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Imperial Palace staff carry sacred items to Ise Shrine

TOKYO, Japan - Imperial Palace staff members carry a sword and a jewel in separate cases aboard a shinkansen bullet train at Tokyo Station on March 25, 2014. They are accompanying Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko on a visit to Ise Shrine in Mie Prefecture where the sword and jewel -- two of the imperial family's three sacred treasures -- will be moved from the palace in Tokyo for the first time in 20 years.

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Emperor, empress depart for Ise Shrine in Mie Pref.

TOKYO, Japan - Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko depart from Tokyo Station on March 25, 2014, to visit Ise Shrine in Mie Prefecture. An Imperial Palace staff member behind them is carrying a black case containing a sword, one of the imperial family's three sacred treasures to be moved from the palace in Tokyo to the shrine for the first time in 20 years.

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Japan emperor at Ise Jingu

Japanese Emperor Akihito (3rd from L) visits Ise Jingu, a Shinto shrine in Ise, Mie Prefecture, central Japan, on April 18, 2019, for a ritual related to his upcoming abdication on April 30. Brought in separate boxes are the imperial sword (front) and jewel, two of the family's three sacred treasures that play a key role in the succession. The last treasure, a mirror, is kept at the shrine. (Pool photo)(Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Japan emperor at Ise Jingu

Japanese Emperor Akihito (3rd from L) visits Ise Jingu, a Shinto shrine in Ise, Mie Prefecture, central Japan, on April 18, 2019, for a ritual related to his upcoming abdication on April 30. Brought in separate boxes are the imperial sword (front) and jewel, two of the family's three sacred treasures that play a key role in the succession. The last treasure, a mirror, is kept at the shrine. (Pool photo) (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Japan emperor at Ise Jingu

Japanese Emperor Akihito (2nd from R) visits Ise Jingu, a Shinto shrine in Ise, Mie Prefecture, central Japan, on April 18, 2019, for a ritual related to his upcoming abdication on April 30. Brought in separate boxes are the imperial sword (front) and jewel, two of the family's three sacred treasures that play a key role in the succession. The last treasure, a mirror, is kept at the shrine. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Japan emperor at Ise Jingu

Japanese Emperor Akihito (2nd from R) visits Ise Jingu, a Shinto shrine in Ise, Mie Prefecture, central Japan, on April 18, 2019, for a ritual related to his upcoming abdication on April 30. Brought in separate boxes are the imperial sword (front) and jewel, two of the family's three sacred treasures that play a key role in the succession. The last treasure, a mirror, is kept at the shrine. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Emperor's last regional trip

Imperial Household Agency officials are pictured carrying two of the so-called Three Sacred Treasures of Japan in Ise, Mie Prefecture, central Japan, on April 17, 2019, while accompanying Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko during their visit to Ise Jingu shrine, their last regional trip before the emperor's abdication at the end of April. The treasures, consisting of the Kusanagi sword and the Yasaka no Magatama jewel, will be kept at the Shinto shrine before they are inherited by the next emperor, the current Crown Prince Naruhito after his enthronement. (Pool photo) (Kyodo) ==Kyodo