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was a member of the
New York Times, 20 October 2007 He died of cancer on 6 June 2012, aged 66.
Prince Tomohito was born on 5 January 1946 at Prince Mikasa's family home. He graduated from the Department of Political Studies in the Faculty of Law of Gakushuin University in 1968. From 1968 – 1970, he studied at Magdalen College, University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
For the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics, Prince Tomohito served as a committee member on the organizing committee from 1970 until 1972. He was also on the committee for the 1975 Okinawa World Fair.
Prince Tomohito was president and honorary president of various organizations that concerned themselves with cancer research (the Princess Takamatsu Cancer Research Fund), having himself suffered from the disease from 2003, youth education and promotion of international relations. He was also noted for his support of organizations which promoted the welfare of people with physical or mental disabilities through sporting activities, such as skiing, bowling, dancing and rugby. He traveled extensively abroad with the princess on charity, and support missions that concerned matters of illness and welfare. The Prince often gave lectures and contributed articles to national newspapers and magazines, and had also authored seven books.
In December 1992, the Prince and Princess visited the United States to support a newly established cancer ward in the New York Medical College, and in 1994, visited Hawaii to support the reconstruction of Kuakini Hospital. In February 1994, the Prince and Princess visited Norway to attend the
Italian Presidency
S.A.I. Tomohito di Mikasa Principe del Giappone
Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Mikasa and their family
at the Imperial Household Agency website {{DEFAULTSORT:Tomohito Of Mikasa, Prince 1946 births 2012 deaths Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Gakushuin University alumni Japanese princes Japanese radio personalities People from Tokyo Deaths from cancer in Japan Heirs apparent who never acceded Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Deaths from multiple organ failure
Imperial House of Japan
The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the House of Yamato, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the Emperor i ...
and the eldest son of Takahito, Prince Mikasa and Yuriko, Princess Mikasa. He was a first cousin of Emperor Akihito, and was formerly sixth in the line of succession to the Japanese throne
The current line of succession to the Chrysanthemum Throne is based on the Imperial Household Law. At present, only direct male-line males are allowed to ascend the throne.
Present line of succession
The list below contains all people currently ...
and the heir apparent to the princely house of Mikasa-no-miya and the title "Prince Mikasa". Prince Tomohito was the first member of the Imperial House of Japan with a full beard since Emperor Meiji
, also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...
, thus earning him the popular nickname of the "Bearded Prince" (ヒゲの殿下 ''Hige no Denka'').A Font of Commentary Amid Japan’s Taciturn RoyalsNew York Times, 20 October 2007 He died of cancer on 6 June 2012, aged 66.
Early life and education
Prince Tomohito was born on 5 January 1946 at Prince Mikasa's family home. He graduated from the Department of Political Studies in the Faculty of Law of Gakushuin University in 1968. From 1968 – 1970, he studied at Magdalen College, University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Marriage and family
The Prince became engaged to Miss Nobuko Asō on 21 May 1980. She is the third daughter of the late Takakichi Asō, chairman of Asō Cement Co., and his wife, Kazuko, the daughter of former Prime Minister, Shigeru Yoshida. She is also the sister of former Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Tarō Asō. The couple married on 7 November 1980. Miss Asō was given the title HIH Princess Tomohito of Mikasa. The Prince and Princess had two daughters: * * The family lived in a compound within the Akasaka Estate complex, in Moto-Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo. In October 2009, his wife separated her residence from him and their children.Public service
For the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics, Prince Tomohito served as a committee member on the organizing committee from 1970 until 1972. He was also on the committee for the 1975 Okinawa World Fair.
Prince Tomohito was president and honorary president of various organizations that concerned themselves with cancer research (the Princess Takamatsu Cancer Research Fund), having himself suffered from the disease from 2003, youth education and promotion of international relations. He was also noted for his support of organizations which promoted the welfare of people with physical or mental disabilities through sporting activities, such as skiing, bowling, dancing and rugby. He traveled extensively abroad with the princess on charity, and support missions that concerned matters of illness and welfare. The Prince often gave lectures and contributed articles to national newspapers and magazines, and had also authored seven books.
In December 1992, the Prince and Princess visited the United States to support a newly established cancer ward in the New York Medical College, and in 1994, visited Hawaii to support the reconstruction of Kuakini Hospital. In February 1994, the Prince and Princess visited Norway to attend the 1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 17. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 17. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Lillehammer '94, was an international winter multi-sport event held fro ...
in Lillehammer, Norway.
In April 1998, the Prince and Princess visited Turkey to attend the opening ceremony of the Turkey-Japan Foundation Cultural Centre. They had previously visited Turkey in 1990 as part of the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of Japan-Turkey relations. The Prince strongly supported the establishment of a Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology at the Middle Eastern Culture Center in Japan, and returned to Turkey again in October 2002, June 2003 and October 2003 leading three groups of benefactors on tours of the heritage of Turkey.
In June 1998, Prince Tomohito visited Australia for fundraising activities for a medical science foundation to commemorate the Australian Nobel Prize winner Dr. Howard Walter Florey. In December of the same year, he visited Thailand to attend the 13th Asian Games.
In April 2003, Prince Tomohito visited Norway accompanied by his daughter, Princess Akiko to attend the World Cross Country Ski Championships for the Visually Disabled.
He appeared on the radio as a DJ in his younger days.
