Goodbye royal status: Japan’s Princess Ayako marries commoner Kei Moriya in ritual ceremony

She is the daughter of the emperor’s cousin, and he works for major shipping company Nippon Yusen

They met because their mothers were friends, hit it off immediately, and announced wedding plans earlier this year

1-MIN READ1-MIN

Japanese Princess Ayako, the third daughter of the late Prince Takamado, dressed in traditional ceremonial gown, and Japanese businessman Kei Moriya arrive at Meiji Shrine for their wedding. Photo: Kyodo

Published: 12:35pm, 29 Oct 2018Updated: 10:18pm, 29 Oct 2018

Japan’s Princess Ayako married a commoner in a ritual-filled ceremony on Monday at Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine.

Ayako and groom Kei Moriya were shown on national news walking slowly before guests at the shrine. The wedding took place in one of the pagoda-like buildings in the shrine complex and included an exchange of rings and a sharing of a cup of sake, according to Japanese media.

Both rituals are relatively routine for Shinto-style weddings, including those of regular Japanese.

Ayako, 28, is the daughter of the emperor’s cousin, and Moriya, 32, works for major shipping company Nippon Yusen.

She wore a Heian-era style hairdo, which is swept back into a ponytail, and a traditional robe splashed with red and green patterns, while Moriya wore coattails.

Japanese Princess Ayako, the third daughter of the late Prince Takamado, dressed in traditional ceremonial gown, is seen through a car window as she is on her way to her wedding ceremony in Tokyo. Photo: Kyodo