Former Japanese princess working in the US

A source revealed to Japan Times, former Japanese princess Mako Komuro works as a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. However, the former Princess of Japan is not on the payroll at MET but is an unpaid volunteer.

The former Japanese princess who came to the US after marrying a college friend in October 2021 participated in an exhibition of paintings inspired by the life of Ippen (1239-1289), a monk who traveled around Japan during the Kamakura period. (1192-1333) to spread Buddhism to the public.

A former curator at the MET museum told People that the former Princess Mako “is qualified and can look after the works in the collection. Overall, it’s a job that requires a lot of preparation. and often means spending a lot of time in the library”.

It is common for members of the royal family, or former members of the royal family, to work as curators or in an art gallery. For example, in Great Britain, Princess Eugenie, niece of Queen Elizabeth IIhas been the director of a contemporary art gallery in London since 2015.

Former Princess Mako graduated from the International Christian University in Tokyo with a degree in arts and cultural heritage. Mako also twice studied abroad in the UK. After studying art history at the University of Edinburgh in early 2012, Mako went on to earn a master’s degree in art museum and gallery studies at the University of Leicester in 2016.

While still a member of the Japanese royal family, the 30-year-old princess worked as a special researcher at the prestigious University Museum of the University of Tokyo, combining research with royal duties.

In 2017, Princess Mako – the eldest daughter of Crown Prince Akishino – announced her intention to marry Kei Komuro, her college boyfriend, who grew up in a single family.

However, a financial scandal involving Kei Komuro’s mother resulted in the couple being forced to postpone their wedding for 3 years. Finally, the couple married in October but without the traditional wedding ceremony for members of the royal family.

After marry a commoner, Former Japanese princess moved to New York, USA. “What I want is just to have a peaceful life in my new environment,” Mako Komuro said in a statement at the press conference after the wedding.

The MET was founded in 1870 and has approximately 1.5 million exhibits representing the world’s cultural heritage spanning more than 5,000 years. Former Japanese Princess Mako Komuro and her husband are said to live in a luxury apartment complex about a 10-minute drive from the museum.