Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manky listener discretion advised. It's an age old trope, a royal and a commoner falling in love. It all started, of course, at least if you were a disney kid like me, with Cinderella, a tale whose actually oldest known version dates back to the late first century BC, when the Greek historian Strabo recorded the tale of Rhodopis, an enslaved girl who married the king of Egypt.
Then there are the countless versions of Cinderella across cultures, and plenty of stories with different takes on the commoner royal formula, the Princess Bride, Roman holiday, the one where Julia Stiles goes to college with the Prince of Denmark. It's a trope that has sold count less romance novels and earns the Hallmark Channel a significant chunk of their Christmas season prophet. Because of the nature of the trope, many of these stories share a central conflict, do you
choose love or do you choose duty? For Princess Mako of Akashino, now known simply as Macho Kumuro, the choice was clear quote for me, Kai is irreplaceable, Macho told the press of her now husband. Marriage was a necessary choice to be able to protect our hearts in a cherishing way. We the two of us, will start our
new life. If Macho and Kay's story is ringing any bells, you might have seen pictures of them out and about in their new home of New York City, usually paired with actual tabloid headlines like quote Japan's Princess Mako's shops for towels at bed, Bath and Beyond and then gets lost on her way home to Hell's Kitchen on week after arriving in New York City to start a new life with her commoner husband, or quote former Japanese Princess Mako Kumuru looks loved up as she strolls hand in
hand with commoner husband in New York City after he failed bar exam for second time. Or maybe even quote Princess Mako goes shopping at Amish Market in New York as she's pictured for first time since her commoner husband finally passed the bar exam on his third attempt. Mako chose Kai, Yes, even with all those failed bar attempts, But the reality of life in the Japanese royal family meant that choosing a commoner wasn't really much of a choice at all. There was no path for Mako to
become empress, with or without marriage. Women cannot inherit Japan's chrysanthemum throne, and the country hasn't had an empress since seventeen seventy one. On top of that, because Japan no longer has nobility, all royals technically marry commoners, but where a son's wife would be elevated to his royal status, a daughter will be demoted to her husband's commoner status. Mako's marriage would go on to ignite a debate about feminism in Japan, about imperial succession, and about royal customs.
At the same time, she would face such intense backlash and scrutiny that she would later announce a diagnosis with c PTSD. But ultimately, this episode is a love story. I love Maco. Ka told the press, we only get one life, and I want us to spend it with the one we love. I'm Dana Schwartz, and this is noble blood. Mako Kimura was born Princess Mako of Akashino
on October twenty third, nineteen ninety one. Her father is Fumihito, Prince Akashino, the younger brother and heir presumptive of the Emperor of Japan, and Mako's mother is Kiko, Princess Akashino, a former academic with no imperial ties. Before we get further into Mako's life, we have to understand how succession
works in Japan. The line of succession is currently governed by the Imperial Household Law of nineteen forty seven, enacted under post World War II American occupation during the reign of Emperor Hirohito, Mako's great grandfather. The new law had dramatic effects, cutting ties with eleven out of twelve branches of the imperial family and reducing the royal family to the Emperor's immediate family and the families of his brothers.
This separation was intended to block the potential of using another branch of the family to revive the militarism that led to World War II. These quote parallel lineages, functioning as the nobility and aristocracy historically existed to offer male successors to the throne in the case the main line could not produce an air while also serving as a
marriage pool for imperial princesses. The nineteen forty seven law also stated that only a male child descended from a male emperor could ascend the throne, and imperial princesses must leave the royal family upon their marriage to a commoner. The first princess to actually see the consequences of that law was actually Hirohito's own daughter, Kazuko, who became the first member of the imperial family to marry a commoner
in nineteen fifty. But again, she didn't have a choice three short years earlier, her husband had been considered a prince and a nobleman before Maco. The most recent princess to have left the royal family was her aunt Siako. In two thousand and five, she married a town planner, and she now holds a position as a high priestess. The BBC reported that upon leaving the royal family with her new husband, she had to learn how to drive,
shop in a supermarket and buy furniture. Mako was only fourteen years old at that time, and while she knew that she would one day have to give up her title if she chose to marry, those worries could wait she grew up with her younger sister, Princess Kako, and later her younger brother, Prince Hishato. Born when she was fifteen, she attended Gakushin School, originally designed solely to educate the imperial children and children of aristocracy, for her primary through
high school years. The Japanese public knew and saw very little of the princess during that time, with images of her being released only through official palace channels. That changed in two thousand and four, when she was thirteen, images of Mako in her sailor fuko, the iconic Japanese girls' school uniform best known to Western audiences through anime like
Sailor Moon, appeared on television. A video featuring fan art of the princess in her uniform was uploaded on the Tokyo based video sharing website Nico Nicoduga and attracted over a quarter of a million views and eighty six thousand comments. When asked for their comment, the somewhat befuddled Imperial Household Agency said they were unsure how to respond as the video quote did not seem to be derogatory towards either the princess or the imperial family. A very modern princess story.
