Empress Kojun

Empress Kōjun was born as Princess Nagako on March 6, 1903, in Tokyo, Japan. She was the daughter of Prince Kuni Kuniyoshi and Chikako Shimazu, and a member of the Imperial House of Japan. She was betrothed to her distant cousin, Crown Prince Hirohito, later the Emperor Shōwa, at the age of 14, in a match arranged by their parents. She married him in 1924 and became the empress consort of Japan in 1926, when he ascended the throne. She gave birth to seven children, four daughters and three sons, one of whom, Akihito, became the emperor of Japan in 1989. She was a devoted wife and mother, who supported her husband through the turbulent times of the Second World War and the post-war reconstruction. She was also interested in various cultural and social activities, such as silk production, music, and education. She was known for her elegance, grace, and dignity, and was respected by the Japanese people as a symbol of the imperial family. She was the longest-serving empress consort in Japanese history, holding the title for 62 years until her husband's death in 1989. She then became the empress dowager of Japan, and lived in seclusion at the Fukiage Ōmiya Palace in Tokyo. She died of old age on June 16, 2000, at the age of 97. She was posthumously named Empress Kōjun, which means "fragrant purity". She was buried next to her husband at the Musashi Imperial Graveyard in Hachiōji, Tokyo.