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


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HM the Emperor turns 78 - December 23rd, 2011

TM the Emperor Akihito and the Empress Michiko, TIH the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, the Prince and the Princess Akishino and their eldest daughter Princess Akishino Mako wave at a crowd of well-wishers during a morning appearance through the bulletproof glass of a balcony at Imperial Palace in Tokyo Friday, Dec. 23, 2011, marking Akihito's 78th birthday.:flowers:

**Pic 1** **Pic 2** **Pic 3** - credits AP/Kyodo
The Crown Princess Masako
The Princess Akishino and her daughter
 
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Emperor's cousin leaves hospital

Prince Katsura leaves hospital | The Japan Times Online
Prince Katsura, a cousin of Emperor Akihito, left the University of Tokyo Hospital on Friday following surgery earlier this month to narrow his throat to prevent the inhalation of saliva, which could cause pneumonia.
The 63-year-old prince had repeatedly suffered from aspiration pneumonia, but the operation should prevent that while enabling the prince to take liquid meals, Ryozo Nagai, his primary doctor, said Dec. 17 after the successful operation.

More on Prince Katsura-no-miya Yoshihito
 
New Year 2012 ceremonies at the Imperial palace

Imperial family of Japan at annual photosession for New Year January 1st, 2012 - TM the Emperor and the Empress, the Crown Princely couple and the Akishinos with their lovely children.

daylife gallery

TIH the Princess Toshi and the Prince Hisahito are making origami toys.:flowers:

*****

The Emperor Akihito, the Empress Michiko and the Imperial Princesses at the New Year ceremonies for Japanese dignitaries and diplomatic corpus at the Imperial palace, Tokyo - January 1st, 2012.

**Pic 1** **Pic 2**- screencaptures Fuji TV, FNN

The Imperial Princesses (L-R): the Princess Akishino Kiko, the Princess Akishino Mako, the Princess Hitachi, the Princesses Tomohito of Mikasa Akiko and Yohko (sisters), the Dowager Princess Takamado and her daughters - Princesses Tsuguko, Noriko and Ayako.

**Pic** - screencapture NHK

:previous:
The Princess Mikasa was not able to attend due to her age - 88 years old.
Her eldest daughter-in-law the Princess Tomohito of Mikasa was absent because of her husband's illness (see post # 152).
Sadly the Crown Princess was not attending this year too.:sad:
 
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ChiaraC said:
...The empress is obviously giving Aiko a hand on this pic to help the young princess improve her origami.
Click to expand...

Indeed Her Majesty adores her grandchildren.
Here is another screencapture from the same day.
The Empress interacts with her grandson.
What a pity that young Princess Toshi is not allowed to see her grandparents as often as possible. I feel great compassion for Her Majesty.
 
Mermaid1962 said:
Is there any significance to why some of the ladies are wearing ivory gowns and others are wearing more colorful ones? Does it have to do with age or seniority of position?
Click to expand...
The yellow and ivory colours are reserved for the Empress and the closest relatives of the monarch.
The length of the sleeves depends on the age. The youngest Imperial ladies have the shortest ones.
 
Thanks for the updates!
The diplomatic reception was wonderful. It is great to see Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko being able to undertake this somewhat strenuous engagement. Returning a bow to a long line of foreign representatives can be hard for older people.
 
Imperial family of Japan on January 2nd, 2011 - Appearance on the balcony

AFP: Japan's emperor prays for recovery in New Year address
Tens of thousands of cheering Japanese gathered at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Monday to hear Emperor Akihito pray for a swift recovery from the March 11 disaster in his traditional New Year address."I felt pain last year as the East Japan Great Earthquake occurred," Akihito told the crowd, speaking in winter sunshine from a balcony protected by bulletproof glass.
"I'm worried that sufferers are in severe situations, but I hope recovery of the devastated areas will make progress this year," the emperor said.
More than 42,000 people, mostly elderly Japanese, were at the palace for the event, where imperial family members including Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako waved to the cheering crowds.

daylife gallery

All members of the JIF on the balcony - Getty

Emperor expresses hopes for united rebuilding effort | The Japan Times Online
The Press Association: Emperor putting faith in recovery
 
:previous: Thank you for sharing this video, although I find it somewhat sad that the Imperial Family is behind bullet-proof glass. Were there assassination threats or attempts that made this necessary? The glass, to me, is a metaphor of how far the Emperor and his family are removed from the people.
 
