Photo/Illutration Prince Hisahito visits the tomb of Emperor Showa, his great-grandfather, in Hachioji, western Tokyo, on Sept. 9. (Sayuri Ide)

Prince Hisahito visited the imperial graveyard in western Tokyo on Sept. 9 to pay his respects to his royal ancestors following a recent ceremony marking his entry into adulthood.

Dressed in formal Western attire with a silk top hat, the prince bowed before the Musashino Mausoleum in Hachioji, the final resting place of Emperor Showa, his great-grandfather.

Hisahito is the son of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, and the nephew of Emperor Naruhito. He is second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne.

The visit served as an official report on the completion of his coming-of-age ceremony that took place at the Imperial Palace on Sept. 6, his 19th birthday.

About 100 well-wishers gathered outside the tomb complex to celebrate the special occasion for the future emperor.

Hisahito went on to visit and pay tribute at nearby tombs of Emperor Taisho; his wife, Empress Teimei; and Empress Kojun, the wife of Emperor Showa.

Prior to the visit in the Tokyo suburb, Hisahito traveled on Sept. 8 to Ise Jingu shrine in Mie Prefecture to report the completion of his coming-of-age rituals.

Ise Jingu is the most sacred site of Japan’s indigenous Shinto religion. It enshrines Amaterasu-Omikami, the sun goddess regarded as the mythical ancestor of the imperial family.

The prince was greeted along the route by shrine staff and local kindergarteners.

Later that afternoon, Hisahito traveled to Kashihara in Nara Prefecture, where he visited the tomb of Emperor Jinmu, the country’s legendary first emperor. This was the first time Hisahito paid a solo visit to the site.

To conclude the series of official ceremonies and rituals, a celebratory dinner is scheduled for Sept. 10 at the Meiji Kinenkan, a private venue in Tokyo.

(This article was compiled from reports by Yasuhiko Shima, a senior staff writer, and Ayako Nakada.)

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