Japanese media reported that the Kasumi Hall Friendship Party, which is held every two years by the Japanese Imperial Family, was recently held as scheduled.
However, the current emperor's family did not attend this internal gathering, which was limited to the Japanese imperial family and the old aristocracy, and instead the imperial brothers, the Akishinomiya couple and Princess Yoshiko, were invited.
As for why this arrangement is made, some media broke the news that the Japanese queen was worried that her granddaughter Princess Yoshiko would follow her sister's example and marry a commoner, so she specially arranged a blind date for her.
(Empress Michiko, Princess Kiko, Princess Kako)
That's right, Princess Yoshiko, who was born in 1994 and turned 30 years old at the end of this year, her marriage has become a heart disease of the Japanese imperial family.
After World War II, Japan drastically reduced the number of members of the imperial family, leaving only a dozen members of the emperor's immediate family.
However, the former royal family, who was demoted to commoners, although the blessing of the halo was missing from the name, still maintained a close relationship with the royal family as a relative, and also enjoyed various special treatments internally.
Kasumi Kaikan, where the party was held, has always been a place for private gatherings of former Japanese aristocrats, and it is also a place where only a few people, such as members of the imperial family and former nobles, can enter.
This Kasumi Kaikan, which is very mysterious to the outside world, has rooms and restaurants like a high-end hotel, as well as annexes with different themes.
The membership threshold of the Kasumi Guild Hall, in addition to being born in a former aristocratic family, must also be the eldest son in the family. The spouse and children of the eldest son are invited members and can attend the Kasumi Kaikan meetings with the head of the household.
The people who can enter it have a certain blood relationship with the royal family and have close living habits and experiences, and know the royal family members better than the outside world.
Therefore, among the members of the Kasumi Guild, there are many people who marry members of the royal family. There are also many who have not been successful in blind dates, but have found a spouse in other members.
For example, Atsuko Ikeda, the sister of the former emperor, was introduced by the former nobleman Matsudaira Yasumasa in the Kasumi Kaikan and met the aristocratic horse Takamasa Ikeda.
Atsuko Ikeda, Takamasa Ikeda
In addition, the current emperor's own sister, Princess Kiyoko Kuroda, had participated in several Kasumi Kaikan gatherings before her marriage. The elders of the members actively searched for several candidates for her to be a horse, but after contact, there was no follow-up. The princess eventually got together with her second brother's friend.
The current emperor's sister, Princess Kiyoko
It can be seen from this that the Kasumi Kaikan Association has a lot of weight between the Japanese royal family and the old aristocracy. Although Yoshiko's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Akishinomiya, got married through free love when they were students, there are reports that they also hope that Mako and Yoshiko will find a partner from the Kasumi Kaikan.
Especially after Yoshiko's sister Princess Mako chose to marry Kei Komuro and went to the United States, this marriage was not understood and blessed by the people at that time, so the Japanese royal family now attaches great importance to Yoshiko's marriage partner circle and tries to strictly control it.
According to Japanese media reports, Empress Michiko personally sent a message to Jiazi to participate in the Xia Hall Friendship Hall, and told her not to follow her sister's old path, such a married life is very hard, or it is most reliable to find a wishful husband from the party.
The reason why Grandma Michiko said this is also because the lineup of people who participated in the Kasumi Kaikan Friendship this year was more hardcore than in previous years, including many veteran members of the imperial family such as the Shimazu family and the Tokugawa family.
As a direct descendant of the Tokugawa shogunate, the Tokugawa family had a very high status in the hearts of the imperial family. The members of the Shimazu family are closer to the Japanese imperial family by blood.
The Tokugawa family, which has produced 15 shoguns in history
The Shimazu family was a veteran aristocrat from the Kamakura period dating back more than 800 years, and the family still has a large amount of land and assets, and has been married to the Japanese imperial family for generations.
