Category Archives: Japanese Royals

Empress Michiko of Japan

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

photo: Zimbio

Empress Michiko of Japan – photo: Zimbio

Michiko Shōda was born on October 30, 1934, in Tokyo. She is the eldest daughter of Hidesaburō Shōda, president and later honorary chairman of Nisshin Flour Milling Company, and Fumiko Soejima. She had two brothers Iwao and Usamu, and a younger sister Emiko. Michiko was raised in Tokyo where she began her education, studying both a traditional and Western curriculum, learning to speak English and play the piano. During World War II, Michiko’s family left Tokyo because of the American bombings.  The family returned in 1946 and Michiko completed her primary and secondary education. She graduated from high school in 1953. She then attended the University of the Sacred Heart in Tokyo, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature. She also attended Harvard University in the United States and Oxford University in England.

Michiko in 1940; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Michiko first met her future husband, then Crown Prince Akihito, son of Emperor Hirohito and Princess Nagako of Kuni, on a tennis court in August 1957. The Imperial Household Council formally approved the engagement of Crown Prince Akihito to Michiko Shōda on November 27, 1958, and the engagement ceremony took place on January 14, 1959. It would be the first time a commoner married into the Imperial Family. The engagement announcement drew criticism from traditionalist groups because Michiko came from a Roman Catholic family. She was never baptized but had been educated in Catholic schools and seemed to share the faith of her parents. Akihito and Michiko were married in a traditional Shinto ceremony on April 10, 1959.

There was much speculation that Akihito’s mother strongly opposed the marriage and that after she treated her commoner daughter-in-law harshly.  Michiko suffered from several nervous breakdowns because of the pressure of the media and the attitude of her mother-in-law, which resulted in making her lose her voice for seven months in the 1960s and again in the fall of 1993.

Akihito and Michiko on their wedding day with Emperor Shōwa and Empress Kōjun; Credit – Wikipedia

Akihito and Michiko had two sons and one daughter:

 

  • Michiko with her family in 1969; Photo Credit – By Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan – http://www.mofa.go.jp/s_sa/sea2/ph/page3e_000444.html, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48716069

    During her husband’s reign, Empress Michiko was always present at the Emperor’s side, whether it be visiting regions of Japan or hosting visitors at the Imperial Palace. The couple became very popular because they attempted to be more in touch with the Japanese people. The Empress served as honorary president of the Japanese Red Cross and supported many organizations throughout Japan. In addition, Michiko is a classically trained pianist and enjoys poetry. Several books of her poems were published and wrote a children’s book “My First Mountain” in 1991.

    In December 2017, it was announced that Emperor Akihito would abdicate on April 30, 2019, and would be succeeded by his elder son Naruhito.  When her husband abdicated Michiko’s title became Jōkōgō, Empress Emerita. After the abdication, Akihito and Michiko lived temporarily at the Takanawa Imperial Residence, formerly the home of Prince and Princess Takamatsu, Akihito’s aunt and uncle. It had been empty since the death of Princess Takamatsu in 2004. They then moved to the Togu Palace at the Akasaka Estate, the former home of Emperor Naruhito and his family. Togu Palace was renamed Sento Imperial Palace, which translates as “the place where the retired imperial couple live.”

    Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko; photo: Wikipedia

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  • State of Japan Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Emperor Akihito of Japan

by Scott Mehl and Susan Flantzer   
© Unofficial Royalty 2014

Emperor Akihito of Japan; Credit – Wikipedia

Emperor Akihito of Japan was born on December 23, 1933, at the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan. He was the fifth of the seven children and the eldest son of Emperor Hirohito and Princess Nagako of Kuni.  Akihito was heir-apparent to the Chrysanthemum Throne from birth.

Akihito and his mother; Credit – Wikipedia

Akihito had five sisters and one brother:

Japanese Imperial Family, 1941; Credit – Wikipedia

Akihito, titled Prince Tsugu, was initially educated by tutors at the Imperial Palace before completing his elementary and secondary education at The Gakushūin (Peers School) in Tokyo. During the American Occupation of Japan, following World War II, Akihito and several of his siblings were tutored in English and Western culture. He later briefly attended Gakushuin University, studying Political Science, but did not obtain a degree. On November 10, 1952, he was formally invested as Crown Prince in a ceremony held at the Imperial Palace.

