Empress Masako attended a sericulture ritual at the Imperial Palace
On May 11, 2020, Empress Masako attended a sericulture ritual at the Imperial Palace. During the ritual, Empress Masako fed mulberry leaves to silkworms at Momijiyama Imperial cocoonery.
Adjustments were made for the imperial sericulture ritual due to the coronavirus. Only 1 staff member worked with Empress Masako instead of 5, and only 1 variety (Koishimaru silkworms) was bred this year instead of the usual 4 (Koishimaru, Hakken, Ouken, Tensan).
The imperial tradition of sericulture was initiated by Empress Dowager Shōken, the wife of Emperor Mutsuhito who reigned between 1867 and 1912 and was posthumously called Emperor Meiji. The tradition has since been continued by later empresses.
Some of the silk produced is used for the restoration of old textile material of historical value kept by the Imperial Family at the Shosoin Repository in Nara since the 8th century, when it was the capital of the country.
Nice to see her out and about and at the same time respecting the advice on coronavirus with mask etc.
ReplyDeleteThe detailed work to her jacket top (seen in first photo) is, as usual, up to the very high standard of Japanese tailoring.
Superbe Masako ; même avec un masque, nous pouvons entrevoir son sourire radieux !
ReplyDeleteLovely as always, good to see her again! One can almost see her beautiful smile underneath the mask!
ReplyDeleteWearing her standard (and very nice) off-white or beige wardrobe is a lovely thing which I have gotten use to. The color of the interior of the limousine is a nice backdrop to showcase the color of her wardrobe and her perfectly coiffed dark hair. The total look is very serene looking.....Its all about the detail!!!
ReplyDeleteLove this tradition of the Empress nurturing silkworms. There is something poetically lovely about it — and silk is such a remarkable fabric, so delicately beautiful but also amazingly strong. It is hard not to be reminded that these qualities are also possessed by Masako and her mother-in-law, former Empress Michiko. Kudos to the long-ago Imperial lady who instituted this ceremony.
ReplyDeleteHer beautiful smile shines, through mask or not. She looks lovely, the embroidery/detailed work on her jacket looks superb, beautiful craftmanship. I love the beige colours that the Empress wears it suits her perfectly. Lovely to see her out and about, and using preventative measures.
ReplyDeleteA very beautiful Empress.
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