Japanese Princess Sayako Weds

November 2005 --As a black Prince Royal limousine drove past on its way to Tokyo's Imperial Hotel, a crowd 6,000 strong clapped and bowed in admiration for the the woman inside-- a princess who had relinquished her royal title for love.

Days prior to the November 15, 2005 nuptials had been a series of goodbyes for Princess Sayako, who had visited the burial site of her forebearers to tell their spirits of her upcoming wedding, and had symbolically bid farewell to her parents in an ancient Choken-no-gi ceremony.

Yoshiki Kuroda, a government official whom the bride had known since childhood and had grown to love during a two-year courtship, waited for Sayako at the 118-year-old hotel, where the couple exchanged sake cups during a 20-minute ceremony held in front of an altar built for the occasion.

The bride's modern taste was evident by her understated, white A-line silhouette, which was said to have been inspired by a garment worn by the character Princess Clarisse in the anime feature "Lupin III : The Castle of Cagliostro." A strand of pearls enhanced the refined look. Tradition was honored at the reception, when the newly dubbed Mrs. Koroda donned a kimono passed on from her mother.

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