Akihito’s investiture as Crown Prince; Credit – Wikipedia

Akihito first met his future wife  Michiko Shōda, the eldest daughter of a wealthy flour company executive, on a tennis court in August 1957. The Imperial Household Council formally approved the engagement of Crown Prince Akihito to Michiko Shōda on November 27, 1958, and the engagement ceremony took place on January 14, 1959. It would be the first time a commoner married into the Imperial Family. The engagement announcement drew criticism from traditionalist groups because Michiko came from a Roman Catholic family. She had never been baptized but had been educated in Catholic schools and seemed to share the faith of her parents. There was much speculation that Akihito’s mother strongly opposed the marriage. After the marriage, she treated her commoner daughter-in-law harshly. Akihito and Michiko were married in a traditional Shinto ceremony on April 10, 1959.

Akihito and Michiko on their wedding day with Emperor Shōwa and Empress Kōjun; Credit – Wikipedia

Akihito and Michiko had two sons and one daughter:

Akihito ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne on January 7, 1989, upon the death of his father Emperor Hirohito. His formal enthronement took place on November 12, 1990. During his reign, Emperor Akihito made an effort to bring the Imperial family closer to the Japanese people.  Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko made official visits to foreign countries and all forty-seven Prefectures of Japan.  In response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and the Fukushima I nuclear crisis, Emperor Akihito made a historic televised speech urging the Japanese people not to give up hope and to help each other.

Emperor Akihito has had several health issues. He underwent surgery for prostate cancer in 2003. In 2011, he was admitted to the hospital suffering from pneumonia. In February 2012, after having a coronary examination, the Emperor underwent successful heart bypass surgery.

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko with their sons and their families in 2013; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Emperor Akihito shares his father’s interest in marine biology.  He is a published ichthyological researcher, has specialized in studies within the taxonomy of the family Gobiidae, and has written papers for scholarly journals such as Gene and the Japanese Journal of Ichthyology.

In 2016, Emperor Akihito gave a televised speech emphasizing his advanced age and declining health that was interpreted as a desire to abdicate.  On June 8, 2017, the National Diet, the Japanese legislature, passed a bill allowing Akihito to abdicate. On December 1, 2017, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that Emperor Akihito would abdicate on April 30, 2019, in favor of his elder son Crown Prince Naruhito. The last abdication occurred 200 years ago when Emperor Kōkaku abdicated in 1817.

The era of Emperor Akihito’s reign bears the name “Heisei” and according to custom, he will be renamed “Emperor Heisei” after his death.  After Akihito abdicated on April 30, 2019, he was entitled Jōkō, an abbreviation of Daijō Tennō (Emperor Emeritus), and the new era Reiwa was established for his son and successor Emperor Naruhito.

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko; Credit – Wikipedia

After the abdication, Akihito and his wife Michiko lived temporarily at the Takanawa Imperial Residence, formerly the home of Prince and Princess Takamatsu, Akihito’s aunt and uncle. It had been empty since the death of Princess Takamatsu in 2004. They then moved to Togu Palace at the Akasaka Estate, the former home of Emperor Naruhito and his family. Togu Palace was renamed Sento Imperial Palace, which translates as “the place where the retired imperial couple live.”

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

State of Japan Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Prince Katsura of Mikasa

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Prince Katsura of Mikasa was the second son of the three sons and the third of the five children of Prince Mikasa of Japan and Yuriko Takagi (Princess Mikasa). Prince Mikasa was the youngest son of Emperor Taishō, the youngest brother of Emperor Hirohito (Shōwa), and the uncle of Emperor Akihito. Prince Katsura was born in Tokyo, Japan on February 11, 1948. He was called “of Mikasa” because his father was authorized to form a new branch of the Imperial Family by Emperor Hirohito (Shōwa). He was given the personal name Yoshihito and the childhood appellation Yoshi.  In 1988, he was granted the title Prince Katsura (Katsura-no-miya), and authorization to start a new branch of the Imperial Family. However, he never married.

