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Empress Nagako

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Nagako[a] (6 March 1903 – 16 June 2000),[1] posthumously honoured as Empress Kōjun,[b][1] was a member of the Imperial House of Japan, the wife of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) and the mother of Emperor Emeritus Akihito. She was Empress of Japan from 1926 until her husband's death in 1989, making her the longest-serving empress consort in Japanese history.[2]

  • Empress Kōjun
  • 香淳皇后
Formal portrait, c. 1928
Empress consort of Japan
Tenure25 December 1926 –
7 January 1989
Enthronement10 November 1928
Empress dowager of Japan
Tenure7 January 1989 –
16 June 2000
BornPrincess Nagako (良子女王)
(1903-03-06)6 March 1903
Tokyo, Japan
Died16 June 2000(2000-06-16) (aged 97)
Fukiage Palace, Tokyo, Japan
Burial25 July 2000
Musashi Imperial Graveyard, Hachiōji
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1924; died 1989)​
Issue
Posthumous name
Empress Kōjun (香淳皇后)
HouseImperial House of Japan
FatherPrince Kuni Kuniyoshi
MotherChikako Shimazu
Signature

Early life

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Princess Nagako in 1910 as a child

Princess Nagako[c] was born in Kuni-no-miya's family home in Tokyo, Japan on 6 March 1903, into one of the Ōke branches of the Imperial House of Japan, which were eligible to provide an heir to the throne of Japan (by adoption). She was therefore a princess by birth, as the daughter of Kuniyoshi, Prince Kuni (1873–1929) by his consort, Chikako (1879–1956). While her father was a scion of the imperial family itself, her mother descended from daimyōs, the feudal or military aristocracy.[3] Nagako would become one of the last Japanese who could remember what life was like inside the Japanese aristocracy in the years before the Second World War.[4]

As a young girl, Nagako attended the Girls' Department of Peers' School in Tokyo (now Gakushūin), which was a school set up especially for the daughters of the aristocracy and imperial family. Among her cohort was Crown Princess Bangja of Korea (then known as Princess Masako Nashimoto). Following her betrothal at age fourteen, Nagako was withdrawn from this school and began a six-year training program aimed at developing the accomplishments deemed necessary for an empress.[2]

Marriage and children

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Crown Prince Hirohito and Crown Princess Nagako in 1924

Nagako was betrothed to her distant cousin the Crown Prince Hirohito, later the Emperor Shōwa (1901–1989) at a very young age, in a match arranged by their parents, which was usual in Japanese society at that time.[d][5] Her lineage and her father's unblemished military career were the major considerations. In a step away from tradition, Hirohito was allowed to choose his own bride. Nagako herself had no choice in the matter. In 1917, at the age of 14, she and other eligible candidates for betrothal participated in a tea ceremony at the Imperial Palace while the Crown Prince watched unseen from behind a screen.[2] He eventually selected Nagako.[6] Prime Minister Yamagata Aritomo, a prince from a rival clan, was said to be opposed to Hirohito's choice. He and other royal clans tried to dissuade him from marrying her, arguing that she had colour-blind relatives on her mother's side of the family.[2][7] In January 1919, the engagement of Princess Nagako to the then-Crown Prince Hirohito was announced. During their six-year courtship, they met only nine times and were always accompanied by a chaperone.[8]

Princess Nagako married Crown Prince Hirohito on 26 January 1924 and became the Crown Princess of Japan.[1] The wedding had been delayed in the aftermath of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake and following an assassination attempt on Hirohito's life.[4][7] Their marriage marked the last time a future empress was chosen from minor princely families that usually provided brides for the main line.[2] She became the empress of Japan upon Hirohito's accession to the throne on 25 December 1926. Unlike his royal predecessors, Emperor Hirohito decided to abandon his 39 court concubines.[2] Over the first decade of their marriage, Empress Nagako gave birth to four daughters (see Issue).[2] As she had failed to produce a son, courtiers attempted to persuade the Emperor to take concubines, but he remained monogamous.[4][2] They also gave her the nickname onna bara, "girl womb" or "girl tummy".[8] It was only on 23 December 1933, almost ten years after their wedding, that the young couple had a son, and gave Japan an heir, in the birth of Akihito (明仁).[2] There were nationwide celebrations across Japan following his birth, which was described by Nagako as "the happiest moment in my life".[7][9] In all, Hirohito and Nagako had seven children, five daughters and two sons, three of whom predeceased Nagako. (see Issue)

Empress consort

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Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako in 1946

Empress Nagako performed her ceremonial duties in a traditional manner. She initially came to live in the palace during the time when people there spoke an archaic imperial form of Japanese that has largely disappeared.[4] Her role required her to attend special ceremonies such as those for the 2600th anniversary of the legendary foundation of the Empire of Japan in 1940 or the conquest of Singapore in 1942.[10]

