Jump to content

Kikuko, Princess Takamatsu: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
plus a photo of wedding of Prince and Princess Takamatsu
 
(18 intermediate revisions by 10 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Japanese princess}}
{{More footnotes|date=December 2016}}
{{More footnotes|date=December 2016}}
{{Infobox royalty
{{Infobox royalty
|name =Kikuko
| name = Kikuko
|title =Princess Takamatsu
| title = Princess Takamatsu
|image =Princess Kikuko (1930).jpg
| image = Princess Takamatsu 1930s.jpg
|caption =Princess Takamatsu in Berlin, August 1930
| caption = Princess Takamatsu in the 1930s
|spouse ={{marriage|[[Nobuhito, Prince Takamatsu]]|4 February 1930|3 February 1987|reason=died}}
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Nobuhito, Prince Takamatsu]]|4 February 1930|3 February 1987|reason=died}}
|moretext =''HIH'' Kikuko, Prince Takamatsu<br />''The Lady'' Tokugawa Kikuko
| moretext = ''HIH'' Kikuko, Prince Takamatsu<br />''The Lady'' Tokugawa Kikuko
|birth_name ={{nihongo|Kikuko Tokugawa|徳川喜久子}}
| birth_name = {{nihongo|Kikuko Tokugawa|徳川喜久子}}
|house =[[Imperial House of Japan]] (by marriage)<br />[[Tokugawa clan]] (by birth)
| house = [[Tokugawa clan]] (by birth)<br />[[Imperial House of Japan]] (by marriage)
|father =Yoshihisa Tokugawa
| father = Yoshihisa Tokugawa
|mother =Princess Mieko of Arisugawa
| mother = Princess Mieko of Arisugawa
|birth_date ={{Birth date|1911|12|26|df=y}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1911|12|26|df=y}}
|birth_place =[[Tokyo City]], [[Empire of Japan|Japan]]
| birth_place = [[Tokyo City]], [[Empire of Japan|Japan]]
|death_date ={{death date and age|2004|12|18|1911|12|26|df=y}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|2004|12|18|1911|12|26|df=y}}
|death_place =[[St. Luke's International Hospital]], [[Chūō, Tokyo|Chūō]], [[Tokyo]], Japan
| death_place = [[St. Luke's International Hospital]], [[Chūō, Tokyo|Chūō]], [[Tokyo]], Japan
|burial_date =27 December 2004
| burial_date = 27 December 2004
|burial_place =Toshimagaoka Imperial Cemetery, [[Bunkyo, Tokyo]]
| burial_place = Toshimagaoka Imperial Cemetery, [[Bunkyo, Tokyo]]
}}
}}
{{nihongo|'''Kikuko, Princess Takamatsu'''|宣仁親王妃喜久子|Nobuhito Shinnōhi Kikuko}}, born {{nihongo|'''Kikuko Tokugawa'''|徳川喜久子|Tokugawa Kikuko|extra= 26 December 1911 &ndash; 18 December 2004}}, was a member of the [[Imperial House of Japan|Japanese Imperial Family]]. The Princess was married to [[Nobuhito, Prince Takamatsu|Prince Takamatsu]], the third son of [[Emperor Taishō]] and [[Empress Teimei]]. She was, therefore, a sister-in-law of [[Hirohito|Emperor Shōwa]] and an aunt of the following emperor, [[Akihito]]. She was mainly known for philanthropic activities, particular her patronage of cancer research organizations. At the time of her death, Princess Takamatsu was the oldest member of the Imperial Family.
{{nihongo|'''Kikuko, Princess Takamatsu'''|宣仁親王妃喜久子|Nobuhito Shinnōhi Kikuko}}, born {{nihongo|'''Tokugawa Kikuko'''|徳川喜久子||extra= 26 December 1911 &ndash; 18 December 2004}}, was a member of the [[Imperial House of Japan|Japanese imperial family]]. The Princess was married to [[Nobuhito, Prince Takamatsu]], the third son of [[Emperor Taishō]] and [[Empress Teimei]]. She was, therefore, a sister-in-law of [[Emperor Shōwa]] and an aunt by marriage of the following emperor, [[Akihito|currently the Emperor Emeritus]]. She was mainly known for philanthropic activities, particularly her patronage of cancer research organizations. At the time of her death, Princess Takamatsu was the oldest member of the Imperial Family.


