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Jewels of Emperor Naruhito’s Enthronement (Part 1)

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KAZUHIRO NOGI/Pool/Getty Images

Get ready, everyone: time to survey the jewels of today’s magnificent enthronement in Japan! (And this is only part one…!)

STR/Japan Pool via Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images

Emperor Naruhito began his reign when his father, Emperor Akihito, abdicated in May. On Tuesday, he began his official enthronement ritual with a visit to the Kashikodokoro sanctuary on the grounds of the Imperial Palace. Inside the shrine, he prayed and informed his ancestors — and the sun goddess — of his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne.

STR/Japan Pool via Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images

Empress Masako also attended the ceremony, wearing similar traditional attire.

STR/JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images

Other members of the imperial family were there, too. Leading this rainy procession was the emperor’s brother and heir, Crown Prince Fumihito. He was followed by his wife, Crown Princess Kiko, and their daughters, Princess Mako and Princess Kako. Next walked Princess Akiko of Mikasa, Princess Yoko of Mikasa, Princess Takamado, and Princess Tsuguko of Takamado.

KAZUHIRO NOGI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

After the first ritual was complete, the entire imperial family gathered for the official enthronement ceremony, the Sokuirei-Seiden-no-gi, at the palace. A pair of lacquered platforms had been constructed, topped by a pair of curtained pavilions with elaborate decorations, including two golden phoenixes.

ISSEI KATO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

The curtains were pulled back to reveal Emperor Naruhito in his finery. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bowed low in front of the newly enthroned emperor during the ceremony.

Pool/Getty Images

Empress Masako was impressive in her imperial attire during the ceremony.

STR/Japan Pool via Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images

During the ceremony, Emperor Naruhito officially read out the proclamation of his ascension to the throne.

Kimimasa Mayama/Pool/Getty Images

At the culmination of the ceremony, the gathered Japanese dignitaries shouted “banzai!” — wishing long life to the emperor.

KIMIMASA MAYAMA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

The imperial family was also gathered and carefully dressed in traditional attire. The crown prince always wears orange during this ceremony, and you’ll see the Crown Prince Fumihito followed that tradition.

ISSEI KATO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Crown Princess Kiko stood near her husband during the enthronement ceremony…

ISSEI KATO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

…as did their daughters, Princess Mako and Princess Kako.

Kazuhiro Nogi/Pool/Getty Images

Emperor Naruhito’s uncle and aunt, the Prince and Princess Hitachi, were present as well.

Kazuhiro Nogi/Pool/Getty Images

During the ceremony, Princess Akiko of Mikasa and Princess Yoko of Mikasa stood behind Prince and Princess Hitachi.

Kazuhiro Nogi/Pool/Getty Images

Beside Princess Hitachi was Princess Tomohito of Mikasa, and behind her were Princess Takamado and Princess Tsuguko of Takamado.

AKIO KON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Foreign dignitaries from around the world witnessed the ceremony, including numerous royals. For the enthronement, they followed a formal daytime dress code, similar to the one mandated for Prinsjesdag in the Netherlands.

Chris Jackson – Pool/Getty Images

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, who are close friends of the new emperor and empress, attended the ceremony. Here, you’ll see them greeting Prince Albert II of Monaco, who attended without Princess Charlene.

Koji Sasahara/Pool/Getty Images

Maxima glittered in diamonds, including the family’s gorgeous lattice necklace and earrings made using clusters from the Stuart Tiara.

ISSEI KATO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia represented Spain at the ceremony.

Chris Jackson – Pool/Getty Images

Queen Letizia wore emerald earrings that come from the collection of her mother-in-law, Queen Sofia. (See another previous outing here!) But it was her necklace — the diamond collet necklace from the joyas de pasar — that grabbed most of the attention. The necklace appears to have been shortened. I’m wondering perhaps if the bracelet she’s wearing here was made using part of the necklace? It’s possible that the piece is convertible.

CARL COURT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

The Sultan of Pahang, who was recently elected King of Malaysia, attended the ceremony with his wife, Queen Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah.

CARL COURT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

She sparkled in a diamond necklace and a scattering of bejeweled butterfly pins.

Carl Court/Getty Images

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde traveled from Belgium for the occasion. (It’s a short trip, so they can make it home in time for the Duchess of Brabant’s eighteenth birthday celebrations.) Mathilde tipped her hat to the ladies of the imperial family, wearing sleek pastels for the enthronement.

Carl Court/Getty Images

She wore Queen Fabiola’s diamond and pearl drop earrings, and the outline of her dress and cape sparkled, too.

CARL COURT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan were there, too.

CARL COURT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

She wore a gorgeous beaded necklace and earrings for the occasion.

Koji Sasahara/Pool/Getty Images

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden accompanied her father, King Carl XVI Gustaf, to the ceremony.

Chris Jackson – Pool/Getty Images

With her royal blue gown and hat, she wore earrings with circle pendants, plus a glittering bracelet and one of the brooches from the family’s amethyst parure.