 
Empress Nagako in 1956

During the Second World War, Nagako was largely confined to palace grounds and her duties involved tending to wounded generals and writing to families who had lost loved ones during the war.[2] Their children were sent to the countryside,[8] while she and Hirohito resided at the Obunko imperial air-raid shelter, which was built in the Fukiage Gardens on palace grounds.[7] Nagako also assisted with growing vegetables and raising poultry.[7] Her personal views on the war are not well known, though she is reported to have described the war years as "the hardest time of my life".[4] NHK reported that "her heart was in pain when she saw the emperor deeply agitated every day during and immediately after World War II."[8] After the occupation of Japan, the court became more accepting of Western and foreign traditions and Nagako took English lessons from two American tutors.[2][4][8] She also toured different parts of Japan to meet orphans and families who had suffered loss.[8]

It is not clear whether Nagako openly disapproved of her son Akihito's choice of a wife when he decided to marry commoner Michiko Shōda, but it was widely reported in the press that she and her daughter-in-law had a strained relationship.[4][2][11] Nagako, who was tradition-conscious, sided with those who criticized Michiko for breastfeeding her children, carrying them in public, and raising them herself.[4] A senior chamberlain claimed in his memoir that Michiko once directly asked her mother-in-law why she disliked her.[4] Michiko also held suspicions about her chief lady-in-waiting, whom she believed to be spying on her on the orders of Nagako.[4] Her and Akihito's attempts at dismissing the servant were unsuccessful.[4] The rift between the two women caused Michiko to suffer a nervous breakdown in 1963.[4]

 
Empress Nagako, Emperor Hirohito, the U.S. President Gerald Ford, and the U.S. First Lady Betty Ford at the Red Room in 1975

Nagako was the first Japanese empress consort to travel overseas.[12] She accompanied Hirohito on his European tour in 1971 and later on his state visit to the United States in 1975.[12] She also took care of him in later years and chose his attire for him.[8] Hirohito was said to have described their union as a source of solace and contentment and Nagako reportedly "showed a subject's deference" to him.[12][13] Their marriage lasted nearly 65 years, the longest of any Japanese imperial couple.[11] A talented artist, two collections of Nagako's paintings, which she signed as Toen or Peach Garden, were published and she gifted the UK's Queen Elizabeth II with one of her pieces in 1971.[8] She also wrote waka, a collection of which was published in 1974.[8] She was reported to have enjoyed singing, and played the piano, violin and Japanese harp.[4] Nagako suffered a fall in July 1977, injuring her spine, and following another serious fall was confined to a wheelchair from 1980 for the remainder of her life.[9] The last public ceremony she took part in was her husband's 86th birthday celebrations in April 1987.[8][11]

Empress dowager

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After the Emperor's death on 7 January 1989, she became empress dowager.[1] At that time, she was in failing health herself and did not attend her husband's funeral.[7] She was confined to a wheelchair and remained in seclusion for the rest of her life. A video of her sitting in a wheelchair beside a window was published in 1993.[4] There were also persistent rumours that she was suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's disease.[2][7] In 1995, she became the longest-living empress dowager of Japan, breaking the record of Empress Kanshi, who had died 868 years earlier.[2]

 
Empress Kōjun's mausoleum in the Musashi Imperial Graveyard

At the time of her death at the age of 97 in 2000, Nagako had been an empress for 74 years. In her final days, the Imperial Household Agency (IHA) announced that she was suffering from breathing problems but that the illness was not serious and she was on a respirator.[7] On 15 June, the IHA director-general told certain segments of the press that her condition had taken a turn and it was reported that she had slipped into a coma on the next day after her blood pressure dropped.[7][8][11] Nagako died at 4:46 pm on 16 June 2000, with her family at her side.[4] Her son Akihito, who had been carrying out public engagements earlier in the day, immediately went to Fukiage Palace and reportedly held his mother's hand as she died.[7] At his request, no injections or intravenous fluids were administered to prevent any suffering.[7] The IHA announced her death at 6:30 pm and gave "old age" as the cause of death.[4][7] Following the announcement, neon signs in Ginza and the lights in Tokyo Tower were turned off.[8] The flags flew at half-mast on government buildings, and music and dance were excluded from public events for a day.[9][12] People also gathered outside palace gates to pay their respects.[9]

