Imperial Family of Japan Current Events 2: June 2008 - April 2017


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Status
Not open for further replies.
:previous:
Honestly, I am not sure. I would have supposed that it is because of the Shinto concept of purity. (People are supposed to be rendered unclean by contact with death/dying - also by menstruation and childbirth, incidentally, which plays a role in the succession discussion.) But tradition also decrees that the emperor do not attend weddings, either. (Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako, the parents of the present emperor, watched his wedding only on tv. Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, however, broke with this tradition in order to attend the wedding of their daughter, former Princess Sayako.)

More pictures of the funeral

Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako
1
2
3

Princesses Akiko and Yoko, Prince and Princess Hitachi

Prince and Princess Hitachi

Princesses Akiko and Yoko, Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako and Princess Mako (left)
1
2

Princess Mako, Crown Princess Masako and Crown Prince Naruhito (from left)

Princess Akiko

Princesses Akiko and Yoko, weeping
1
2
3
 
Last edited:
mariaantoniapia said:
Shintoism is not a religion in a strict sense but is more like a nature and ancestror worship very similar to the Greek and Roman mythologies that there is no code or doctrine to follow. So, accoding to the Vatican, the Catholics are allowed to go to places such as the Yasukuni Jinja. ... Shintoism is a pantheic tradition that it may not matter if a person has a specific religious affinity. ...

I read about Alix of Hesse: it sounded very difficult for her to convert into Russian Orthodox faith from German Lutheran religion. Had she married into the Japanese Imperial Family, she might have been welcomed into the shintoism without conversion because in the world of shintoism, there is no conversion takes place. LOL
Click to expand...

I understand. But it always seemed to me that, in the Meji era, Shinto had somewhat acquired the tendency of (particularly monotheistic) religions to "compete" with each other. As you said in the "Shinto"-thread, the strict observation of Shintoism was forced upon the Imperial House. They cannot openly practice their Buddhist ceremonies within the imperial rituals, according to you, which means that they have difficulties organizing houe for their ancestors. I would have thought that this would have also meant that they are not allowed to have any faith other than Shinto (even if I understand that Shinto is originally not a faith like Christianity or Buddhism).

In the article I have posted above it is said that due "partly to the late prince's wish, his eldest daughter Princess Akiko served as the chief mourner at the funeral." This seems to imply that, normally, someone else (probably Princess Tomohito) would have been the chief mourner. Is that so? Did Prince Tomohito especially request his daughter to play that role because he and his wife were practically leading separate lives?
 
Thanks for the photos!
It was nice to see the Imperial family.
 
The first two rows at the funeral: Princess Mako, Princess Masako, Prince Naruhito, Princesses Yoko and Akiko (bowing), second row: Princess Takamado with her three daughters

Prince and Princess Mikasa, Prince and Princess Hitachi at the funeral

Princess Mako at the funeral
1
2

The crown prince and princess with Princess Mako at the funeral

Prince Mikasa hospitalized for fatigue
Prince Mikasa, uncle of Emperor Akihito, has been hospitalized since Friday due to fatigue, sources close to the Imperial Household Agency said Saturday. The 96-year-old prince has been hospitalized at St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo because of exhaustion since the funeral service for his son Prince Tomohito of Mikasa [...] Prince Mikasa will stay in hospital for about a week to rest, according to the sources.
Click to expand...
June 17, 2012(Mainichi Japan)
 
Last edited:
It appears that Princess Mako attended the funeral with her uncle and aunt. I wonder why her parents did not attend.
 
:previous:
Thanks for information!
I have already checked the thread.
 
ChiaraC said:
I understand. But it always seemed to me that, in the Meji era, Shinto had somewhat acquired the tendency of (particularly monotheistic) religions to "compete" with each other. As you said in the "Shinto"-thread, the strict observation of Shintoism was forced upon the Imperial House. They cannot openly practice their Buddhist ceremonies within the imperial rituals, according to you, which means that they have difficulties organizing houe for their ancestors. I would have thought that this would have also meant that they are not allowed to have any faith other than Shinto (even if I understand that Shinto is originally not a faith like Christianity or Buddhism).

In the article I have posted above it is said that due "partly to the late prince's wish, his eldest daughter Princess Akiko served as the chief mourner at the funeral." This seems to imply that, normally, someone else (probably Princess Tomohito) would have been the chief mourner. Is that so? Did Prince Tomohito especially request his daughter to play that role because he and his wife were practically leading separate lives?
Click to expand...

I think that it was because the princess has been unwell for such a long time that their daughter did the moshu or chief mouner.

