Living Heads of Former Imperial Branch Families

In 1947, SCAP limited the "official" membership in the Imperial Family to Emperor Showa's immediate family and those of his three brothers. Members of eleven collateral branches of the Imperial Family officially became commoners on October 14, 1947. Below are the living heads of these former Imperial Branch Families. For additional information about the Imperial Family's collateral branches, their creation, and their heads during the Meiji, Taisho and early Showa periods see Miyake (Collateral Branches of the Imperial Family).

• Fushimi-no-miya: Fushimi Horiaki (24th of the line) born January 26, 1932 in Tokyo, the only son of the late Prince Fushimi Hiroyoshi (1900-1937) and his consort, Tokiko, the third daughter of Prince Ichiko [peer]. He received his primary and secondary education at the then-boys department of the Gakushuin. His father, Prince Hiroyoshi, was heir apparent to Admiral of the Fleet Prince Fushimi (23rd of the line). Hiroyoshi, a naval commander, sustained mortal wounds in the opening stages of the so-called China Incident (Shina jihen) in 1937. Prince Horiaki, therefore, became the twenty-fourth Fushimi-no-miya upon the death of grandfather, Prince Hiroyasu, on August 16, 1946. He became a commoner on October 14, 1947 and later attended Centre College in Kentucky. He is an executive with Mobil - Japan. His late wife, the former Yoshikawa Tokiko (or Kazuko), was the daughter of the president of Yoshikawa Optical Instruments. Fushimi Hiroaki has three daughters: Masako (born 1964), Nobuko (born 1961), and Akiko (born 1959).
• Takeda-no-miya: Takeda Tsunetada (3rd of the line). Born 1940 in Tokyo, the eldest son of the late former Prince Takeda Tsuneyoshi and his wife, the former Sanjo Mitsuko, Prince Tsunetada became a commoner on October 14, 1947. He received his primary and secondary education at the Gakushuin. He attended Keio University and received a degree in economics. Takeda Tsunetada is a team leader at Mitsubishi Shoji. He is married to the former Nezu Kyoko, the third daughter of Nezu Kaichiro, president of Tobu Railways. Takeda Tsunetada and his wife have issue: one son, Takeda Tsunetaka (born 1967), and one daughter, Takeda Hiroko (born 1971). He succeeded as the head of the former Takeda-no-miya family upon the death of former Prince Takeda Tsuneyoshi, May 12, 1992.
• Kitashirakawa-no-miya: Kitashirakawa Michihisa (5th of the line), born February 5, 1937 in Tokyo, the son of the Prince Kitashirakawa Nagahisa and his wife, the former Tokugawa Sachiko. He became the fifth head of the Kitashirakawa-no-miya house upon his father's death, September 14, 1940. The young Prince Kitashirakawa became a commoner on October 14, 1947. He went onto to receive a degree from Gakushuin University and became an executive with Toshiba Corporation. In 1967, he married the former Shimazu Kieko (whose brother, Shimazu Tadahiro, married former Kitashirakawa Hatsuko, the younger sister of Kitashirakawa Michihisa) and has issue: three daughters, Naoko (born 1969), Nobuko (born 1971), and Akiko (born 1973). Kitashirakawa Michihisa is currently the senior managing director of the Board of Trustees for the Toshiba International Foundation.
• Kuni-no-miya: Kuni Kuniaki (4th of the line), born March 24, 1929, the eldest son of the late former Prince Kuni (Asaakira) and his consort, the late Princess Tomoko, third daughter of Admiral of the Fleet Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu. The members of the Kuni-no-miya family became commoners on October 14, 1947. Educated at the Gakushuin, Kuni Kuniaki became head of the former Kuni-no-miya family upon the death of his father, December 3, 1959. He is currently a director of the Kawasaki Shipping Company. Kuniaki is married to the former Hirose Masako (born 1934) and has two sons and a daughter: Asatake (born 1958), Kuniharu (born 1962), and Akiko (born 1964).
• Asaka-no-miya: Asaka Tomohiko (3rd of the line), born 1944 in Tokyo, the second child and only son of Prince Asaka Takahito and his wife, the former Todo Chikako. Tomohiko, a grandson of the late former Prince Asaka Yasuhiko, succeeded his father, former Prince Asaka Takahito, as the third head of the former Asaka no miya family on May 5, 1994.
• Higashikuni-no-miya: Higashikuni Nubuhiko (2nd of the line), born 1944 in Tokyo, the eldest son the late Prince Higashikuni Morihiro (1916-1969) and his consort, the former Princess Teru. Prince Nobuhiko was the first-born grandchild of Emperor Showa and a nephew of Emperor Akihito. He became a commoner on October 14, 1947. Higashikuni Nubuhiko graduated from Gakushuin University in 1969. In 1973, he married Miss Shimada Yoshiko and has issue: Higashikuni Masahiko (b. 1974). Higashikuni Nobuhiko became the second head of the former Higashikuni-no-miya family upon the death of his grandfather, former Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko, on January 20, 1990.
• Nashimoto-no-miya: Nashimoto Norihiko (3rd of the line, born November 19, 1922) is the adopted heir of the former Nashimoto no miya household. Norihiko is the second son of the late Prince Kuni Taka and his wife, the late former Minase Shizuko. Emperor Shōwa created him Count Tatsuda on June 7, 1943. Like all other peers, Count Tatsuda Norihiko lost his title with enforcement of the current Japanese Constitution. Former Princess Nashimoto Istuko adopted her nephew on April 28, 1966. He legally changed his surname to Nashimoto and became head of the former Nashimoto no miya family.   
• Kaya-no-miya: H.E. Ambassador Kaya Harunori (4th of the line), born July 3, 1926 in Tokyo, the second son of the late Prince Kaya Tsunenori (1900-1978) and his consort, Toshiko, the fifth daughter of Prince Kujo Michiazane [peer]. Prince Harunori became a commoner on October 14, 1947. He received his primary and secondary education at the Gakushuin. Kaya Harunori graduated from the law department of Tokyo University in 1950 and joined the diplomatic service. Kaya rose through the ranks of the Japanese foreign ministry. He has served as president of the Foreign Service Training Institute, director of the foreign ministry's United Nations Bureau, and Japan's ambassador to the State of Israel, the Kingdom of Denmark, and the Federal Republic of Brazil. He became the fourth head of the former Kaya-no-miya family upon the death of his elder brother, Kaya Kuninaga, April 19, 1986.

 

 

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Extinct Princely Houses

By long practice, princely houses become extinct in default of a biological or an adopted male heir.  

• Takamatsu-no-miya: This house became extinct with the death of Prince Takamatsu (1st of the line) on February 3, 1987. His widow, Princess Takamatsu (Kiko) is the only person remaining in this house.
• Chichibu-no-miya: This house became extinct with the death of Prince Chichibu (1st of the line) on January 4, 1953. His widow, Princess Chichibu, lived until August 1995.
• Arisugawa-no-miya: This house "technically" became extinct with the death of Prince Arisugawa Takehito (9th of the line) on July 13, 1913. The Takamatsu-no-miya title created for Prince Nobuhito, third of son of Emperor Taishō, was a revival of the earlier Arisugawa-no-miya title.
• Higashi-Fushimi-no-miya (Komatsu-no-miya from 1877 to 1903): This house became extinct with the death of Prince Higashi-Fushimi Yoshihito (2nd of the line) on June 27, 1922. Prince Kunihide (b. May 10, 1910), a younger son of Prince Kuni Kuniyoshi, was the adopted heir of this family. However, he left the status of Imperial Family member on April 4, 1931 and received the title Count Higashi-Fushimi.
• Kan’in-no-miya: This house became extinct with the death of Kan'in Sumihito (formerly Prince Kan'in Haruhito) on June 14, 1988.
• Kacho-no-miya: This house became extinct with the death of Prince Kwacho Hirotada (3rd of the line), a younger son of Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu, in 1924.
• Yamashina-no-miya: This house became extinct with the death of former Prince Yamashina Takehito on August 10, 1987.