Norihito, Prince Takamado

Norihito, Prince Takamado
was a Japanese member of the Imperial House of Japan and the third son of Takahito, Prince Mikasa and Yuriko, Princess Mikasa. He was a first cousin of Emperor Akihito, and was seventh in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne at the time of his death.
Education
The Prince was born in Prince Mikasa's family home at Tokyo, He was
graduated from the Department of Law of Gakushuin University in 1978. He studied abroad from 1978 to 1981 at Queen's University Faculty of Law in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. After his return to Japan, he served as administrator of the Japan Foundation from 1981 to 2002.
Marriage and family
On 17 September 1984, the Prince became engaged to Hisako Tottori, eldest daughter of Shigejirō Tottori, whom he had met at a reception held by the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo. They married on 6 December 1984. He was born as Prince Norihito of Mikasa, and received the title Prince Takamado (Takamado-no-miya) and authorization to start a new branch of the Imperial Family on 1 December 1984 in celebration of his wedding. The couple had three daughters:
; following her marriage to Kunimaro Senge, a commoner, on 5 October 2014, Princess Noriko gave up her imperial title and left the Imperial Family as required by 1947 Imperial Household Law, took the surname of her husband and became known as .
; following her marriage to Moriya Kei, a commoner, on 29 October 2018, Princess Ayako gave up her imperial title and left the Imperial Family as required by 1947 Imperial Household Law, took the surname of her husband and became known as .
Public service
Prince Takamado was honorary president of various charitable organizations involved with sponsorship of international exchange especially involving music, dance, and sports. He was often dubbed in Japan. He supported a number of foreign language speech contests. He was also very much involved in environmental issues and environmental education. The Prince was an honorary member of AV Edo-Rhenania zu Tokio, a Roman Catholic student fraternity that is affiliated with the Cartellverband.
Prince and Princess Takamado were the most widely traveled couple in the Japanese imperial family, visiting 35 countries together in 15 years to represent Japan on various functions. The Prince's last visits included Egypt and Morocco in May 2000, Hawaii in July 2001 (to promote the Japanese tea ceremony), and to the Republic of Korea from May to June 2002. The latter was in order to attend the opening ceremony of the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan. The goodwill visit by the Prince and Princess to Korea was the first Japanese imperial visit since World War II, and was an important step in the promotion of friendly bilateral relations between Japan and Korea. While in Korea, the couple toured the country extensively, met with President Kim Dae-jung and ordinary Koreans, and he visited the facilities for the physically disabled in South Korea that the Princess Nashimoto Masako had sponsored.
Death
On 21 November 2002, while having a squash lesson together with the Canadian ambassador Robert G. Wright at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, the Prince collapsed from ventricular fibrillation and was rushed to Keio University Hospital, where he went into cardiac arrest and died at the age of 47.
The sudden death of one of the youngest and most active members of the Japanese Imperial Family shocked the nation. The Prince's funeral was held at Toshimagaoka Imperial Cemetery in northern Tokyo with around 900 people in attendance including members of the Imperial Family and politicians from Japan and other countries.
The Prince Takamado Cup, Japan's national youth football cup tournament, is named after him. The Japanese artwork and artifacts collection of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto is named the Prince Takamado Gallery of Japan in honour of his close connection with Canada.
Titles, styles and honours
29 December 1954 – 1 December 1984: His Imperial Highness Prince Norihito of Mikasa
1 December 1984 – 21 November 2002: His Imperial Highness Prince Takamado
National honours
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (29 December 1974)
Foreign honours
: Recipient of the Nersornaat Medal for Meritorious Service, 1st Class
: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (9 March 1982)
Honorary positions
Honorary President of the Japan Football Association
Honorary President of Japan Association of fencing
Honorary President of Japan Squash Association
Honorary President of Federation of All Japan Baseball
Honorary President of the Japan Student Association Foundation
Honorary President of Japan Society rescue poorly
President of Federation of Japan Amateur Orchestras
Issue
Ancestry
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, 509–571
Emperor Bidatsu, 538–585
Prince Oshisaka, ca. 556–???
Emperor Jomei, 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, 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, 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, 1852–1912
Emperor Taishō, 1879–1926
Takahito, Prince Mikasa
Norihito, Prince Takamado
References
External links
Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado and her family at the Imperial Household Agency website
The Japan Foundation |The H.I.H. Prince Takamado Memorial Collection
Royal Ontario Museum |Prince Takamado Gallery of Japan
1954 births
2002 deaths
Japanese princes
Takamado, Imperial Prince of Japan
Gakushuin University alumni
People from Shinagawa
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Recipients of Nersornaat