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 Formal portrait,c. 1928 | |||||
| Empress consort of Japan | |||||
| Tenure | 25 December 1926 – 7 January 1989 | ||||
| Enthronement | 10 November 1928 | ||||
| Empress dowager of Japan | |||||
| Tenure | 7 January 1989 – 16 June 2000 | ||||
| Born | Princess Nagako (良子女王) (1903-03-06)6 March 1903 Azabu, Tokyo, Japan | ||||
| Died | 16 June 2000(2000-06-16) (aged 97) Fukiage Palace, Tokyo, Japan | ||||
| Burial | 25 July 2000 | ||||
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| House | Imperial House of Japan | ||||
| Father | Kuniyoshi, Prince Kuni | ||||
| Mother | Chikako Shimazu | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
Nagako (良子; 6 March 1903 – 16 June 2000),[1] posthumously honoured asEmpress Kōjun (香淳皇后,Kōjun Kōgō),[1] was a member of theImperial House of Japan, the wife of EmperorHirohito and the mother ofEmperor EmeritusAkihito. She served asEmpress of Japan from 1926 untilher husband's death in 1989, making her the longest-serving empress consort inJapanese history.[2]
Princess Nagako (良子女王,Nagako Joō) was born on 6 March 1903 in the family residence of theKuni-no-miya inTokyo, Japan. She belonged to one of theŌke cadet branches of theImperial House of Japan, which were eligible to provide an heir to the Japanese throne by adoption. By birth she held the title of princess, as the daughter ofKuniyoshi, Prince Kuni (1873–1929) and his consort, Chikako (1879–1956). While her father was a scion of the imperial family, her mother descended fromdaimyō, the feudal military aristocracy.[3] Nagako would later be remembered as one of the last Japanese to have experienced life within the aristocracy prior to theSecond World War.[4]
As a child, Nagako attended the Girls' Department of the Peers' School in Tokyo (nowGakushūin), an institution established specifically for the daughters of the aristocracy and imperial family. Among her contemporaries wasYi Bangja, Crown Princess of Korea (then Princess Masako Nashimoto). At the age of fourteen, following her betrothal to the Crown Prince, Nagako was withdrawn from school and entered a six-year training program designed to cultivate the accomplishments considered essential for a future empress.[2]
Nagako was betrothed at a young age to her distant cousin, Crown PrinceHirohito, in a marriage arranged by their parents, which was common inJapanese society at the time.[a][5] Her lineage and her father's distinguished military career were the main factors considered. Breaking with tradition, Hirohito was allowed to choose his own bride, although Nagako herself had no say in the matter. In 1917, at the age of 14, she and several other candidates for betrothal took part in a tea ceremony at theTokyo Imperial Palace, while the Crown Prince observed from behind a screen.[2] He ultimately chose Nagako.[6]
Prime MinisterYamagata Aritomo, a prince from a rival clan, was reportedly opposed to Hirohito's choice. He and other royal clans tried to dissuade him, claiming that Nagako's maternal relatives included individuals withcolour-blindness.[2][7] In January 1919, the engagement of Princess Nagako to Crown Prince Hirohito was officially announced. During their six-year engagement, they met only nine times, each under the supervision of a chaperone.[8]
Princess Nagako married Crown Prince Hirohito on 26 January 1924, becoming Crown Princess of Japan.[1] The wedding was delayed due to the aftermath of the1923 Great Kantō earthquake and an assassination attempt on Hirohito's life.[4][7] Their union marked the last occasion on which a future empress was chosen from the minor princely families traditionally providing brides for the main imperial line.[2] She becameEmpress of Japan upon Hirohito's accession to the throne on 25 December 1926. Unlike his predecessors, Emperor Hirohito decided to abandon the long-standing practice of maintaining concubines, despite previously having 39 court concubines.[2]
Over the first decade of their marriage, Empress Nagako gave birth to four daughters (seeIssue).[2] Since she had not produced a son, courtiers urged the Emperor to take concubines, but he remained monogamous.[4][2] Critics derisively nicknamed heronna bara, meaning “girl womb” or “girl tummy.”[8] Nearly ten years after their wedding, on 23 December 1933, the couple finally had a son,Akihito, providing Japan with an heir.[2] The birth sparked nationwide celebrations, which Nagako later described as "the happiest moment in my life."[7][9] Hirohito and Nagako had seven children—two sons and five daughters—three of whom predeceased Nagako (seeIssue).
