| Emperor Akihito, Empress Michiko and other members of the imperial family, Crown Prince Naruhito and his wife Crown Princess Masako, Prince Akishino and his wife Princess Kiko, their daughters Princess Mako and Princess Kako attended the New Year's ceremony at the Imperial Palace on January 1, 2017 in Tokyo. |
I don't understand why they dress identically (even the jewels!). I have trouble telling them apart.
ReplyDeleteAnd I wonder why Masako wasn't in the lineup as she seemed to be wearing the "uniform".
Japanese royal protocol says crown prince couple does not be there when they march in, they never are although they do take part to the reception. I do not know why.
DeleteThe CP is there. He's the one leading the parade.
DeleteI have since read that Masuko does not take part because of her ongoing health issue but I do not know if that is true. She was in the limo so she was at the event in some capacity.
Not quite identically, one of the white dresses has little cap sleeves
ReplyDeleteAll together, a boring lot
ReplyDeleteThey look like they're going to 'le Bal des Debutantes', or 'Le Bal des Petits Lits Blancs'. What a blah lot
ReplyDeleteI think I've never seen Masako so pretty. Her skin looks smoother, the look in her eye more clear and vibrant than on any photo I've ever seen of her.
ReplyDeleteThe all white dresses are a tradition in Japan. A bit boring but it's their way... And the jewels, every female member of the imperial family gets an all white (mainly all diamonds, sometimes with pearls) parure: tiara, necklace, bracelets, earrings and brooch when they celebrate their 18th birthday (I think it's the 18th, or maybe the 16th). That's it, it's what they wear all the time.
It looks like a very upscale school assembly.
DeleteNo wonder so many through the years have sufferred with depression. It is really like a Stepford Wives family. So controlled. So boring. So constricting. No chance to ever be an individual. Can you imagine how suffocating that life must be? I would go mad. Completely mad 😨
ReplyDeleteMoi aussi. Comment fait-elle pour supporter !!!
DeleteDiane, I have thought "Stepford wives" whenever I see this family but I wondered if anyone would get the reference. Thank you for saying it!
DeleteI don't understand why someone in authority in the family hasn't started changing things. The emperor's "divinity" was definitely disproved 70 years ago.
The Japanese know how difficult life can be for women at court. There were articles, when the CP was trying to date and find a wife, that families were terrified if he showed an interest in their daughters. One family sent their daughter straight out of the country "to study". Michiko, the CP's mother, was so bullied that she stopped speaking for 7 years. It was not a surprise when Masako developed depression. There are quite a few interesting books about this if you google a bit.
DeleteThis looks like on of those Unification mass weddings...
ReplyDeleteEvery time I see pictures of the Imperial royal family, I can't help but feel sorry for the women. They live by hundreds of years of tradition that they must abide by, heads graciously bowed when entering a room, smile and hardly a word said from any of them. They all look sad to me for some reason. Sure they live a very privileged life but it's a very submissive privileged life.
ReplyDeleteCan someone answer a question for me, I'm not familiar at all with the Imperial royal family? Does this family especially the women do anything remotely normal? Like go have lunch with friends, maybe go for a walk in the park, go shopping with a girl friend, anything at all? Or is their life constricted to inside the palace walls being a good little submissive girl?
ReplyDeleteThe Japanese royal family has very strict rules of behavior. They are different from Western European royal courts. I cannot list them all as I do not know them all but I do recommend googling books about them. It is a complicated group and not easily understood by Westerners. When Masako went to one of her her first official dinners, she was chatting away in several languages to diplomats and positively shining. For this, she was viciously criticized at court for overshadowing the Crown Prince. There were many other incidents and she began to disappear from all public events.
DeleteChelsea, every aspect of the Japanese Imperial family members lives is heavily scripted and controlled for the lack of a better word, by the extremely powerful Imperial Household Agency.
DeleteAside from micro managed public appearances and carefully crafted autobiographies about the Imperial family, not much else if anything is known about their private lives.
But who is this "Imperial Household Agency"? Are they appointed by the Royal family? By the government? Do they inherit their positions? (I could google this but I can't be bothered).
DeleteI don't see why the situation can't be changed. Somebody, or something, must have a vested interest in wanting things to stay the same.
Heather, the reason I recommended googling books with further reading about the Japanese royal family is because the complicated rules of their roles cannot be explained in a short paragraph on this blog. The Imperial Houshold Agency arose after WWII when the Emperor was stripped of many powers due to his role in the War. There is a complicated political and financial role, as well.
DeleteThis is getting quite off-topic for a fashion blog and I would like to respect Hellen's parameters for her site. If you cannot be bothered to investigate further, your questions may remain unanswered. Some extra effort on your part will be required to better understand the history and culture of this unique family.
Heather they are akin to the BRF court "grey men". The ones Diana said were 'evil'. Courtiers have basically ruled the 'roost' for thousands of years. Thus the history of power struggles and jockeying for favor thoughtout a thousand years. Thousands of years with the very old and ancient Japanese family. As Pine said above with Japan it is even more complicated due to the terms set out after WWII where the Emperor was basically in my opinion now a 'political prisoner' in his own country. Very complicated. Many books written if your interest is keen.
DeleteThank you all for the information. I was merely expressing surprise that everyone seems to bewail the sad state of the royal family, especially the women, yet just says basically that is the way it is.
DeleteI will not raise any such point again!
Heather you can raise that point as much as you want :) but that is all I have in my brain so a book might help :) the family is a mystery to me. I just know about the aftermath of the war because being the history nerd I am WWII is an arena that I am fairly well read about.
DeleteMasako looks só pretty when she smiles. She should appear in public more... And smile more too. :)
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