Japan's Jiji News Agency reported on March 26 that Emperor Akihito and his wife arrived in Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture on the same day to pay homage to the mausoleum of Emperor Shinmu and reported to Emperor Shinmu that they would abdicate on April 30. On the morning of March 26, Akihito and his wife arrived at the Mausoleum of Emperor Shinmu, and after Akihito offered a jade skewer and bowed deeply, Empress Michiko also paid their respects.
Emperor Akihito and his wife
As Emperor Akihito expressed the idea of "performing ceremonies in a simple and quiet manner," the Japanese Imperial Household Agency established 10 ceremonies related to abdication based on respecting the emperor's wishes. On March 12, the first three ceremonies were officially held, announcing the official start of the month-long abdication ceremony.
On March 12, Emperor Akihito held the Ceremony of The Shōnen Injunction, the Ceremony of The Imperial Shrine, the Ceremony of Envoys Dispatched by the Shrine of the Four Previous Emperors of Emperor Showa, and on March 15, the Ceremony of Offering Coins from the Shrine shrine, the Mausoleum of Emperor Shinmu and the Mausoleum of the Four Previous Emperors of Emperor Showa.
Emperor Akihito wore the emperor's most solemn yellow robe to perform the ceremony of the sages' offerings
The visit to the shrine of Emperor Shinmu on March 26 is the sixth part of the abdication ceremony. After that, Emperor Akihito is also expected to visit Ise Jingu Shrine in Mie Prefecture on April 18 and to visit Emperor Musashino's Mausoleum in Tokyo on April 23.
The last two of the ceremonies, the Ceremony of the Great Front of the Sages on the Day of Abdication and the Ceremony of the Imperial Spirit Temple on the Day of Abdication, will be held on April 30. Akihito will deliver his final speech as Emperor of Japan, and Naruhito will ascend to the throne on May 1 as the new Emperor of Japan.
Emperor Jinmu
Emperor Shenmu was the first emperor of Japanese mythology, and his true identity is not known. After World War II, due to opposition to pre-war national Shintoism and the denial of the pre-war historical concept of deifying the emperor, the voice of opposition to the imperial family's visit to the tomb of Emperor Shenmu has always existed. Among the abdication ceremonies arranged by the Imperial Household Agency was a visit to the mausoleum of Emperor Shenwu, which aroused the objections of historians and archaeologists.
Since the emperor's abdication ceremony is a gap in the system in modern times, there is no precedent for the Japanese Imperial Household Agency to make this arrangement, and these 10 ceremonies may affect the future Japanese imperial family.
(Editor: YZM)