By: Jailyn Mitchell

Love is something that many people hope to find. People read about love in books and watch it on TV shows and movies; imagine if love was unattainable due to a law passed decades ago. The Imperial House Law, enacted in 1947, is a statute in Japanese law that governs the line of Imperial succession, the members of the Imperial family, and several other matters pertaining to the administration of the Imperial Household. For princesses in Japan’s Imperial Family, the dream of finding true love is erased by this long-enforced statute. For years, Japan’s Imperial family has been fractured by this law by tearing these princesses away from their families for choosing the love of their lives.

Yasuko Konoe, formally known as Princess Yasuko, was born in April 1944 to father Takahito, Prince Mikasa, and mother Yuriko Takagi of the Japanese Imperial Family. On Dec. 16, 1966, Princess Yasuko would turn the Imperial Household upside down by marrying her commoner husband, Tadateru Konoe, the former President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and current President of the Japanese Red Cross. Yasuko and Tadateru had one son named Tadahiro born in 1970, who married Keiko Kuni and gave them three grandchildren.

Sayako and Yoshiki Kuroda at a press conference after announcing their engagement.
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Groom Yoshiki Kuroda and bride Princess Sayako toast glasses during their wedding ceremony
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Sayako Kuroda, formally known as Sayako, Princess Nori, was born the youngest child and only daughter to parents Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. She is the younger sister of the current Emperor of Japan, Naruhito. Sayako renounced her Imperial title in Nov. 2005 upon her marriage to Yoshiki Kuroda, an urban designer with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and lifelong friend of Prince Akishino. The Imperial Household Agency announced Sayako’s engagement to Yoshiki in Dec. 2004 and later marriage in Nov. 2005. Yoshiki became the first non-aristocratic commoner to marry an Imperial princess. Sayako resigned from her job as an ornithologist to focus on her family life. After marriage, she was appointed as a high priestess of the Ise Grand Shrine in 2012 to aid her aunt, Atsuko Ikeda, Chief Priestess of the shrine. Ikeda became the second daughter of an emperor to relinquish her status as a member of the Japanese Imperial Family, becoming a commoner upon marriage. Sayako has officially taken Ikeda’s place as the supreme priestess of Ise Shrine as of 2017. She has continued to appear during some formal occasions with other members of the Imperial Family.

Noriko and Kunimaro Senge at Press Conference after announcing engagement.
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Noriko and Kunimaro on wedding day.
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Noriko Senge, formally Princess Noriko of Takamado, is a former member of the Imperial House of Japan and the second daughter of Norihito, Prince Takamado and Hisako, Princess Takamado, born in July 1988. In May 2014, 26-year-old Princess Noriko announced her engagement to Kunimaro Senge, a Shinto shrine maintenance worker and leader of worship for the Izumo-Taisha shrine. The two would later get married at that very shrine a few months later in October, having a private reception and a grand banquet in which members of the Imperial Family attended. Though Noriko made the seventh female member of the Imperial Family to marry a commoner since the passing of the Imperial Household Law, she was the first in the family to lose her royal status since the marriage of Sayako, Princess Nori in 2005. Not much is known about the current whereabouts and status of the couple now.

Ayako and Kei during a Press Conference after announcing their engagement.
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Ayako and Kei on their Wedding Day.
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Ayako Moriya, formally known as Princess Ayako of Takamado, is a former member of the Japanese Imperial Family and is the youngest daughter of Norihito, Prince Takamado, and Hisako, Princess Takamado. In Dec. 2017, Ayako’s mother introduced her daughter to Kei Moriya, a Keio University graduate working for the shipping firm, Nippon Yusen, and a close friend of the Takamado family. The couple announced their formal engagement during a ceremony in August of the following year. They wasted no time on getting married in October with a private ceremony at Meiji Shrine, featuring Shinto rituals as they were cheered on by over 1,000 well-wishers gathering around the shrine. After their wedding, however, unlike the other princesses who renounced their honorary posts and patronage, Ayako preserved her position as honorary president of the Canada-Japan Society and the Japan Sea Cadet Federation, a decision made due to the shrinking number of Imperial family members. It was announced in Aug. 2019 that the Moriya Family was expecting their first child, and in November she gave birth to a son.

Mako and Kei Komuro at a press conference after announcing their engagement.
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Crown Prince Fumihito, Crown Prince Akishino, Crown Princess Kiko of Akishino, and Princess Kako of Akishino see Mako off after renouncing royal title.
Photo credit: The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images

The last and most recent princess to renounce from the Japan Imperial Family is Mako Komuro. Mako, formally known as Princess Mako of Akishino, is the first child and elder daughter of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Japan. It was announced in May 2017 that Princess Mako was expecting to marry Kei Komuro, an International Christian University Alumni paralegal. They had reportedly been dating since 2013. Their wedding, which was dated to be in Nov. 2018 was postponed due to a financial dispute concerning Komuro’s mother, leading to disapproval of the match from the Imperial family. Years later, in Sep. 2021, the couple once again announced a wedding date in October, causing hysteria to go around Japan. On Oct. 26, the couple finally tied the knot, and like most of the princesses before her, Mako had to renounce her title upon marrying a commoner. They plan to move to New York for Kei’s law career, as he recently received a Juris Doctor degree from Fordham University School of Law in May 2021. He is currently working at the New York-based law firm, Lowenstein Sandler LLP, as the couple awaits their opportunity to start fresh in a new environment.

These princesses have risked their futures to pursue the love most crave from books, no matter their families’ objections. While these women lost their positions in the Imperial Family, they trusted their hearts and married their Prince Charming.

Five Japanese Princesses that Relinquished their Royalty for Love