==Early life==
==Early life==
Born in Tokyo on 26 December 1911, she was the second daughter of Yoshihisa Tokugawa (2 September 1884 – 22 January 1922), a peer, and his wife Princess Mieko of Arisugawa (14 February 1891 – 25 April 1933). Her paternal grandfather was [[Tokugawa Yoshinobu]], Japan's last ''[[shōgun]]''. Her maternal grandfather, [[Prince Arisugawa Takehito|Prince Takehito Arisugawa]], was the seventh head of the [[Arisugawa-no-miya]], one of the four ''[[shinnōke]]'' or collateral branches of the Imperial Family during the [[Edo period]] entitled to provide a successor to the throne in default of a direct heir. Lady Kikuko Tokugawa received her primary and secondary education at the then-girls' department of the [[Gakushuin]]. At age eighteen, she became engaged to Prince Takamatsu, who was then third-in-line to the [[Chrysanthemum throne]]. By virtue of her descent from the Arisugawa-no-miya, Lady Kikuko and Prince Takamatsu were related; both were direct descendants of [[Emperor Reigen]] and were sixth cousins twice removed (Prince Takamatsu was a seven-times great-grandchild of the Reigen Emperor, while Lady Kikuko was a five-times great-grandchild of Reigen).
Born in Tokyo on 26 December 1911, she was the second daughter of Tokugawa Yoshihisa (2 September 1884 – 22 January 1922), a peer, and his wife Princess Mieko of Arisugawa (14 February 1891 – 25 April 1933). Her paternal grandfather was [[Tokugawa Yoshinobu]], Japan's last ''[[shōgun]]''. Her maternal grandfather, [[Prince Arisugawa Takehito]], was the seventh head of the [[Arisugawa-no-miya]], one of the four ''[[shinnōke]]'' or collateral branches of the Imperial Family during the [[Edo period]] entitled to provide a successor to the throne in default of a direct heir. Lady Kikuko Tokugawa received her primary and secondary education at the then-girls' department of the [[Gakushuin]]. At age eighteen, she became engaged to Prince Takamatsu, who was then third-in-line to the [[Chrysanthemum throne]]. By virtue of her descent from the Arisugawa-no-miya, Lady Kikuko and Prince Takamatsu were related. Both were direct descendants of [[Emperor Reigen]], making them sixth cousins twice removed. Prince Takamatsu was a seven-times great-grandchild of the Reigen Emperor, while Lady Kikuko was a five-times great-grandchild of Reigen.


==Marriage==
==Marriage==
[[File:Prince and Princess Takamatsu Wedding1930.jpg|thumb|220px|upright|left|Wedding of Nobuhito, Prince Takamatsu and Kikuko Tokugawa (4 February 1930)]]
[[File:Prince and Princess Takamatsu circa 1950.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Prince and Princess Takamatsu, c. 1950]]
[[File:Prince and Princess Takamatsu circa 1950.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Prince and Princess Takamatsu, c. 1950]]
On 4 February 1930, she married Prince Takamatsu at the [[Tokyo Imperial Palace]]. The couple had no children. Shortly after the wedding, Prince and Princess Takamatsu embarked upon a world tour, partly to return the courtesies shown to them by King [[George V of the United Kingdom]] in sending a mission to Tokyo to present Emperor Shōwa with the [[Order of the Garter]]. During their journey they travelled across the United States so as to strengthen the goodwill and understanding between their nations. The 1930 photo illustration comes from the illustrated biography on Prince Iyesato Tokugawa titled The Art of Peace. The photo presents Princess and Prince Takamatsu during their reception by U.S. President Herbert Hoover. <ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2019|title=Prince and Princess Takamatsu take a fourteen month Goodwill World Tour during 1930-1931. While in Washington, D.C., they were personally escorted by President Herbert Hoover down Pennsylvania Avenue as part of their special reception.|url=https://theemperorandthespy.com/2020/01/prince-tokugawa-iesato-encouraged-emperor-hirohitos-younger-brother-prince-takamatsu-and-his-recent-bride-princess-takamatsu-to-take-a-fourteen-month-goodwill-world-tour-during-1930-1931-whi/|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=TheEmperorAndTheSpy.com}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite book|last=Katz|first=Stan S|title=The Art of Peace|publisher=Horizon Productions|year=2019|isbn=978-0-9903349-2-7|location=California|pages=Chapter 9}}</ref>
On 4 February 1930, she married Prince Takamatsu at the [[Tokyo Imperial Palace]]. The couple had no children. Shortly after the wedding, Prince and Princess Takamatsu embarked upon a world tour, partly to return the courtesies shown to them by King [[George V of the United Kingdom]] in sending a mission to Tokyo to present Emperor Shōwa with the [[Order of the Garter]]. During their journey, they travelled across the United States so as to strengthen the goodwill and understanding between their nations. The 1930 photo illustration comes from the illustrated biography on Prince Iyesato Tokugawa titled The Art of Peace. The photo presents Princess and Prince Takamatsu during their reception by U.S. President [[Herbert Hoover]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2019|title=Prince and Princess Takamatsu take a fourteen month Goodwill World Tour during 1930-1931. While in Washington, D.C., they were personally escorted by President Herbert Hoover down Pennsylvania Avenue as part of their special reception.|url=https://theemperorandthespy.com/2020/01/prince-tokugawa-iesato-encouraged-emperor-hirohitos-younger-brother-prince-takamatsu-and-his-recent-bride-princess-takamatsu-to-take-a-fourteen-month-goodwill-world-tour-during-1930-1931-whi/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=TheEmperorAndTheSpy.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Katz|first=Stan S|title=The Art of Peace|publisher=Horizon Productions|year=2019|isbn=978-0-9903349-2-7|location=California|pages=Chapter 9}}</ref>


