Japan’s emperor reports to Shinto gods week after succession

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito has performed a Shinto ritual at the palace to report to imperial family gods the plans for the main ceremonies of his succession later this year.

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito has performed a Shinto ritual at the palace to report to imperial family gods the plans for the main ceremonies of his succession later this year.

Naruhito ascended to the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1, the day after his father Akihito abdicated.

Naruhito, wearing a headdress and an ancient outfit dyed in burnt orange, prayed at the Kashikodokoro shrine on Wednesday followed by palace officials who carried the imperial regalia of a sacred sword and jewel he inherited when Akihito abdicated.



Enshrined at Kashikodokoro is the goddess Amaterasu, who is the mythological ancestress of Japan’s emperors.

The main ascension ceremony is planned in October, when thousands of guests from in and outside Japan will be invited, followed by a religious harvest rite in November.

Newsletter

These images show the Sun’s surface in greater detail than ever before

On Wednesday, astronomers released what they said were the most detailed images ever taken of the surface of our sun. As...

Magnitude 7.7 quake hits between Cuba and Jamaica, but no injuries

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck in the Caribbean Sea between Jamaica and eastern Cuba on Tuesday, shaking a v...

US House passes bill on sanctions against Chinese officials for meddling in Dalai Lama’s succession

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that authorises financial and travel sanctions against Chinese officia...

Squid Brains Are Nearly as Complex as Dog Brains, Researchers Claim

We all know that cephalopods are wicked smart, and their complex nerve systems go some way to explain their aptitudes. N...

Four Japanese evacuees from Wuhan taken to hospital with fevers

Japanese officials say four evacuees on a flight from the Chinese city of Wuhan have a cough and fever. Tokyo Metropolit...

US military recovers remains from Afghanistan plane crash

The United States on Tuesday recovered the remains of two personnel from a US military aircraft that crashed in Afghanis...