by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2019
Princess Mikasa of Japan, born Yuriko Takagi; Credit – Wikipedia
Princess Mikasa was the wife of Prince Mikasa of Japan, the youngest son of Emperor Taishō, the brother of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito), and the uncle of Emperor Akihito. Born Yuriko Takagi on June 4, 1923, at her family home in Tokyo, Japan, she was the daughter of Viscount Masanari Takagi, a member of the Japanese nobility and a renowned entomologist, and his wife Kuniko Irie, a second cousin of Emperor Hirohito. In 1928, Yuriko began her education at the Girls School of The Gakushūin or Peers School, graduating in 1941.
On October 3, 1941, 18-year-old Yuriko was officially engaged to Prince Mikasa. The couple was married on October 22, 1941, and Yuriko was known as Princess Mikasa after her marriage. Prince and Princess Mikasa lived on the grounds of the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo.
Princess Mikasa and her three elder children, circa 1950; Credit – Wikipedia
The couple had three sons and two daughters. All three sons predeceased their parents.
- 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 from birth and her official membership in the Imperial Family
- Prince Takamado (1954 – 2002), married Hisako Tottori, had three daughters
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Prince and Princess Mikasa
In 1948, Princess Mikasa became President of the Imperial Gift Foundation Boshi-Aiiku-kai, an organization promoting the health and well-being of mothers and children. She remained President until 2010. Like other Imperial Family princesses, she was an Honorary Vice-President of the Japanese Red Cross Society. Princess Mikasa served as a reserve member of the Imperial Household Council which deals with statutory matters of the Imperial House of Japan. In this role, she participated in debates that focused on the approval of the marriage of Crown Prince Naruhito and Masako Owada.
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Prince Mikasa and Princess Mikasa wave to well-wishers gathered for the annual New Year’s greetings at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on January 2, 2016
Princess Mikasa’s husband died on October 27, 2016, at the age of 100, a little more than a month before his 101st birthday. At the time of his death, he was the world’s oldest royal and the longest-lived member of the Japanese Imperial Family. Five days before Prince Mikasa’s death, he and his wife celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary in his hospital room.
Yuriko, Princess Mikasa survived her husband by eight years, dying of old age, on November 15, 2024, at St. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo, Japan aged 101. She was surrounded by her granddaughters Princess Akiko, Princess Yōko, and Princess Tsuguko, and her daughter-in-law Princess Hisako.
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Works Cited
- En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Yuriko, Princess Mikasa. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuriko,_Princess_Mikasa [Accessed 29 Jan. 2019].
- Es.wikipedia.org. (2019). Princesa Mikasa. [online] Available at: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princesa_Mikasa [Accessed 29 Jan. 2019].
- Fr.wikipedia.org. (2019). Yuriko Takagi. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuriko_Takagi [Accessed 29 Jan. 2019].
- Ja.wikipedia.org. (2019). 崇仁親王妃百合子. [online] Available at: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B4%87%E4%BB%81%E8%A6%AA%E7%8E%8B%E5%A6%83%E7%99%BE%E5%90%88%E5%AD%90 [Accessed 29 Jan. 2019].