Masahito, Prince Hitachi

Masahito, Prince Hitachi
is a member of the Imperial House of Japan, the younger brother of Emperor emeritus Akihito and the paternal uncle of Emperor Naruhito. He is the second son and sixth born child of Emperor Shōwa and Empress Kōjun and is third in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne. Nobody follows Prince Hitachi in the line of succession. He is mainly known for philanthropic activities and his research on the causes of cancer.
Early life and education
Born at Tokyo Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Masahito held the childhood appellation .
Masahito received his primary and secondary schooling at the Gakushūin Peers' School. In late 1944, the Imperial Household Ministry evacuated Prince Yoshi and the Crown Prince to Nikkō, to escape the American bombing of Tokyo.
After the war, from 1947 to 1950, Mrs. Elizabeth Gray Vining tutored both princes and their sisters, the Princesses Kazuko, Atsuko, and Takako, in the English language. Her account of the experience is entitled Windows for the Crown Prince (1952).
Prince Yoshi received his undergraduate degree in chemistry from the Faculty of Science at Gakushuin University in 1958. He subsequently did postgraduate work in the Faculty of Science at Tokyo University. In 1969, he became a Research Associate of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research specializing in the study of cellular division. The results of his research have been reported in the technical journals of the Japanese Cancer Association, as well as of the American Association for Cancer Research.
In 1997, Prince Hitachi received an honorary doctorate from George Washington University in the United States, and in April 2001 received another from the University of Minnesota. In March 1999, he became an honorary member of the German Association for Cancer Research, in recognition of his significant scientific contributions to the field of cancer research.
Marriage
On 30 September 1964, the Prince married Hanako Tsugaru (born 19 July 1940), fourth daughter of the late Yoshitaka Tsugaru, a former count and a descendant of the daimyō of Tsugaru Domain. The following day, Emperor Shōwa granted him the title Hitachi-no-miya (Prince Hitachi), and authorization to start a new branch of the Imperial Family in celebration of his wedding.
Prince and Princess Hitachi have their official residence in a palace in large gardens off Komazawadori in Higashi, Shibuya. They have no children.
In September 2021, the Japanese government considered plans to amend the Imperial Household Law and allow Prince Hitachi to adopt a male member of the former shinnōke or ōke collateral branches of the imperial family in an effort to address the Japanese imperial succession debate.
Public service
Prince Hitachi is the honorary president of a wide variety of charitable organizations, especially those involving international exchange. Most recently, Prince and Princess Hitachi visited Nicaragua and El Salvador, to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with both countries in October 2005. They also made a visit to France in September 2007 and Peru, marking the celebration of 110 years since the establishment of a Japanese community in this country, June 2009.
Health
Prince Hitachi suffered from fever in late February 2023 and was hospitalized on 1 March. He was diagnosed with ureteral stones for which he underwent ureteral stenting the day after at the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center. He was discharged from hospital on 5 March. On 21 March, he underwent ureteral lithotripsy and was discharged on 24 March. He was readmitted to hospital with a fever and loss of appetite on 2 April, and was subsequently diagnosed with a urinary tract infection. He was discharged from hospital on 24 April.
Titles and styles
28 November 1935 – 1 October 1964: His Imperial Highness Prince Yoshi
1 October 1964 – present: His Imperial Highness Prince Hitachi
Honours
National honours
: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (28 November 1955)
Foreign honours
: Knight of the Order of the Elephant (28 September 1965)
: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (22 November 1965)
: Member of the Order of the Benevolent Ruler (19 April 1960)
Honorary degree
George Washington University
University of Minnesota
Chiang Mai University
Honorary positions
President of the Japanese Society for the Preservation of Birds
President of the Japanese Society for Disabled Children
President of the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation
President of the Japan-Denmark Society
President of the Dainippon Silk Foundation
President of the Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities
President of the Japan Art Association
President of the Tokyo Zoological Park Society
President of Maison Franco-Japonaise
President of the Princess Takamatsu Cancer Research Fund
Honorary President of the Japan-Sweden Society
Honorary President of the Japan-Belgium Society
Honorary President of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research
Honorary President of Association Pasteur Japon
Honorary Vice-President of the Japanese Red Cross Society
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
Emperor Shōwa, 1901–1989
Masahito, Prince Hitachi
References
External links
Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Hitachi at the Imperial Household Agency website
1935 births
Japanese princes
Living people
People from Chiyoda, Tokyo
Gakushuin University alumni
Sons of emperors
20th-century Japanese scientists
21st-century Japanese scientists
Cancer researchers
Tokyo University of Science alumni
Children of Hirohito