As the Emperor's Tuesday abdication was approaching, poet Sumireko Horiguchi, who has invited the Emperor and Empress to her home during their stays at the Imperial villa in Hayama, Kanagawa Prefecture (see below), spoke to The Yomiuri Shimbun recently about her 20-year friendship with the couple.
Horiguchi, now 74, has served the Emperor and Empress her own home-cooked meals, and provided pleasant conversational opportunities for them with such guests as authors and musicians.
"I hope Hayama will remain a place the Emperor and Empress can visit with ease" even after the Reiwa era begins, Horiguchi said.
Horiguchi is the daughter of Taisho- and Showa-era poet and translator Daigaku Horiguchi. Her relationship with the Imperial couple began in 1998, when she was invited to the villa for tea by the Empress, who had read Horiguchi's book about her memories of her father, "Niji no Yakata" (Rainbow mansion).
The Empress later expressed a wish to see Daigaku Horiguchi's study, and from the following year, she and the Emperor began visiting Horiguchi's home. They called her by the nickname "Reko-chan" and she welcomed them with heartfelt home cooking.
Horiguchi, who is also a culinary researcher, serves "family cooking" not limited to Western or Japanese food. Sometimes she serves sashimi, sometimes meat dishes. Horiguchi often uses local ingredients from the Miura Peninsula, and she said the Emperor was delighted when she parboiled thick mekabu, the stalks of wakame seaweed, and served them chopped up.
The Imperial couple would spend about three evening hours at Horiguchi's home. To offer them a change of scene, Horiguchi always invites acquaintances of hers and others as well. The wide array of distinguished guests has included author Tatsuro Dekune, as well as musician Ryudo Uzaki and his wife, lyricist Yoko Aki.
Horiguchi said the Empress listens with interest in her fellow guests' various remarks, and the Emperor watches her with a smile.
When Uzaki and Aki performed music, the Empress seemed pleased and asked to hear it again.
The groups' conversations have even included the Emperor's research into goby fish. The Akebonohaze goby is known for being named by the Emperor, and the Empress revealed at Horiguchi's home that when the Emperor tried to give the fish a much plainer name, she suggested Akebonohaze, as the one he had chosen was too sad.
This led to some warm interaction between the couple, as hearing this, the Emperor said, "They're selling them at tropical fish stores under the name Akebonohaze," and the Empress replied in surprise, "Really, they're being sold?"
After the abdication, the Emperor and Empress are expected to live a life removed from public duties.
"I hope that even after they step down, they can spend time warmly relaxing with food from the Miura Peninsula," Horiguchi said, looking forward to seeing them again.
-- Imperial villa in Hayama, Kanagawa Prefecture
Established in 1894, this villa is a place of respite for the Emperor, the Empress and other members of the Imperial family. Emperor Taisho passed away here on Dec. 25, 1926, while being treated for illness, and Emperor Showa was here when he succeeded his father. The Hayama villa is located on the coast of Sagami Bay, about 50 kilometers to the south of the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. The Emperor's research into goby fish, which he began while he was crown prince in the 1960s, is said to have been spurred by his interest as a young boy in fish at the shore near the villa.
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