TOKYO, Jan 14 (News On Japan) –
The annual New Year imperial poetry ceremony, referred to as Utakai Hajime, was held on the Imperial Palace, the place Princess Aiko’s waka poem was recited publicly for the primary time and Prince Hisahito made his debut look on the conventional occasion.
Around 10:30 a.m. on January 14th, the Emperor and Empress, their daughter Princess Aiko, and different members of the Imperial Family, together with the Akishino household, entered the Pine Chamber of the palace. Empress Masako wore a smooth pink gown befitting the New Year, whereas Princess Aiko appeared in a cherry-blossom-colored lengthy robe.
The theme chosen by the Emperor for the 2026 ceremony was “Brightness,” and poems by 10 individuals had been chosen from greater than 14,000 submissions, all recited within the conventional, classical type.
Princess Aiko, who has submitted waka poems yearly since coming of age as a member of the Imperial Family, had her work recited on the ceremony for the primary time as a consultant royal.
“The bright voices of Lao children learning Japanese fill the classroom.”
The poem displays reminiscences from November 2025, when Princess Aiko visited Laos on her first official abroad journey. It remembers a go to to an built-in center and highschool attended by native youngsters, the place she noticed a Japanese-language class.
As college students’ clear and energetic voices echoed via the classroom, Princess Aiko watched the lesson with a smile and interacted warmly with the pupils, later capturing their enthusiasm for studying Japanese in her waka.
A selector for the Utakai Hajime and an adviser on imperial waka poetry informed FNN that “there was nothing at all that needed correcting” in Princess Aiko’s poem.
The Emperor and Empress, who supported Princess Aiko as she fastidiously ready for her first international go to, listened attentively to her poem throughout the ceremony, often nodding with calm expressions.
Prince Hisahito, attending the ceremony and submitting a waka poem for the primary time, wrote in regards to the pleasure of seeing his favourite bugs, dragonflies, up shut.
“In the dim light of dusk, a dragonfly at twilight, vividly blue, darts swiftly above the bridge.”
The theme for the 2027 Utakai Hajime ceremony has been set as “Journey,” with poem submissions to be accepted from January 14th via the tip of September.
Source: FNN