Tag: Naruhito

Emperor’s Enthronement

October 22, 2019 / John D. / 1 Comment

October 22, 2019, was the day of the enthronement of the new emperor, Naruhito. In a moment of high magic, the curtains of the canopy throne were thrown open to reveal the emperor in striking orange and a Heian era garb. The bright colours and daring aesthetics were like something out of The Tale of Genji (c.1005), claimed as the world’s earliest novel.

What has all this to do with Shinto? Well, nominally the emperor is Shinto’s head priest (just as the English monarch is the head of the Anglican Church). It’s a throwback to the priest-king of ancient times, and accordingly the emperor pronounces himself to ascend to the throne.

In a reminder of the ‘divine origins’ of the imperial line, the two boxes to either side of the emperor in the picture above are boxed items containing the magatama jewels (left) and the sacred sword (right) supposedly handed down from Amaterasu, the sun goddess.

The building in which the canopied thrones from Kyoto were assembled for the ceremony

Here is an AP report of the event by Mari Kawaguchi…

TOKYO (AP) — Three booming cheers of “Banzai!” rang out Tuesday at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo as Naruhito formally declared his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne as the nation’s 126th emperor.

As a driving autumn rain briefly gave way to sunshine and 2,000 guests looked on, Naruhito pledged at an elaborate, ritual-laden ceremony to serve as a symbol of the state for his people. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe congratulated him and led the cheers of “Banzai,” which traditionally means “10,000 years.”

The enthronement ceremony is the high point of several succession rituals that began in May when Naruhito inherited the throne after the abdication of Akihito, his father. Naruhito leads the world’s oldest hereditary monarchy, which historians say goes back 1,500 years.

The short ceremony, which some critics say was largely meant to allow Abe’s ultra-conservative government to win public support, was marked by extraordinary contrasts — from the rhythmic shuffle of dozens of court dignitaries’ long, stiff, antiquated robes as they brushed over mats leading to the throne room, to the thunder of cannon salutes reverberating through the palace.

The emperor prepares to receive the text of his speech in which he swore to serve as symbol of the nation

“I hereby proclaim my enthronement to those at home and abroad,” Naruhito said. “I hereby swear that I will act according to the constitution and fulfill my responsibility as the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people of Japan, while always praying for the happiness of the people and the peace of the world as I stand with the people.”

The ceremony began with the sound of a bell. Naruhito, wearing a formal brownish-orange robe that was dyed in sappanwood and Japanese wax tree bark and a black headdress decorated with an upright tail, then stood perfectly still while a pair of black-robed chamberlains pulled aside and secured the purple curtains surrounding the throne.

The throne, called “Takamikura,” is a 6.5-meter- (21-foot-) high decorative structure resembling a gazebo. It was taken apart in 3,000 pieces and transported last year from the former Imperial Palace in Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto, where emperors lived until 150 years ago, and reassembled and repaired with new lacquer coatings.

Outside the palace, hundreds of well-wishers gathered to celebrate the enthronement, waving flags and shouting “Banzai!” almost in sync with the ceremony that they monitored on their smartphones.

Prime minister Abe representing the nation of Japan prepares to bow to the emperor before delivering his address

Despite the time, effort and cost put into preparations, the ceremony lasted only about 30 minutes. It was originally modeled after one by the ancient Tang dynasty of China and is the second of three ceremonies that follow the May succession. Next month sees the highly religious and divisive ritual of Daijosai, or the Great Thanksgiving.

While the harvest ritual is an annual event that the emperor performs privately, the government funds the first one by a new emperor as part of the succession ceremonies. A one-off shrine for the Nov. 14-15 ritual is being constructed at the palace.

Some experts have raised questions over the government’s funding of 16 billion yen ($150 million) for ceremonies that contain religious rites like Daijosai. Most of the cost goes to a one-time shrine that will be demolished after the event.

Criticism, however, was largely eclipsed by the festive mood, in part because Naruhito’s succession came about because of abdication, not death, palace watchers said.

To mark the occasion, Abe’s ultra-conservative government granted pardons to about 550,000 eligible applicants. The decision was not publicly debated.