The Prince and Princess returned to Japan in June 1931 and took up residence in [[Takanawa]] in [[Minato, Tokyo]].
The Prince and Princess returned to Japan in June 1931 and took up residence in [[Takanawa]] in [[Minato, Tokyo]].
Line 32: Line 34:


==Unconventional frankness==
==Unconventional frankness==
[[File:Dianthus alpinus Alpennelke Rax.jpg|thumb|''[[Dianthus]]'', designated imperial personal emblem of Kikuko]]
In 1991, Princess Takamatsu and an aide discovered a twenty one volume diary, written in Prince Takamatsu's own hand between 1922 and 1947. Despite opposition from the [[Imperial Household Agency]], she gave the diary to the magazine ''[[Chūōkōron]]'' which published excerpts in 1995. The diary revealed that Prince Takamatsu opposed the [[Kwantung Army]]'s incursions in [[Manchuria]] in September 1931, the expansion of the July 1937 [[Marco Polo Bridge Incident]] into a [[Second Sino-Japanese War|full-scale war]] against [[China]] and had warned his brother [[Hirohito]] in November 1941 that the [[Imperial Japanese Navy|Navy]] could not fight more than two years against the United States.
In 1991, Princess Takamatsu and an aide discovered a twenty one volume diary, written in Prince Takamatsu's own hand between 1922 and 1947. Despite opposition from the [[Imperial Household Agency]], she gave the diary to the magazine ''[[Chūōkōron]]'' which published excerpts in 1995. The diary revealed that Prince Takamatsu opposed the [[Kwantung Army]]'s incursions in [[Manchuria]] in September 1931, the expansion of the July 1937 [[Marco Polo Bridge Incident]] into a [[Second Sino-Japanese War|full-scale war]] against [[China]], and had warned his brother [[Hirohito]] in November 1941 that the [[Imperial Japanese Navy|Navy]] could not fight more than two years against the United States.


After the death of her sister-in-law, [[Empress Kōjun]], in 2000, Princess Takamatsu became the oldest member of the Imperial Family. In 2001, after [[Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan|Crown Prince Naruhito]] and [[Masako, Crown Princess of Japan|Crown Princess Masako]] had a [[Aiko, Princess Toshi|daughter]], Princess Takamatsu, at age 90, became the first member of the Imperial Family to publicly call for changes to the 1947 [[Imperial Household Law]], which limits the succession to the [[Chrysanthemum throne]] to legitimate males in the male line of descent. In an article she wrote for the January/February 2002 issue of a women's magazine, she argued that having a female ''[[tennō]]'' was "not unnatural" since women had assumed the throne in the past, most recently in the early nineteenth century.
After the death of her sister-in-law [[Empress Kōjun]] in 2000, Princess Takamatsu became the oldest member of the Imperial Family. In 2001, after [[Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan|Crown Prince Naruhito]] and [[Masako, Crown Princess of Japan|Crown Princess Masako]] had a [[Aiko, Princess Toshi|daughter]], Princess Takamatsu, at age 90, became the first member of the Imperial Family to publicly call for changes to the 1947 [[Imperial Household Law]], which limits the succession to the [[Chrysanthemum throne]] to legitimate males in the male line of descent. In an article she wrote for the January/February 2002 issue of a women's magazine, she argued that having a female ''[[tennō]]'' was "not unnatural" since women had assumed the throne in the past, most recently in the early nineteenth century.


