Imperial Royals Remember Prince Katsura

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Royal Hats

This week marked the first anniversary since the passing of Prince Katsura. On Monday, members of the Japanese royal family gathered at the Imperial Cemetary in Tokyo to take part in a memorial service. The Imperial princesses paid respect in mourning dress with veiled black pillbox and bumper hats.

Princess Yuriko of Mikasa, June 8, 2015 | Royal Hats The late Prince’s parents, Prince Takahito and Princess Yuriko of Mikasa

Princess Yoko and Princess Akiko of Mikasa, June 8, 2015 | Royal Hats

Princess Yoko and Princess Akiko of Mikasa

Princess Tsuguko, June 8, 2015 | Royal Hats Princess Hisako, June 8, 2015 | Royal Hats

Princess Tsuguko with her mother, Princess Hisako of Takamado

Princess Kiko, June 8, 2015 | Royal Hats Sayako Kurado, June 8, 2015 | Royal Hats

Princess Kiko, Prince Fumihito; Sayako Kuroda (previously Princess Sayako)

Crown Princess Masako, June 8, 2015 | Royal Hats Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako

Yesterday, Princess Akiko, who acted as chief mourner at her uncle’s funeral last year, was joined by the Emperor and Empress for a visit to Prince Katsura’s tomb inside the Imperial Cemetery. For this traditional visit, Princess Akiko repeated a black silk pillbox hat with a blusher-length veil.

Princess Akiko, June 9, 2015 | Royal Hats

Photos from Asahi; Jiji; Sankei; and Getty as indicated

Imperial New Year’s Poetry Reading 2015

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Royal Hats

On January 14, members of the Imperial Royal Family attended the annual New Years Poetry reading held at the Imperial Palace. You can read English translations of some of the poetry at the Imperial Household Agency website.

The Imperial Princesses all attended this event in traditional court dress. Princess Kiko led in a bumper hat made of the same pale blue silk as her gown. Worn back on her head, almost like a calot, her hat was trimmed in a bow at the back. I’m afraid the effect, combined with her 1980s style of gown, was rather twee.

Princess Kiko, January 14, 2015 | Royal Hats

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new

Princess Kako topped her buttercup yellow jacquard gown with a coordinating headpiece. The puffed Alice band, trimmed with silk blooms behind her ears, worked well on the young princess and contrasted nicely with her dark hair. Having just come out into her royal life, Princess Kako is new to the world of royal millinery and this embellished headband made for a good “starter piece”.

Princess Kako, January 14, 2015 | Royal Hats

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Princess Hanako of Hitachi repeated her dark green velvet hat with clamshell-shaped bumper brim and ostrich feather trim. I adore this theatrical hat because it stands out amid the rather sedate millinery choices we usually see on Imperial royal heads. It is also a beautiful compliment to Hanako’s forest green velvet gown.

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: January 10, 2014; Jan 4, 2011

Princess Nobuko looked elegant in a pale grey structured gown topped with a coordinating pillbox hat. The pleated sides of the pillbox provided great contrast to the sleek lines of her gown (a phrase I never thought I would write about a member of the Imperial family!). Her daughter, Princess Akiko, repeated her lime green rounded pillbox hat.

Princess Nobuko: Designer unknown. I believe this hat is new
Princess Akiko: Designer unknown. Previously Worn January 10, 2014

Princess Hisako of Takamado repeated her deep purple bumper hat with feather trim at the back while her daughter, Princess Tsuguko, looked to be wearing a stunning headpiece of overlapping leaves in various shades of purple, trimmed in gold.

A close up of Princess Tsuguko's floral headpiece from the 2015 Poetry Reading.
Google found it somewhere in this Japanese forum https://t.co/DaFtDd2LKp pic.twitter.com/HQfykbcJV6

— Prisma (@ImperialJPNfan) January 12, 2019

Princess Hisako: Designer unknown.
Princess Tsuguko: Designer unknown.

Did any of these Imperial royal hats stand out to you?