The emperor’s wife, Masako, in the Heian court’s formal twelve layered kimono known as *junihitoe* weighing some fifteen kilos

The pre-war custom of clemency by the emperor, who was revered as a god in those days, has triggered criticism as being undemocratic and politically motivated. At the time of former Emperor Akihito’s enthronement, 2.5 million people were given amnesty.

Earlier Tuesday, the 59-year-old Naruhito put on a white robe and prayed at Kashikodokoro and two other shrines, to report to gods ahead of the ceremony. Enshrined at Kashikodokoro is the sun goddess Amaterasu, the mythological ancestress of Japan’s emperors.

Recent changes to the enthronement ceremony included a slightly smaller structure for the empress — called “Michodai,” or “The August Seat of the Empress” — where Naruhito’s wife, Masako, stood, dressed in traditional costume. It was first used by Naruhito’s grandmother.

Naruhito and Masako, a Harvard-educated former diplomat, hosted a court banquet Tuesday evening for about 400 guests, including foreign dignitaries and heads of Japan’s administrative, legislative and judicial branches and their spouses.

A parade originally planned for Tuesday afternoon had been postponed until Nov. 10 because of a recent typhoon that caused flooding and other damage in central and northern Japan.

The heir apparent’s family in attendance at the ceremony

Naruhito and Masako have been warmly welcomed by the Japanese public. They made positive impressions by freely conversing with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump during their visit weeks after Naruhito’s succession in May, palace watchers say.

“I think people have high expectations for the emperor, who is fluent in foreign languages and internationalized,” said historian and monarchy expert Eiichi Miyashiro, who is also a journalist.

Naruhito, who studied at Oxford, is a historian, a viola player and an expert on water transport. Masako has struggled for more than a decade since developing “adjustment disorder” after giving birth to the couple’s only child, Princess Aiko, and facing pressure to produce a boy in Japan’s monarchy, which allows only male heirs.

A shortage of males in the royal family has raised succession concerns and prompted calls for a debate, possibly to allow female emperors. Naruhito has an 83-year-old uncle and two potential heirs — his younger brother Crown Prince Akishino and a 13-year-old nephew.

Abe and his ultra-conservative supporters insist on male-only succession, while a majority of the general public supports allowing female emperors.

The emperor departs with the sacred sword preceding him and the magatama necklace carried behind

The Thames and I (Naruhito)

May 29, 2019 / John D. / 0 Comments

You’re regarded as the high priest of Shinto and chief ritualist of the realm. Your grandfather was considered a living god. Your family line claims descent from the Sun Goddess and has ruled as emperor for 126 generations. With a pedigree like that, what kind of a memoir could you possibly write?

The book in question was first produced in 2006 by the then Crown Prince Naruhito, now Emperor of Japan. This year it has been reissued as a paperback to coincide with his inauguration. It’s entitled, ‘The Thames and I: A Memoir of Two Years at Oxford‘ (Renaissance Books, 2019).

As the subtitle suggests, it’s an account of the Crown Prince’s time as a student at Merton College, where he spent two years studying 18th century navigation on the River Thames. It’s also a part-guide to Oxford, to the way the university works, and to the history of his college. There are cultural observations too on the English and the way the island country resembles but differs from Japan. In so doing, Naruhito gives one of the best overviews of English classical music I’ve seen (a special interest of his, since he plays the viola to a high standard).

Dreaming spires – Naruhito was in Merton College, with claims to being the university’s oldest

By far the most intriguing part of the book, however, are not the factual passages but those that offer insight into the crown prince’s lifestyle. We learn for instance that he is accompanied by two police guards, who take it in turn to watch over him and who act as cultural informant and language aide. They even play a part in helping with his research. As we know from Princess Di and films on the subject, bodyguards and the people they protect can strike up close friendships.