CARL COURT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark represented the Danish royal family at the enthronement.

STR/JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images

Mary was seated directly beside another prominent royal — the Prince of Wales — during the ceremony.

Chris Jackson – Pool/Getty Images

Mary wore the earrings, necklace (sans pendants), and bracelet from the grand ruby parure for the ceremony. If you know your royal jewel history, you’ll realize that this means that the ruby set has witnessed both a Japanese imperial enthronement (Naruhito, Imperial Palace in Tokyo, 2019) and a French imperial coronation (Napoleon I, Notre-Dame de Paris, 1804). Amazing.

Oh, and PS: there were even more (former) Japanese princesses in attendance! The emperor’s sister, Sayako Kuroda, wore the typical Japanese imperial daytime jewelry uniform (pearls and a brooch). Noriko Senge, the second daughter of Princess Takamado, jumped the jewelry gun just a bit and wore a diamond fringe tiara (!) for the enthronement.

Speaking of tiaras, we’ll have a look at the jewels from the evening banquet shortly! Stay tuned…

Looking Back at Emperor Akihito’s Enthronement

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KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images

Today in Tokyo, the world will watch as Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan are officially enthroned. I’ll have a full post on the festivities later today, but first, here’s a look back at his father and mother’s enthronement ceremony, which took place almost thirty years ago.

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Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko became Emperor and Empress of Japan on the death of his father, Emperor Hirohito, in January 1989. More than a year passed before Akihito was officially enthroned on November 12, 1990.

AFP/Getty Images

On November 8, the Imperial Household Agency released formal portraits of the new emperor and empress in Western-style gala dress ahead of their enthronement. Akihito was pictured wearing the collar and star of the Order of the Chrysanthemum; the sash, badge, and star of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers, and the star of the Order of the Sacred Treasures.

AFP/Getty Images

An official portrait of Empress Michiko in gala dress was also published. She wore the grand Meiji Tiara, one of the most important Western-style jewels in the Japanese imperial vaults. She also wore the sash and star of the Order of the Precious Crown.

Charles and Diana visit a Commonwealth war cemetery in Yokohama on the day before Emperor Akihito’s enthronement, November 1990 (KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images)

More than 150 official guests flocked to Tokyo for the festivities, but two in particular captured the attention of the Japanese public. The correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald wrote, “Prince Charles and Princess Diana have come to town for the Japanese enthronement and their presence is the cause for much celebration by the local tabloid press, television networks and their audiences. So charmed are Japan’s popular media by the British royals, especially Princess Diana, that poor Emperor Akihito now appears in some danger of scoring second billing at his own enthronement ceremony.” Television networks, which were required to air the ceremonies, supposedly even instructed their camera operators to focus on Diana in a bid to boost ratings, as many members of the Japanese public noted that they weren’t enthusiastic about the enthronement itself.

AFP/Getty Images

On the morning of November 12, Emperor Akihito began the day with a private ceremony at a Shinto sanctuary inside the Imperial Palace.

AFP/Getty Images

During the early morning ceremony, Akihito prayed; he also reported his enthronement to his ancestors and imperial deities.

AFP/Getty Images

After completing the morning ceremony, Akihito changed into the highly symbolic traditional garments worn for the enthronement ceremony. One syndicated American press report described his attire: “The emperor wore a bulky robe of stiffened, reddish-brown silk, called a korozen no goho, woven with a complex pattern of paulownia trees, bamboo, legendary phoenixes and mythical animals known as kirin.” The imperial household released a formal portrait of Akihito in his enthronement attire before the ceremony.

JAPAN POOL/AFP/Getty Images

The enthronement itself took place inside the imperial palace. The emperor and empress both stood atop lacquered platforms surrounded by curtains and topped by golden phoenixes. After being seated in a simple chair, the emperor was presented with a wooden scepter.

AFP/Getty Images

Like Emperor Akihito, Empress Michiko wore traditional clothing for the enthronement. Press reports described her attire as “a five-layered red silk damask costume embroidered with a floral motif and covered by a white tunic and apronlike garment.” She also held a ceremonial fan during the proceedings.

JIJI PRESS/AFP/Getty Images

The Japanese prime minister plays a central role in the enthronement ceremony, acting as the representative of the Japanese people. In 1990, Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu led the traditional cheer at the end of the enthronement, shouting “banzai” three times. (It’s worth noting that press outlets around the world at the time placed special significance on the cheer, which is essentially a wish for long life for the emperor, during Akihito’s enthronement. His was the first enthronement in 62 years, and in the interim, the term banzai took on a different level of significance, having been used as a battle cry during World War II.)

AFP/Getty Images

The other senior members of the imperial family were also present at the palace for the festivities. All three of the emperor and empress’s children — Crown Prince Naruhito, Prince Akishino, and Princess Nori — attended the ceremony, along with their brand-new daughter-in-law, Princess Akishino. (Fumihito and Kiko, formally known as Prince and Princess Akishino, married in June 1990. At this point, Naruhito was still in the process of wooing his future wife, Masako Owada. Meanwhile, Sayako, formally known as Princess Nori, would remain a member of the family until she married Yoshiki Kuroda in November 2005.) Also shown in this photo are Prince and Princess Hitachi, younger brother and sister-in-law of Emperor Akihito.

