Happy Birthday to Hanako, Princess Hitachi, who turns 82 today! The accomplished aristocrat who married the uncle of the Japanese Emperor and is a champion of Animal Welfare, Princess Hitachi has worn some splendid jewels, which includes this Pearl and Diamond Fringe Tiara!
When Lady Hanako Tsugaru married Prince Masahito of Japan in 1964, she received a Mikimoto Tiara and Parure which she has continued to wear. By 1971, Princess Hitachi began wearing a larger modern Diamond Tiara topped with pearls, which was notably worn for the Saudi and Congo State Visits as well as well as the American State Visit to Japan in 1983.
The annual Ceremony of New Year’s Celebration at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo is one of the most glittering events in the Japanese calendar, and Princess Hitachi has often been photographed wearing the Pearl and Diamond Fringe Tiara at the New Years Court. Unlike other jewels in the Imperial Family, the Tiara does not have a mirrored necklace and has usually been worn with the necklace of Princess Hitachi’s Mikimoto Parure.
Princess Hitachi continues to wear her Pearl and Diamond Fringe Tiara at royal events, though her attendance has declined as the Prince and Princess no longer appear for the public portion of the New Year’s Audiences. Since they have no children, the Tiara will eventually go into the collection of the Imperial Household Agency, and may be worn by other ladies in the Imperial Family at some point in the future!
