Japanese Princess Ayako yesterday married a commoner in a ritual-filled ceremony at Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine.
Ayako and groom Kei Moriya were shown on national news walking in a stately procession before guests at the shrine. The wedding took place in one of the pagoda-like buildings in the shrine complex, and included an exchange of rings and a sharing of a cup of sake, according to Japanese media.
Both rituals are relatively routine for Shinto-style weddings, including those of regular Japanese.
Photo: Kyodo News via AP
Ayako, 28, is the daughter of the emperor’s cousin, and Moriya, 32, works for major shipping company Nippon Yusen.
She wore a Heian-era style hairdo, which is swept back into a ponytail, and a traditional robe splashed with red and green patterns, while Moriya wore coattails. She later changed into a red Japanese robe.
“I am filled with happiness,” she told reporters after the ceremony.
Women who marry into the imperial family become members of the family, but those who marry commoners, like Ayako, must leave the family.
Moriya said that he hoped to help Ayako adjust to a commoner’s life.
“I want us to work together, hand in hand, to create a family filled with smiles,” he said.
Ayako last week bid farewell to Japanese Emperor Akihito.
She yesterday said that she hoped to continue to help the emperor and empress as a former member of the Japanese imperial family.
The eldest granddaughter of the emperor is set to marry a commoner in 2020.
Akihito has said that he would abdicate next year. His eldest son, Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito, is to ascend to the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1.
When they announced their wedding plans, Ayako and Moriya said they met because their mothers were friends and hit it off immediately.
“It didn’t feel as though we had met for the first time,” Ayako told reporters at their engagement.
Moriya said he had been attracted to her gentle spirit, adding: “And I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her,” he said.
Ayako’s father, Japanese Prince Takamado, who was active in supporting Japanese soccer, died in 2002.
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