A Romance of the East

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 514, 17 November 1928, Page 24

A Romance of the East

Picturesque Ceremony at Wedding of Japanese Prince

LL, Tokyo was astir from

an early hour, and all homes, official buildings, street cars, and automobiles flew the Rising Sun banner in honour of

The wedding was solemnised with ritual that goes back to the dawn of Japanese history, in front of the Kashiko-dokoro, or Place of Awe, one of the most sacred of Japanese shrines situated within the grounds of the Imperial Palace. It is before this shrine that the most important matters connected with the Ruling Farcily are performed; before it the accession of Emperors is announced to the gods who founded and guard Japan; before it Emperors are installed; before it the demise of an Emperor is announced, and before it marriages of the Blood Imperial are solemnised. In It are kept the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan. . The Mirror symbolises light and knowledge; the Sword valour and heroism; and the Jewel mercy.

the wedding of Prince Chichibu, brother of his Majesty the Emperor, and Heir Presumptive to the Japanese throne, to pretty Miss Se-Tsu-Ko Matsudaira, the 19-year-old daughter of Mr. Tsuneo Matsudaira, formerly Japanese Ambassador to Washington, and now ambassador-elect from this country to the Court of St. James. Prince Chichibu started from his palace in Omote-cho, Tokyo, shortly before 9 o’clock in the morning, arriving at the Imperial Palace exactly on the hour, the time for the wedding ceremony. He went in a special landau, bearing the Imperial sixteenpetalled chrysanthemum, sent by the Imperial Household Department, and escorted by half a squad of mounted troopers belonging to the Imperial Guards.

Miss Matsudaira, similarly escorted, and travelling in a similar carriage, arrived about the same time, taking a different route, and entering the Palace by another entrance. Both were in ceremonial wedding garments that have been worn on the occasion of weddings of Emperors and Imperial Princes from times that go far back into the dim mist of history. Miss Se-Tsu-Ko wore a fivefold kimono, the foundation of the ensemble being of white brocade, finished around the bottom with a huge roll of padded silk. To this robe was attached a gorgeously embroidered court train that hung from her shoulders, and trailed at least three yards along the floor. The kimono had immense sleeves that all but reached to the ground; and tae brocaded slippers were fashioned of the same material and hues as the kimono. The bride also carried an immense fan, suspended from two tassels. This fan is an heirloom of the Imperial Family, and is used by every bride who marries one of Imperial blood. After the wedding it was returned to the Court museum, where it remains under care until it is required by another Imperial bride. Japanese Court regulations, based on a custom from times immemorial, do not allow jewellery to be worn, and Miss Se-Tsu-Ko’s only other ornamentation was a half-circlet of fine handwrought gold formed into a demicrown that rested on her glossy black hair.

Before this secred shrine the wedding was performed. The couple then proceeded to the Korei-den and the Shin-den, other sacred shrines within the Palace grounds, where a similar ceremony was gone through, the latter of these shrines being dedicated to the Eight Million Gods of Heaven and Earth. The various ceremonies lasted about an hour, after

Thousands of persons, without distinction of class or rank, lined the streets from early morning. Above the admonishing police officials’ orders of “Ki-O-Tsuke! ” (behave yourselves) could be heard a low murmuring of the crowd, like the sound of wavelets on a gravelled shore. It rose to a slight crescendo, ending in a solemn hush when hats came off and the heads of both men and women were bowed in reverence and respect, as the silence was punctured by the hoofbeats of the passing troop that escorted the Imperial-crested carriage. Within one carriage a glimpse could be had of a black-kimonoed figure, seated in quiet dignity; within the other a charming young lady, apparently bewildered by the great honour that was to be conferred upon her that day. She was pale, but her head was proudly erect, as befitting the bride selected for the scion of a proud Imperial line.

which Prince Chichibu, and, now, Princess Chichibu returned, together, to the Prince’s palace at Omote-cho. At the Prince’s palace both changed into European garb, the Prince wearing his army uniform, and Princess Chichibu wearing a rose-coloured robe de court, a present from her husband. The Princess also wore a diamond necklace, given to her by the Empress Dowager. Mr. and Mrs. Tsuneo Matsudaira, the parents of the bride, by special permission, were allowed to be present at the Imperial nuptials; and the ambassador-elect to Great Britain, talking to reporters, said that he felt very impressed by the solemn nature of the ceremony. “Tears rolled down my cheek,” he said, “when my daughter became allied with the Imperial Family, so great was my emotion when I realised, as I never did before, the great honour to my family.” The following are some of the presents that the happy couple received: From the Emperor, a sword and a watch; from the Empress, clothes, fish and a barrel of sake. (The last two gifts are in accordance witn ancient Japanese tradition.) The Empress Dowager sent a cask of sake, in addition to the diamond necklace she gave the bride.