, was the second head of the

Yamashina-no-miya The (princely house) was the third oldest collateral branch (''ōke'') of the Japanese Imperial Family created from the Fushimi-no-miya, the oldest of the four branches of the imperial dynasty allowed to provide a successor to the Chrysanthemum ...

, a collateral line of the

Japanese imperial family 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 ...

Early life

Prince Yamashina Kikumaro was the son of

Prince Yamashina Akira (22 October 1816 – 17 February 1898) was a Japanese diplomat, and the founder of the Yamashina collateral line of the Japanese imperial family. Early life Prince Akira was born in Kyoto, the eldest son of Prince Fushimi Kuniie (1802–18 ...

. His mother was a

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. Concubi ...

, Nakajo Chieko, but as Prince Akira had no children by his official wife, Princess Katsura Sumiko (the half-sister of

Emperor Kōmei was the 121st Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')孝明天皇 (121)/ref> Kōmei's reign spanned the years from 1846 through 1867, corresponding to the final years of the ...

), Kikumaro was adopted as his official heir. However, in 1880, he was adopted by

Prince Nashimoto Moriosa , was the founder of a collateral line of the Japanese imperial family. Prince Moriosa was born in Kyoto, the 10th son of Prince Fushimi Sadayoshi (1775–1841), the nineteenth head of the Fushimi-no-miya, the oldest of the four branches of the ...

to carry on the Nashimoto line. However, following Prince Moriosa's death, the Nashimoto line passed to Prince Kuni Morimasa, and Prince Kikumaro was able to return as heir to the Yamashina line. On 2nd February 1898, he succeeded his father as the second head of the Yamashina-no-miya house.

Military career

Prince Yamashina Kikumaro attended the

Imperial Japanese Naval Academy The was a school established to train line officers for the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was originally located in Nagasaki, moved to Yokohama in 1866, and was relocated to Tsukiji, Tokyo in 1869. It moved to Etajima, Hiroshima in 1888. Students stu ...

and received a commission as a sub-lieutenant in 1894. He served his

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

duties on the , followed by a tour of duty aboard the from 1902. He served in combat with distinction during the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

of 1904–1905, and was awarded the

Order of the Golden Kite The was an order of the Empire of Japan, established on 12 February 1890 by Emperor Meiji "in commemoration of Jimmu Tennō, the Romulus of Japan". It was officially abolished 1947 by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) during th ...

(4th class). By 1905, he was promoted to the rank of captain. He entered the Naval Staff College in January 1908, but died suddenly four months later at the young age of 34.

Marriage & Family

On 14 September 1895, Prince Yamashina Kikumaro married Kujo Noriko (4 December 1878 – 11 November 1901), a daughter of Prince

Kujō Michitaka , son of regent Kujō Hisatada and adopted son of his brother, Kujō Yukitsune, was a '' kuge'' or Japanese court noble of the late Edo period and politician of the early Meiji era who served as a member of the House of Peers. One of his daughte ...

. Prince and Princess Yamashina had two sons and a daughter: #

Prince Yamashina Takehiko , was the third (and final) head of the Yamashina-no-miya, a collateral line of the Japanese imperial family. He was nicknamed "the Flying Prince". Early life Prince Yamashina Takehiko was the son of Prince Yamashina Kikumaro by his first wife, ...

(13 February 1898 – 10 August 1987) # Marquis

Yamashina Yoshimaro Marquis was a Japanese ornithologist. He was the founder of the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology. Biography Yamashina was born in Kōjimachi, Tokyo, the second son of Prince Kikumaro Yamashina and Princess Noriko (Kujo) Yamashina. Through ...

(5 July 1900 – 29 January 1989) # Princess Yamashina Yasuko (31 October 1901 – 29 December 1974) On 2 February 1902, the widowed Prince Yamashina married Shimazu Hisako (7 February 1874 – 26 February 1938), daughter of Prince Shimazu Tadayoshi. Prince Yamashina and his second wife had three sons: # Marquis

Fujimaro Tsukuba was a Japanese statesman and educator in Meiji period Japan. Biography Tanaka was born in Owari Province (present-day Aichi Prefecture). After the Meiji Restoration, he was selected to accompany the Iwakura Mission on its around-the-worl ...

(b. 7 February 1905 – 20 March 1978) # Count Hagimaro Kashima (21 April 1906 – 26 August 1932) # Count Shigemaro Katsuragi (29 April 1908 – 10 January 1947)

Gallery

Image:HIH Yamashina Takehiko.jpg, Eldest son and heir, HIH Yamashina Takehito Image:HIH Yamashina Hisako.jpg, HIH Yamashina Hisako, second wife Image:HIH Yamashina Hisako 2.jpg, HIH Yamashina Hisako, another photo Image:Princess Yasuko Yamashinanomiya 1920.jpg, HIH Yamashina Yasuko, daughter by first wife

References

* Keene, Donald. ''Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World, 1852–1912'' (New York: Columbia University Press, 2002) * Lebra, Takie Sugiyama. ''Above the Clouds: Status Culture of the Modern Japanese Nobility'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993) * Papinot Edmond. ''Historical and geographical dictionary of Japan'' (New York: F. Ungar Pub. Co., 1948)
Nishida Imperial Japanese Navy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yamashina Kikumaro, Prince 1873 births 1908 deaths Japanese princes Imperial Japanese Navy officers Nashimoto-no-miya Yamashina-no-miya People from Kyoto People of Meiji-period Japan Japanese military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Recipients of the Order of the Golden Kite