Prince Katsura had four siblings:

  • Yasuko Konoe, formerly Princess Yasuko (born 1944), married Tadateru Konoe, had one daughter; upon her marriage, Princess Yasuko had to relinquish her title from birth and her official membership in the Imperial Family
  • Prince Tomohito (1946 – 2012), married Nobuko Asō, had two daughters
  • Masako Sen, formerly Princess Masako (born 1951), married Sōshitsu Sen, had two sons and one daughter; upon her marriage, Princess Masako had to relinquish her title from birth and her official membership in the Imperial Family
  • Prince Takamado (1954 – 2002), married Hisako Tottori, had three daughters

Left to right: Prince Tomohito, Princess Mikasa, Prince Katsura, and Princess Yasuko; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Katsura studied political science at Gakushuin University in Tokyo, Japan, graduating in 1971. He then attended graduate school at  Australian National University, in Canberra, Australia for two years. Upon his return to Japan, he was an administrator at NHK, Japan’s national public broadcasting organization.

Prince Katsura was paralyzed from the waist down after suffering from a series of strokes in 1988 and used a wheelchair. Despite vision loss in his right eye, paralysis, and memory issues, he remained active in public life and was president of various charity organizations:

  • President of the Japan-Australia-New Zealand Society
  • President of the Agricultural Society of Japan
  • President of the Japan Forestry Association
  • President of the Japan Art Crafts Association
  • President of the Japanese Urushi Art Crafts Association

Prince Katsura attends an exhibition of Japanese traditional art crafts; Credit – http://www.kunaicho.go.jp

Prince Katsura died from a massive heart attack on June 8, 2014, at the University of Tokyo Hospital at the age of 66. Since Prince Katsura never married and his two brothers only had daughters, his death marked the end of his father’s branch of the Japanese Imperial Family.  His death left only five people in the line of succession to the Japanese throne.  Currently, females are not permitted to be in the line of succession.

His funeral, called the Renso-no-Gi (Ceremony of the Funeral and Entombment), was held on June 17, 2014, at the Toshimagaoka Cemetery in Tokyo. His remains were later cremated and then interred in a stone chamber next to the burial site of the ashes of his older brother, Prince Tomohito, who died in 2012. Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko did not attend the funeral as is the custom. The Imperial Family was represented by the Emperor’s two sons and their wives along with one of his granddaughters: Crown Prince Naruhito, Crown Princess Masako, Prince Akishino, and his wife, Princess Kiko, and their daughter Princess Mako.

Katsura funeral

Crown Princess Masako leads Crown Prince Naruhito, Prince Akishino, Princess Kiko, and Princess Mako at Prince Katsura’s funeral; Photo source: Japan Times

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Crown Prince Akishino of Japan

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Crown Prince Akishino with his wife; Credit – Zimbio

Crown Prince Akishino (given name: Fumihito) was born November 30, 1965, at the Aoyama Detached Palace in Toyko, Japan, the second son of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. Until his marriage, he was known as The Prince Aya. After his early education, he attended Gakushuin University, studying law and biology. He later studied at St John’s College, Oxford, and received a Ph.D. in ornithology from the Graduate University for Advanced Studies in Japan in 1996.

Crown Prince Akishino has an elder brother and a younger sister:

The Crown Prince is very interested and involved in organizations focused on nature and agriculture, and teaches as a visiting professor at the Tokyo University of Agriculture. An avid tennis player who once ranked among the top doubles players in Japan, he serves as honorary president of the Japan Tennis Association.

In June 1990, he married Kiko Kawashima, was given the title Prince Akishino and formed a new branch of the Imperial Family. The couple had three children:

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess carry out many public duties representing Japan, and on behalf of the Emperor. The couple and their family live in a home on the Akasaka Estate, the vast park surrounding Akasaka Palace (now used as an official guest house for visiting dignitaries), along with many other members of the Imperial Family.

Crown Prince Akishino (left) with his brother Emperor Naruhito and his sister-in-law Empress Masako; Credit – By 江戸村のとくぞう – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78703618

On December 1, 2017, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that Emperor Akihito would abdicate on April 30, 2019, and that his elder son Crown Prince Naruhito would become Emperor. As his elder brother Emperor Naruhito has no sons, Crown Prince Akishino became the heir presumptive to the Chrysanthemum Throne upon Naruhito’s accession on May 1, 2019. Crown Prince Akishino is followed in the line of succession by his son Prince Hisahito.  Unless Emperor Naruhito has a son or the succession laws are changed, Prince Hisahito will likely inherit the throne. On April 19, 2020, Akishino was to be formally invested as Crown Prince of Japan. However, the ceremony was postponed to November 8, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.