The former Japanese Princess Mako, who gave up her title to marry a "commoner" and her college sweetheart, is reported to be working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as of Monday, April 11, on a new Japan-related exhibit for the organization.
Mako Komuro has reportedly been helping the Met with an exhibit on hanging-scroll paintings inspired by the monk Ippen during the Kamakura Period. Ippen was instrumental in introducing Buddhism to the country, according to the Japan Times.
The job appears to not be paid but is volunteer work, and she does not appear to be a new staff member in the museum as of press time.
Komuro has previous experience in such work in the past: she graduated from the International Christian University in Tokyo with a degree in art and cultural heritage before getting a master’s degree in art museum and gallery studies from the University of Leicester, People reported.
She also worked as a special researcher in the University Museum of the University of Tokyo while balancing her royal duties at the time.
“She's qualified and probably handling pieces in the collection. In general, it's work which requires a great deal of preparation and often means spending a lot of time in the library,” a former Met curator said.
Komuro, who is the eldest daughter of Crown Prince Akishino, became publicly known for her marriage with her college sweetheart and paralegal Kei Komuro, which was mired in a financial scandal regarding Kei Komuro’s mother that caused their wedding to be delayed for three years.
After the wedding had occurred in October 2021, the Komuros have largely shielded away from public life, with Mako moving to New York City with her husband where they live in a luxury apartment only 10 minutes away from the Met.
“What I would like is just to lead a peaceful life in my new environment,” Mako Komuro said in a press conference after her wedding.
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