Some time ago, Prince Akishino visited the Sennyuji but as you say Imperial family's religious practice is separated from their official duties that it is very unclear how much freedom they have in order to practice their shintoism or Buddhism.
 
mariaantoniapia said:
I think that it was because the princess has been unwell for such a long time that their daughter did the moshu or chief mouner.
Click to expand...
But is she unwell to such a degree as to make her unable to fulfill official duties? In the debate on the status of the princesses it is often said that presently, 12 imperial family members are adults under the age of 60 and half of these are unmarried princesses between the ages of 20 and 30, in order to show what a difference it would make if the young princesses should marry out. Princess Nobuko is one of the other six members who are supposed to help with official duties. If she is effectively unable to perform them because of health reasons, it looks even worse. As the crown princess cannot take up so many engagements either, that leaves basically the crown prince, the Akishinos and Princess Takamado to do all the work if the young princesses should leave... :ohmy: I really hope that they will go ahead with changing the Imperial Household Law, although, unfortunately, it does not look like it at present.

mariaantoniapia said:
Some time ago, Prince Akishino visited the Sennyuji but as you say Imperial family's religious practice is separated from their official duties that it is very unclear how much freedom they have in order to practice their shintoism or Buddhism.
Click to expand...
Thank you, that is really interesting. European royals have their secrets, too (for example, I strongly doubt that anybody would be surprised to be informed of another illegitimate child of Albert of Monaco :whistling:), but their faith and religious practice are usually uncontroversial and widely known.
 
ChiaraC said:
But is she unwell to such a degree as to make her unable to fulfill official duties? In the debate on the status of the princesses it is often said that presently, 12 imperial family members are adults under the age of 60 and half of these are unmarried princesses between the ages of 20 and 30, in order to show what a difference it would make if the young princesses should marry out. Princess Nobuko is one of the other six members who are supposed to help with official duties. If she is effectively unable to perform them because of health reasons, it looks even worse. As the crown princess cannot take up so many engagements either, that leaves basically the crown prince, the Akishinos and Princess Takamado to do all the work if the young princesses should leave... :ohmy: I really hope that they will go ahead with changing the Imperial Household Law, although, unfortunately, it does not look like it at present.


Thank you, that is really interesting. European royals have their secrets, too (for example, I strongly doubt that anybody would be surprised to be informed of another illegitimate child of Albert of Monaco :whistling:), but their faith and religious practice are usually uncontroversial and widely known.
Click to expand...

Nobuko is not well that she seems to be in & out of hospital herself but there was also a rumour that Tomohito and Nobuko were not getting on well.

As you point out, there are not that many people around to carry out royal duties among the clan that it is advisable, as you say, to create josei miyake.
 
:previous:
Thank you for the information! :flowers:
Let´s see if the princesses will at last be allowed to create their own family branches - and how long it will take... :whistling: Imo, it is possible that maybe the older princesses are putting off marriage in order to wait for the decision.

Here´s bad but not altogether unexpected news about Emperor Akihito´s uncle, Prince Mikasa:

Japan’s Prince Mikasa moved to intensive care after heart failure
Prince Mikasa, uncle to Japan’s Emperor Akihito, suffered from serious congestive heart failure at a Tokyo hospital on Saturday, and was then moved to intensive care. The Imperial Household Agency says that he is admitted to St. Luke’s International Hospital, where he remains conscious but mainly unresponsive. [...]

Doctors have said that the prince suffers from mitral valve insufficiency, a condition where his heart’s valves do not properly close when pumping blood, and thus causes a backward flow. As he has aged, they say his heart functions have been deteriorating. On Saturday night, Prince Mikasa had drops in blood pressure, requiring medication, and needed treatment to remove the fluid from his chest.
Click to expand...
Prince Mikasa experiences serious heart trouble
Prince Mikasa, uncle of Emperor Akihito, experienced congestive heart failure Saturday at a hospital in Tokyo and was moved to the intensive care unit [...] He has been at the hospital for recuperation from fatigue since June 15, the day after the funeral service for his son Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, who died June 6 at age 66.

Prince Mikasa had initially been expected to be hospitalized for about a week. He remained in the hospital due to a mild fever and other symptoms of a common cold and had been recovering and underwent rehabilitation such as taking a walk, according to agency officials.
Click to expand...
 
.

Today, July 18, Emperor Akihito, Empress Michiko and Crown Prince Naruhito offered prayers at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo where Akihito's great-grandfather Emperor Mutsuhito's spirit is dedicated. The visit marked the centennial of Mutsuhito's death on July 30, 1912.



** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** Pic 4 ** daylife gallery **
 
Death of Marquis Takamasa Ikeda, brother-in-law of Emperor Akihito

.
Marquis Takamasa Ikeda died on 21 July 2012.

 He was born on 21 October 1927.
Eleven days before his 25th birthday he married Princess Yori (Yori no-myia Atsuko Shinno, b.1931), a sister of Akihito, present Emperor of Japan.
The couple didn't have any children.

