Princess Tomohito of Mikasa

Nobuko
寛仁親王妃信子
Princess Tomohito of Mikasa
Born (1955-04-09) 9 April 1955
Iizuka, Fukuoka, Japan
Spouse Prince Tomohito of Mikasa
(m. 1980–2012; his death)
Issue Princess Akiko of Mikasa
Princess Yōko of Mikasa
Full name
Nobuko (信子)
House Imperial House of Japan
Father Takakichi Asō
Mother Kazuko Yoshida
Religion Roman Catholicism

Princess Tomohito of Mikasa (寛仁親王妃信子 Tomohito Shinnōhi Nobuko), born Nobuko Asō (麻生信子 Asō Nobuko) on 9 April 1955, is a member of the Japanese Imperial Family as the widow of Prince Tomohito of Mikasa. She is also known as Princess Nobuko.[1]

Background and education

Nobuko, a Roman Catholic, was born on 9 April 1955. She is the third daughter and youngest child of Takakichi Asō (麻生太賀吉 Asō Takakichi, 1911–1980), the chairman of the Aso Company (best known originally for its activities in the exploitation of coal mine and metallurgy, but today mainly specialized in cement and in the medical, environmental and real estate) and a member of the House of Representatives from 1949 to 1955. He was also a close associate of Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka. Her mother, Kazuko Yoshida (吉田和子 Yoshida Kazuko), was the daughter of Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida. Her elder brother is former Prime Minister and current Deputy Prime Minister Tarō Asō.

Through her paternal grandmother, she descends from a younger branch of the feudal clan Ichinomiya. She is the great-granddaughter of the diplomat Count Nobuaki Makino (牧野伸顕 Makino Nobuaki, 1861–1949) and the great-great-granddaughter of the samurai Ōkubo Toshimichi, famous for having been the cause of the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877.

She studied in England and graduated from Rosslyn House College in 1973. After returning to Japan, she taught English in Shoto kindergarten in Tokyo which she herself founded in the district of Shibuya.

Marriage and children

It was in the UK when she met her future husband, Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, himself a student at Oxford University. His first marriage proposal was rejected in 1973 because of Nobuko's young age. The Imperial Household Council announced the engagement of Prince Tomohito of Mikasa and Nobuko Asō on 18 April 1980 and the engagement ceremony was held on 21 May 1980. The wedding ceremony took place on 7 November 1980 and she became Princess Tomohito of Mikasa. As of tradition dictates, upon her entry into the imperial family and like other members, she received a personal emblem (o-shirushi (お印)): the flower of prunus persica (hanamomo (花桃)). Born a Roman Catholic, she is not the first Christian to enter the imperial family (Empress Michiko also comes from a Catholic family and was raised in Christian religious institutions), but is the first to be baptized.

Prince Tomohito's household did not have its own name though it had been run independently. The Prince chose not to take a name for his household when he became independent by marrying Nobuko, because he expected to take over the household of Prince Mikasa as his eldest son. The couple had two daughters:

The family lived in a compound within the Akasaka Estate complex, in Akasaka Minato, Tokyo. In October 2009, she separated her residence from her husband and children.[2]

Widowhood

The Princess became a widow on 6 June 2012, upon the death of her husband. In June 2013 in a statement about the Prince's household, it was announced by the Imperial Household Agency that "it [had] reduced the number of households in the Imperial family by one", integrating it into the household led by his father.[2] According to the agency's officials the household integration won't have any effect on the lives of the widow and daughters of Prince Tomohito.[2]

Official duties

The Princess accompanied her husband on various missions abroad to charity and welfare events, especially those concerning health issues. She is engaged in various welfare organisations and holds positions as president and vice-president.