Mermaid1962 said:
...Were there assassination threats or attempts that made this necessary? The glass, to me, is a metaphor of how far the Emperor and his family are removed from the people.
Click to expand...
This part of the Imperial palace was reconstructed during Emperor Showa's reign. There were 6 assassination attempts on Sowa's life since 1945, the most famous was Kyujo Incident.
The last attempt against Showa was in 1988.
There was an incident during the Crown Prince Akihito and the Crown Princess Michiko's visit to Okinawa in 1970s. A woman tried to explode some kind of granade as a protest agains US navy bases in Japan. The woman was killed during the explosion, the Crown Princess Michiko has got an small injury (the stone scratched her forehead). The Empress Michiko has a tiny scar now.
 
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Kasumi said:
The yellow and ivory colours are reserved for the Empress and the closest relatives of the monarch.
The length of the sleeves depends on the age. The youngest Imperial ladies have the shortest ones.
Click to expand...

Thank you for that answer, Kasumi. I had posted a similar question in the Japanese jewelry thread. And also many thanks for your comprehensive and numerous links here; you keep us so very well informed.:flowers:
 
Thank you (again) for this background information, Kasumi. I think that I'll do some reading up on this, because I hadn't heard about the assassination attempts before this.


Kasumi said:
This part of the Imperial palace was reconstructed during Emperor Showa's reign. There were 6 assassination attempts on Sowa's life since 1945, the most famous was Kyujo Incident.
The last attempt against Showa was in 1988.
There was an incident during the Crown Prince Akihito and the Crown Princess Michiko's ...The Empress Michiko has a tiny scar now.
Click to expand...
 
Since there is no any thread for Imperial family's Fashion and Style (only the for the Crown Princess') I'll post it here.:flowers:

The Imperial Household announces the details about the Imperial ladies' court dresses colour at the New Year ceremonies January 2nd, 2012 (on the balcony). - Source

HM the Empress - ivory,
HIH the Crown Princess - ivory,
HIH the Princess Akishino - dawn light,
HIH the Princess Akishino Mako - pale rose,
HIH the Princess Hitachi - emerald green,
HIH the Princess Mikasa Yuriko - maroon,
HIH the Princess Mikasa Akiko - light mint,
HIH the Princess Takamado - bright navy blue,
HIH the Princess Takamado Tsuguko - blue-green,
HIH the Princess Takamado Noriko - salmon pink,
HIH the Princess Takamado Ayako - dark pink.
 
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Thanks for the information!
It is great that Crown Princess Masako attended the New Year Ceremony.
 
Al_bina said:
...It is great that Crown Princess Masako attended the New Year Ceremony.
Click to expand...
I'm sorry, Al_bina, if I've misunderstood you.
It was the Crown Princess' duty to attend.
The Emperor's birthday and the New Year are grand official engagements, all members of the Imperial family are summond by the monarch to be present.
It's a pity the Crown Princess didn't find strength to attend the rest of ceremonies.:sad:
Her Majesty has her right wrist swallen during shaking hands with the Cabinet ministers on January 1st. The doctors have examined her, and immobilized the wrist. The Empress was not able to attend the ceremonies on January 3rd and 5th.
The presence of the heir's spouse would be an invaluable help for the monarchy!
 
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'First Lecture of the Year' ceremony - January 10th, 2012

'The First Lecture of the Year' ceremony was held in the Imperial palace, Tokyo, on January 10th, 2012.
TM the Emperor and the Empress, TIH the Prince and the Princess Akishino, the Prince and the Princess Hitachi, the Princess Akiko of Mikasa, the Dowager Princess Takamado and her daughters - the Princesses Tsuguko and Noriko were present at the Pine Hall.
This year's lectures were 'Japanese acceptance of foreign cultures' (Prof Shiro Ishii, Tokyo university) and 'Quantum control device and electronic advances' (Prof Sakaki Hiroyuki). - Source

**Pic 1** **Pic 2** **Pic 3** - sankei

The Imperial Princesses' style - screencapture
 
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Kasumi said:
Jackie Evancho to Sing for Japanese Royal Family - Pine-Richland, PA Patch
Richland songbird Jackie Evancho has been invited to sing for Japan's royal family, according to her Twitter account.
"Got invite to sing for emperor and empress, prince and princess and royal family in Japan. Tremendous honor. So excited," she tweeted Wednesday.
Click to expand...

