Japanese Emperor Naruhito was dressed in a special brownish-orange robe with long wide sleeves as he formally proclaimed his enthronement Tuesday, while his wife Empress Masako wore a colorful multi-layered court kimono.
The 59-year-old delivered his address from the 6.5-meter-high canopied Takamikura imperial throne during the "Sokuirei Seiden no gi" ceremony while wearing the "Korozen no goho," a traditional robe for emperors with a design dating back to the ninth century.
The complex attire is dyed using the bark of the Japanese wax tree and sappanwood, giving it a unique brown color tinged with yellow. The robe's woven pattern includes a phoenix and kirin, a dragon-headed mythical creature, as well as paulownia and bamboo.
Traditional Chinese-style formal attire was worn in enthronement ceremonies until the last years of the Edo Era, which ended in 1868. But the "Korozen no goho" came to be used from the time of Emperor Meiji in line with the spirit of the Restoration of Imperial Rule.
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Japan's Emperor Naruhito proclaims enthronement in ancient-style ceremony
[Imperial Household Agency]
The emperor also wore a "ryuei" black headdress with an upright tail and a pair of royal shoes covered with striped brocade. In his right hand he held a thin wooden plate known as a "shaku."
Empress Masako, 55, donned a "junihitoe," literally meaning a 12-layered garment. Worn only by court ladies in Japan, it consists of "itsutsuginu," a series of robes, "karaginu," a waist length Chinese-style jacket, and "mo," a long pleated skirt.
Her "osuberakashi" coiffure, with the hair tied at the back in a long ponytail with a loose chignon on the top, was decorated with an ornament known as a "saishi." In her right hand she held a formal folding fan made of cypress.
[Imperial Household Agency]
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was dressed in a black tailcoat suit, stood before the emperor's throne and conveyed felicitations from the floor of the "Matsu-no-Ma" state room before leading the guests in three banzai cheers wishing for the longevity of the emperor.
Emperor Naruhito succeeded to the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1, the day after his 85-year-old father, former Emperor Akihito, became the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in about 200 years.
(Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe leads the "banzai" cheers)
