Order of the Precious Crown

Order of the Precious Crown
The is a Japanese order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. Since the Order of the Rising Sun at that time was an Order for men, it was established as an Order for women. Originally the order had five classes, but on April 13, 1896 the sixth, seventh and eighth classes were added.
Until 2003, the Order of the Precious Crown, which had eight ranks, was equivalent to the Order of the Rising Sun and was awarded as a women-only version of the Order of the Rising Sun. In 2003 the Order of the Rising Sun, previously reserved for males, was made available to women as well, and the lowest two classes of the Order of the Precious Crown were abolished. Since 2003, the Order of the Precious Crown has only been given to female members of the imperial family in Japan and female members of the royal family in foreign countries only when it is specifically necessary for diplomatic ceremonies.
Since 2003, the number representing rank included in the official name of the order was removed. As a result, although numbers representing ranks were sometimes used in common names, the formal names such as 勲一等 (Kun-ittō, First Class) and 勲二等 (Kun-nitō, Second Class) were no longer used.
In 1907, medals of the Order of the Crown were bestowed upon twenty-nine Americans who participated in the Russo-Japanese War. This unusual list of honorees was composed of ten women volunteer nurses and nineteen correspondents of American newspapers.
Classes
The first class honour has been typically conferred to female royalty. As originally conceived, the order consisted of eight classes. Unlike its European counterparts, the order may be conferred posthumously.
The badge of the order is a gold oval medallion, with floral designs at its four ends; at the centre is an ancient Japanese crown on a blue background, surrounded by a red ring. It is suspended from a smaller badge, its design varies according to class, on a ribbon in yellow with red stripes near the borders, as a sash on the right shoulder for the 1st class, as a bow on the left shoulder for the other classes.
The star of the order, which is worn only by the first class, has five rays studded with pearls, with floral designs between the rays. The central disc features a Ho-o or phoenix on a blue background, surrounded by a red ring emblazoned with a laurel wreath.
The medal for the 6th and 7th classes are golden bronze. The face presents the crossed flags of Japan and the Emperor, both of which are surmounted by the Rising Sun. The obverse presents a conventional monumental shaft, which is flanked by a branch of laurel and a branch of palm.
Selected recipients
First Class, Grand Cordon
Empress Michiko
Empress Masako
Kiko, Crown Princess Akishino
Aiko, Princess Toshi
Mako Komuro
Princess Kako of Akishino
Sayako Kuroda
Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg
Princess Salote Mafile'o Pilolevu Tuita of Tonga
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
Empress Farah of Iran
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
Queen Paola of Belgium
Queen Silvia of Sweden
Queen Sirikit of Thailand
Queen Máxima of the Netherlands
Queen Mathilde of Belgium
Queen Sofia of Spain
Queen Letizia of Spain
Queen Sonja of Norway
Crown Princess Bangja of Korea
Tuanku Budriah of Malaysia
Tuanku Bainun of Malaysia
Tuanku Fauziah of Malaysia
Tuanku Hajah Haminah Hamidun of Malaysia
Princess Srinagarindra of Thailand
Princess Sirindhorn of Thailand
Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway
Princess Basma bint Talal of Jordan
Empress Dowager Cixi of China
Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii
Queen Kapiolani of Hawaii
Te Atairangikaahu
Princess Sarvath al-Hassan of Jordan
Princess Alia bint Hussein of Jordan
Baroness Margaret Thatcher (former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom)
Imelda Romualdez Marcos, former First Lady of the Philippines
Siti Hartinah, former First Lady of the Republic of Indonesia
Second Class
Noriko Senge
Princess Tsuguko of Takamado
Ayako Moriya
Princess Akiko of Mikasa
Princess Yōko of Mikasa
Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg
Third Class
Joyce Ackroyd, 1918–1991
Eleanor Jorden, 1920–2009
Elizabeth Gray Vining, 1902–1999
Lillian Moller Gilbreth, 1878–1972, Honor conferred 1968
Yoshi Kasuya, 1894–1994
Chika Kuroda, 1884–1968
Sugino Yoshiko, 1892-1978
Kono Yasui, 1880–1971
Toshiko Yuasa, 1909–1980
Fourth Class
Michiyo Tsujimura (1888-1969)
Yvette Giraud (1916-2014)
Machiko Hasegawa (1920–1992)
Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba (1926–2014)
Fifth Class
Fujima Kansuma (1918-2023)
Sixth Class
Anita Newcomb McGee,(1864–1940)
Fumiko Kouka Mikami, (1913-2019)
Seventh Class
William H. Brill, (1871–1923), Associated Press and Reuter's Telegram Company
Richard Harding Davis, (1864–1916) Collier's Weekly
John Fox, Jr., (1862–1919) Scribner's Magazine
George Kennan, (1845–1924) The Outlook
Jack London, (1876–1916) Hearst papers.
Frederick Palmer, (1873–1958) Collier's Weekly
Herbert Ponting, photographer and journalist, (1870–1935), Harper's Weekly
James Ricalton, (c. 1844 – 1929) Travel Magazine
Grant Wallace, (1867–1954) San Francisco Bulletin
Niijima Yae, (1845–1932)
See also
Order of Chula Chom Klao (Thailand)
Notes
References
Peterson, James W., Barry C. Weaver and Michael A. Quigley. (2001). Orders and Medals of Japan and Associated States. San Ramon, California: Orders and Medals Society of America.
Roth, Mitchel P. and James Stuart Olson. (1997). Historical Dictionary of War Journalism. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group.
External links
Japan, Cabinet Office: Order of the Precious Crown
Japan Mint
Awards established in 1888
Orders, decorations, and medals of Japan
Precious Crown, Order of the
Precious Crown, Order of the
1888 establishments in Japan