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Japanese princess engaged to civil servant
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-03-20 09:00
With a grand
traditional betrothal ceremony on Saturday, Japanese Princess Sayako is
formally engaged to a common civil servant.
[Xinhua/AFP] | With a grand traditional betrothal
ceremony on Saturday, Japanese Princess Sayako was formally engaged to a common
civil servant.
The 35-year-old princess is the only daughter of Japan's emperor, and will
lose his royal identity after her marriage according Japan's law.
Her 35-year-old fiance, Yoshiki Kuroda, is an employee with the Tokyo
metropolitan government.
They are expected to marry sometime after the summer, the Imperial Household
Agency said earlier.
In the privately held ceremony that lasted about 15 minutes at the Imperial
Residence, a messenger from Kuroda formally conveyed Kuroda's proposal to marry
Princess Sayako to Grand Steward ToshioYuasa of the Imperial Household, Kyodo
News reported.
The messenger also offered traditional engagement gifts of two fresh sea
breams, three bottles of sake and two sets of silk, the agency said. Sea breams
are given as gifts in Japan to mark auspicious events.
Japan's Princess
Nori (L) and her fiance Yoshiki Kuroda enjoy bird-watching on the grounds
of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in this March 13, 2005 photo released by
the Imperial Household Agency on March 18, 2005. With a grand traditional
betrothal ceremony on Saturday, Japanese Princess Sayako was formally
engaged to a common civil
servant. [Reuters] | The grand steward then
reported to the emperor and empress in adifferent room, also attended by the
princess, about the proposal and the imperial couple granted approval.
The couple became formally engaged when the grand steward returned to the
messenger and said that the princess and her parents accepted the offer of
marriage.
Wearing a white long dress, Princess Sayako bowed to a flock ofreporters and
photographers, and responded to their congratulations earlier in the morning
before entering the Imperial Residence.
The couple reportedly has known each other since their childhood, as Kurado
is a close friend of the princess' elder brother Prince Akishino, and decided to
marry last summer.
They are looking for an apartment in Tokyo for their new residence while
considering security and other points, Kyodo said.
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