Princess Takamatsu died of [[sepsis]] at [[St. Luke's International Hospital|St. Luke's Medical Center]] in Tokyo on 18 December 2004. She had been in and out of the hospital with various ailments during the last decade of her life. Her funeral was held on 27 December at Toshimagaoka cemetery in Tokyo's [[Bunkyō, Tokyo|Bunkyō]] [[Wards of Japan|Ward]]. She was the last surviving member of the imperial family who was born during the [[Meiji period]].
Princess Takamatsu died of [[sepsis]] at [[St. Luke's International Hospital|St. Luke's Medical Center]] in Tokyo on 18 December 2004. She had been in and out of the hospital with various ailments during the last decade of her life. Her funeral was held on 27 December at Toshimagaoka cemetery in Tokyo's [[Bunkyō, Tokyo|Bunkyō]] [[Wards of Japan|Ward]]. She was the last surviving member of the imperial family who was born during the [[Meiji period]].
Line 40: Line 43:
==Honours==
==Honours==
===National===
===National===
* Dame Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Precious Crown]]
* Dame Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Precious Crown]] (4 February 1930)


=== Foreign ===
=== Foreign ===
Line 76: Line 79:
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1746886.stm BBC News | Princess backs Japan succession change]
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1746886.stm BBC News | Princess backs Japan succession change]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080413030604/http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1640152,00.html News24.com Japanese Princess buried]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080413030604/http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1640152,00.html News24.com Japanese Princess buried]
*{{Cite web|url=https://theemperorandthespy.com/2019/10/the-art-of-peace-the-illustrated-biography-on-prince-iyesato-tokugawa/|title=Introduction to The Art of Peace biography on Prince Tokugawa that highlights Prince and Princess Takamatsu's 1930 - 1931 goodwill World Tour.|last=Katz|first=Stan S.|date=2019|website=TheEmperorAndTheSpy.com|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}
*{{Cite web|url=https://theemperorandthespy.com/2019/10/the-art-of-peace-the-illustrated-biography-on-prince-iyesato-tokugawa/|title=Introduction to The Art of Peace biography on Prince Tokugawa that highlights Prince and Princess Takamatsu's 1930 - 1931 goodwill World Tour.|last=Katz|first=Stan S.|date=2019|website=TheEmperorAndTheSpy.com|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}


{{Japanese princesses by marriage}}
{{Japanese princesses by marriage}}
Line 85: Line 88:
[[Category:1911 births]]
[[Category:1911 births]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:Deaths from sepsis]]
[[Category:Deaths from sepsis in Japan]]
[[Category:Tokugawa Yoshinobu family]]
[[Category:Tokugawa Yoshinobu family]]
[[Category:Takamatsu no miya]]
[[Category:Takamatsu no miya]]
[[Category:Infectious disease deaths in Japan]]
[[Category:Tokugawa clan]]
[[Category:Tokugawa clan]]
[[Category:Grand Cordons (Imperial Family) of the Order of the Precious Crown]]
[[Category:Grand Cordons (Imperial Family) of the Order of the Precious Crown]]
[[Category:Princesses by marriage]]

Latest revision as of 15:40, 16 June 2024

Kikuko
Princess Takamatsu
Princess Takamatsu in the 1930s
BornKikuko Tokugawa (徳川喜久子)
(1911-12-26)26 December 1911
Tokyo City, Japan
Died18 December 2004(2004-12-18) (aged 92)
St. Luke's International Hospital, Chūō, Tokyo, Japan
Burial27 December 2004
Toshimagaoka Imperial Cemetery, Bunkyo, Tokyo
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1930; died 1987)​
HouseTokugawa clan (by birth)
Imperial House of Japan (by marriage)
FatherYoshihisa Tokugawa
MotherPrincess Mieko of Arisugawa

Kikuko, Princess Takamatsu (宣仁親王妃喜久子, Nobuhito Shinnōhi Kikuko), born Tokugawa Kikuko (徳川喜久子, 26 December 1911 – 18 December 2004), was a member of the Japanese imperial family. The Princess was married to Nobuhito, Prince Takamatsu, the third son of Emperor Taishō and Empress Teimei. She was, therefore, a sister-in-law of Emperor Shōwa and an aunt by marriage of the following emperor, currently the Emperor Emeritus. She was mainly known for philanthropic activities, particularly her patronage of cancer research organizations. At the time of her death, Princess Takamatsu was the oldest member of the Imperial Family.