AFP/Getty Images

After the enthronement ceremony, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko changed into Western-style gala dress for a parade through the streets of Tokyo. Michiko wore the Meiji Tiara for this important spotlight moment.

KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images

The couple processed in an open motorcade during the parade. We won’t see this moment replicated in today’s ceremonies — because of the tragic consequences of the recent typhoon, the parade has been rescheduled for November 10.

While you wait for more enthronement content, you might want to check out my recent radio interview! I chatted with Julie Buck and Nicole Genovese on KTRS about royal jewels (and Jeopardy, too!). You can find the interview here, starting around 8:30!

This Week in Royal Jewels: October 4-10

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October 4-10, 2019
From galas to games, we’ve got a whole lot of royal glitter in our roundup this week! Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!


PLEASE NOTE: There’s currently an issue with embedded images from Getty on their end. (Using embedded images when necessary is part of my commitment to respecting copyright permissions by using photos legally on this website.) I’ve contacted them about the issue, and I’m hopeful that they’ll resolve it quickly. Thanks for your patience in the meantime.
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20. In Madrid, Queen Letizia of Spain wore simple stud earrings and her gold ring for audiences at Zarzuela Palace on Tuesday.

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19. The Princess Royal wore golden jewelry in Japan this week, where she attended Wednesday’s Rugby World Cup 2019 Group A game between Scotland and Russia.
FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images
18. On Friday, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark wore lovely hoop earrings and a pair of bracelets for the Youth Innovation Summit 2019 in Rabat.
ROBIN UTRECHT/ANP/AFP via Getty Images
17. On Tuesday in The Hague, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wore gold jewelry to hear the annual report state of small and medium-sized enterprises of the Dutch committee for entrepreneurship. (More here!)
ROBIN UTRECHT/ANP/AFP via Getty Images
16. On Tuesday morning in Amsterdam, Queen Maxima wore a pair of earrings that coordinated with the embellishment on her blouse at the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Conference at the Royal Tropical Institute (More here!)
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15. The Duchess of Cambridge wore her recent favorite pair of earrings — gold oak leaf hoops from Asprey — for her visit to the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity at the Natural History Museum in London on Wednesday.
JONAS ROOSENS/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images
14. In Antwerp on Wednesday, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians wore golden earrings that reflected the green light around her as she spoke during the 60th Colloquium at the Institute of Tropical Medicine.
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13. For a reception at La Grande Arche on Monday evening, Crown Princess Mary wore a modern pair of hoops from Marianne Dulong. (More here!)
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12. On Wednesday, Queen Letizia wore her Sarin earrings from Coolook to attend a Mental Health Day 2019 event at Teatro La Latina in Madrid.
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11. For a meeting of a palliative care organization in Amersfoort on Wednesday, Queen Maxima wore her multicolored gem-set button earrings.
BENOIT DOPPAGNE/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images
10. Queen Paola of Belgium wore orange accessories for a rare outing, attending Wednesday’s Terre d’avenir Science Awards in Brussels, an initiative of her foundation.
ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN/ANP/AFP via Getty Images
9. A necklace of lovely faceted gemstone beads, plus gem-set earrings, accompanied Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands to the unveiling of a statue of William of Orange in Dordrecht on Wednesday.
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8. In a delightful departure from her usual daytime jewelry style, Princess Mako of Akishino wore a modern pair of earrings with gemstone drops on Sunday for a tennis match during the Rakuten Open in Tokyo.
LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
7. For Wednesday’s school visit in Paris, Crown Princess Mary wore sparkling diamond hoops with gold and black pearl accessories. (More here!)
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6. Camille Gottlieb, daughter of Princess Stephanie of Monaco, sparkled in glittering earrings for a party at the casino in Monte-Carlo on Saturday. (More here!)
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5. On Tuesday evening, Princess Marie of Denmark wore modern diamond earrings and an intriguing blue cocktail ring for a dinner at city hall in Paris. (More here!)
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4. For Tuesday’s dinner at city hall in Paris, Crown Princess Mary wore sparkling floral earrings and her aquamarine ring. (More here!)
IDA GULDBAEK ARENTSEN/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images
3. To welcome Italian President Sergio Mattarella to Copenhagen on Tuesday, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark wore pieces from her turquoise collection, including the fantastic Devonshire Turquoise Brooch. (More on the brooch here!)
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2. On Sunday, Lady Sarah Chatto wore a diamond and sapphire brooch that belonged to her mother, the late Princess Margaret, to attend church near Balmoral with her aunt, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.
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1. For Saturday’s party at the casino in Monte-Carlo, Princess Caroline of Monaco chose black pearl and diamond accessories, including earrings, rings, and a fantastic watch. (More here!)