kafka
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Apr 30, 2024 0:30:49 GMT -4
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Post by kafka on Mar 17, 2005 3:20:15 GMT -4
I have heard that the Imperial Household Agency was very difficult when the CP and Masako were trying to get engaged/married. Apparently the IHA dug up dirt in her lineage and found out that her ancestors were related to what would be the equivalence of the Untouchables in the Indian caste in Japan, and protested vehemently that the CP shouldn't marry her blah blah blah. Once they found out that the CP was very committed to marrying her, that bit about her ancestry was found to be a mistake and she came from a good background afterall. The Empress really tried to make Masako's transition into the palace easier, because even though she came from money, she was not one of the aristocracy and was looked down upon by the higher-born ladies. The story goes that the Empress was supposed to dress a certain way for a party, and she was told to dress the other way deliberately so when she arrived, she stood out like a painful sore. So you could say that she understood what Masako was going through and tried to make it better for her, but in the end the antiquated, ultra-conservative Imperial Household Agency wins. I'm not sure to what extent the Empress understands Masako or has tried to help. IMO, the Michiko has been guilty of repeating the same mistake which was done to her by the prior Empress, the awful Nagako. If you want to read some really well written, well-researched articles on the question of the IHA, the Empress, Masako and the succession, I'd highly recommend this columnist on an unofficial royal website. She/he seems to focus for the most part on the Japanese royals and she had a 4 part series on the IHA and the reasons why they were the way they were. They also did a piece on the Dowager Empress and how she created hell on earth for Empress Michiko, even though she (the Dowager Empress) didn't have an easy time of it herself over... guess what?.... a male heir. I'm not good with HTML for links so hopefully these will work but if you want to read the last part of the 4 part IHA/Masako series, go to: Part Four of the IHA seriesFor the follow-up on how Masako was forced to submit and why: Submission of a PrincessFor the scope of the IHA's power, Part I of the series: IHA summaryFor the awful Dowager Empress and how she drove the current Empress to a nervous breakdown: Empress NagakoJust an FYI, I'm not associated with the writer but I do love his/her stuff since it's so detailed, documented and passionate. I never cared much about the Japanese royals but after these articles I really pay attention. A few of my girlfriends and I are convinced that the author has some sort of insider connection inside the palace or the IHA. One of them wrote to Pandora and got a really strange answer back. Almost too deliberately non-comittal, if you know what I mean.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 30, 2024 0:30:49 GMT -4
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2005 0:12:42 GMT -4
Kafka made the following
The current Empress was also driven to a series of mental breakdowns by the Imperial Household Agency. So what does that say about the Imperial Household Agency? It sounds to me as if IHA is running their own version of Abu Ghiraib and Gaslight on the women in the Royal Family. I pity Princess Aiko; she'll be the next looney Empress of Japan when IHA gets through with her.
IHA needs to be purged and I mean "purged" in the Stalinist sense of the word.
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nuharoo
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Apr 30, 2024 0:30:49 GMT -4
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Post by nuharoo on Apr 29, 2005 1:05:33 GMT -4
Nagako was old school in the extreme. Imagine being taught how precisely to be a consort from age 11 to the marriage, right after being pulled out from regular school no less. I think half the reason the IHA is so insane with regulation is that they see how the Western monarchies are crumbling through scandal and generally irresponsible behavior that they have become even more rabid about the preservation of the Chrysanthemum Throne. They and their families have dedicated their lives to the royal family that they, I don't know how to say it.
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Post by Aspasia on Apr 29, 2005 19:37:29 GMT -4
Is it the IHA that is telling the Crown Prince's family to speak out against him, e.g. his brother and then his sister at her recent birthday event. Or do these members believe that she is at fault?
I have read before that the current Empress would go through long bouts of silence due to the oppression, one would hope that she of all people would support Masako.
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Post by Mouse on Apr 30, 2005 11:19:53 GMT -4
How did the IHA get so much power, and can't they be fired?
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Post by Ninja Bunny on Jul 2, 2005 21:13:04 GMT -4
Based on the links in Kafka's post, it looks like those goons are written into the constitution and the Imperial family has zero power to do anything about them. Oy.
Poor Masako doesn't stand a chance.
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Post by Ninja Bunny on Jul 2, 2005 22:50:32 GMT -4
I hope it does but I'm not optimistic. The power granted to the IHA looks virtually absolute and I don't think he and Masako can depend on the relatively closed Japanese media to "help get the story out" nor can they count on the changing-but-still-duty-oriented public to lead an outcry the same way Diana could in the UK. Unless the problem of succession spurs other constitutional changes the poor girl might be stuffed.
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Post by Ninja Bunny on Jul 3, 2005 19:22:23 GMT -4
More than 80% would support an empress in her own right? Something like that.
Letting Aiko take the thone would take a little of the pressure off, but I think not much. The IHA are ultra-conservative and punative. They'd still be angry at Masako for not producing a "proper" heir and even with the death of her creepy in-laws and Naruhito trying to protect her, they could still make life for her extremely difficult. They couldn't care less about public opinion.
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kafka
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Apr 30, 2024 0:30:49 GMT -4
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Post by kafka on Jul 11, 2005 18:07:00 GMT -4
Ninja Bunny, I think you're right about the punitive nature of the IHA. We've seen time and time again how they've struck back at Naruhito and his wife, in revenge for his defense of her last year. It hasn't stopped. That said, I think IHA's obsession with a male heir isn't because of punitive maliciousness but, rather, because of genuine obsession and fear that a female will bring down the whole monarchy. Don't ask me the logic but their rationale seems to be: a woman will destroy 2,500 years of pure bloodline (as represented by a man) and the direct link to the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu. (The fact that Aiko shares that blood seems to be totally irrelevent to them....). There's a great article from the London Times, from just a few days ago, on how far the small (but very influential and powerful) extremists are willing to go to stop Aiko. It's entitled: " Diehards in search of a man to stop little Princess Aiko." link
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Post by Auroranorth on Jul 14, 2005 8:24:18 GMT -4
From the above article:
Ruin???
The hell???
They're supposedly descended from a goddess anyway. Maybe that's why there are currently only female heirs now. The goddess has decided that the men have made such a mess that only a woman can fix it! Grrl power unite!!
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