In the past, the Emperor of Japan was the descendant of God and the agent of the human world, sacred, domineering, and inviolable. After the war, although the Japanese imperial family was no longer worshipped as a god, it was more like a "puppet" than before, every word and deed was subject to strict etiquette norms, and the self-will could only bury the bottom of the heart...
Surrounded by a moat and surrounded by greenery arches, the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda-ku, central Tokyo, is like a heavenly palace overlooking the bustling and disturbing world outside the castle. On only two days a year, january 2 and December 23, the birthday of Emperor Akihito, the general public has the privilege of entering the Imperial Palace East Imperial Garden to pay tribute to the Emperor and his family at close range.
According to Japanese myths and legends, the emperor was a descendant of the god Amaterasu, and it was not until Emperor Hirohito issued an edict in 1946 that the emperor denied the status of a "god", and the myth of "divine right of kings" was shattered. However, because Japan was the aggressor and defeated country in World War II, Emperor Showa was regarded by many as a war criminal who launched a war, and only escaped trial because of the protection of the United States, so for decades, the Japanese imperial family has always maintained a cautious and low-key attitude in the international community, which is even more mysterious and distant in the eyes of foreigners.
The emperor who walked down the altar
Despite the Sengoku and shogunate periods, there has never been a change of dynasty in Japan. Therefore, the Japanese emperor is known as the "one lineage of all generations", that is, from ancient times to the present, all the emperors have originated from the same family. Akihito, who previously abdicated, is the 125th emperor of Japan, and this year he is 89 years old, and his era name is Heisei.
The eldest son of Emperor Showa, Akihito was crown prince in 1952 and ascended the throne in 1989. Based on political considerations, Japan did not abolish the emperor system after World War II, but the status of the emperor was very different from that before the war, and his name was a "symbol" of the unity of the Japanese people, but in fact it was no different from the decoration. The war and the changing situation after the war undoubtedly had a certain degree of influence on Akihito; he was not as condescending as Emperor Showa, and even used "solemn language" to express humility when speaking to his subjects, hoping to create a kind and pro-people image that was more in line with the democratic trend.
In the face of politics, Akihito has always been cautious in his words and deeds, strictly abiding by the provisions of Japan's post-war constitution - he is not allowed to have his own political will, let alone interfere in politics, and even if he visits the international community, he simply sets the tone as "imperial diplomacy", and only talks about friendship and does not talk about national affairs. From another point of view, his caution seems to carry the meaning of atonement for the sins of his predecessors.
Of course, he could not articulate his views on World War II, but a statement he made on his 72nd birthday seemed to obscurely articulate his critique: "Japan has had little peace from the beginning of showa to the 20th year of Showa (1945) ... In the future, with the efforts of more people, we may correctly inherit the knowledge of the facts of the past in order to learn from the future. ”
Biology was Akihito's lifelong interest, and the area in which he was able to speak freely. Since 1967, Akihito has published 32 professional papers with academic journals, and is an authority on gobies research - the international academic community has named a kind of scallop goby living on coral reefs "Akihito Parrot Goby" to praise his research results.
As for the daily life level, Akihito's routine is simple and regular. The Japanese government allocates about 300 million yen a year to the royal family's living expenses, but his style is still unpretentious; it is said that when it rains or does not want to walk, he drives a Honda car that has been used for more than ten years to and from the various buildings in the palace garden.
Although there are almost no other vehicles on the private roads of the Imperial Palace of Japan and are not governed by highway regulations, he must wear seat belts, drive carefully and insist on not speeding, and change his driver's license on time. Compared to the Queen of England, who was about the same age, Akihito was vague and semi-invisible; although he was the emperor, he could not write the script of his life. "Unfortunately born in the emperor's house" may be the lament of his life?
A mentally tortured queen
As an important economy in the world, Japan is the best model for the modernization and democratization of Asian countries, but in fact, it is extremely conservative in its bones, and there are still many feudal era thinking, involving the imperial family, and etiquette, systems, codes of conduct, etc. are particularly strict, and every move must follow standard operating procedures and cannot be changed without authorization. Although Empress Michiko was not from an aristocratic background, her family was of the chaebol rank, and her father and uncle were the elites who led the times. She herself received an enlightened Western education, and can be called the new woman of the era of that era, and she met Akihito, who was the crown prince at the time, because she played tennis.
At first, both the Japanese imperial family and the Chinese were strongly opposed to the marriage, believing that the grand prince could marry a woman who "sold flour" (Michiko's family owned the largest flour manufacturing industry in Japan at that time), but Hirohito supported his son's choice.
However, this is not a fairy tale-like perfect story, after marriage, Michiko immediately felt unprecedented mental pressure - the mother-in-law Ryoko empress did not want to admit the marriage before their marriage, reprimanded Michiko for being too low-status, uncultured, and still had many difficulties for Michiko after marriage. Conservative magnates continued to bully the commoner empress, and "the daughter of the flour house" and "the bullying of Michiko incident" became the news topics in Japan at that time.
The Imperial Household Agency was often picky and sneering at her, and even the female officials around empress dowager Ryoko dared to teach her a lesson, and Michiko could only swallow her anger.
After watching the Japanese dramas "Da'ao" and "Du Ji", I know how strict the palace rules are, and the power of the head of the inner court is beyond imagination. This was already the case in the General's Mansion, let alone the Imperial Family. However, Michiko still overcame all difficulties and reformed some of the royal customs. She broke the nursing motherhood that had lasted for hundreds of years, and the rule that children and their parents must live separately, personally breastfed their children and lived with them, and educated the princess in an "ordinary family" way, so that her children did not have any sense of superiority.
In terms of public image, Crown Princess Michiko has accompanied Akihito on several foreign trips, and everywhere she went, she was swept away by her elegance and beauty, and the Japanese people regarded her as the number one star of imperial diplomacy. Unfortunately, it is said that Michiko has never been recognized by her mother-in-law; as she entered the palace for a long time, her face became more and more haggard and sad, and she was on the verge of mental collapse several times, and she suffered from depression and aphasia, and severe depression did not improve until the death of her mother-in-law Ryoko.
Another rumor is that Empress Michiko has long suffered from "aphasia" - she does not speak to anyone but her husband. When Michiko celebrated her 80th birthday, Japan's Miyauchi Agency arranged a written interview to respond to questions from the media. In response to the feeling of entering the 80-year-old, she replied: "The husband always gives tolerance at all times, which allows the two to walk hand in hand through 55 years of married life." ”
Michiko has now regained her smile, but is there helplessness and sadness behind that stiff smile? As a rich businessman, she is still a commoner in the eyes of the nobility, and after entering marriage, her life is full of twists and turns, which also makes people realize that marrying a "prince" is not like a fairy tale to live a happy and happy life...
If she had not married into the imperial family, Michiko's life would have been richer and more exciting.
The Japanese imperial family for our Chinese, is mysterious, the Japanese emperor as the world's only blood to maintain, the monarch of the lineage, in the hearts of the Japanese is not only a god of awe, but also to make up for the government can not do the place of the people, the woman behind them arouses people's curiosity, and finally recommend to everyone the book "The Story of the Three Imperial Princesses of Japan", this book describes in detail the unveiling of Michiko's marriage, and her mental journey, but also punctured the tradition and solemn image that the Japanese imperial family tried to create. Friends who want to know the secrets of the Japanese Imperial Family do not miss ↓↓↓
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