Health problems and death
The Prince was first diagnosed with cancer in 1991, but later went into remission. He was diagnosed with cancer of thelarynx
The larynx (), commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the top of the neck involved in breathing, producing sound and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. The opening of larynx into pharynx known as the laryngeal inlet is about ...
in 2003, and immediately began treatment for it. In September 2006, he fractured his jaw, which had been weakened by his chemotherapy treatments. In 2007, the Prince made a public announcement that he was suffering from alcoholism, and was undergoing treatments at the Imperial Household Agency
The (IHA) is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial Family, and also the keeping of the Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. From around the 8th century AD, up until the Second World War, it ...
hospital. In March 2008, his cancer spread to his pharynx, and he underwent surgery. Although attempts were made to save his voice, he subsequently suffered from pneumonia caused by his inability to properly swallow food, and was thereafter only able to speak with the aid of a mechanical larynx.
On 6 June 2012, the Prince died from multiple organ failure at a Tokyo hospital, aged 66. He had been hospitalized for some time, as a result of his multiple cancer diagnoses. Around 660 people attended his funeral, which was held at the Toshimagaoka Imperial Cemetery.
In June 2013, the Imperial Household Agency stated that they had integrated his family into the household led by his father.
Titles and styles
* 5 January 1946 – 6 June 2012: ''His Imperial Highness'' Prince Tomohito of MikasaHonours
National honours
* Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (05/06/1966)Foreign honours
* : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (09/03/1982)S.A.I. Tomohito di Mikasa Principe del Giappone
Honorary degree
*Ankara University
Ankara University ( tr, Ankara Üniversitesi) is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the formation of the republic in 1923.
The university has 40 vocat ...
Honorary positions
* President of the Social Welfare Organization Yuai Jyuji Kai * President of the Arinomama-sha * President of the Social Welfare Organization Saiseikai Imperial Gift Foundation Inc. * President of the New Technology Development Foundation * President of the Princess Takamatsu Cancer Research Fund * President of the Nippon Billiard Association * President of the Professional Ski Instructors Association of Japan * President of the Collegiate Skating And Ice Hockey Federation * President of the Japan-Turkey Society * President of the Middle Eastern Culture Center in Japan * Honorary President of the Japan Rugby Football Union * Honorary President of the Japan-British Society * Honorary President of the Norway-Japan SocietyAncestry
Patrilineal descent
;Imperial House of Japan # Descent prior to Keitai is unclear to modern historians, but traditionally traced back patrilineally to Emperor Jimmu # Emperor Keitai, ca. 450–534 #Emperor Kinmei
was the 29th Emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 欽明天皇 (29) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Titsingh, Isaac. (1834)pp. 34–36 Brown, Delmer. (1979) ''Gukanshō,'' pp. 261– ...
, 509–571
# Emperor Bidatsu
was the 30th Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')敏達天皇 (30) retrieved 2013-1-31. according to the traditional order of succession.
The years of reign of Bidatsu start in 572 and end in 585; however, there are no c ...
, 538–585
# Prince Oshisaka, ca. 556–???
# Emperor Jomei
was the 34th emperor of Japan,Kunaichō 斉明天皇 (34)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.
Jomei's reign spanned the years from 629 through 641.
Traditional narrative
Before Jomei's ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, ...
, 593–641
# Emperor Tenji, 626–671
# Prince Shiki, ???–716
# Emperor Kōnin, 709–786
# Emperor Kanmu, 737–806
# Emperor Saga, 786–842
# Emperor Ninmyō, 810–850
# Emperor Kōkō, 830–867
# Emperor Uda
was the 59th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 宇多天皇 (59)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.
Uda's reign spanned the years from 887 through 897.
Traditional narrative
Name and legacy
Befo ...
, 867–931
# Emperor Daigo, 885–930
# Emperor Murakami, 926–967
# Emperor En'yū, 959–991
# Emperor Ichijō, 980–1011
# Emperor Go-Suzaku, 1009–1045
# Emperor Go-Sanjō, 1034–1073
# Emperor Shirakawa, 1053–1129
# Emperor Horikawa, 1079–1107
# Emperor Toba, 1103–1156
# Emperor Go-Shirakawa, 1127–1192
# Emperor Takakura, 1161–1181
# Emperor Go-Toba, 1180–1239
# Emperor Tsuchimikado, 1196–1231
# Emperor Go-Saga, 1220–1272
# Emperor Go-Fukakusa, 1243–1304
# Emperor Fushimi, 1265–1317
# Emperor Go-Fushimi, 1288–1336
# Emperor Kōgon, 1313–1364
# Emperor Sukō, 1334–1398
# Prince Yoshihito Fushimi, 1351–1416
# Prince Sadafusa Fushimi, 1372–1456
# Emperor Go-Hanazono, 1419–1471
# Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado, 1442–1500
# Emperor Go-Kashiwabara, 1464–1526
# Emperor Go-Nara, 1495–1557
# Emperor Ōgimachi, 1517–1593
# Prince Masahito, 1552–1586
# Emperor Go-Yōzei
was the 107th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Go-Yōzei's reign spanned the years 1586 through to his abdication in 1611, corresponding to the transition between the Azuchi–Momoyama period and the Edo period ...
, 1572–1617
# Emperor Go-Mizunoo, 1596–1680
# Emperor Reigen, 1654–1732
# Emperor Higashiyama, 1675–1710
# Prince Naohito Kanin, 1704–1753
# Prince Sukehito Kanin, 1733–1794
# Emperor Kōkaku, 1771–1840
# Emperor Ninkō, 1800–1846
# Emperor Kōmei, 1831–1867
# Emperor Meiji
, also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...
, 1852–1912
# Emperor Taishō, 1879–1926
# Takahito, Prince Mikasa
# Prince Tomohito of Mikasa
Notes
External links
Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Mikasa and their family
at the Imperial Household Agency website {{DEFAULTSORT:Tomohito Of Mikasa, Prince 1946 births 2012 deaths Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Gakushuin University alumni Japanese princes Japanese radio personalities People from Tokyo Deaths from cancer in Japan Heirs apparent who never acceded Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Deaths from multiple organ failure