Imperial Family

Prince Hisahito’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony Held at Imperial Palace, 1st in 40 Years

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:20 JST, September 6, 2025

The coming-of-age ceremony for Prince Hisahito, the 19-year-old son of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, was held on Saturday.

It was the first coming-of-age ceremony for a male Imperial family member since the one for Crown Prince Akishino 40 years ago.

Prince Hisahito, who underwent the “Kakan-no-Gi” crown-wearing ritual – the main event of the ceremony – at the Imperial Palace, told the Imperial couple that he will realize his responsibility and fulfill his duties as an adult member of the Imperial family.

According to the Imperial Household Agency, the Imperial family’s coming-of-age ceremony is an important ritual held only for male members, with a history of about 1,300 years.

The ceremony started at around 8:45 a.m. when Prince Hisahito received a crown signifying his coming of age from an envoy of the Emperor at the residence of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko.

Prince Hisahito then traveled to the Imperial Palace by car and took part in the Kakan-no-Gi ritual, which started at around 10 a.m. in the Shunju-no-Ma grand hall. Among the Imperial family members in attendance were the Emperor and the Empress; Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko; Princess Aiko, the daughter of the Emperor and the Empress; and Princess Kako, the second daughter of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko.

In the presence of about 40 people, including the heads of the administrative, legislative and judicial branches of the government, Norihiro Sakane, vice-grand chamberlain at the agency, placed the crown on Prince Hisahito. Another official tied the kakeo strap under the chin of the prince and trimmed it with scissors.

Prince Hisahito then stepped forward before the Emperor and the Empress and told the Emperor he was truly grateful for receiving the crown on the occasion of his coming-of-age ceremony. He also expressed his gratitude to his parents.

The prince then changed into traditional attire for adult male members of the Imperial family. At around 11:30 a.m., he paid his respects at the Imperial Palace’s three shrines, where the ancestors of the Imperial family members are enshrined.

In the afternoon, Prince Hisahito conducted “Choken-no-Gi” ceremony, his first audience with the Emperor and the Empress. The Emperor then presented him with the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum.

Prince Hisahito is a first-year student at the University of Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture. Under the revised Civil Code that came into effect in 2022, he legally came of age at 18 on Sept. 6 last year.

However, the ceremony to mark his becoming an adult member of the Imperial family was delayed by a year to avoid any conflict with his preparations for university.

Prince Hisahito, nephew of the Emperor and second in line to the throne, will attend events at the Imperial Palace such as the New Year’s greetings going forward.