The current emperor's grandmother is the daughter of the Shimazu family, and her own aunt is also married to the Shimazu family. If the young men of this generation marry Yoshiko again, they will be real relatives of their aunts and cousins for generations.
Takako Shimazu, the current emperor's aunt
It was reported that at this year's party, the Shimazu family sent a young man to attend. The mysterious male guest has previously been listed by the royal family as a blind date candidate for Princess Aiko. But he is two years older than Yoshiko, and he is closer in age.
(Yoshiko born in '94, Aiko born in 2001)
The mysterious male guest has been studying in a study institute for members of the royal family, from kindergarten to university, and after graduation, he works in a major bank. Although the daily life is very low-key, both parents are from noble backgrounds, and their status is very prominent.
Princess Yoshiko was revealed before that she had a relationship with the family heir of Fujikyuki Company, but in the end it was unsuccessful.
So grandma Michiko has been urging the Imperial Household Agency to find an opportunity to arrange a friendship between Yoshiko and the old nobles.
However, the Japanese imperial family has been eager to pick a horse for Yoshiko from among the members of the Kasumi Kaikan, but in fact, there is another motive hidden ...
Female members of the Japanese Imperial Family are responsible for some of their official activities, but as they marry and leave the Imperial Family, the Japanese Imperial Family faces a serious problem of manpower shortages.
(Princess Kako)
To this end, as early as 2020, the Japanese government planned to draft new regulations that would allow married female members of the imperial family to continue to retain their status so that someone could complete their official activities.
However, although the government promised that royal women would receive allowances for attending official duties after they got married, after this proposal appeared, Princess Mako, who got married in 2021, fled the royal family without hesitation.
(Kei Komuro and Princess Mako)
Faced with the scarcity of royal employees, the Japanese government plans to pass a new law in May this year that will allow fiancés of members of the royal family to participate in official activities in advance.
If the bill is passed, and Yoshiko also succeeds in the blind date, then the prospective horse will be able to attend official business as a "quasi-royal family".
Moreover, if the prospective horse is born in the old royal family and has the same life background and experience as the princess, various activities and etiquette can also be said to be handy.
Therefore, it can be said that from any point of view, the Japanese royal family is eager to find a concubine for the princess from the members of the Kasumi Kaikan, which is the most cost-effective plan in line with the interests of the royal family.
After the news broke, many Japanese netizens raised objections.
"I don't really understand why Michiko and Concubine Kiko are obsessed with whether each other is from an old aristocratic background, maybe my thoughts are more dark.
After World War II, when the members of the imperial family were abolished, it was clearly said that the abolition of the imperial family was a good thing, and that future generations should not be happy because of the merits of their ancestors.
Of course, many politicians and capitalists have also done such things as marriages. ”
"It's easy to understand that we go on a blind date because of kinship. But I don't think it's a good thing for the royal family to marry only certain families in a small circle.
No matter how you say it, it's just a former aristocrat, it's all an old thing. Don't they just use this layer of kinship as a stepping stone to business?
Because Mako is married to a commoner, Yoshiko has to choose from the old nobles, which is too dead to save face. ”
"The threshold for marriage has not been raised, and it is okay to marry anyone, as long as the other party is an upright and decent person, the people will bless it. ”
"What a gorgeous aristocratic family, don't laugh at me. ”
Speaking of the issue of the princess marrying a commoner, I have to mention Mako, the sister of Yoshiko.
Mako, who has always been regarded as unhappy after marriage and living a turbulent life, has passed her husband Kei Komuro's exam, been promoted and raised, and has moved from New York to a new house in the suburbs, which is not as unbearable as the media reported.
On the other hand, Yoshiko's side wants to choose her fiancé on a blind date in close relatives and old aristocratic families, no matter how you look at it, it has an old-fashioned feudal flavor. So it's really hard to say which of the two sisters is happier.
I hope that Yoshiko, who is currently living alone and "hiding from her parents and younger brother", can follow her inner thoughts like her sister and live the life she wants.