In twenty eleven, Macho came of age when she turned twenty and began attending official events as an adult member of the royal family. She had already privately been working as a volunteer in areas affected by the devastating twenty eleven earthquake and tsunami, going so far as to use a nickname to hide her true identity, although some people still recognized her. During this time, she also began studying liberal arts at Tokyo's International Christian University, and she studied
abroad for a semester in Dublin. When the Palace announced her intentions, a spokesman was apparently asked if she would be allowed to go out with Irish boys. Quote that's not the sort of irresponsible question I can answer, he
replied curtly. Her time in Ireland was clearly inspiring. She went on to study abroad for another semester at the University of Edinburgh, and after graduating from the International Christian University in twenty fourteen with her degree in Art and Cultural Heritage, she went on to receive her Masters in Art, Museum and Gallery Studies from the University of Leicester. She put her degree to use when she took a position as a project researcher at the University of Tokyo's University
Museum in twenty sixteen. It was during her time at university that she met her future husband, K Komoro. They were both students at the Christian University, but they met attending a study a broad event at a Tokyo restaurant. K was, by all means a normal student with no royal ties, unless you count his title as quote Prince of the Sea, a role he once played in a
tourism campaign for the city of Fujisawa. The couple has kept the details of their courtship private, but we know the Sea Prince proposed over dinner in twenty thirteen, and then the couple maintained the relationship long distance while Mako was in the UK. The engagement wouldn't be formally announced until Nako returned and settled back into life in Japan in twenty seventeen. Quote. I've been aware since my childhood that I would lose royal status once I married, Macho
said at a press conference. While I've worked to help the emperor and fulfill duties as a royal family member as much as I can. I've been cherishing my own life twenty five. This meant Macho was only a quote official working member of the royal family for five years. With the Emperor's approval, the princess introduced the country to her future husband, a twenty five year old law firm employee with no historic royal ties. She told the world that she first fell for his quote smile like the sun,
he told them. She watched over him quietly, quote like the moon. They planned to be married the next year. The public response was initially positive, supportive of the princess and her love story, but as we all know, that can change on a dime. The engagement of Macho and k was doomed to be plagued by concerns and scandals
that didn't actually involve the couple as individuals. The announcement that Macho'd be leaving the royal fam family reignited the now decades old debate as to whether or not royal women should be allowed to retain their royal status upon marriage and even potentially gain positions in the line of succession.
At the time of Mako's announcement, a poll from Kyoto News showed that eighty six percent of those surveyed said they were in favor of allowing a female to reign, and about two thirds said that sons or daughters born of royal women should also be allowed to ascend to the throne. Still, for those in disagreement, the royal family is one of the last remaining embodiments of tradition in Japan,
and any change within it is highly feared. The debate was especially heated because at the same time Emperor Akihido had given Macho and k his blessing, the Japanese government was considering his request to abdicate. There was no legal precedent for him to do so, and so he publicly asked Parliament to amend the laws so he could pass the title on to his eldest son. That law was passed, and in twenty nineteen, Mako's uncle Naruhito, ascended to the throne.
There's a practical argument for letting women remain in the royal family and or reign themselves. The line of succession is incredibly short. The current line of succession is Mako's uncle, then Mako's father, and then Prince Hisahito, Her seventeen year old younger brother. That's it three people. It's clear that the monarchy is not sustainable with the current laws of succession, but the debate as to how the problem will be solved rages on. The other public scandal was centered around
Kay's mother. As one would expect, the Japanese press dug into his background, particularly his family. Less than a year after the engagement was announced, tabloids reported that his mother, a widow who raised him by herself, had borrowed four million yen about thirty six thousand dollars from an ex boyfriend and never paid it back. Part of the money was reported to have paid for her son's schooling. Though Kay himself had nothing to do with this, that didn't
matter in the eyes of the public. In a culture that puts a lot of weight on family, he was no longer considered princely. He was a gold digger looking to use Mako in the royal family for their wealth, never mind the fact that by marrying him she would be leaving the royal family, who are not independently wealthy. It was such an uproar that the wedding was delayed. Mako told the press quote, I wish to think about
marriage more deeply and concretely. Shortly after that, in the summer of twenty eighteen, Fordham Law announced that Kay would be attending their school in the fall on a full ride merit scholarship. Some speculated that he was being sent away or that he had somehow manipulated his way into the scholarship. In a news conference that same year, Miko's father, Crown Prince Akashino, said he quote respected the desire of the couple to wed, but that an official ceremony would