Early life

[edit]

Born in Tokyo on 26 December 1911, she was the second daughter of Tokugawa Yoshihisa (2 September 1884 – 22 January 1922), a peer, and his wife Princess Mieko of Arisugawa (14 February 1891 – 25 April 1933). Her paternal grandfather was Tokugawa Yoshinobu, Japan's last shōgun. Her maternal grandfather, Prince Arisugawa Takehito, was the seventh head of the Arisugawa-no-miya, one of the four shinnōke or collateral branches of the Imperial Family during the Edo period entitled to provide a successor to the throne in default of a direct heir. Lady Kikuko Tokugawa received her primary and secondary education at the then-girls' department of the Gakushuin. At age eighteen, she became engaged to Prince Takamatsu, who was then third-in-line to the Chrysanthemum throne. By virtue of her descent from the Arisugawa-no-miya, Lady Kikuko and Prince Takamatsu were related. Both were direct descendants of Emperor Reigen, making them sixth cousins twice removed. Prince Takamatsu was a seven-times great-grandchild of the Reigen Emperor, while Lady Kikuko was a five-times great-grandchild of Reigen.

Marriage

[edit]
Wedding of Nobuhito, Prince Takamatsu and Kikuko Tokugawa (4 February 1930)
Prince and Princess Takamatsu, c. 1950

On 4 February 1930, she married Prince Takamatsu at the Tokyo Imperial Palace. The couple had no children. Shortly after the wedding, Prince and Princess Takamatsu embarked upon a world tour, partly to return the courtesies shown to them by King George V of the United Kingdom in sending a mission to Tokyo to present Emperor Shōwa with the Order of the Garter. During their journey, they travelled across the United States so as to strengthen the goodwill and understanding between their nations. The 1930 photo illustration comes from the illustrated biography on Prince Iyesato Tokugawa titled The Art of Peace. The photo presents Princess and Prince Takamatsu during their reception by U.S. President Herbert Hoover.[1][2]

The Prince and Princess returned to Japan in June 1931 and took up residence in Takanawa in Minato, Tokyo.

Following her mother's death from bowel cancer in 1933, Princess Takamatsu became a champion of cancer research. Using money donated by the public, she established the Princess Takamatsu Cancer Research Fund in 1968, organizing symposia and awarding scientists for groundbreaking work. She also served as president of an organization extending relief to leprosy patients. The Princess also served as the honorary president of the "Saiseikai" Imperial Gift Foundation Inc., Tofu Kyokai Foundation, Shadan Houjin Tokyo Jikeikai, Nichifutsu Kyokai, and Nichifutsu Kaikan, and as an honorary vice-president of the Japanese Red Cross Society.

Unconventional frankness

[edit]
Dianthus, designated imperial personal emblem of Kikuko

In 1991, Princess Takamatsu and an aide discovered a twenty one volume diary, written in Prince Takamatsu's own hand between 1922 and 1947. Despite opposition from the Imperial Household Agency, she gave the diary to the magazine Chūōkōron which published excerpts in 1995. The diary revealed that Prince Takamatsu opposed the Kwantung Army's incursions in Manchuria in September 1931, the expansion of the July 1937 Marco Polo Bridge Incident into a full-scale war against China, and had warned his brother Hirohito in November 1941 that the Navy could not fight more than two years against the United States.

After the death of her sister-in-law Empress Kōjun in 2000, Princess Takamatsu became the oldest member of the Imperial Family. In 2001, after Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako had a daughter, Princess Takamatsu, at age 90, became the first member of the Imperial Family to publicly call for changes to the 1947 Imperial Household Law, which limits the succession to the Chrysanthemum throne to legitimate males in the male line of descent. In an article she wrote for the January/February 2002 issue of a women's magazine, she argued that having a female tennō was "not unnatural" since women had assumed the throne in the past, most recently in the early nineteenth century.

Princess Takamatsu died of sepsis at St. Luke's Medical Center in Tokyo on 18 December 2004. She had been in and out of the hospital with various ailments during the last decade of her life. Her funeral was held on 27 December at Toshimagaoka cemetery in Tokyo's Bunkyō Ward. She was the last surviving member of the imperial family who was born during the Meiji period.

Honours

[edit]

National

[edit]

Foreign

[edit]

Ancestry

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Prince and Princess Takamatsu take a fourteen month Goodwill World Tour during 1930-1931. While in Washington, D.C., they were personally escorted by President Herbert Hoover down Pennsylvania Avenue as part of their special reception". TheEmperorAndTheSpy.com. 2019.
  2. ^ Katz, Stan S (2019). The Art of Peace. California: Horizon Productions. pp. Chapter 9. ISBN 978-0-9903349-2-7.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kikuko,_Princess_Takamatsu&oldid=1229395832"