At Last!

[thomas]

At last: Crown Princess Masako has given birth to a daughter, Japan cheers.
Cheers!

Photos taken from Japan Today, Japan Times, CNN, CNN Europe, Nishinippon, Chunishi Shimbun

 

[thomas]

The Birth of the Imperial Grandchild

Here are the official statements of the prime minister and representatives of the Imperial Household:

http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/japan/imperial/koson/index.html

 

[thomas]

Emperor names imperial baby Princess Aiko

Reported by Kyodo News, December 7, 2001:

Emperor names imperial baby Princess Aiko

The first child of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako has been named Princess Aiko, the Imperial Household Agency said Friday.

Emperor Akihito bestowed the appellation on the child in a naming ceremony on the seventh day after her birth on Saturday. She and her mother are expected to leave the Hospital of the Imperial Household on Saturday.

To commemorate the newest addition to the imperial family, a congratulatory banquet was held Friday evening with the emperor, the crown prince, Empress Michiko and other royals attending, the agency said.

Prior to it, Hisashi and Yumiko Owada, parents of the crown princess, were among those who met and congratulated her husband and the emperor and empress.

As is customary in the imperial family, the newborn was also given a name that she is expected to be called by during her youth. The emperor chose Princess Toshi, the agency's General Affairs Division head Hirofumi Oka told a press conference.

Her parents chose the Asian azalea, a white flower, as their daughter's symbol in the hope she will have a pure heart, according to the agency.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, House of Representatives Speaker Tamisuke Watanuki, House of Councillors President Yutaka Inoue and Chief Justice Shigeru Yamaguchi were among those who congratulated the emperor, empress and the crown prince at the Imperial Palace after the naming ceremony.

The emperor selected the baby's names from a list of choices culled by scholars from old Japanese and Chinese texts, but the wishes of her parents were apparently reflected in the decision.

The Chinese character for ''ai'' means love, and ''ko'' means child, a traditional name ending for females in the imperial family. The character for ''toshi'' means respect.

The characters were taken from a verse in a Chinese text that reads, ''Those who love people will be loved by others at all times, and those who respect others will be respected by others at all times.''

Imperial Household Agency chief Toshio Yuasa is expected to register the name in the imperial family registry on Monday.

The emperor's grand chamberlain, Makoto Watanabe, delivered the names written on Japanese paper to Kiyoshi Furukawa, grand master of the crown prince's household, at the Crown Prince's Palace.

After the crown prince was shown the paper, a lady-in-waiting delivered it to his wife at the hospital, which is located on the Imperial Palace grounds. It was then placed by the baby's pillow.

Prior to the naming ceremony, a bath ceremony to pray for literary excellence and good health for the child was held at the hospital.

As a lady-in-waiting held the baby, passages from the classic ''Nihon Shoki'' (Chronicles of Japan) were read aloud while bows were plucked.

Prince Naruhito, 41, and Princess Masako, who turns 38 on Sunday, were married in June 1993.

Copyright ﾂｩ Kyodo News

 

[thomas]

Aikosama

Royalty watchers, lo and behold:

Aikosama's first hanami walk!

 

[moyashi]

She looks like the father

Hopefully, time will change that.

 

[thomas]

Hehe, that's exactly what my wife has said too. Hopefully Aiko-sama inherited her mother's brightness.

 

[moyashi]

Well, everything from the mother except her nose.

hmmm ... I wonder if anybody knows that the crown-princess tried to catch Naomi Campbell as his bride

 

[thomas]

Papa's pride

The Imperial Household Agency has released the latest pics of Aiko-sama.