By AKIKO TADA/ Staff Writer
April 22, 2022 at 18:29 JST
Crown Prince Fumihito and his wife, Crown Princess Kiko, leave after visiting the tomb of Emperor Jinmu in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, on April 22. (Yoshiaki Arai)
Crown Prince Fumihito and his wife, Crown Princess Kiko, visited the tomb of Emperor Jinmu in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, on April 22 to report completing the ritual proclaiming that he is first in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne.
Their visit is part of the ritual related to Rikkoshi no Rei, which had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fumihito, wearing a formal morning coat, and Kiko, in a gray formal dress, walked slowly toward the tomb in a line and bowed in front of the gate.
They stepped closer to the tomb, offered a “tamagushi” sacred “sakaki” tree branch and gave a prayer.
This was their first visit to the tomb of Emperor Jinmu since April 2016.
After the visit, Fumihito and Kiko are scheduled to go to the tombs of Emperor Komei and Emperor Meiji, both in Kyoto Prefecture, according to the couple’s wishes.
They will return to Tokyo on a flight from Osaka Airport on April 23.
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