Where is hirohito buried

Our protagonist is t he Japanese Emperor Hirohito, who ruled over the Empire of Japan from until , after which he was Emperor of the state of Japan until his death in He also had surprising taste in watches. Even packed with ceremony and official meetings with heads of state, to him the trip offered far more liberty than his position generally allowed.

Fifty years later, he still kept it as a souvenir. That sentimental side was also echoed in his choice of wristwear. Instead it had a cartoon character on the dial — the white-gloved hands of Mickey Mouse cheerfully pointing to the time of day. The official Disney watch was presented to him on visiting the US in when, as a lifelong Walt Disney fan, he insisted on visiting the park. His prized wristwatch stopped in , creating panic in the Imperial Court, and it was rushed to Tokyo experts specialising in American timepieces.

This event was of such grave concern to both Hirohito and the people of Japan that it was even reported in Time magazine. Members of the family withdrew to a nearby guest house, where they spent three hours, and the coffin was pulled feet up a slope to the tomb.

The rites were steeped in the ritual of Shinto, the indigenous religion that preceded the introduction of Buddhism to Japan and still coexists with it. In both faiths, care is taken to show respect to the dead and ensure peaceful rest. Funeral ceremonies for Hirohito, who died Jan. Modern technology was used this time to speed the process: a motorized hearse instead of an ox cart for the mile trip from Tokyo to the cemetery, floodlights to supplement the traditional torches and three trucks loaded with pre-mixed concrete to seal the coffin in the tomb.

Offerings by court ritualists of clothing and 16 types of food, including cakes of pounded rice, oranges, rice wine and melons, ended the entombment well after dark.

Akihito offered a sacred sakaki branch and made his final long, deep bow. Michiko, also offering a sakaki branch, and other members of the imperial family then paid their last respects, followed by officials. Sections U. Science Technology Business U.