Empress Kiko and Princess Kako Appear Together at Rare Joint Official Engagement Amid Shifts After Mako’s Marriage

Princess Kiko (59), the Crown Princess of Akishino, wore a soft, pale pink outfit, while her second daughter, Princess Kako (31), wore a light blue ensemble. The two were seen attentively listening to explanations from the headmaster while observing the flowers.

On April 8, they visited the “Enshō-ji Monzeki Yamamura Goryu Ikebana Exhibition” being held at Nihonbashi Takashimaya (Chuo Ward, Tokyo). Enshō-ji, located in Nara City, Nara Prefecture, is a temple where a Buddhist nun serves as chief priest, and it has deep ties to the Imperial Family.

“Enshō-ji is said to have originated when the first daughter of Emperor Go-Mizunoo, who reigned in the early Edo period, entered religious life and established a hermitage. Since then, it has been headed by women from the Imperial Family or aristocratic families. It is one of the three major monzeki nun temples in Yamato (Nara), and successive head priests—members of the Imperial Family or court nobility—have served as heads of the Yamamura Goryu school of ikebana,” explained a reporter covering the Imperial Household for a national newspaper.

Returning to the opening scene: the two observed approximately 70 works created by headmaster Michihide Hagiwara. Among them were arrangements using “Oohori Soma ware,” a traditional craft from Namie Town in Fukushima Prefecture affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, featuring trees such as tochi and peony flowers, as well as welcome arrangements placed in Suzu ware vessels from Suzu City in Ishikawa Prefecture, an area damaged by the Noto Peninsula earthquake, decorated with trumpet lilies and paulownia branches.

Seemingly having grown closer, the two listened attentively to the headmaster’s explanation

Princess Kiko: “It was a warm and comforting space that brought peace of mind.”

Princess Kako: “The harmony between the flowers and the vessels created a very beautiful space.”

While it is common for them to accompany their father, Crown Prince Akishino, it is rare to see Princess Kiko and Princess Kako appear together in an official engagement as a mother-daughter duo. There were once rumors that their relationship had become strained over the marriage of their eldest daughter, Mako, to Kei Komuro. Professor Yūji Kotabe, emeritus professor at Shizuoka University of Welfare, commented:

“It is said that the two did not agree on Princess Mako’s marriage. Princess Kiko is believed to have opposed her relationship with Kei Komuro. For Princess Kako, who attended the same university as Mako (ICU, International Christian University) and was close to her, it is understandable that she may have felt uneasy about her parents intervening in her sister’s marriage.”

“However, such a delicate relationship cannot be left unresolved indefinitely. Recently, there appears to have been a sense of rapprochement from Princess Kiko. With Princess Kako’s own marriage also anticipated in the near future, it is natural for them to coordinate their approach to official duties and family matters.”

Smiling, Princess Kiko and Princess Kako left the “Yamamura Goryu Ikebana Exhibition.” Their “mother-daughter official engagement” appears to be steadily achieving its intended effect.