not take place unless the public approved. In twenty twenty, at Akashino's urging, Kay released a twenty eight page document explaining his mother's loan, and his lawyer later vowed that mister Komor would pay it back. That didn't do much to change public opinion of him. Things actually worsened when photos of him appeared in New York with God Forbid a ponytail. He was torn to shreds on social media, with many believing the look was unkempt and unbecoming of
a princess's future husband. The engagement would remain in limbo for years. The Emperor and Empress shared that the public would quote wait for Princess Mako to make her own decisions. It wasn't until twenty twenty one that the public finally learned what that decision was. Mako and Kay were still
very much together and they would finally be married. The lead of the New York Times article announcing they were finally to be wed read quote, anyone who dreams of being a princess should probably have a chat with Princess Mako of Japan. Normally, a princess leaving the royal family is entitled to official ceremonies marking her departure and a dowry of about one point four million yen to start her new life. Mico turned it all down. It made her the first female member of the royal family to
refuse a dowry post World War II. In announcing why there wouldn't be a royal wedding, the Imperial Household Agency explained it was quote because their marriage is not celebrated by many people. At the same time, it was also announced that the princess had been diagnosed with complex post traumatic stress disorder due to the public scrutiny quote, she felt like her dignity as a human being had been trampled. On Her psychiatrist said in a news conference, she thinks
of herself as so without value. Mako's CPTSD is part of a sad history of women in the Japanese royal family developing mental health struggles. In the nineteen sixties, Empress Michiko lost the ability to speak for seven months and continued to suffer from nervous breakdowns, mouth ulcers, nosebleeds, and more physical complications due to the pressure of her position.
Her daughter in law, the current Empress Masako, retreated from public events for a period of time beginning in two thousand and four, after facing intense scrutiny for failing to produce a male air. She had previously suffered a miscarriage.
Doctor Kristin Roebuck, an assistant professor at Cornell and historian of modern Japan, explained this unique crisis to the cut quote, whether you're marrying into the royal family like the current Empress did, or you're marrying out of the royal family like the former Princess Meko did, It's always understood in Japan that the women are a temporary part of the royal family, and so they just don't get the same
respect end quote. It's a complex task to discuss Japanese gender politics, and it's not something we can give enough time to today. But Western listeners might see parallels between Mago's story and Megan Markles. Intense, often singularly vicious scrutiny of women entering or leaving the royal family is not
unique to any one culture. The idea of a royal family and everything it stands for, has always been threatened by a woman who refuses to conform to and comply with the pressures of both the family and the public, and every tradition and standard that the royal family stands for. On October twenty sixth, twenty twenty one, Maco and Kay simply registered their marriage in Tokyo and held a press
conference afterward. Then, Mako began the process of obtaining her first passport so the couple could move to New York. The couple now live in a one bedroom apartment in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. Kay eventually passed the bar exam on his third try and is now an associate at a New York firm. As of April twenty twenty two, Mako was working as a volunteer at the Metropolitan Museum
of Art assisting curators in the Asian Art department. If being an unpaid intern isn't the New York City experience, I don't know what is. The most recent photos of the couple are paparazzi shots from twenty twenty three of the pair riding the bus together, his arm around her shoulder. That's the story of the Princess of Japan marrying a commoner. But keep listening after a brief sponsor break to hear a slightly more dramatic story that happened to another female
member of the Japanese royal family. Meko was not the first former Japanese princess to move to the United States
after marriage. Takako Shimazu, the youngest daughter of Emperor Hirohito, was once known as Princess Suga, but her marriage to a banker led to her spending two years in an apartment in Washington, d c. When she returned to Japan, she faced criticism for taking a position as a consultant at an exclusive store in Tokyo, making her the first member of the imperial family to hold a commercial job.
Those who criticized her life for being too ordinary may have been forgetting one extraordinary incident, before Tacaco left for Washington, she narrowly escaped a kidnapping attempt by six men posing as bill collectors. They attempted to gain entry to her home, which they knew the location of thanks to extensive media coverage, and unlike Mako, they knew Tacaco had not turned down the dowry princesses are entitled to upon leaving the royal family.
The plan was not foiled by a sting operation or a vigilante swooping in, but rather one of the potential kidnappers himself, who tipped off the press that there was a plan to kidnap the princess. A judge ultimately ruled that the plan didn't get far enough to constitute an attempted kidnapping, but the men were arrested for trespassing and illegal possession of weapons and sentenced to prison for terms
ranging from eight months to three years. No one said being a princess, or even a former princess, was easy. Noble Blood is a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Mankey. Noble Blood is hosted by me Danish Forts with additional writing and researching by Hannah Johnston, Hannah Zewick, Courtney Sender, Julia Milani, and Armand Cassam. The show is edited and produced by Noemi Griffin and rima Ill Kali, with supervising producer Josh Thain and executive producers
Aaron Manke, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.