by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Credit – By Kounosu1 – File:The New Year Greeting 2011 at the Tokyo Imperial Palace.jpg – Wikimedia Commons, CC 表示-継承 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33377647

• Unofficial Royalty: Japanese Naming Conventions

Born on November 28, 1935, at the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan, Prince Hitachi is the younger of the two sons and the sixth of the seven children of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) and Empress Kōjun (Nagako) and the younger brother of Emperor Akihito. He was given the personal name Masahito and the childhood appellation Yoshi. Upon his marriage, he was granted the title Hitachi-no-miya (Prince Hitachi), and the authorization to start a new branch of the Imperial Family.

Prince Hitachi had had five sisters and one brother:

• Shigeko, Princess Teru (1925 – 1943), married Prince Morihiro Higashikuni, had five children
• Sachiko, Princess Hisa (1927 – 1928), died young
• Kazuko, Princess Taka (1929 – 1989), married Toshimichi Takatsukasa, lost her imperial status due to marrying a commoner, adopted one son
• Atsuko, Princess Yori (1931 – 1952), married Takamasa Ikeda, lost her imperial status due to marrying a commoner, no children
• Akihito, Emperor of Japan (born 1933), married Michiko Shōda, had two sons and one daughter
• Takako, Princess Suga (born 1939), married Hisanaga Shimazu, lost her imperial status due to marrying a commoner, had one son

Prince Hitachi in 1939; Credit – Wikipedia

After being privately tutored, Prince Hitachi completed his elementary and secondary education at The Gakushūin (Peers School) in Tokyo, established in 1847 to educate the children of Japan’s nobility. During the American Occupation of Japan, following World War II, he was tutored in English and Western culture, along with some of his siblings. In 1958, Prince Hitachi graduated from Gakushuin University Faculty of Science Department of Chemistry with a Bachelor’s degree. After that, he became a research student at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Science studying cellular biology.

Embed from Getty Images 
Wedding of Prince Hitachi and Hanako Tsugaru

Prince Hitachi met his future wife Hanako Tsugaru, daughter of Count Yoshitaka Tsugaru, the last representative of the Tsugaru clan, while they were both students at The Gakushuin. The Imperial Household Council announced their engagement on February 28, 1964. The formal engagement ceremony was held on April 14, 1964, and the wedding ceremony took place on September 30, 1964. The couple had no children.

In 1969, Prince Hitachi became a Research Associate of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research.  The results of his work on carcinogenesis and cancer biology were recognized worldwide and were published in prestigious journals. After his retirement, Prince Hitachi was appointed the Honorary President of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research.

Prince Hitachi and his wife with other members of the Imperial Family during the traditional New Year’s greeting in 2011. Left to right: Princess Ayako of Takamado, Princess Tsuguko of Takamado, Princess Akiko of Mikasa, Princess Hitachi, Prince Hitachi, Crown Princess Masako, and Crown Prince Naruhito; Credit – Par Kounosu — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12673325

As the son and then the brother of The Emperor, Prince Hitachi was expected to represent his country internationally and participate in charitable works. As he grew older, his responsibilities in these areas lessened. He holds the following positions:

• Reserve Member of the Imperial House Council
• President of the Japanese Society for the Preservation of Birds
• President of the Japanese Society for Disabled Children
• President of the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation
• President of the Japan-Denmark Society
• President of the Dainippon Silk Foundation
• President of the Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities
• President of the Japan Art Association
• President of the Tokyo Zoological Park Society
• President of Maison Franco-Japonaise
• President of the Princess Takamatsu Cancer Research Fund
• Honorary President of the Japan-Sweden Society
• Honorary President of the Japan-Belgium Society
• Honorary President of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research
• Honorary President of Association Pasteur Japon
• Honorary Vice-President of the Japanese Red Cross Society

In 2007, both Prince and Princess Hitachi were elected by the other members of the Imperial Family to be representatives to the Imperial Household Council.  Both were re-elected in 2011 and 2015. The Imperial Household Council is a ten-member body that approves the statutory matters of the Imperial House of Japan.

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Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Masahito, Prince Hitachi. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masahito,_Prince_Hitachi [Accessed 31 Jan. 2019].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. (2019). Masahito de Hitachi. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masahito_de_Hitachi [Accessed 31 Jan. 2019].
• Ja.wikipedia.org. (2019). 常陸宮正仁親王. [online] Available at: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B8%B8%E9%99%B8%E5%AE%AE%E6%AD%A3%E4%BB%81%E8%A6%AA%E7%8E%8B [Accessed 31 Jan. 2019].
• Kunaicho.go.jp. (2019). Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Hitachi – The Imperial Household Agency. [online] Available at: http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-about/activity/activity04.html [Accessed 31 Jan. 2019].