The umbrella pine, an evergreen tree chosen as the symbol to mark the belongings of newborn Prince Hisahito

The infant, who was born Sept. 6 and is third in line to the throne, was named during a ceremony at the Tokyo hospital where he and his mother, Princess Kiko, are recovering.

The name, which uses the Chinese characters for "virtuous, calm and everlasting," was chosen by his parents with the wish that the new prince will have a long, prosperous life that is trouble-free. The umbrella pine, the coniferous evergreen tree native to Japan, was selected for his symbol in the hope that he will grow strong and healthy.

The symbol will be used to mark the new prince's belongings.

In a five-minute ceremony held at Aiiku Hospital, a court official put pieces of paper with the baby's name and symbol written by his father into a wooden box. The box was placed by the baby's pillow.

Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko discussed from June which name and symbol to select for their baby, and the prince selected candidates from a list compiled by the agency after consulting Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.

Prince Hisahito does not have an appellation by which to be called during his youth because he is not a son of a crown prince. His name was not chosen by the Emperor for the same reason.

The agency's Grand Steward Shingo Haketa will place the name in the Imperial family registry soon.

The Japan Times Weekly: Sept. 16, 2006
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