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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 the2600th anniversary of the legendary foundation of the Empire of Japan in 1940 or theconquest of Singapore in 1942.[10]
During theSecond 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 theoccupation 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 commonerMichiko 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 chieflady-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 anervous breakdown in 1963.[4]
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 asToen or Peach Garden, were published and she gifted the UK'sQueen Elizabeth II with one of her pieces in 1971.[8] She also wrotewaka, 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]
After the Emperor's death on 7 January 1989, she becameempress dowager.[1] At that time, she was in failing health herself and could not attendher 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 fromdementia orAlzheimer's disease.[2][7] In 1995, she became the longest-living empress dowager of Japan, breaking the record ofEmpress Kanshi, who had died 868 years earlier.[2]
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, theImperial 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 inGinza and the lights inTokyo Tower were turned off.[8] The flags flew athalf-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-lawEmpress 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 theShinto religion.[14] Hundreds of mourners also gathered outside cemetery gates.[14]
Emperor Akihito granted his mother the posthumous title ofEmpress Kōjun, which means "fragrant purity", drawing inspiration from theKaifūsō.[1][7] Her final resting place is in a mausoleum namedMusashino no Higashi no Misasagi, near that of her husband within theMusashi Imperial Graveyard.[1]
_1Class_BAR.svg)
Knight Grand Cordon of theOrder of Meiji
Grand Mistress Paulownia Dame Grand Cordon of theOrder of the Precious Crown
Dame Grand Cross of theOrder of Leopold I (Belgium)
Knight of theOrder of the Elephant (Denmark)
Grand Cross of theOrder of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Special Class (Germany)
Grand Cross of theOrder of the Redeemer (Greece)_-_ribbon.svg)
Member of theOrder of the Benevolent Ruler (Kingdom of Nepal)
Grand Cross of theOrder of the Sun of Peru (Peru) (1961)[16]
Dame Grand Cross of theOrder of Isabella the Catholic (Spain)[17]
Member Grand Cross of theRoyal Order of the Seraphim (Sweden)_ribbon.svg)
Dame of theOrder of the Royal House of Chakri (Thailand)
Dame Grand Cross with Collar of theOrder of the Crown of Tonga (Tonga)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 |
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| 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 94) | 10 October 1952 | Takamasa Ikeda | Motohiro Ikeda (adopted) | |
| Akihito, Emperor Emeritus of Japan (Akihito, Prince Tsugu) | (1933-12-23)23 December 1933 (age 91) | 10 April 1959 | Michiko Shōda | ||
| Masahito, Prince Hitachi (Masahito, Prince Yoshi) | (1935-11-28)28 November 1935 (age 89) | 30 September 1964 | Hanako Tsugaru | None | |
| Takako Shimazu (Takako, Princess Suga) | (1939-03-02)2 March 1939 (age 86) | 10 March 1960 | Hisanaga Shimazu | Yoshihisa Shimazu | |
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Empress Nagako Born: 6 March 1903 Died: 16 June 2000 | ||
| Japanese royalty | ||
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| 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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gou_Flag.svg) Unless otherwise noted (as BC), years are inCE / AD 1 individuals that were given the title of empress dowager posthumously2 title removed in 896 due to a suspected affair with head priest of the Toko-ji Temple; title posthumously restored in 9433 was made High Empress orde jure empress dowager during her husband's reign | |||||||||
Japanese princesses by marriage | ||
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Generations are numbered from the daughter-in-law ofEmperor Meiji | ||
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* also a princess ofJapan in her own right. | ||
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