Sayako Kuroda , formerly Sayako, Princess Nori , is the youngest child and only daughter of Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko, and the younger sister of the current Emperor of Japan, Naruhito. She is an imperial Shinto priestess of the Ise Grand Shrine, currently serving as the Supreme Priestess.
Sayako at Expo 2005
Princess Sayako with her parents and siblings, 1969
Pygmy waterlily, Nymphaea tetragona, designated imperial personal emblem of Sayako
Akihito is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 1989 until his abdication in 2019. The era of his rule was named the Heisei (平成) era, Heisei being an expression of achieving peace worldwide.
Akihito in 2014
One year old Akihito with his mother Empress Kōjun, 1934
Akihito at the Crown Prince's investiture ceremony, 1952
Akihito, aged 19, at the Van Gogh exhibition in the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, 1953