In 1990, the Prince and Princess visited Turkey to attended the celebrations held for the 100th year of relations between Japan and Turkey.[3] In December 1992, the couple visited the United States in order to support a newly established cancer ward in the New York Medical College. In May 1994, they went to Hawaii mainly to attend a charity dinner held for the reconstruction of Kuakini Hospital. In February 1994, the Prince and Princess went on a trip to Norway to attend the Lillehammer Winter Olympics.[3] In July 1994, Nobuko visited Australia on her own to support the Sydney Royal Research Institute for those with Visual and Listening Disabilities.[3] In April 1998, Tomohito and Nobuko travelled to Turkey to attend the opening ceremony of the Turkey-Japan Foundation Cultural Centre.[3] In July 2003, the Princess in her capacity as Honorary President of the Japan Rose Society, visited Glasgow, United Kingdom, to attend the World Rose Convention.[3]

On 1 November 2013, Princess Tomohito of Mikasa visited Fukushima Prefecture and met the people affected by the earthquake occurred on 11 March 2011. The Princess hadn't performed any official duty since January 2006 because of stroke and asthma and it was her first official appearance in seven years.[4] During her illness, she went to Fukushima City several times for treatment.[4] Since then, she has returned to public life.[5][6][7] In October 2014, the Princess attended her first banquet at the Imperial Palace since 2003 to welcome King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands.[8] In January 2015, she attended New Year’s Celebration, New Year’s Greeting, and New Year’s Lectures and Poetry Reading for the first time since 2006, 1996 and 1999 respectively.[9][10][11][12] In May 2015, she also attended the annual convention of Japanese Red Cross Society as honorary vice-president for the first time since 2001.[13] In April 2016, the Princess represented the Imperial Family by attending a banquet held at the British ambassador’s residence for the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II.[14]

Other interests

Princess Tomohito is usually presented by her family as an excellent chef, and has published two books of recipes titled:

The Princess wrote the second book while she stayed in Fukushima using foodstuffs of the prefecture to create recipes and finally published the cookbook of her recipes in October 2013, with its sales donated to support Fukushima.[4]

Health

Princess Tomohito suffered from transient ischemic attack in May 2004, which forced her to withdraw for a time in the villa of Sōma in the town of Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture for medical treatment and rest. In 2008, she also suffered from asthma and was hospitalized. She went to her hometown for medical care and then came back to Tokyo.

The Princess was also absent from the funeral of her husband because of poor health.

Titles and styles

Styles of
Princess Tomohito of Mikasa
Reference style Her Imperial Highness
Spoken style Your Imperial Highness
Alternative style Ma'am

Since her marriage, Nobuko is styled as Her Imperial Highness Princess Tomohito of Mikasa.

Honours

See also List of honours of the Japanese Imperial Family by country

National honours

Foreign honours

Honorary Positions

Issue

Name Birth Marriage Issue
Princess Akiko of Mikasa 20 December 1981
Princess Yōko of Mikasa 25 October 1983

Ancestry

(Chigai Kuginuki), The mon of the Asō clan

Notes

  1. ↑ "Princess Nobuko turns 60". imperialfamilyjapan.wordpress.com.
  2. 1 2 3 "Prince's 2012 passing reduces Imperial household families by one". Japan Times. Retrieved 2013-12-13.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Activities of Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Mikasa and their family". kunaicho.go.jp. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 "Princess Nobuko Came Back". imperialfamilyjapan.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2013-12-13.
  5. ↑ "Graduation Ceremony of Jikei nursing school". imperialfamilyjapan.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
  6. ↑ "International Roses & Gardening Show". imperialfamilyjapan.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
  7. ↑ "Aichi Visit of Princess Nobuko". imperialfamilyjapan.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
  8. ↑ "Banquet for King and Queen of the Netherlands". imperialfamilyjapan.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
  9. ↑ "New Year's Celebration". imperialfamilyjapan.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
  10. ↑ "New Year's Greeting". imperialfamilyjapan.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
  11. ↑ "Imperial New Year's Lectures". imperialfamilyjapan.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
  12. ↑ "New Year's Poetry Reading". imperialfamilyjapan.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
  13. ↑ "Annual Convention of Japanese Red Cross Society". imperialfamilyjapan.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2015-05-14.
  14. ↑ "Celebrating Queen's Birthday". imperialfamilyjapan.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2016-10-20.
  15. 1 2 , Nobuko wearing Red Cross Medals
Order of precedence in Japan
Preceded by
The Princess Mikasa		 Ladies
HIH Princess Tomohito of Mikasa 		Succeeded by
The Princess Takamado
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