I just went back and read more of the thread and Princess Larisa made the same point on page 4.)
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But other members have observed that the European monarchs no longer rank one another by their titles, and even if the ranking was observed amongst European monarchies themselves, it is not clear that they would follow the same protocol for a visit to an Asian monarchy with its own traditions.
 
Blog Real said:
When was the presence of the Kings of Spain confirmed?

It is strange that the Royal House of Denmark has not yet confirmed the presence of the Crown Princes or Queen Margrethe II.
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It's on Gert's Royals website and Gert twitted about it on Sept. 9th.
 
malluu said:
Regarding the conversation about why some countries are sending the kings and queens instead of heirs. My understanding is that the reason that heirs instead of monarchs usually attend coronations/enthronements/inaugurations is because they don't want anyone to outrank the new monarch but since Japan has an emperor instead of a king it's not a problem for foreign monarchs to attend because they wouldn't outrank him anyway.

(Edit: Sorry, I just went back and read more of the thread and Princess Larisa made the same point on page 4.)

So far the foreign royals attending are:
  • King Philippe & Queen Mathilde of the Belgians
  • King Jigme & Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan
  • Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg
  • King Willem Alexander & Queen Maxima of the Netherlands
  • Crown Prince Haakon of Norway
  • King Felipe & Queen Letizia of Spain
  • King Carl Gustaf & Queen Silvia of Sweden
  • Prince Charles

If it follows 1990, the banquet on the 22nd will be white tie and the Prime Minister's banquet on the 23rd will be less formal. Does anyone know what the dress code will be for the court banquets on the 25th, 29th, and 30th?
Click to expand...
As has been noted there have been a number of posts on the king vs emperor title debate as well as discussion around the translation of the Japanese term tenno. Here is a link to a well known east Asian newspaper about this issue https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1049293/japan-emperor-or-king
 
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Durham said:
As has been noted there have been a number of posts on the king vs emperor title debate as well as discussion around the translation of the Japanese term tenno. Here is a link to a well known east Asian newspaper about this issue https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1049293/japan-emperor-or-king
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Yes, I went back and read the discussion. It's an interesting topic. I imagine titles are incorrectly translated to other languages more often than we know or just labeled something not quite right because there's not a direct translation to the right thing. And then even if the correct translation is known you have to get the international community to change their habits which is not easy to do.
 
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malluu said:
Yes, I went back and read the discussion. It's an interesting topic. I imagine titles are incorrectly translated to other languages more often than we know or just labeled something not quite right because there's not a direct translation to the right thing. And then even if the correct translation is known you have to get the international community to change their habits which is not easy to do.
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Yes indeed it is. The Ethiopian ruler (negus) was called the king of kings. Now that is one hell of a title:lol:
 
malluu said:
Thank you Prisma for the quick answer even though it's not the one I wanted, haha! Now I'm putting all of my hopes in the banquet on the 22nd to provide us with better pictures of the princesses jewels especially those further down the line. I've only seen really far away, blurry pictures of many of them.
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You're welcome! Hopefully photographers remember the other princesses... :ermm: I think it's really just Akiko, Yoko, and Tsuguko's tiaras that remain blurry. Well, there's Princess Yuriko but she's 96 so I don't expect her to attend.

There are plans for Japan's popular boy band "Arashi" to perform at the November 9th ceremony celebrating Emperor Naruhito's enthronement. The ceremony is hosted by volunteers from the political and business sectors. The Emperor will give a speech and Prime Minister Abe is expected to attend. [fnn.jp]

ETA: Majority Oppose Pardons to Mark Emperor's Enthronement: Jiji Poll | Nippon.com
[...] The poll showed that 54.2 pct of respondents oppose such pardons, while 20.5 pct support them and 25.3 pct said they are not sure. The survey was conducted for four days through Monday.

The Japanese government is considering granting pardons as early as this autumn to commemorate the May 1 enthronement of the new Emperor. It is expected to limit the measure to minor crimes in consideration for the feelings of victims.

In the past, Japanese authorities granted pardons on occasions, including the death of Emperor Hirohito, posthumously called Emperor Showa, in 1989. [...]
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Program of ceremonies for foreign guests (English PDF file) - includes diagrams, dress code, etc.

Japanese version is more lengthy...

Some info before I go to bed...

Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince Akishino couple will wear sokutai and jūnihitoe.

Imperial princes (Shinnō) and Imperial princesses (Shinnōhi, Naishinnō, and Joō) will wear sokutai and jūnihitoe. However, if traditional clothing is a burden, then men will wear tailcoat (with orders?) and women will wear long dress.

