When A Princess Marries

Seen here is Princess Ayako and her groom Kei Moriya at the Meiji Shrine before their Shinto wedding at the Meiji Shrine in Japan. The twenty-eight-year old princess is the daughter of the emperor's cousin. Her husband Kei is a commoner who works for a major shipping company. Under Japanese Law, by marrying a commoner, she is required to renounce all titles and stipends in exchange for her wedding vows, thus leaving the Imperial Family months ahead of Emperor Akihito's planned Abdication in 2019.  While she will no longer be bound by Imperial duties, she has vowed to continue to support the Emperor and Empress as a former member of the Imperial Family. We at American Mishima wish her and Kei Moriya much happiness and continued wedded bliss.