by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019
Prince Takamado of Mikasa was born in Tokyo, Japan on December 29, 1954. He was the third of the three sons and the youngest of the five children of Prince Mikasa of Japan and Yuriko Takagi (Princess Mikasa). Takamado’s father Prince Mikasa was the youngest son of Emperor Taishō, the youngest brother of Emperor Hirohito (Shōwa), and the uncle of Emperor Akihito. Prince Tomohito was called “of Mikasa” because his father was given the authorization to form a new branch of the Imperial Family by Emperor Hirohito (Shōwa). He was given the personal name Norohito. Upon his marriage, he received the title Prince Takamado (Takamado-no-miya) and authorization to start a new branch of the Imperial Family.
Prince Takamado had four elder 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
- Prince Katsura (1948 – 2014), unmarried
- 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 and her official membership in the Imperial Family
Prince Takamado attended the exclusive Shoto Kindergarten in Toyko and then attended The Gakushūin or Peers School, established in 1847 to educate the children of the Japanese nobility, for his primary, secondary, and university education. He graduated with a degree in law in 1978. From 1978 to 1981, he studied at the Queen’s University Faculty of Law in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Upon his return to Japan, Prince Takamado worked from 1981 until his death in 2002 as the administrator of the Japan Foundation which promotes Japanese arts, culture, and language exchange around the world.
On April 23, 1984, Prince Takamado met Hisako Tottori, the eldest daughter of a Japanese industrialist, at a reception at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo. The prince proposed to Hisako on May 20, 1984, and then the Imperial Household Council announced the engagement on August 1, 1984. On September 17, 1984, the formal engagement ceremony was held and the couple was married on December 6, 1984.
The couple had three daughters:
- Princess Tsuguko (born 1986)
- Princess Noriko (born 1988), married Kunimaro Senge, gave up her imperial title and left the Imperial Family as required by 1947 Imperial Household Law and is now known as Noriko Senge
- Princess Ayako (born 1990), married Kei Moriya, gave up her imperial title and left the Imperial Family as required by 1947 Imperial Household Law and is now known as Ayako Moriya
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Prince and Princess Takamodo with Prince Andrew, Duke of York at the 2002 Korea-Japan Football (soccer) World Cup Tournament
In 1987, Prince Takamado became honorary president of the Japan Football Association (soccer). In that role, Prince Takamado and his wife officially visited the Republic of Korea (South Korea) for the opening ceremonies and games during the 2002 Korea-Japan Football (soccer) World Cup Tournament. This was the first Japanese royal visit since World War II and was an important step in the promotion of friendly relations between Japan and South Korea.
On November 21, 2002, while playing squash with the Canadian ambassador Robert Wright at the Canadian Embassy, Prince Takamado collapsed due to ventricular fibrillation. He was immediately taken to Keio University Hospital but was already in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest. He was resuscitated but his condition then worsened and soon there was no hope that he would survive. With the consent of his wife, Prince Takamado was removed from life support and died at the age of 47.
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(Left to right) Crown Princess Masako, Crown Prince Naruhito, Princesses Ayako, Noriko and Tsuguko and their mother Princess Takamado attend the funeral ceremony for Prince Takamado
The sudden death of one of the youngest and most active members of the Japanese Imperial Family shocked the nation. Prince Takamado’s cremated remains were interred at the Toshimagaoka Imperial Cemetery in Tokyo, Japan. Since the sudden death of Prince Takamado, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and the Japanese Fire and Disaster Management Agency actively focused on measures to educate about ventricular fibrillation including the use and wide distribution of external defibrillators.
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Works Cited
- En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Norihito, Prince Takamado. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norihito,_Prince_Takamado [Accessed 30 Jan. 2019].
- Ja.wikipedia.org. (2019). 高円宮憲仁親王. [online] Available at: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%AB%98%E5%86%86%E5%AE%AE%E6%86%B2%E4%BB%81%E8%A6%AA%E7%8E%8B [Accessed 30 Jan. 2019].
- Kunaicho.go.jp. (2019). Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado and her family – The Imperial Household Agency. [online] Available at: http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-about/activity/activity08.html [Accessed 30 Jan. 2019].
- News.bbc.co.uk. (2002). BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Japanese royals make symbolic trip to Seoul. [online] Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2016376.stm [Accessed 30 Jan. 2019].
- The Japan Times. (2002). Prince dies after collapse on embassy squash court | The Japan Times. [online] Available at: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2002/11/22/national/prince-dies-after-collapse-on-embassy-squash-court/ [Accessed 30 Jan. 2019].