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LS in Japanese, boldly signed in black ink by Emperor Hirohito, two pages on two adjoining sheets, 9 x 12, gilt-embossed chrysanthemum letterhead, February 5, 1934. Letter addressed to Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, announcing the birth of Akihito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on December 23, 1933. Includes an official French translation on the emperor's gilt-embossed chrysanthemum letterhead, and accompanied by the original transmittal envelope, addressed in Japanese to "His Majesty the Emperor of Ethiopia," with a paper chrysanthemum seal on the reverse. In fine condition.
This is a particularly interesting letter of state as it documents the birth of a future emperor, as well as the friendly relations between Japan and Ethiopia. In 1931, the Meiji Constitution was used as a model for the Constitution of Ethiopia—the first modern constitution of the Ethiopian Empire—by the intellectual Tekle Hawariat Tekle Mariyam. The two nations exchanged diplomatic legations, and established consulates in each other's nations in the mid-1930s.
Born at the Imperial Palace in 1933, Akihito was the fifth child and first son of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) and Empress Kōjun (Nagako). In 1952, his coming-of-age ceremony and investiture as crown prince were held, and he began to undertake official duties in his capacity as crown prince. When Hirohito died in January 1989, Akihito succeeded to the Chrysanthemum Throne and became emperor of Japan until his abdication in 2019. He made efforts to bring the imperial family closer to the Japanese people, making official visits to all forty-seven prefectures of Japan and to many of the nation's remote islands.
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