Love above the Imperial House of Japan

Probably an inciting question would be whether a “Love Story” is still possible in the 21st Century, a love story of two young people who seek to fulfill their relationship beyond conventions and different social status. Probably, in a welcoming resonance with this question, a possible answer might be that’s offered, with genuine emotion and sincerity, by the couple Mako and Kei, two young people from Japan. True, they were not confronted with the dramatic implications of the feud between their families, as between Capulet and Montague when Romeo and Juliet lived.  But in a certain way they were also caught in the perennial whirlpool, persistent today, between the meritorious inertias of tradition and the divergent force of the temptations of modernity, in the tensions between what is official, public and exposed to the democratic judgement of all and the other side, which is private, personal, even intimate. They were ruthlessly caught in the open, by the direct, uninhibited and consistently incisive media trial.

And yet, mutual affection prevailed. On the morning of October 26, after the simple formality of registering their marriage at a civil registry office in Tokyo, Mako and Kei appeared at a press conference in front of fifty journalists.

She said, “Kei-san is irreplaceable. For us, marriage was a necessary choice because we listened to our hearts and defended our feelings. ” He said, “I love Mako-san, my desire is to live this life with my loved one.” The statements of the two young people were brave, clear and sincere. Why brave? Because, since their relationship, both former colleagues at the International Christian University, located in one of the suburbs of the capital Tokyo, became known, in the past three years, the public exposure has enfolded them in a relentless scrutiny of their status and life.

Mako is a young blue blood. The eldest daughter of Crown Prince Akishino, as a member of the Imperial Family, fulfilled a wide range of rules and obligations. Kei, lacking a renowned background, is a young aspiring lawyer with a chance to establish himself professionally at a law firm in New York. However, his status was burdened by complications related to his parents (family background, unsettled financial issues related to a loan (donation, credit) borrowed by his mother, etc.), complications keenly sniffed by the press. Fortunately, Mako displayed more wisdom than Juliet. Despite being nearly “intoxicated” by the public misunderstanding. From every corner, many opinions were heard, mixing disappointment with the fact that a princess will eventually fall in the arms of “a commoner”, above all, suspected of a tainted background, mired in financial uncertainty. Mako sailed smoothly through the difficult moments, being temporarily diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Perhaps, as distant observers of these events and this noteworthy sentimental choice, we should not deny ourselves the thrill of a romantic outburst. Mako, after three years away from Kei, had the strength of a YES for unconventional marriage and a NO for traditions. She chose to enjoy the fulfillment of destiny and the colors of the season. Of this October, when the forests around Tokyo are colored with the richness of rusty autumn shades and Mount Fuji is crowned by an early veil of the first snow. She gave up the splendor of the wedding ceremony, that would have adorned her with rich and heavy layers of silk cloaks and would have bestowed upon her the grandeur of the imperial rituals, detailed and precise, under the spotlights and flashes of the media. The press and the public did not hide their frustration at having missed the revered display of traditions. With critical perceptions sharpened, the Japanese press did not hesitate to declare its surprise and commented sourly on Kei’s hairstyle, who, arriving from New York for the wedding, wore his hair in a ponytail. For obvious reasons, later, he abandoned his preference.

Mako is not the first princess in the history of the Imperial House to relinquish her status. Along the years, there were other princesses who preferred to follow their feelings for a partner without a noble status. But she declined firmly everything, from title and rank. She wanted neither the imperial-style marriage ceremony nor the impressive payment, that she was entitled to receive by virtue of her position. She decided to go to New York with her husband and start a new life.

Not prior, however, to prove that she holds a good understanding of traditions. She bowed deeply and brought offerings at the Musashino Imperial Graveyard, to the Mausoleums of the Ancestors, Emperor Showa and Empress Kojun. With love and piety, she bade farewell to her noble family. Although the ceremony prescribed by the old rules of the Court was  given up, she visited with respect their Majesties, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako. At their residence, her grandparents, Emperor Emeritus Akihito, and Empress Emerita Michiko embraced her with affection. As a good and dutiful daughter, she bid goodbye to her parents, Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko. The conventions did not allow her to be accompanied, and Mako accomplished all these steps alone, in full deference and composed.

“We wish Princess Mako happiness in family life!”  read the Japanese newspapers’ headlines, eventually.

I believe that, in the end, the Japanese public understood the meaning of Mako and Kei’s story. Precisely because the history of Japan is the romantic story of the complicated relationship between tradition and modernity.