Good-bye Heisei. Hello Reiwa.

[maichan]

It is already the last day of Heisei in Japan. Tomorrow will bring on the new era of Reiwa.

A few weeks ago, my sister-in-law happened to spot the Emperor and Empress, as they were headed towards Ise Jingu. Their purpose for visiting the city of Ise and the shrine at Ise Jingu was for some ceremonial duties related to the upcoming transition.

Ise, Mie Pref., April 18 (Jiji Press)--Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko reported his abdication planned for April 30 at Ise Jingu, a Shinto shrine complex in Mie Prefecture, central Japan, in a ceremony held on Thursday.

The "Shin'etsu-no-gi" ceremony took place at the Geku outer area of the complex in the morning.

The Imperial couple visited Ise Jingu for the first time since March 2014. This is their fifth visit since the Emperor acceded to the throne in 1989.

For the ceremony, the Emperor brought with him the sword and the jewel from the Imperial Family's Three Sacred Treasures from the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

After arriving at the Shogu shrine in Geku by car around 10:45 a.m. (1:45 a.m. GMT), the Emperor, wearing a morning coat, approached the main building of Shogu with chamberlains who held the sword and the jewel, offered a "tamagushi" Shinto offering and bowed.

Link to story and photos https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj20190 ... hrine.html

After her initial sighting she chased after the royals every day during their stay in Ise to try and get another glimpse of them, but it was her first try that was the best (it was the least crowded). Below are the photos my sister-in-law took.

Emperor Akihito waving to his admirers.


line_436512778505722 by Michael Foertsch, on Flickr

The Empress Michiko riding in a seperate car (btw, both cars are Toyota Centuries).


line_436513904727336 by Michael Foertsch, on Flickr

Wikipedia:
* The Imperial Regalia of Japan (三種の神器 Sanshu no Jingi/Mikusa no Kamudakara), also known as the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan, consist of the sword Kusanagi (草薙劍), the mirror Yata no Kagami (八咫鏡), and the jewel Yasakani no Magatama (八尺瓊勾玉). The regalia represent the three primary virtues: valor (the sword), wisdom (the mirror), and benevolence (the jewel).

Due to the legendary status of these items, their locations are not confirmed, but it is commonly thought that the sword is located at the Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya, the jewel is located at the Three Palace Sanctuaries in Kōkyo (the Imperial Palace in Tokyo), and the mirror is located at the Ise Grand Shrine in Mie Prefecture.

Trivia time... My sister-in-laws name is Mie, just like the prefecture she lives in. Her husband is Hiroki. Some time ago I mentioned that Hiroki's family are wood working craftsmen, and that the family business has been going for over 13 generations. They provide items that are used within shrines and temples throughout Japan, as well as the wooden souvenirs available for sale at the numerous shrines and temples. With the Abdication coming, they we entrusted to make a new box to house the Holy Mirror. Very few people besides the Emperor and priests are allowed within the inner sanctum of Ise Jingu, and Hiroki's father is one of those people. He had to go inside prior to all the ceremonial activities so he could measure and take notes regarding the box that houses the mirror... so he could build a new box.

[Steve Hubbell]

Awesome!

[go]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yata_no_Kagami

[Maka]

It is already the last day of Heisei in Japan. Tomorrow will bring on the new era of Reiwa.
Trivia time... My sister-in-laws name is Mie, just like the prefecture she lives in. Her husband is Hiroki. Some time ago I mentioned that Hiroki's family are wood working craftsmen, and that the family business has been going for over 13 generations. They provide items that are used within shrines and temples throughout Japan, as well as the wooden souvenirs available for sale at the numerous shrines and temples. With the Abdication coming, they we entrusted to make a new box to house the Holy Mirror. Very few people besides the Emperor and priests are allowed within the inner sanctum of Ise Jingu, and Hiroki's father is one of those people. He had to go inside prior to all the ceremonial activities so he could measure and take notes regarding the box that houses the mirror... so he could build a new box.

Maichan, so cool! My younger daughter's middle name is Mie, named after my dad's half-sister.

What an amazing opportunity to be in the inner sanctum of Ise Jingu. Wow! And nice photos your sister-in-law took. An amazing time to be alive.