I am a huge Jackie Evancho fan and I had heard that Jackie sang two songs (All I Ask of You and O Mio Babbino Caro) and that she was able to talk with the Royal Family of Japan. What a great honor! Can anyone please confirm?

Thanks, Russ.
 
Kasumi said:
I'm sorry, Al_bina, if I've misunderstood you.
It was the Crown Princess' duty to attend.
The Emperor's birthday and the New Year are grand official engagements, all members of the Imperial family are summond by the monarch to be present.
It's a pity the Crown Princess didn't find strength to attend the rest of ceremonies.:sad:
Her Majesty has her right wrist swallen during shaking hands with the Cabinet ministers on January 1st. The doctors have examined her, and immobilized the wrist. The Empress was not able to attend the ceremonies on January 3rd and 5th.
The presence of the heir's spouse would be an invaluable help for the monarchy!
Click to expand...
I just commented that it was nice to see Crown Princess Masako. There was no hidden meaning in the sentence in question. I do know that Crown Princess Masako must attend the Emperor's birthday celebrations/events and make an appearance alongside other members of the Imperial family on the balcony every New Year.
 
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Prince Mikasa Tomohito had surgery - January 10th, 2012

HIH the Prince Tomohito of Mikasa had a surgery today because of the tumor found in his lower right jaw.
According to the Imperial Household Agency, the oropharynx, oral cavity's muscles and lymphatic nodes on both sides of the neck were removed.
The abdominal muscles were transplanted to the missing part.
The surgery lasted for nearly 10 hours, and it was successfully completed. - Source
 
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'Reading the traditional tanka poems' ceremony - January 12th, 2012

Poems on Japan disaster win Palace poetry contest - CBS News
A poem about the Japanese coastline devastated by last year's earthquake and tsunami was among the winners in the annual Imperial Palace poetry contest and was read as part of a solemn ceremony Thursday.
Coincidentally, the theme for this year's reading of "tanka," or traditional five-line Japanese poems that date back to the shogun periods, was "shore."
Emperor Akihito, Empress Michiko, their two sons and other royalty in gowns sat silently inside a large room in the palace, as a choir of several men around a table read each of the 10 winning works in singsong, dragged-out tones.
The imperial family also offered their poems for the event. One of Akihito's, released Jan. 1, expresses his sorrow and horror in watching the dark waves of the rolling tsunami on TV news footage.
Yueko Sawabe, 39, who works at a medical facility in northeastern Fukushima prefecture, a region hit hard by the March 11 disaster, stood wearing a lavender kimono as her poem was read:

"Never able to
Turn it back,
This reality
Feels so heavy on my shoulders,
Along this coastal path."

**Pic 1** **Pic 2** **Pic 3** - NHK screencaptures
 
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Oldest 'Iroha' poem written in hiragana found on pottery : Culture : Features : DAILY YOMIURI ONLINE (The Daily Yomiuri)
Ancient earthenware with part of the old Japanese poem "Iroha Uta" written on it found in the town of Meiwa, Mie Prefecture, has been confirmed as the oldest known copy of the poem in hiragana, according to the prefectural Saiku Historical Museum.
The museum made the announcement Tuesday, saying that the dish-shaped earthenware was made in the late 11th or early 12th century.
It was found at the national historic site of Saiku, a palace of the Saio princess who was appointed from among unmarried Imperial princesses to serve at the Ise Grand Shrines.
 
TIH the Princesses Takamado Tsuguko and Noriko visiting 61st Kanto & Tokai Flower EXPO in Tokyo on February 3rd, 2012.

**Pic** - sankei
 
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