A mourning period of 150 days was declared by the imperial court.[8][12] A team was set up by the IHA to organize her funeral, which largely followed the customs implemented at her mother-in-law Empress Teimei's funeral in 1951.[12] Her funeral was held at the Toshimagaoka Imperial Cemetery on 25 July 2000 and was attended by one thousand mourners, including members of the imperial family, government leaders and foreign diplomats.[14][15] Her son Akihito was the chief mourner during the service, which featured elements of the Shinto religion.[14] Hundreds of mourners also gathered outside cemetery gates.[14]

Emperor Akihito granted his mother the posthumous title of Empress Kōjun (which means "fragrant purity"), drawing inspiration from the Kaifūsō.[1][7] Her final resting place is in a mausoleum named Musashino no Higashi no Misasagi, near that of her husband within the Musashi Imperial Graveyard.[1]

Honours

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National

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Foreign

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Issue

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Empress Kōjun and Emperor Shōwa had seven children (two sons and five daughters).

Name Birth Death Marriage Children
Date Spouse
Shigeko Higashikuni
(Shigeko, Princess Teru) 		9 December 1925 23 July 1961 10 October 1943 Prince Morihiro Higashikuni
  • Prince Nobuhiko Higashikuni
  • Princess Fumiko Higashikuni
  • Naohiko Higashikuni
  • Hidehiko Higashikuni
  • Yūko Higashikuni
Sachiko, Princess Hisa 10 September 1927 8 March 1928 None
Kazuko Takatsukasa
(Kazuko, Princess Taka) 		30 September 1929 26 May 1989 20 May 1950 Toshimichi Takatsukasa Naotake Takatsukasa (adopted)
Atsuko Ikeda
(Atsuko, Princess Yori) 		(1931-03-07) 7 March 1931 (age 93) 10 October 1952 Takamasa Ikeda None
Akihito, Emperor Emeritus of Japan
(Akihito, Prince Tsugu) 		(1933-12-23) 23 December 1933 (age 90) 10 April 1959 Michiko Shōda
Masahito, Prince Hitachi
(Masahito, Prince Yoshi) 		(1935-11-28) 28 November 1935 (age 88) 30 September 1964 Hanako Tsugaru None
Takako Shimazu
(Takako, Princess Suga) 		(1939-03-02) 2 March 1939 (age 85) 10 March 1960 Hisanaga Shimazu Yoshihisa Shimazu

Ancestry

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ 良子
  2. ^ 香淳皇后 (Kōjun-kōgō)
  3. ^ 良子女王, Nagako Joō
  4. ^ Both Nagako and Hirohito were distant cousins twice over: fourteenth cousins thrice removed by Prince Fushimi Sadafusa of the Fushimi-no-miya cadet branch of the imperial house, and tenth cousins once removed through Bōjirō Toshimasa (1582–1609), a courtier and noble (kuge).

Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Emperor Showa and Empress Kojun – The Imperial Household Agency". Kunaicho.go.jp. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Downer, Lesely. Obituary: "Nagako, Dowager Empress of Japan," The Guardian (London). 17 June 2000.
  3. ^ Large, Stephen S. Emperor Hirohito and Shōwa Japan: Political Biography, Books.google.com, pp. 25–26
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Kristof, Nicholas D. (17 June 2000). "Dowager Empress Nagako, Hirohito's Widow, Dies at 97". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Genealogy". Reichsarchiv (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 October 2017.)
  6. ^ Connors, Leslie. (1987). The Emperor's Adviser: Saionji Kinmochi and Pre-war Japanese Politics, Books.google.com, pp. 79–80
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Empress Kōjun: Remembering the Life and Final Days of Japan's Last Shōwa Royal". nippon.com. 15 July 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Reitman, Valerie (17 June 2000). "Empress Dowager Nagako; Widow of Japan's Hirohito". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d "Japan's Dowager Empress Dead at 97". CBS News. 16 June 2000.
  10. ^ David C. Earhart, Certain Victory, 2008, pp.22, 23, 65
  11. ^ a b c d Yamaguchi, Mari (16 June 2000). "Japan's Empress Dowager Dies". AP News. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Naito, Motoko (16 June 2000). "Japan mourns Empress Dowager". UPI. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  13. ^ "Japan's Dowager Empress dies". BBC News. 16 June 2000. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  14. ^ a b c Scanlon, Charles (25 July 2000). "Japan mourns Empress Nagako". BBC News. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  15. ^ "In pictures: Japan's imperial funeral". BBC News. 25 July 2000. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  16. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.boe.es. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. ^ "Genealogy". Reichsarchiv (in Japanese). Retrieved 25 October 2017.

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Empress Kōjun.
Empress Nagako
Born: 6 March 1903 Died: 16 June 2000
Japanese royalty
Preceded by Empress consort of Japan
1926–1989 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Empress dowager of Japan
1989–2000 		Succeeded by
Vacant
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