Japanese princess marries commoner, gives up royal title

Japanese Princess Noriko, 26, has married the eldest son of the head priest of the Izumo Taisha shrine in Shimane prefecture, giving up her royal status.

Princess Noriko, 26, is the daughter of the late Prince Takamado, a cousin of Emperor Akihito. The groom is Kunimaro Senge, 41.

Princess Noriko and her husband at the wedding.

The wedding reception took place yesterday, October 6, with 300 guests in attendance. Before that, the official wedding took place at the Izumo Taisha shrine where the groom's family has overseen all the ceremonies for generations. Only 21 people attended the wedding here, including the bride's mother and her two princess sisters, along with the groom's parents and a few relatives.

Another dinner will be held in Tokyo on October 8, attended by Crown Prince Naruhito, Crown Princess Masako and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

This is the first royal wedding since the emperor's daughter, Princess Sayako, married a Tokyo city government official in 2005.

After the wedding, groom Senge told reporters that he was very worried when the typhoon hit Japan during the wedding, and was relieved when the wedding passed peacefully.

The bride's mother, Princess Hisako, issued a statement saying she hoped the couple's new life would be filled with happiness and joy, and that they would build a family whose members would always have smiles on their faces.

At the Izumo Taisha Shrine, about 2,200 people came to celebrate the wedding. Princess Noriko, now Noriko Senge, will start her new life in a house next to the Izumo Shrine.

Japan's Imperial House Law stipulates that a princess must give up her royal status when she marries a commoner. The government has decided to give the couple a one-time allowance of 106.75 million yen.

Princess Noriko was introduced to Senge in April 2007, when she and her mother visited the shrine. She was a student at Gakushuin University at the time. Their relationship deepened through bird watching and tree planting.

The groom, Senge, has been a priest at various shrines in Tokyo and Kyoto since graduating from Kokugakuin University. He has helped his father look after the Izumo Shrine since 2005. The Senge family have long been friends with Prince Takamado, the bride's father. The prince died in 2002 during a soccer match.

According to LDO