Sources: www.nettyroyal.nl Genealogical News 2012
Atsuko Ikeda - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks for the update!
It is sad that older generations are leaving us, but it is inevitable. It was nice to see Crown Princely couple attending the commemoration event.
 
On September 23, the crown prince and princess hosted a banquet in honour of the empress, on occasion of her Kiju celebration/77th birthday. (The empress turned 77 in October of last year but this special dinner was put off because, at the time, it would still have appeared inappropriate to celebrate, because of the March 11 disaster.) According to Japanese tradition, there are several celebrations of longevity, one upon entering each new decade of life but also at certain ages from which auspicious (or amusing) meanings can be derived from how the ages are written in Kanji characters. The 77th year (kiju) is being celebrated because the character ki (good fortune) can be broken down to components that mean 77. That is why this age is seen as related to good fortune. (Source)

Around 40 guests attended, among them Prince and Princess Akishino with Prince Hisahito and Mr and Mrs Kuroda. Also Princess Aiko was present. (Source in Japanese, Google translation)
 
.

Emperor Akihito, Empress Michiko and Princess Yoko of Mikasa visited the grave of Prince Tomohito, who passed away on June 6, at the Toshimagaoka Cemetery in Tokyo on October 2, 2012.



** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 **
 
The royal couple of Malaysia, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah and the Raja Permaisuri Agong, Tuanku Hajah Haminah, were greeted on arrival by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko as well as Crown Prince Naruhito and Prince and Princess Akishino.
The royal couple arrived in Tokyo on Monday for a five-day state visit to Japan. Article
Pictures: 1 ** 2 ** 3 ** 4 ** 5 ** 6
 
Last edited:
.

Emperor Akihito, Empress Michiko, Princess Akiko, Prince Akishino, Princess Kiko, Crown Prince Naruhito, Princess Takamado and Princess Noriko attended an autumn garden party in Tokyo, October 25, 2012. About 2100 people were invited to the annual party hosted by the Emperor and Empress.


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** Pic 4 ** Pic 5 **
 
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko hosted a tea on Monday afternoon for fifteen people who were designated as Persons of Cultural Merits for the current fiscal year, based on their cultural or scientific contributions to society. The recipients include legendary "anime" movie director Hayao Miyazaki, 71, kabuki star Matsumoto Koshiro, 70, poet and novelist Takashi Tsujii, 85, and Naohiro Asao, 80, a historian on Japan's early modern period.
The crown prince and Prince and Princess Akishino attended the event.
1
2

Last Saturday, Emperor Akihito bestowed the Order of Culture, Japan's highest honor, on six recipients during a Culture Day ceremony at the Imperial Palace, including new Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka and globally acclaimed film director Yoji Yamada.
 
iceflower said:
The Imperial Family made a balcony appearance for the well-wishers who gathered to celebrate Emperor Akihito's 79th birthday at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, December 23, 2012.
Click to expand...
A few more: 1 ** 2 ** 3 ** 4

Video in English

***
Imperial family members attend the tea ceremony to celebrate the emperor´s 79th birthday at the Imperial Palace on December 23, 2012 in Tokyo, Japan:
1 ** 2
 
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko flanked by their family members pose for a photo session for New Year's Day at the Imperial residence in Tokyo. The pictures were taken on December 13, 2012 and released on January 1, 2013. Pictured are Crown Princess Masako, Crown Prince Naruhito, Princess Aiko, Emperor Akihito, Empress Michiko, Princess Kako, Prince Akishino, Prince Hisahito and Princess Kiko.

1 ** 2 ** 3 ** 4 ** 5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B25NSY8zeY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA_s5i3W8OU
 
Last edited:
For the first time, Empress Michiko did not wear a tiara on the advice of her medical teams, in relation to some spinal problem
 
Members of the imperial family attended a concert by university graduates on March, 18. From left to right:
Princess Tsuguko of Takamado, Crown Princess Masako, Crown Prince Naruhito, Empress Michiko, Prince Akishino, Princess Noriko of Takamado
1 ** 2 ** 3 ** 4 ** 5
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

iceflower
  • Sticky
The Imperial Family of Japan: Birthday and Anniversary Wishes 2024
Replies
4
Views
589
Blog Real
Blog Real
Stefan
Imperial Family of Japan Jewels 2: 2023 -
Replies
6
Views
886
CyrilVladisla
CyrilVladisla
Marengo
General News for the Wales Family 2: March 2024-
5 6 7
Replies
190
Views
30K
Blog Real
Blog Real
Somebody
  • Sticky
Iran: Birthday and Anniversary Wishes 2024
Replies
4
Views
985
Blog Real
Blog Real
Marengo
Royal Family of Serbia Current Events 3: Aug 2023 -
Replies
10
Views
1K
Somebody
Somebody

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom