(born , 4 June 1923 – 15 November 2024) was a member of the

Imperial House of Japan The is the reigning dynasty of Japan, consisting of 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 is "the symbol of the State ...

as the wife of

Takahito, Prince Mikasa was a Japanese prince, the youngest of the four sons of Emperor Taishō (Yoshihito) and Empress Teimei (Sadako). He was their last surviving child. His eldest brother was Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito). After serving as a junior cavalry officer in ...

, the fourth son of

Emperor Taishō , posthumously honored as , was the 123rd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 1912 until his death in 1926. His reign, known as the Taishō era, was characterized by a liberal and democratic shift in ...

and

Empress Teimei , posthumously honoured as , was the wife of Emperor Taishō and the mother of Emperor Shōwa. Her posthumous name, ''Teimei'', means "enlightened constancy". She was also the paternal grandmother of Emperor Emeritus Akihito, and the paternal ...

. The Princess was the last surviving paternal great-aunt by marriage of

Emperor Naruhito Naruhito (born 23 February 1960) is Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne following the abdication of his father, Akihito, on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era. He is the 126th monarch, according to the traditional order ...

and, before her death, was the oldest member of the imperial family, and the final living member who was born in the

Taishō era The was a period in the history of Japan dating from 30 July 1912 to 25 December 1926, coinciding with the reign of Emperor Taishō. The new emperor was a sickly man, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group ...

Early life

Princess Mikasa was born as Yuriko Takagi on 4 June 1923 at Takagi's family house in Tokyo, as the second daughter of

Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...

Masanari Takagi Viscount Masanari Takagi was a Japanese entomologist, nobleman, and, in his capacity as a viscount, a politician in the House of Peers. He was the father of Yuriko, Princess Mikasa, wife of Takahito, Prince Mikasa, the youngest brother of Empe ...

(1894–1948) and his wife, Kuniko Irie (1901–1988). Her father was a member of the Takagi clan, formerly lords of the small feudal domain of Tan'nan; through her father, she was a great-great-granddaughter of

Hotta Masayoshi was the 5th Hotta ''daimyō'' of the Sakura Domain in the Japanese Edo period, who served as chief ''rōjū'' in the Bakumatsu period Tokugawa shogunate, where he played an important role in the negotiations of the Ansei Treaties with various ...

, a prominent ''

rōjū The , usually translated as ''Elder (administrative title), Elder'', was one of the highest-ranking government posts under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. The term refers either to individual Elders, or to the Council of Elders as a wh ...

'', or shōgunal minister, during the

Bakumatsu were the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate Meiji Restoration, ended. Between 1853 and 1867, under foreign diplomatic and military pressure, Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as and changed from a Feudali ...

period. Her mother was descended from the noble Yanagihara clan, and was a second cousin of

Emperor Shōwa , posthumously honored as , was the 124th emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. He remains Japan's longest-reigning emperor as well as one of the world's longest-rei ...

. The Emperor's grandmother, Lady

Yanagiwara Naruko Yanagiwara Naruko (Japanese: 柳原愛子), also known as Sawarabi no Tsubone (26 June 1859 – 16 October 1943), was a Japanese lady-in-waiting of the Imperial House of Japan. A concubine of Emperor Meiji, she was the mother of Emperor Taishō a ...

, was Kuniko's great-aunt. Yuriko graduated from Gakushuin Women's Academy in 1941.

Marriage

Yuriko_Princess_Mikasa_leaving_Takagi_home

On 29 March 1941, Yuriko's engagement to her second cousin once removed,

, was announced. The engagement ceremony was held on 3 October 1941, and the wedding ceremony took place on 22 October 1941; this was less than two months before the

Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. At the tim ...

which led to the United States entering World War II. After her marriage, Yuriko was styled ''Her Imperial Highness The Princess Mikasa''. Later on the couple and their first child were forced to live in a shelter after their residence was incinerated in the US fire bombings of Tokyo in 1945. Yuriko described the atmosphere during the final months of the war as "very frightening" with "heated arguments and tension, as if bullets were about to fly". She became involved with domestic duties as the family struggled financially in post-war years. The Princess Mikasa frequently visited her husband, who was hospitalized during his final months. On 22 October 2016, they celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary in his hospital room. Prince Mikasa died five days later, with Princess Yuriko at his side. The Princess led her husband's funeral ceremony as the chief mourner. The Prince and Princess had five children. The couple's two daughters, which are their only surviving children, left the imperial family upon marriage. All three sons predeceased them. In addition to their five children, they had nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren as of 2022. Of her grandchildren, only three granddaughters remain in the imperial family, with two other granddaughters losing their imperial family status upon marriage.

Children

* , formerly , born 26 April 1944; married on 16 December 1966 to

Tadateru Konoe is the former president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Tadateru Konoe is the 32nd Head of the Konoe family. President of Japanese Red Cross Society since 2005, Tadateru Konoe has dedicated his en ...

, younger brother of former Prime Minister

Morihiro Hosokawa is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan, prime minister of Japan from 1993 to 1994. He led an eight-party coalition government which was the first Japanese government not headed by a Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), Libera ...

and adopted grandson (and heir) of former Prime Minister

Fumimaro Konoe was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1937 to 1939 and from 1940 to 1941. He presided over the Japanese invasion of China in 1937 and breakdown in relations with the United States, which shortly after his t ...

. Her husband was president of the

Japanese Red Cross Society The is the Japanese affiliate of the International Red Cross. The Imperial Family of Japan has traditionally supported the society, with the Empress as Honorary President and other imperial family members as vice presidents. Its headquarters ...

for over a decade; has a son, , who has three children. * ; heir apparent; married on 7 November 1980 to Nobuko Asō (born 9 April 1955), third daughter of Takakichi Asō, chairman of , and his wife, Kazuko, the daughter of former Prime Minister

Shigeru Yoshida was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1946 to 1947 and again from 1948 to 1954, serving through most of the country's occupation after World War II. Yoshida played a major role in determining the cour ...

; had two daughters, Princess Akiko and Princess Yōko. * ; created Katsura-no-miya on 1 January 1988. * , formerly , born 23 October 1951; married on 14 October 1983 to , later Sōshitsu Sen XVI (born 7 June 1956), the elder son of Sōshitsu Sen XV, and currently the sixteenth hereditary grand master (''

iemoto is a Japanese term used to refer to the founder or current Grand Master of a certain school of traditional Japanese art. It is used synonymously with the term when it refers to the family or house that the iemoto is head of and represents. Th ...

'') of the

Urasenke is one of the main schools of Japanese tea ceremony. Along with and , it is one of the three lines of the family descending from , which together are known as the - or the "three houses/families" (). The name , literally meaning "rear hous ...

Japanese tea ceremony The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or lit. 'Hot water for tea') is a Culture of Japan, Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . The term "Japa ...

School; and has two sons, and , and a daughter, Makiko Sakata. * ; created Takamado-no-miya on 1 December 1984; married on 6 December 1984 to

Hisako Tottori (born ; 10 July 1955), is a member of the Japanese Imperial Family as the widow of Norihito, Prince Takamado. Background and education Hisako was born on 10 July 1955 in Shirokane, Minato, Tokyo. She is the eldest daughter of Japanese in ...

(born 10 July 1953), eldest daughter of Shigejiro Tottori, former President of Mitsui & Co. in France; and had three daughters, Princess Tsuguko,

Noriko Senge , formerly , is a former member of the Imperial House of Japan and the second daughter of Norihito, Prince Takamado and Hisako, Princess Takamado. She married Kunimaro Senge, a commoner, on 5 October 2014. As a result, she gave up her imperial ...

, and

Ayako Moriya , formerly , is a former member of the Imperial House of Japan and the youngest of three daughters of Norihito, Prince Takamado, and Hisako, Princess Takamado. She married Kei Moriya, a commoner, on 29 October 2018. As part of her marriage to ...

Public service

Princess Mikasa was the honorary president of various

charitable organization A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

s, especially those concerned with the preservation of traditional

Japanese culture Japanese culture has changed greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period, to its contemporary modern culture, which absorbs influences from Asia and other regions of the world. Since the Jomon period, ancestral ...

. She also played an active role in the

Japanese Red Cross The is the Japanese affiliate of the International Red Cross. The Imperial Family of Japan has traditionally supported the society, with the Empress as Honorary President and other imperial family members as vice presidents. Its headquarters ...

Society. In 1948, the Princess became President of the Imperial Gift Foundation Boshi-Aiiku-kai, a position that she resigned from in September 2010. She had attended several formal occasions in Tokyo as well as other parts of Japan associated with charities concerned with mother and child health issues.

Declining health and death

The princess had used a

pacemaker A pacemaker, also known as an artificial cardiac pacemaker, is an implanted medical device that generates electrical pulses delivered by electrodes to one or more of the chambers of the heart. Each pulse causes the targeted chamber(s) to co ...

since 1999. She underwent surgery for

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

in 2007. She was notably absent from the 2019 enthronement of

In September 2020, the 97-year-old was hospitalized with symptoms of heart failure and

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

, and was released after two weeks. She was admitted to

St. Luke's International Hospital is a general and teaching hospital located in the Akashicho district (adjacent to Tsukiji) in Chūō, Tokyo, Japan. First opened in 1902, as a medical mission facility by the Episcopal Church in the United States, the hospital is now one of cent ...

in March 2021 due to

arrhythmia Arrhythmias, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, are irregularities in the cardiac cycle, heartbeat, including when it is too fast or too slow. Essentially, this is anything but normal sinus rhythm. A resting heart rate that is too fast – ab ...

. It was also announced that her condition was not critical and she was discharged within a few days as her symptoms subsided. In July 2022, the princess was reported to have tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

and been hospitalized at St. Luke's International Hospital. She

turned 100 A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100. Because life expectancies at birth worldwide are well below 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. The United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living centenarian ...

on 4 June 2023. In early March 2024, the princess was hospitalised at St. Luke's International Hospital due to a mild

cerebral infarction Cerebral infarction, also known as an ischemic stroke, is the pathologic process that results in an area of necrotic tissue in the brain (cerebral infarct). In mid to high income countries, a stroke is the main reason for disability among peo ...

and stroke; on 11 March, she was transferred from the intensive care unit to the general ward, as a sign that she was recovering, even if she was unable to eat, but started drinking water. On 18 March, it was announced by the

Imperial Household Agency The (IHA) is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family, and the keeping of the Privy Seal of Japan, Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. From around the 8th century ...

that she experienced symptoms of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

and cerebral infarction again, and it was difficult for her to move her right arm and leg: thus, she continued to be treated at St. Luke's International Hospital. On 25 March, it was announced that her symptoms of heart failure and cerebral infarction significantly improved (to a level close to when she was first transferred to the general ward of the hospital) and she would begin to do rehabilitation. She celebrated her 101st birthday on 4 June in the hospital, and was visited by her daughter-in-law

Hisako, Princess Takamado (born ; 10 July 1955), is a member of the Japanese Imperial Family as the widow of Norihito, Prince Takamado. Background and education Hisako was born on 10 July 1955 in Shirokane, Minato, Tokyo. She is the eldest daughter of Japanese indu ...

and by her granddaughters Princess Akiko, Princess Yōko, and Princess Tsuguko. On 16 August, Yuriko was brought back to the intensive care of the hospital after being diagnosed with

; on 9 September, she returned to the general ward from the intensive care unit as her conditions improved. An examination conducted on 7 November 2024 revealed declining overall body function, including heart and kidneys. She was doing rehabilitation, such as sitting in a wheelchair, since her admittance into the hospital in March. On 9 November, following the announcement of her declining health, she was visited by several of her immediate relatives. On 11 November, the Imperial Household Agency announced that the health of Princess Yuriko was still deteriorating. Emperor Naruhito and

Empress Masako is Empress of Japan as the wife of Emperor Naruhito. Born in Tokyo, Masako was educated at Belmont High School in Massachusetts before attending Harvard College, earning a B.A., ''magna cum laude'', in economics. She also studied law at t ...

were informed of her condition, to which they expressed concern. During the same day, it was reported by the Imperial Household Agency that her consciousness was "in a reduced state", and more members of the imperial family came to visit her. On 14 November, the Imperial Household Agency's grand steward, Yasuhiko Nishimura, reported that Yuriko was losing consciousness. On 15 November 2024, at 6:32 am ( JST), Princess Mikasa died at St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo, aged 101. She was surrounded by her granddaughters Akiko, Yōko, and Tsuguko, as well as her daughter-in-law Princess Hisako. The Imperial Household Agency posted a statement on

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

to announce her death, and stated that her official cause of death was "old age". Subsequently Japanese news outlets started to state her death was due to pneumonia. Yuriko's body was later taken back to Tokyo. The imperial family entered into a mourning period due to her death. Emperor Naruhito also canceled official duties. On 16 November, her private rites were held at the Mikasa estate with all members of the imperial family in attendance. Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako, Emperor Emeritus Akihito and

Empress Emerita Michiko is a member of the Imperial House of Japan. She was empress consort of Japan, Empress of Japan as the wife of Akihito, the 125th Emperor of Japan reigning from 7 January 1989 to 30 April 2019. Michiko married Crown Prince Akihito and became ...

, who all usually do not attend farewell services, did not attend the wake, but did visit her residence to pay condolences on 24 November shortly before the wake. Her wake at her Minato Ward residence began on 24 November and concluded on 25 November, with members of the Japanese imperial family, including Crown Prince Fumihito, Crown Princess Kiko,

Princess Aiko is a member of the Imperial House of Japan. She is the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan. Following her birth, the ongoing Japanese imperial succession debate had resulted in some politicians holding a favorable ...

, Japanese Prime Minister

Shigeru Ishiba Shigeru Ishiba (born 4 February 1957) is a Japanese politician who has served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) since 2024. He has been a member of ...

and his cabinet in attendance. Yuriko's funeral was held at Toshimagaoka Cemetery in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward on 26 November 2024, with 481 people in attendance. Her granddaughter Princess Akiko served as the chief mourner for both her wake and her funeral. Her body was cremated at Ochiai Funeral Hall, and her ashes were interred next to those of her husband's. The government revealed that her funeral cost ¥325 million. The national treasury is also set to return about ¥10.16 million, after half of her allowance was paid in October. "Imperial Court Expenses," which are public funds, paid for her March to November hospitalization.

Honours

National

Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Precious Crown The is a Japanese order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. Since the Order of the Rising Sun at that time was an Order for men, it was established as an Order for women. Originally the order had five classes, but on Apr ...

* Dame of the Decoration of the Red CrossRed Cross Medals
/ref> * Recipient of the Red Cross Medal

Foreign

* Empire of Iran: Member 2nd Class of the Order of the Pleiades * Empire of Iran: Commemorative Medal of the 2500th Anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire (14 October 1971) *

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

: Inauguration Medal 1980 (30 April 1980)Nationaal Archief, inventory 2.02.32, dossier 529/530 * : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown * :

Order of the Queen of Sheba The Order of the Queen of Sheba was originally instituted as a ladies' order in 1922 in the Ethiopian Empire The Ethiopian Empire, historically known as Abyssinia or simply Ethiopia, was a sovereign state that encompassed the present-day ...

Honorary positions

* Reserve Member of the Imperial House Council * Honorary Vice-President of the

Society

Issue

References

External links

*
Her Imperial Highness Princess Mikasa and her family
at the Imperial Household Agency website * {{Authority control 1923 births 2024 deaths 20th-century Japanese women 21st-century Japanese women Deaths from pneumonia in Japan Grand Cordons (Imperial Family) of the Order of the Precious Crown Japanese women centenarians Japanese princesses Nobility from Tokyo Princesses by marriage 20th-century Japanese people 21st-century Japanese people