There are some amusing touches, and he confesses to several ‘blunders’ such as spilling coins across the floor.. He had never used a washing machine before and overfilled it with washing powder, so that soap suds flooded across the floor. But by the end of his stay he had mastered how to iron his own clothes. As you might expect, the writing is discrete and circumspect. At one point he meets a challenge to drink five cups of an alcoholic concoction, but he writes not a word about how he feels afterwards. In fact, there’s not a single person who could be offended by what he writes. He makes friends wherever he goes.

In many ways it’s an enchanted time, as if he’s escaped from the starightjacket of Kunaicho (Imperial Household) like the male equivalent of Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. The people he meets are all kind and entertaining. He very much enjoys the conversations he has, with people in all stations of life. His tutors at Oxford are inordinately wise and helpful. When he goes abroad, he’s invited to stay in castles and palaces by European aristocracy. He enjoys his meetings with the royal family. He climbs the tallest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales. He travels extensively. And he even has time for study as he chases up ancient documents in obscure archives. As he explores the world of eighteenth century transport on The Thames, he learns to love the river that flows close by his college.

Through all this, Emperor Naruhito comes over as humble, modest, well-read and likeable. He’s very much an international figure and a man of his time, a modern monarch one might say. One can’t help feeling that he’s certainly not someone the ultra-right in Japan would choose to champion as their semi-divine national symbol. This struck me this week while watching the new emperor and Masako welcome with ease Trump and his wife to the imperial palace. It was Naruhito who was making the small talk. In English. Far from being overshadowed by the greater stature of his guest, he looked pleased at being able to entertain the most powerful man on earth.

But what of Shinto you might ask? I read the book with great interest, not only as a former citizen and author of guidebooks to Oxford, but as someone who thought there may be a mention or two to shed light on his attitude to his native religion. But there was not a word, not a suggestion even. There were passages about European cathedrals, but nothing about Ise or Izumo. There were observations on nature, the ascent of mountains, a lot about the River Thames, but nothing that indicated the vital role of such phenomena in the religious life of his native country. Not even an animistic hint. I found this odd, though perhaps it was because his focus was fixed so steadily on England. But surely someone brought up to be a symbol of his country must be imbued with awareness of a tradition that is so indelibly woven into the national culture? I confess to a touch of disappointment.

Notwithstanding that, the book is a charming read for anyone with the least interest in how Japan will fare in the coming era under this engaging figure. Let’s hope he has the strength of character to go with his undoubted sensitivity. In these troubled times he may well need it.

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The Main Hall of Jingu Kaikan fills up with an international audience to hear the talk by Oxford-educated Princess Akiko on what Shinto means to her

For insight into how the imperial family might regard Shinto, a talk by Princess Akiko (daughter of Prince Tomohito of Mikasa) at an Ise conference shed light on subject. You can read the whole report here, but let me quote an extract from my report of her speech….

The talk by Princess Akiko raised the question of whether Shinto was a matter of belief or simply part of the Japanese way of life. With a doctorate in Japanese art history from Oxford University, she spoke of her impressions of living abroad. Japan was said to be proud of having four seasons, she noted, but Britain often had four seasons in one day. Moreover, whereas British water was good for black tea, Japanese water was good for green tea.

But what made the most impression on her was the British supermarkets had the same food throughout the year, which made her miss the seasonal nature of Japanese food. There was something in Japanese culture that was in tune with the changing seasons of nature. It had to do with an affinity for the deities living in rocks, waterfalls and trees, etc. It was, she suggested, difficult for foreigners to appreciate.

It was the pluralism of Japanese thinking that led to another aspect difficult for foreigners to comprehend. ‘Born Shinto, marry Christian, die Buddhist’ was an accepted path in Japan. Because of polytheism, it was easy for Japanese to accept any kind of deity as valid. She herself had felt power and refreshment from a rock at Suwa Shrine named after Susanoo no mikoto. And as a child, she had felt a sense of awe at the woods of Ise Jingu.

So what in the end was Shinto? ‘Pay respects and have gratitude to the kami,’ she had been told by a priest. It’s not a question of salvation or belief as in Abrahamic religions, but of simple things like saying itadakimasu before meals and gochisosama afterwards. For Japanese these aspects of daily life enrich their existence. There was little doubt this pertained to the imperial family too.