by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2019
Prince Tomohito of Mikasa; Credit – Wikipedia
Prince Tomohito of Mikasa was born on January 5, 1946, at his father’s home in Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan. He was the eldest of the three sons and the second of the five children of Prince Mikasa of Japan and Yuriko Takagi (Princess Mikasa). Tomohito’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).
Prince Tomohito 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 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 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, his mother Princess Mikasa, his brother Prince Yoshihito, and his sister Princess Yasuko; Credit – Wikipedia
Prince Tomohito was educated from kindergarten to university at The Gakushūin or Peers School, established in 1847 to educate the children of the Japanese nobility. In 1968, he graduated from Gakushuin University with a Bachelor’s degree in political science. He then studied at Magdalen College, University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom from 1968 – 1970.
When Prince Tomohito returned to Japan in 1970, he lived in Sapporo and worked as a staff member of the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics Organizing Committee. He later worked to help organize the Okinawa International Maritime Exposition World Maritime Youth Convention. Over the years, Prince Tomohito was frustrated by the restrictions placed upon him as a member of the Imperial Family. Prince Tomohito was the first member of the Imperial Family with a full beard since Emperor Meiji, earning him the nickname the “Bearded Prince”.
Prince and Princess Tomohito; Credit – http://www.kunaicho.go.jp
While studying at the University of Oxford, Prince Tomohito met Nobuko Asō who was studying at Rosslyn House College in Walton-on-Thames. He first proposed marriage to the 18-year-old Nobuko in 1973 but was turned down because of her young age. Finally, on April 18, 1980, the engagement of Prince Tomohito of Mikasa and Nobuko Asō was announced. The formal engagement ceremony was held on May 21, 1980, and the wedding ceremony took place on November 7, 1980.
The couple had two daughters:
- Princess Akiko of Mikasa (born 1981)
- Princess Yōko of Mikasa (born 1983)
Prince Tomohito had serious health issues. In 1991, he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer which went into remission. Over the years, he was treated sixteen times for various forms of cancer including larynx cancer, throat cancer, and recurrences of the cancers. After his cancer diagnosis, he supported many Japanese and international organizations dealing with cancer research and the promotion of the welfare of people with physical or mental disabilities.
Although attempts were made to save his voice, eventually he could only speak aided by a mechanical larynx. In 2007, Prince Tomohito made a public announcement that he was an alcoholic. From 2010 – 2012, he was quite ill and often hospitalized. On June 6, 2012, Prince Tomohito died at the age of 66 at Sasaki Institute Kyoundo Hospital in Tokyo, Japan from multiple organ failure due to the cancers. His cremated remains were interred at the Toshimagaoka Imperial Cemetery in Tokyo, Japan.
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Works Cited
- En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Prince Tomohito of Mikasa. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Tomohito_of_Mikasa [Accessed 29 Jan. 2019].
- Web.archive.org. (2012). Prince Tomohito’s funeral draws 660 luminaries | The Japan Times Online. [online] Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20120719001152/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120615a5.html [Accessed 29 Jan. 2019].
- Ja.wikipedia.org. (2019). 寛仁親王. [online] Available at: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%AF%9B%E4%BB%81%E8%A6%AA%E7%8E%8B [Accessed 29 Jan. 2019].