November 29, 2021
Larry Burrows shot this image on assignment in Japan for LIFE Magazine in 1964. The photograph was published in the September 11, 1964 issue which was devoted entirely to Japan—Burrows also shot the cover image for that issue.
When it was published in LIFE, this picture was captioned “Two future emperors stroll through the countryside”. The photograph does indeed depict both Akihito (125th Emperor of Japan, 1989-2019) and his son and successor Naruhito, Japan’s current Emperor.
Akihito's marriage to a nonroyal in 1959 had upended more than 2,600 years of tradition in the Imperial Family. These events were echoed recently when Emperor Naruhito's niece, former Princess Mako of Japan, was forced to relinquish her royal title in order to marry a commoner. Mako and her husband made headlines this month when the couple relocated to a condo in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood.