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The Emperor of
Japan and Members of the Imperial Family
The Emperor and
the Empress of Japan
His Imperial Majesty AKIHITO,
the 125th Emperor of Japan, Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum, Order of
the Rising Sun, Order of the Sacred Treasure, KG (Great Britain), Grand Cross
of the Order of. St. Olav (Norway), the elder son of the late Emperor
Shôwa (Hirohito) and Empress Kojun (Nagako), was born on 23 December 1933
at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
Originally titled Tsugo-no-miya
(Prince Tsugo) he entered the boy's elementary department of the Gakushuin in
April 1940, advancing in the following years to the secondary and senior
courses of the same school. In late 1944, both he and his younger brother,
Prince Yoshi (now titled Prince Hitachi) were evacuated to Nikko, to escape the
American bombing of Tokyo.
Between 1947 and 1950, Mrs. Elizabeth Grey-Vining tutored Prince
Tsugo, along with his brother, Prince Yoshi (now titled Prince Hitachi), and
his sisters, Princesses Taka and Suga (now Mrs. Ikeda Takamsa and Mrs. Shimazu
Hisanaga), in English. Prince Tsugo was formally invested as crown prince and
received the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum on 10
November 1951. On 2 June 1953, he represented Japan at the coronation of Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. During the same visit, King Haakon VII of
Norway invested the Crown Prince with the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav.
Crown Prince Akihito entered the Department of Politics and Economics at
Gakushuin University in April 1952, but left the university in April 1954
before graduating.
He later attended the university
as an auditor for a further two years. The Crown Prince served as honorary
president or patron of the Third Asian Games (1958), the International Sports
Games for the Disabled (1964), the Eleventh Pacific Science Conference (1966),
the Universiades in Tokyo (1967) and in Kobe (1985), the Japan World Exposition
in Osaka (1970), The International Skill Contest for the Disabled (1981), and
the Second International Conference on Indo-Pacific Fishes (1986). For his
research on the taxonomy of the gobiid fish, he became a member of the Linnean
Society of London in 1980; he became an honorary member of this society in
1986.
As crown prince, the present
emperor acted in matters of state on behalf of Emperor Showa, in accordance
with the 1947 Constitution, during his visits abroad and from the time the
emperor became seriously ill in September 1987. On the death of Emperor Showa,
7 January 1989, he ascended the throne. The government named new era Heisei,
which means the "achievement of peace." The Enthronement Ceremony (Sokui
Rei Seiden no Gi) took place in Tokyo on 12 November 1990.
The Emperor, an expert on the
taxonomy of gobiid fishes, has published at least twenty-six papers on the
subject in the journal of the Ichthyological Society of Japan. The Emperor is
also a research associate of the Australian Museum and since 1992 an honorary
member of the Zoological Society of London. As Crown Prince and Crown Princess,
Their Imperial Majesties made official visits to Afghanistan, Argentina,
Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Denmark, Ethiopia, Finland, India,
Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, the
Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines,
Romania, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tanzania,
Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, the former Yugoslavia, Zaire
(now the Democratic Republic of Congo), and Zambia.
As Emperor and Empress, Their
Imperial Majesties have paid state visits to Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand
(1991), the Peoples' Republic of China (1992), Belgium, Germany and Italy (1992),
the Holy See and the European Union (1993), the United States and Brazil
(1994), the United Kingdom and Denmark (1998). During his 1998 state visit to
the United Kingdom, HM Queen Elizabeth II invested the Emperor with the Most
Noble Order of the Garter.
Her Imperial Majesty MICHIKO,
Empress of Japan,
(Michiko Kogo), Order of the Precious Crown, Order of the Sacred
Treasure, is the eldest daughter of the late Mr. Shoda Hidesburo (1904-1999),
former president and honorary chairman of Nisshin Flour Milling Co., Ltd., and
his wife, the former Soejima Fumiko (1910-1988). The Shoda family is prominent
in both industrial and academic circles. Miss Shoda Michiko was born in Tokyo
on 20 October 1934.
She received her primary
education at Futaba Elementary School, but was obliged to leave school due to
the American bombing of Tokyo. She returned to the school following the war and
later attended Seishin (Sacred Heart) High School. She entered the Department
of Literature of the Sacred Heart Women's University in April 1953.
Miss Shoda, the class
valedictorian, received her degree in 1957. She met the then-Crown Prince at a
tennis court in Karuizawa in the summer of 1957, after graduating the
university. As Miss Shoda Michiko, she was engaged to the Crown Prince in 1958.
She became crown princess on the day of her wedding, 10 April 1959, thus
becoming the first commoner to marry into the Imperial Family. The Crown Prince
and Crown Princess broke with centuries of Imperial Court tradition by raising their
children, instead of entrusting their care to chamberlains. She became empress
upon the death of Emperor Shôwa on 7 January 1989. The Empress has
authored or co-authored several collections of waka (traditional Japanese
poems), as well as two children's books. In January 1989, the Empress succeeded
her mother-in-law, the Empress Kojun, as the honorary president of the Japan
Red Cross.
The Emperor and Empress have
issue:
1.
The
Crown Prince (Hiro
no miya Naruhito Shinnô), see below
2.
Prince
Akishino (Akishino
no miya Fumihito Shinnô), see below
3.
Princess
Nori (Nori no miya Sayako
Naishinnô), see below
The Crown Prince and Princess of Japan
His Imperial Highness The
Crown Prince (Naruhito) of Japan (Naruhito Kotashi), Grand Cordon of the Supreme
Order of the Chrysanthemum, the elder son of the Emperor and heir
apparent, was born on 23 February 1960 at the Aoyama Detached Palace complex
(site of the crown prince's palace or Togo-gohso) in Tokyo.
Originally titled Prince Hiro (Hiro-no-miya
Naruhito Shinno), he attended the elementary and secondary departments of
the Gakushuin. The prince graduated from the Department of History in the
Faculty of Letters of Gakushuin University in March 1982. He went on to take
the first part of the doctoral course in history in at Gakushuin University's
Graduate School of Humanities, specializing in the medieval history of Japan.
In July 1983 he went to Great Britain, where he entered the Graduate School of
Oxford University the following October, studying commodity transport on the
River Thames in the latter half of the eighteenth century at Merton College.
The prince is an honorary fellow of Balliol College, Oxford. Prince Hiro became
heir apparent to the throne upon the demise of Emperor Shôwa on 7 January
1989.
He received his formal
investiture as crown prince on 23 February 1990 at the Imperial Palace, Tokyo.
The Crown Prince married Miss Owada Masako on 9 June 1993. Her Imperial
Highness the Crown Princess (Masako), Order of the Sacred Treasure, was
born in Tokyo on 9 December 1963, the daughter of Ambassador Owada Hishashi and
Owada Yomiko. Owada Hishashi is a career diplomat. Ambassador Owada served as
administrative vice-minister of foreign affairs, counselor in the Japanese
embassy in Moscow, and later as Japan's permanent representative to the United
Nations.
Owada Masako spent her childhood
in New York City and Moscow, where her father held diplomatic posts. The future
Crown Princess attended Harvard University, where she concentrated in economics
and graduated magna cum laude in June 1990. She later did post graduate
work at Balliol College, Oxford University and worked as diplomat in the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Crown Princess Masako is fluent in English, French
and German. She became an honorary fellow of Balliol College, Oxford in July
1995. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess have issue:
1. Princess
Toshi (Toshi no miya Aiko Naishinnô), born at Tokyo 1
December 2001
2. Prince Akishino
His Imperial Highness Prince
Akishino (Akishino
no miya Fumihito Shinnô), Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of
Chrysanthemum, the second son of the Emperor and the Empress, was born on 30
November 1965 at the Aoyama Detached Palace in Tokyo. Prince Akishino, whose
personal name is Fumihito, is currently second in line to the throne. His
childhood title was Prince Aya (Aya no miya). He attended the elementary and
secondary departments of the Gakushuin.
In April 1984, he entered the
Law Department of Gakushuin University, where he studied law and biology. After
graduating from the university, he studied the taxonomy of fish at St. John
College, University of Oxford in Great Britain (October 1988-June 1990). In
1986, His Imperial Highness became president of the Yamashina Institute of
Ornithology and president of the Japan Committee of the World Wide Fund for
Nature. The prince received a Ph.D. in ornithology from the Graduate University
for Advanced Studies in October 1996. On 29 June 1990, the prince married
Kawashima Kiko.
Upon his marriage, he received
the title Prince Akishino (Akishino no miya) and authorization from the
Imperial Household Economy Council to form a new branch of the Imperial Family.
Her Imperial Highness Princess Akishino, Order of the Sacred Treasure,
was born in Shizouka on 11 September 1966. She is the only daughter of
Kawashima Tatsuhiko, professor of economics at Gakushuin University, and his
wife, Kazuko. The Princess holds a masters degree in psychology at Gakushuin
University. In September 1995, Princess Akishino succeeded the late Princess
Chichibu as honorary president of the Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association.
Prince and Princess Akishino have issue:
1.
Princess
Mako (Akishino no miya Mako Naishinnô),
born at Tokyo October 23, 1991
2.
Princess
Kako (Akishino no miya Kako Naishinnô), born
at Tokyo Dec. 29, 1994
Princess Nori
Her Imperial Highness Princess
Nori (Nori
no miya Sayako Naishinnô) was born on 18 April 1969 at the Aoyama
Detached Palace in Tokyo. She is the third child and only daughter of the
current Emperor and Empress. On 27 April 1969, Emperor Shôwa named her
Sayako and granted her the title Princess Nori (Nori no miya). Princess
Nori completed her primary and secondary education at the Gakushuin.
She graduated from the Department
of Japanese Literature in the Faculty of Letters at Gakushuin University in
March 1992. The princess is a part-time researcher at the Yamashina Institute
for Ornithology in Chiba Prefecture [founded by the late Dr. (Marquis until
1947) Yamashina Yoshimaro, a younger son of Prince Yamashina Kikumaro
(1873-1908)]. In addition to her academic interests, the princess is interested
in traditional Japanese dance (and has performed several times at the National
Theater) and activities related to the training and use of guide dogs for the
visually impaired.
Since her father's ascension to
the throne, she has accompanied the Emperor and Empress on state visits to
Thailand and Indonesia. In August 1990, Prince Nori traveled to California to
represent the Imperial Household at the fiftieth annual Nisei Week Japanese
Festival at the invitation of then-Governor Pete Wilson. She has made official
visits to France, Germany, Bulgaria, and several other countries. The princess
lives with her parents at the Imperial Palace and continues to carry out public
engagements. Princess Nori, who celebrated her thirty-first birthday in April
2000, remains unmarried. Under the current Imperial Household Law, the princess
would lose her title, government stipend, and official status as a member of
the imperial family, if she marries.
Prince Hitachi
His Imperial Highness Prince
Hitachi (Hitachi no miya Masahito
Shinnô), Grand Cordon of Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum, Order of
the Rising Sun, was born on 28 November 1935 at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
The second son of the late Emperor Shôwa and Empress Kojun and the
younger brother of the current Emperor, Prince Hitachi is currently third in
line to the throne (following the Crown Prince and Prince Akishino).
Originally titled Prince Yoshi
(Yoshi-no-miya), he received his primary education at the then-boys department
of the Gakushuin. In late 1944, the Imperial Household Ministry evacuated
Prince Yoshi and Prince Tsugo (later Crown Prince Akihito) to Nikko, to escape the
American bombing of Tokyo. From 1947 to 1950, Mrs. Elizabeth Gray Vining
tutored both princes and their sisters, then-Princesses Taka, Yori and Suga, in
English. The Prince received his secondary education from the Gakushuin. He
completed his undergraduate degree in chemistry from the Faculty of Science at
Gakushuin University in May 1960.
He completed his graduate
education at the Tokyo University, specializing in the study of tumors. The
Prince has conducted tumor research under the cancer institute of the Japanese
Foundation for Cancer Research. Prince Hitachi is honorary president of the
Japan Arts Association. In September 1997, he received an honorary doctorate
from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. On 30 September 1964, the
prince married Tsugaru Hanako, the fourth daughter of former Count Tsugaru
Yoshitaka.
The following day Emperor
Shôwa granted him the title Prince Hitachi (Hitachi no miya); the
Imperial Household Council having previously given the prince authorization to
set up a new branch of the imperial family. Her Imperial Highness Princess
Hitachi, Order of the Precious Crown, was born on 19 July 1940 in Tokyo. She is
a graduate of the English literature course at Gakushuin University. The
princess is the patron of several cultural and charitable organizations. Prince
and Princess Hitachi have no children.
Prince Mikasa
His Imperial Highness Prince
Mikasa (Mikasa
no miya Takahito Shinno), Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the
Chrysanthemum, Order of the Rising Sun, was born on 2 December 1915 at the
Imperial Palace, the youngest son of the late Emperor Taisho (Yoshihito) and
the Empress Teimei (Sadako). Prince Mikasa, whose given name is Takahito, is
the surviving brother of the late Emperor Shôwa and surviving paternal
uncle of the Emperor.
He is fourth in line to the
throne. Originally titled Sumi-no-miya (Prince Sumi), he attended the
elementary and secondary departments of the Peers' School. He entered the
Military Academy in 1932 and upon graduation, in June 1936, joined the
Fifteenth Cavalry Regiment. Upon reaching majority in December 1935, Emperor
Shôwa authorized him to form his own princely house, Mikasa-no-miya.
On 23 October 1941, he married Takagi Yoriko, the second daughter of Viscount
Takagi Masanari, one-time minister of the Imperial Household.
Prince Mikasa graduated from the
Military Staff College in December 1941 and held staff positions with the
Chinese Expeditionary Forces, the Imperial General Headquarters and the Air
Services, rising to the rank of major. After the war, he enrolled in the
Literature Faculty of Tokyo University and pursued advanced studies in
archeology, Middle Eastern studies, and Semitic languages. Since 1954, he has
directed the Japanese Society for Middle East Studies. He is honorary president
of the Japan Society of Orientology.
The Prince has held visiting and
guest faculty appointments in Middle Eastern studies and archeology at various
universities in Japan and abroad, including: Tokyo National University of Fine
Arts and Music, Tokyo Christian Women's University, the University of London,
the University of Hokkaido and the University of Shizouka. He has done research
at the London University School of Oriental and African Studies. The prince
holds honorary degrees from Colombo University, Lancaster University, Ankara
University, Sofia University, and Canakkale University. Prince Mikasa has
attended numerous international conferences, and has traveled widely.
He has visited approximately 30
countries, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Australia, Iran,
and Turkey. Prince Mikasa is honorary president of the Japan-Netherlands
Society, honorary chairman of the Publishers' Association for Cultural
Exchange, honorary chairman of the Society for Middle Eastern Studies in Japan,
president of the Center for Middle Eastern Culture [chukinto bunka senta],
and honorary president of the Japan Society of Leisure and Recreation Studies.
He is the author is several books on archeology and the Middle East including Ancient
Oriental History and I, The Light of Ancient Culture, and History
Begins Here.
In 1994, a newspaper revealed
that during the Pacific War, Prince Mikasa had written a stinging indictment of
the conduct of the Imperial Army in China. The prince had witnessed
Japanese atrocities against Chinese civilians and The Army General Staff
suppressed the document, but one copy survived and surfaced in 1994. Her
Imperial Highness Princess Mikasa, Order of the Precious Crown, was born on 4
June 1923 in Tokyo. The future princess received her primary and secondary
education at the Gakushuin. Princess Mikasa is a member of the Imperial
Household Council and the patron of several cultural and charitable
organizations. Prince and Princess Mikasa have five children.
1.
Princess
Yasuko (Mikasa no miya
Yasuko Naishinnô), born 26 April 1944; lost
rank and title upon marriage; m. 16 Dec. 1966 Mr. Konoe Tadateru, a
grandson of former Prime Minister Prince Konoe Fumimaro (1891-1945) [peer]; now
vice president of the Japanese Red Cross Society, and has issue (see Genealogy
of the Imperial Dynasty Part II).
2.
Prince
Mikasa Tomohito (Mikasa no miya Tomohito Shinnô), see
below
3.
Prince
Katsura (Katsura no miya Yoshihito Shinnô), see
below.
4.
Prince
Takamado (Takamado no miya Norihito Shinnô), see
below
5.
Princess
Masako (Mikasa no miya Masako Naishinnô), b. at
Tokyo 23 October 1951; lost rank and title upon marriage; m. 14 October
1983 Mr. Sen Masayuki (b. 1956), son of Sen Soshitsu, head of the Urasen-ke tea
ceremony school in Kyoto, and has issue (see Genealogy of the Imperial Dynasty
Part II)
Prince Mikasa Tomohito
His Imperial Highness Prince
Tomohito (Mikasa
no miya Tomohito Shinnô), Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the
Chrysanthemum, the eldest son of Prince and Princess Mikasa (Takahito), was
born in Tokyo on 5 January 1946. The prince is a first cousin of the Emperor,
fifth in line to the throne and heir apparent to the house of Mikasa-no-miya.
He received his primary and secondary education at Gakushuin. After graduating
from Gakushuin University, he studied at Magdalen College, Oxford.
The prince wrote a book of
poetry about his time in Great Britain entitled, Tomohito's Lovely English
Life. Prince Tomohito is the patron of the Annual Tokyo Motor Show and the
honorary president of ten social welfare and youth organizations. The prince
was honorary president of the National Recreation Association from 1991 until
his resignation December 1997. On 7 November 1980, he married Miss Aso Nobuko.
Her Imperial Highness Princess
Tomohito, Order
of the Precious Crown, the third daughter of the late Mr. Aso Takakichi and his
wife, the late Yoshida Kazuko, was born in Tokyo on 9 April 1955. Princess
Tomohito is a granddaughter of the late Yoshida Shigeru (1878-1967), former
prime minister of Japan (1946-47, 1948-54). Her brother, Aso Tara, is a
six-term Liberal Democratic member of House of Representatives and a former
director-general of the Economic Planning Agency. The Princess's father also
served as an LDP representative in the Diet. Prince and Princess Tomohito have
issue:
1.
Princess
Akiko (Mikasa no miya Akiko
Nyoô), born at Tokyo 20 Dec. 1981.
2.
Princess
Yôko (Mikasa no miya Yuko Nyoô), born
at Tokyo 25 October 1983.
Prince Katsura
His Imperial Highness Prince
Katsura (Katsura
no miya Yoshihito Shinnô), Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the
Chrysanthemum, the second son of Prince and Princess Mikasa (Takahito), was
born on 11 February 1948. He is a first cousin of the Emperor and currently sixth
in line to the throne. The prince, whose personal name is Yoshihito, received
his primary and secondary education from the Gakushuin.
After graduating from Gakushuin
University, he studied at the Australian National University from 1972 to 1975.
On 11 February 1986, he received the title Prince Katsura (Katsura no miya) and
the authorization for form his own branch of the imperial family. During the
Edo period (1607-1867), the house of Katsura-no-miya was one of four princely
families entitled to provide a successor to the throne, in default of a direct
heir. The title faced
extinction with the death of the tenth head (Emperor Ninko's infant son, Prince
Misahito).
Emperor Ninko's daughter, Princess Sumiko
(1838-1881), became the eleventh head of the Katsura-no-miya house in her own
right. Upon her death, the Katsura-no-miya title remained vacant until Emperor
Shôwa bestowed it on his nephew in 1986. Prince
Katsura has made official visits to Australia, New Zealand, and several other
Pacific-rim countries. He is honorary president of the Agricultural Society of
Japan, the Japan Forestry Association, the Japan-Australia Association, and the
Japan-New Zealand Association. Prince Katsura is unmarried.
