Michiko has been married for 63 years, and her wedding was the first time that the royal family had televised, both traditional and Western
Remember the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles in 1981, when the British Radio and Television Corporation broadcast the wedding in 33 languages and was watched by more than 700 million viewers around the world, which was called a fairy tale wedding? In 1959, the Japanese Imperial Family also partially broadcast a romantic wedding, which was watched by 15 million viewers, and it was the wedding of the commoner empress Michiko and Akihito.
As the first commoner empress in the history of the Japanese imperial family, at first the members of the imperial family did not agree with her marrying into the palace, believing that she was from a humble origin, and in the end it was Akihito's father Hirohito who made the decision, so that the couple eventually became a family. In January 1959, the two were formally engaged, and according to tradition, Akihito sent two fish, six bottles of rice wine, and five rolls of silk to Michiko's family.
The two were officially married on April 10, 1959, and the wedding ceremony was a combination of traditional and Western styles, and for this commemorative wedding, the Japanese Imperial Family for the first time partially televised the wedding, which was watched by 15 million viewers at the time. Sales of television sets have also increased by a certain amount.
It is said that when Michiko and Akihito performed a traditional ceremony, it took 2 hours and 40 minutes to wear the Light Twelve single dress, and the dress was borrowed from Akihito's sister's wedding in 1943. In 2005, Michiko lent the dress to her daughter Kiyoko to use during pre-marriage sacrifices.
After the traditional ceremony, Michiko changed into a Western-style wedding dress, V-neck shoulderless design, and a large skirt, and the large bow at the waist added a touch of naughtiness, which was really super fashionable in that era. After that, the two men got into a carriage and paraded.
Now that 63 years have passed, both of them have abdicated and lived a leisurely life, but the two are still very affectionate, and every time they appear, Michiko has to hold Akihito's arm, which really interprets the old companion of the husband and wife when they were young.