The youngest Japanese throne successor grows up with crown and scissors

With paper flags in hand is a subdued crowd along the road to the imperial palace in Tokyo. The typhoon of the previous evening did not stop the hundreds of spectators to see the car of Prince Hisahito (19), grandson of the former emperor Akihito and second in line with the succession. This Saturday, an extensive imperial ritual is marking its entry into adulthood. It is the first time in forty years that a male prince is undergoing this rite in the shrinking imperial court.

The day starts early for Prince Hisahito. In dressing gown, he receives a special crown from an envoy of the emperor in the residence of his family. This crown, made of lacquered paper and silk, wears a long silk cord at the back – that indicates the rank of the carrier. With the emperor this cord stands upright, with others it bends down in different gradations. The prince had two, converted together, worth nearly 15,000 euros. The prince will soon be set up.

“Being mature, I will only realize gradually,” said Prince Hisahito during the press conference prior to the ritual. He expressed his gratitude to everyone who helped him in the preparation, but also admitted that he quickly gets nervous. That is why HisaHito had prepared himself in detail during his first public performance alone. He practiced the rituals endlessly and repeated every movement until they went on their own.

The maturity ceremony, which could be followed live via the Japanese National Omroep and via live streams on the internet, will take place this Saturday in the audience room of the Palace. The prince is dressed in a slight robe with a six -meter -long trail, a simple headgear on his head. A court personnel solemnly carries the new crown to him, after carefully removing the simple hood. With just as much solemnity, the Hofdienar puts the black sides crown on the prince’s head. A white long cord of Japanese paper is tied twice under his chin to attach the crown.

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A thick roll of paper is held between the neck of the prince and the scissors. It is a small adjustment in the age -old ceremony, it must alleviate the tension for prince and court. It is also a sign that change is possible even in the age -old Japanese court.

Then the Hofdienaar takes scissors and the shrill cut from the scissors, twice in a row, through the mouse silent room. That sound marks the precise moment when the prince leaves his childhood behind him. The long strings of the white cord of the crown have been cut under the knot.

Then the prince stands up and he moves foot by foot – toe against heel, toe against heel – to the emperor and empress and thanks them. “As an adult member of the imperial family, I want to be aware of my position and fulfill my duties.” And with that the 20 -minute ceremony has ended.

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The difference between men and women

“It is special to experience this,” says 35-year-old Kazuyuki Yamamoto. Together with a colleague, he defies the oppressive heat in the hope of seeing the prince pass by. He still remembers the birth of Prince Hisahito and is happy that after forty years there is finally a maturity ceremony. Yet he is also worried. “It is not normal for us to wait four decades for this. It shows how vulnerable the future of the imperial family is.”

This vulnerability is closely linked to the rules on succession within the Japanese Imperial Court. For princesses, a press conference and an award is sufficient for their age; The traditional rite is only for men. Since the nineteenth century, the law stipulates that only men can climb the throne.

Although six women in Japanese history became Empress, they too could not be followed by their own children. Yet more than 80 percent of the Japanese would accept a female emperor. But politically the issue is sensitive. Conservatives attach great importance to the male bloodline, reformers warn that holding on can mean the end of the imperial court.

It is also the reason that Prince Hisahito is now the only heir to the throne of his generation. If he would not have a son later, the age -old dynasty is in danger of ending. “I think it’s time to change the rules, otherwise it will be done with the next generation,” Yamamoto complains.

The crowd slowly pulls away on the square in front of the palace. The cheer call – “Banzai!” – falls away and makes way for clicking cameras from tourists who, unknowingly, take selfies behind them, take selfies at the quiet wooden palace doors.

For HisaHito, the ceremony means that from now on he also, in addition to his biology studies, also bears official responsibilities. He gets a seat on the Imperial Council, the organ that distributes imperial tasks. His annual allowance is increased from 3 million yen (around 17,000 euros) to 9 million yen (around 56,000 euros).

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