Ayaco, Princess Òca
| Relation to present Emperor: | Aunt |
| Imperial Ancestry (male line): | Granddaughter of Emperor Saisei |
| Date of birth: | Saisei 46, Sangaçu 1 April 6, 1997 |
| Place of birth: | |
| Profession: | Manga-ca, author |
Her Imperial Highness Ayaco, Princess Òca was formerly the youngest member of the main branch of the Imperial Family until the birth of her nephews, the present Emperor and Prince Nolihito. She was something of a surprise when the Crown Princess announced her pregnancy, and sparked discussion of changing the Succession Law to make daughters the equal of sons, in the event that the unborn child proved to be male. Though such a change was not made, a special decree was issued keeping Princess Toxi first in line.
Autism
In Saisei 50 (2001), the Imperial Household Ministry acknowledged that Princess Ayaco had been diagnosed with autism. Princess Ayaco has been diagnosed as high-functioning autistic. Unlike in earlier periods, though, it was decided that the princess would not be hidden away, but that her condition would be acknowledged.
The then-Crown Prince established the Princess Òca Autism Research Foundation in that same year, which, with the patronage of the Imperial Family, has become one of the largest autism research organizations in Japan.
She graduated in the Quioto Imperial University graduating with a degree in art. She also draws and pens dodjinxi manga, which like her older sister Çuneco, gained notoriety. She also made some artwork for the animated adaptation of the Queen of Cantica series in 2014.
In 2018, she started her manga series "Yatalagasu Hime", a xodjo (female-oriented) manga about a young girl tasked to hunt ghosts, befriending the more symphatetic ghosts and allying with them against the more malicious spirits. It had an anima series aired in 2021.
Òca is friends with Higaxida Naoqui, a Japanese author who wrote about his experiences with autism in 2007. Òca denied rumors that she was dating Higaxida, and just assisting him in his autistic rights advocacy.
| Preceded by: Çuneco, Princess Heian |
Succession to the Chrysanthemum Throne | Followed by: Fumihito, Prince Aquixino |