Prince Takamado
His Imperial Highness Prince
Takamado (Takamado
no miya Norihito Shinnô), Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of
the Chrysanthemum, the third son of Prince and Princess Mikasa, was born on 29
December 1950. The Prince, whose given name is Norihito, is a first cousin of
the Emperor and currently seventh in line to the throne. Like his brothers, he
received his primary and secondary education at the Gakushuin. He graduated
from the Faculty of Law at Gakushuin University in March 1978. He studied at
Queens University in Canada from 1978 to 1981. The Prince received the Grand
Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum upon his coming of age on 29
December 1974. He received the title Takamado-no-miya (Prince Takamado) upon
his marriage to Miss Tottori Hisako on 6 December 1984.
Her Imperial Highness Princess
Takamado, Order
of the Precious Crown, the first daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Tottori Shigejiro,
was born in Tokyo on 10 July 1953. She received a degree in Chinese Studies,
Archaeology and Anthropology from Girton College at the University of Cambridge
in 1975. Prince and Princess Takamado are patrons of the Asiatic Society of
Japan. The Prince is honorary president of the Japan-Canada Association and
works as an administrator (unpaid) at the Japan Foundation. He is also the honorary
patron of the Japan Football (Soccer) Association. Prince and Princess Takamado
have issue:
3.
Princess
Tsuguko (Takamado no miya
Tsuguko Nyoô), born at Tokyo 6 March 1986.
4.
Princess
Noriko (Takamado no miya
Noriko Nyoô), born at Tokyo 21 July 1988.
5.
Princess
Ayako (Takamado no miya
Ayako Nyoô), born at Tokyo 15 September 1990.
Princess Takamatsu
Her Imperial Highness Princess
Takamatsu (Takamatsu no miya
Kikuko Shinnô-hi), Order of the Precious Crown, Order of the Sacred
Treasure is the widow of Prince Takamatsu (Nobuhito), the third son of the late
Emperor Taishô and a younger brother of the late Emperor Shôwa. The
Princess is one of two living paternal aunts of the present Emperor.
The former Tokugawa Kikuko was born in Tokyo on 26
Dec. 1911, the eldest daughter of Prince Tokugawa Yoshihisa [peer] (b. at
Shizuoka 2 Sept. 1884; d. at Tokyo 22 Jan. 1922), and his consort, Princess
Miyeko (b. at Tokyo 14 Feb. 1891 and d. at Tokyo 25 Apr 1933). Her paternal
grandfather was Prince Tokugawa Yoshinobu [peer], the fourteenth and last
Tokugawa shogun. Her maternal grandfather was Prince Arisugawa Takahito (b. at
Kyoto 11 Feb. 1862 and d. at Maiko, near Kobe 5 July 1913), the tenth and last
head of the Arisugawa no miya house, one of the four imperial branch families
of the Edo period (1603-1867).
Lady Kikuko received her primary and secondary
education in the then-girls department of the Gakushuin. She married Prince
Takamatsu (b. at the Aoyama Palace, Tokyo 3 Jan. 1905; d. at Tokyo 3 Feb. 1987)
at the Imperial Palace on 4 February 1930. Shortly after their wedding, Prince
and Princess Takamatsu embarked on an official goodwill tour of Great Britain,
France, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Turkey. After the Second World War, the
Prince and Princess served as patrons for a number of charitable and
international friendship organizations including the Japan-Denmark Society, the
Japan-France Society, and the Tofu Society for the Welfare of Leprosy Patients.
Following Prince Takamatsu's death, the Princess became the patron of the
Princess Takamatsu Cancer Research Foundation.
In 1991, Princess Takamatsu and a chamberlain
discovered twenty-nine volumes of diaries kept by the late Prince Takamatsu
between 1934 and 1947. She agreed to publish the diaries in the magazine Chou
Koron. In December 1998, Princess Takamatsu published an anthology of 25
autobiographical essays entitled, Stories about
Chrysanthemums and Hollyhocks. [The
chrysanthemum is the crest of the Imperial family and the hollyhock is the
crest of the Tokugawa family.] In September 1999, Princess
Takamatsu underwent surgery at St. Luke's International Hospital to alleviate a
duodenal ulcer and a fractured left femur. She left
the hospital on 27 January 2000 and continues to reside at the Takanawa Palace
in Tokyo's Minato Ward.
LUCH 2006