Photos from Asahi and Sankei

Royal Hats this Year: Japan Part 1

Posted on December 27, 2014 by Royal Hats

Royal Hats Year In Review 2014 The Imperial Royal Family are among the most prolific of royal hat wearers- so prolific that we have to break their 2014 millinery review into two posts. In cases where a hat was worn repeatedly 2014, it is shown here just once (usually, the most recent outing) and you can click on each hat to take you to the original post with larger views and detailed information. Without further ado, here are the hats we saw worn by all of the Japanese princesses in 2014:

Princess Hanako of Hitachi

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Princess Akiko and Princess Yoko of Mikasa

11 & 12. 13. 14 & 15.

16. 17. 18. 19.

20. 21. 22. 23.

Princess Noriko, Princess Tsuguko and Princess Ayako of Takamado

24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29.

30. 31. 32. 33.

Princess Hisako of Takamado

34. 35. 36. 37.

38. 39. 40. 41.

42. 43. 44. 45. 46.

Princess Mako of Akishino

47. 48. 49.

50. 51. 52. 53.

Princess Kiko of Akishino

54. 55. 56. 57.

58. 59. 60. 61. 62.

63. 64. 65. 66. 67.

Crown Princess Masako

68. 69. 70. 71. 72.

73. 74. 75. 76.

77. 78. 79.

I think the collection above shows more creativity, diversity and colour than we might have expected. Will any of these hats receive your nomination for favourite royal hat of 2014?

Stay tuned tomorrow for a look at all the hats worn by Empress Michiko.

Please click on each photo to link back to the original post with additional information and photo sources

Imperial Royals Remember Prince Katsura

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Royal Hats

On Sunday, Members of the Imperial Family gathered at Toshimagaoka Imperial Cemetery to commemorate 50 days since the death of Prince Yoshihito of Katsura. Princess Akiko of Mikasa, who acted as chief mourner at her uncle’s funeral, wore a black veiled pillbox hat.

Princess Akiko of Mikasa, July 27, 2014 | Royal Hats

The ceremony was also attended by Princess Hisako and Princess Tsuguko of Mikasa (seated behind the crown prince) who also wore demure black hats.

Imperial Royal Family, July 27, 2014 | Royal Hats

Photos from The Asahi Shimbun, The Asahi Shimbun, and The Asahi Shimbun via Getty

Concert for Emperor’s 80th Birthday

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Royal Hats

Empress Michiko hosted a Folk Music Concert at the Concert Hall inside the Imperial Palace yesterday to celebrate Emperor Akihito’s 80th birthday. This concert was attended by the Emperor’s immediate family and the Takamado Princesses. Crown Princess Masako wore an ivory Breton style hat with characteristic upturned brim nearly as high as the crown of the hat. This silk hat appeared to be without embellishment.

Crown Princess Masako, July 13, 2014 | Royal Hats

The three young Takamado Princesses, seated behind the Emperor and Empress, wore predictably demure hats. Princess Ayako wore a pale blue bumper hat with silk rose trim on the side and Princess Noriko wore a large white silk hard-shelled beret, also with silk rose side trim. Princess Tsuguko’s hat was a little less predictable in bronze straw with a wide cream and band around the crown.

Crown Princess Masako and Takamado Princesses, July 13, 2014 | Royal Hats

Princess Hisako of Takamado (second row, middle below) wore a pale blue hat with square crown. The crown appeared to be made of the same pale blue printed fabric as Hisako’s suit jacket. On Hisako’s right was Princess Mako in a white hat with square crown, rolled brim and wide sash around the crown. Mako’s mother, Prinkess Kiko (front row, right) wore a turquoise blue hat with brim tightly rolled up against the crown of the hat. Her hat was a much needed pop of colour amid the Imperial sea of neutral hats.

Imperial Royal Family, July 13, 2014 | Royal Hats

My favourite hat in this bunch was the bronze straw hat worn by Princess Tsuguko. Which one here strikes your fancy?

Photos from Asahi Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, and Asahi Shimbun via Getty

Royal Hats

The Bold, Beautiful and Bizarre World of Royal Millinery

Tag Archives: Princess Tsuguko

Imperial Royals Remember Prince Katsura

Imperial New Year’s Poetry Reading 2015

Royal Hats this Year: Japan Part 1

Imperial Royals Remember Prince Katsura

Concert for Emperor’s 80th Birthday