Senior IHA staff and ladies-in-waiting will wear sokutai and jūnihitoe.

The Emperor and Empress' entrance will be restored to pre-Showa era style as used at Kyoto Imperial Palace. They will enter from the rear of the Matsu-no-Ma state room and ascend the Takamikura and Michodai thrones. In the Heisei era, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko walked around and into the Matsu-no-Ma.

See comparison: solid lines are the new/restored plan and the dotted line were the Heisei era entrance
entrance.jpg

Remember the 2 prefectures chosen to provide rice for the Daijosai via turtle shell divination? On September 18th, the IHA announced rice from Takanezawa, Tochigi and Nantan, Kyoto will be harvested for the November ritual. [Sankei]

ETA: The car for the parade will be delivered to the Cabinet Office this month. In case of bad weather, the government will decide by 6:30pm on October 21st whether to postpone the parade. If postponed, the parade will be on October 26th at the same time (3:30-4pm) [Mainichi]

Jiji reports 30 42-200 inch monitors will be installed for guests to watch the ceremony as they will be seated in Homei-den (State Banquet Hall) or hallways. Due to the possibility of bad weather, a temporary stage will not be setup for guests in the courtyard like last time.
 
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Prisma said:
Program of ceremonies for foreign guests (English PDF file) - includes diagrams, dress code, etc.

Japanese version is more lengthy...

Some info before I go to bed...

Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince Akishino couple will wear sokutai and jūnihitoe.

Imperial princes (Shinnō) and Imperial princesses (Shinnōhi, Naishinnō, and Joō) will wear sokutai and jūnihitoe. However, if traditional clothing is a burden, then men will wear tailcoat (with orders?) and women will wear long dress.

Senior IHA staff and ladies-in-waiting will wear sokutai and jūnihitoe.

The Emperor and Empress' entrance will be restored to pre-Showa era style as used at Kyoto Imperial Palace. They will enter from the rear of the Matsu-no-Ma state room and ascend the Takamikura and Michodai thrones. In the Heisei era, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko walked around and into the Matsu-no-Ma.

See comparison: solid lines are the new/restored plan and the dotted line were the Heisei era entrance
View attachment 301888

Remember the 2 prefectures chosen to provide rice for the Daijosai via turtle shell divination? On September 18th, the IHA announced rice from Takanezawa, Tochigi and Nantan, Kyoto will be harvested for the November ritual. [Sankei]

ETA: The car for the parade will be delivered to the Cabinet Office this month. In case of bad weather, the government will decide by 6:30pm on October 21st whether to postpone the parade. If postponed, the parade will be on October 26th at the same time (3:30-4pm) [Mainichi]

Jiji reports 30 42-200 inch monitors will be installed for guests to watch the ceremony as they will be seated in Homei-den (State Banquet Hall) or hallways. Due to the possibility of bad weather, a temporary stage will not be setup for guests in the courtyard like last time.
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I like the change to the Emperor and Empress's entrance, and a return to tradition is always an interesting choice. I wonder if the reason Akihito and Michiko entered from the front, with all that turning of corners, was so that the guests below could see them processing as they entered and left the State Room? If so, guests certainly were getting quite a distant view, so I'm not sure it was necessarily more inclusive. Was there any discussion of the reasons for both changes?

Another interesting detail that touches on what we have discussed on the Mikasa thread is that if the wearing of the junihitoe and sokutai is too taxing, a long dress can be worn, which could certainly be less uncomfortable for Princess Nobuko, among others, and would increase the likelihood that she will be able to attend.

Thank you for posting so many interesting details, Prisma!
 
:previous: You're very welcome! :flowers: Yes, the Heisei era change was mentioned in page 7 of the Japanese PDF. You're correct, the IHA/government had the Imperial couple walk around for guests to see them better.

More details from the Japanese PDF.

Pages 1-3: Enthronement proceedings

- Prime Minister, Speaker of the House of Representatives, etc. enters
- Crown Prince couple, Imperial prince and princesses enters
- Emperor enters with attendants carrying the sword, jewel, and privy seals
- Empress enters
- Guests raise
- The thrones' curtains are opened
- Bow to guests
- Prime Minister stands before the Emperor
- Emperor delivers his speech
- Prime Minister leads 3 Banzai cheers and exits
- The thrones' curtains are closed
- Guests sit down
- Emperor (with sword, jewel, privy seals) leaves
- Empress leaves
- Crown Prince couple, Imperial prince and princesses leave
- Prime Minister, Speaker of the House of Representatives, etc. leave

Page 4: Clothing (already posted in #137)

