Princess Mako, the eldest granddaughter of Emperor Akihito, met with her longtime calligraphy teacher at an exhibition in Tokyo on Friday in her first official duty since the Imperial Household Agency announced she will postpone her marriage until 2020.
"The longer the engagement period, the more happiness it will bring," Shodo teacher Shuko Yanagisawa, 73, told the 26-year-old princess as she gave her a tour of the exhibition displaying works by 100 major female calligraphers in Japan.
(Pool photo)
The agency announced Tuesday that Princess Mako will postpone her wedding to her university sweetheart Kei Komuro, 26, until 2020 from the initially announced November due to "lack of preparation."
Yanagisawa taught Princess Mako once every two weeks from the first year in elementary school through the second year in high school.
The princess told Yanagisawa she liked the character meaning "truth" included in Yanagisawa's work. The same character is used in the princess' own name.
The abrupt announcement of the wedding's postponement followed recent weekly magazine reports of a financial dispute between Komuro's mother and her former fiance over her son's educational expenses, which were shouldered by the mother's former partner.
But the agency denied any link between the postponement and the reports and said their intention to get married is unchanged.
(Pool photo)
More on Princess Mako:
Princess Mako's engagement to be postponed: agency
Over 60% support princesses keeping imperial status after marriage: poll
GALLERY: Portrait of lives of Princess Mako, her fiance Kei Komuro
