A New Era for Japan:
Emperor Naruhito's Enthronement Ceremony on 22nd October, 2019
Last Tuesday was a public holiday in Japan and schools and many companies were closed on the occasion of Emperor Naruhito's official ascension to the imperial throne (it was business as usual at Michael's English School!).
Let's look at the vocabulary in the first sentences of the BBC News article on the subject.
"The emperor, 59, officially began his reign in May after the abdication of his father, the then-Emperor Akihito."
REIGN: Emperors, empresses, czars, czarinas, queens, and kings REIGN [治世] or RULE [統治].
We do not use these words for presidents [大統領], prime ministers [首相], or other elected politicians [政治家].
ABDICATION: When a ruler decides to step down from their position, we say that they ABDICATE [退位する].
👑 Quiz!
When was the last time that a British monarch (ruler) abdicated? What were the circumstances?
"But, after a series of traditional rituals inside the imperial palace in Tokyo, his ascension has now been formalised."
RITUAL: [儀式] a religious or solemn ceremony
ASCENSION: [即位] This is the opposite of ABDICATION.
When a person officially becomes a ruler, we say that they ASCEND (basically, go up or climb) to the THRONE [王座]
FORMALIZE: [正式なものになる] become official
"The ceremony comes as Japan reels from the effects of Typhoon Hagibis, which left almost 80 people dead."
REEL FROM: [混乱・動揺する] to be confused or shocked by a situation
Click on this link for the full BBC News article
By the way, in the UK, we talk about CORONATION (a ceremony of CROWNING a ruler) [戴冠式] instead of ENTHRONEMENT [即位式]. These two words essentially have the same meaning. European rulers wear CROWNS at official events. The crown is the symbol of their SOVEREIGN [国王・君主] power. It is not the case in Japan, and the word ENTHRONEMENT is therefore more appropriate.
👑 Quiz!
What year was Elizabeth II crowned? How long has she reigned for? How old is she?
👉 About you!
How did you spend your day on 22nd October? Did you watch the ceremony?
💡 What are your thoughts on monarchy? Is it a valuable tradition that should be preserved or is it an archaic remnant of the past that we could dispense with?
）