Page 5: Range of attendees (Japanese side only, doesn't mention foreign guests)
- Imperial relations
- Legislative bodies
- Government agencies
- Judicial organization
- Former heads of government
- Local governments
- Diplomatic relations
- Representatives from various fields such as order/merit recipients or remarkable achievements in research, technology, art, culture, sports, industry, social welfare, rehabilitation, overseas Nikkei, etc.
- Press

Page 6: explanation and images of traditional route at Kyoto Imperial Palace where the emperor ascends the throne from the back and is shown to the attendees

Page 7: explanation and images of route change in Heisei era.
- The enthronement was held for the first time at Tokyo Imperial Palace.
- The organizers wanted to show as much as possible of the ritual so temporary stages were setup for guests in the courtyard and the Imperial couple walked around the corridor, into the Matsu no Ma state room.

Page 8: explanation and images of traditional route planned for Reiwa era enthronement.
- No temporary stages due to possible bad weather.
- Large and small monitors will be installed at various locations for attendees seated in the banquet hall, grand hall, drawing room, and corridors.
- Please note that only the Imperial couple enters through the rear of the Matsu no Ma state room.
- Other Imperial family members walk around and into the state room as in Heisei era.
- Inconsistency on how the Emperor and Empress leave. Page 3 says they leave via the Take-no-Ma room but Page 8 says they leave from the front of the Matsu no Ma as in the Heisei era.
- Rest of Imperial family leave from front of the Matsu no Ma as in Heisei era.

天皇陛下 -> His Majesty the Emperor (blue)
皇后陛下 -> Her Majesty the Empress (red)
皇族殿下 -> Imperial family, His/Her Imperial Highness (yellow)
Blue boxes indicate where guests will be seated.
Reiwa_route.jpg
 
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Thank you, Prisma, for all the information.
Btw, am I the only one who finds the dress code during enthronment ceremony rather confusing (white tie or morning coat for men, long or day dress for women)??
 
Charlotte_Aster said:
Thank you, Prisma, for all the information.
Btw, am I the only one who finds the dress code during enthronment ceremony rather confusing (white tie or morning coat for men, long or day dress for women)??
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I just went back and looked at the pictures of the last ceremony and I think this it the same dress code from 1990. Most people were wearing national dress or white tie/long dresses with hats but there were some that were wearing morning coat/day dress. I guess it's just to give a less formal option. One of the only ones Getty labeled in day dress was the chairman of the Soviet Union but I saw a few others.

Getty Images - November 12th

Does anyone know if hats are expected this time around? The English program in the link Prisma provided (Thank you for that!) didn't mention them.
 
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The Princely Palace of Monaco declined to comment on who is representing the Grimaldi's at the enthronement :S
 
TheRoyalCouturier said:
The Princely Palace of Monaco declined to comment on who is representing the Grimaldi's at the enthronement :S
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Why the secrecy? The have the worst communications office of all the royals in Europe. Who asked them anyway?
 
I wonder if they are waiting to see if Princess Charlene is willing to make the trip?
 
sophie25 said:
Why the secrecy? The have the worst communications office of all the royals in Europe. Who asked them anyway?
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I asked them, for my website.

It might be worth mentioning that back in 2013, the palace confirmed that Prince Albert would attend the Investiture in The Netherlands alone prior to the event as Princess Charlene was travelling with her foundation.
 
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Yes, the communication of the palace of Monaco is very bad

As I said it lastely, Charlene said in an interview in february in a South africa magazine that she would attend some rugby matches of the world cup in <japan which are taking part at Japan during all the month of october, I thought she would perhaps attend the enthronement at Japan.
But now, there are a lot of rumors about a possible pregnancy of Charlene and perhaps Charlene would not go to the Japan and Albert would go alone in Japan
 
TheRoyalCouturier said:
The Princely Palace of Monaco declined to comment on who is representing the Grimaldi's at the enthronement :S
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Weird. Seems like an unusual thing to decline to comment about. I wonder if they are trying to diminish the rumours that something is happening between Albert and Charlene given the fact that she is often seen absent or separate from him. (But that's not a discussion for this thread!)
 
I'm not surprised about the pregnancy rumors. All it takes is a royal woman wearing loose clothes for a couple of appearances, and the next thing you know the rumor is twins.

I find it hard to believe no one is going to attend the enthronement, so refusing to confirm one way or the other is quite odd.
 
Honestly, the Palais Princier PR team has never been consistent with what kind of information they do or do not share. I think declining to comment is either a new security measure, they're still unsure of who is going, or it's just another case of inconsistency. Time will tell.
 
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