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The Japanese Undying Love

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Naruhito and Masako
The then Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako on their wedding day in 1993

If you have watched the ceremony of enthronement of the 126th Emperor Naruhito of Japan on Tuesday 22nd, 2019, you may have noticed there was no crown. There has never been one. Since ancient times, the insignias of the emperor of Japan have been a sword, a mirror and a jewel–collectively known as Sanshu no Jingi, or the Three Sacred Imperial Regalia: the sword, Kusanagi no Tsurugi, the mirror, Yata no Kagami and the jewel, Yasakani no Magatama). Not widely known to other cultures, Japan has the oldest, continuous hereditary monarchy in the world. Its own annals claim it to be 2600 years old, whereof 1480 are endorsed by official historiography.

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Reiwa

The word “Reiwa” has been chosen to represent the reign of Naruhito. Reiwa is composed by two Japanese ideograms (called kanji) Rei + Wa, which mean “order” or “command” and “peace” or “harmony”, respectively, and it was taken from the eighth-century work Man’yoshu, the oldest anthology of Japanese poetry. Japan runs two calendars in parallel: the Gregorian and the one assigned to the extent of the emperor’s incumbency, also known as Gengo. The name of the era is applied posthumously to the emperor; e.g., the late Emperor Hirohito is referred today as the Emperor Showa. 

Emperor Naruhito was born on February 23, 1960. He graduated from Gakushūin University of Tokyo and continued his graduate studies at Oxford University, where he researched the history of transportation on the River Thames for two years. He later broadened his research to encompass mankind’s relationship with water in general, from drinking water to pollution. 

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Young, then Prince Naruhito

In 2015, Naruhito was appointed honorary president of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation and has been since campaigning in Japan and overseas, focusing his efforts on water, an area of highest importance for humanity. He was the first royal in line to the throne to be raised by his own parents, breaking the 26-century-old royal protocol. This family stability solidified in him humanitarian values, who has been quoted as “always showing respect and courtesy toward others, whether they be the prime minister of the nation or ordinary members of the public”. His concerns are also extended to welfare of children, the elderly in Japan’s aging society, child education, and promotion of cultural exchange and diplomatic relations at international level.

…And as no prince leaves his froggy life without the kiss of a princess, here she is – Princess Masako. 

On a chilling day of November 1986, during a tea-party organised to a Spanish royal in Tokyo, Naruhito set his eyes on this independent and intellectual beauty. Educated at Oxford and Harvard, apart from Japanese, Masako spoke fluently Russian, English, French and German.

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Broken heart

Besotted Naruhito made arrangements to meet her more times on following months and guess what – he proposed; but she declined… Should a man destined to become an emperor lick his wounds and accept her refusal? No! he should not, and he did not. Masako moved to Britain to study at Oxford, but she never left Naruhito’s heart. They kept in touch and Naruhito proposed again…, and again, she declined. Masako did not want to marry the prince because she did not want to give up her career in diplomacy and have her independence and freedom restricted.

Yet, like a Japanese “Daruma” doll that is knocked down many times, but always bounces back, Naruhito persevered. ‘I will protect and love you with all my strength. Where else would you better serve the diplomacy of our country if not beside me as the Crown Princess of Japan?’ he argued. In 1992, Masako finally accepted. Under the watchful eyes of sakura blossoms of April, the kabuki drama couple got engaged and married in June on the next year in a lavish ceremony. Enduring the pressure to produce a male heir; unfortunately, Masako fell ill and retrieved from the public eye. Naruhito kept his word and protected and defended her against the spiteful politics of the Imperial House Agency. On 2013, slowly, but surely, Masako was back on her feet again to take her place at Naruhito’s side.

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Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Aiko

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