Rejoicing

In Tokyo, the spirits of 122 royal predecessors blessed the marriage of Pr.nce Regent Hirohito to Princess Nagako, solemnized according to Shinto rites. It was the consummation of a love match, much opposed by the Elder Statesmen.

The Prince. Michi-No-Miyo Hirohito, destined to be the 124th Emperor, has ruled Japan since November, 1921, when his father relinquished power because of illness verging on insanity. He is nearly 23, is famous for his tour of Europe, is considered "democratic," is well educated, small.

The Princess. Nagako's father, General Prince Kuni, grandson of a former 'Emperor, represented Japan in the U. S. in 1909 at the Hudson-Fulton celebration. During her infancy he was at the Russo-Japanese front. Her mother sprang from the clan of Satsuma, stern in virtue. Nagako, aged 21, was born in the simplest of imperial residences. She attended the Peeresses' School when General Nogi was its President. Japan regards her as "the personification of beauty, virtue and love."

The Dress. Hirohito wore an upper cloak of red with a shade of yellow running through it. His loose trousers were of white silk with patterns of butterflies; his belt of black leather with carved stones. The sceptre and crown accompanied him.

Nagako had many garments made in Kioto: a kimono of scarlet and purple silk carrying the embroidered chrysanthemum crest; a skirt of intricate design; an outer dress of purple silk with designs of pine trees and tortoises, symbols of long life. She carried a fan of gilded wood on which were painted varicolored flowers. (Her trousseau, invaluable, contained a kimono of twelve thicknesses.

The Ceremony. Prince and Princess approached the Imperial palace by separate thoroughfares. A mounted cavalcade uniformed in red and yellow guarded the Prince. Arrived at the Palace, Prince and Princess and members of the royal family proceeded with a slow movement toward the shrine. This took two hours. At the shrine (Kashiki-Dokoro or Holy of Holies) the pair took their vows, witnessed by 122 imperial spirits. They then exchanged bowls of sacred rice-wine. That was all. Thereupon 101 guns announced to the gala populace without that the ceremony was complete. After a royal luncheon, the Prince Regent and his consort led a triumphal procession from the Imperial palace to their temporary residence. "Banzai!" shouted the endless crowd.

On the following day, Sunday, the pair visited the Emperor and Empress at Namazu, went to Iso to announce their wedding to the great Emperor Jimmu (said to have ascended the throne in the year 660 B. C.) and to Yamada to do the same to the Emperor Momoyama.

Tuesday they received the chiefs of the diplomatic corps and their wives. No foreigners were present at the ceremony.

Celebration. Japan rejoiced, but, due to the quake, postponed official public celebration until later in the year. Then a great banquet to officials and foreign diplomats will tell the people and foreign governments that Hirohito has the bride of his choice and that Japan has an Empress-Prospective.