TOKYO – Prince Hisahito, the nephew of Emperor Naruhito and second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne, went through a series of traditional ceremonies on Saturday to commemorate his coming of age, becoming the first male member of Japan’s imperial family to undergo the rites in around 40 years.
After turning 18 in September last year, the prince became the imperial family’s first male member to reach adulthood since his father, Crown Prince Fumihito, in November 1985. But the official ceremonies were postponed by a year to avoid disrupting his university entrance exam preparations.
At a ritual for receiving a crown marking his coming of age, attendants removed a black silk headband from the head of the seated Prince Hisahito and replaced it with an adult crown bestowed by Emperor Naruhito. The emperor and his wife, Empress Masako, as well as the prince’s parents, Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, served as witnesses.
The prince then changed into adult ceremonial attire and rode in a state carriage to the Imperial Palace Sanctuaries to perform formal worship in honor of the family’s ancestors.
In the afternoon, he will have an audience with the emperor and empress in the prestigious Matsu no Ma stateroom of the Imperial Palace. He will also be awarded the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum.
The prince will later go to greet his grandparents, former Emperor Akihito and former Empress Michiko, who reside at the Sento imperial residence in Akasaka. A private celebratory banquet will be held in Tokyo in the evening.
Prince Hisahito was the first imperial family member to reach adulthood under Japan’s revised Civil Code, which lowered the age of adulthood to 18 from 20, effective April 2022.
He has been attending the University of Tsukuba since April, pursuing his long-time interest in insects at the School of Life and Environmental Sciences.
Adult members of the imperial family engage in official duties and attend imperial ceremonies, but with female members losing their royal status upon marrying a commoner under the Imperial House Law, their number has been dwindling.
The young prince is the only heir of his generation in the Japanese imperial family, as the 1947 law states that only males with male lineal descent from emperors can ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne.
The other heirs are his 59-year-old father and the emperor’s uncle, Prince Hitachi, 89.
AloJapan.com