Higashikuni Morihiro
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Higashikuni Morihiro (東久邇 盛厚?), formerly HIH Prince Higashikuni Morihiro (東久邇宮 盛厚王 Higashikuni no miya Morihiro ō ?) (6 May 1916 - 1 February 1969) was a member of a branch line of the Japanese imperial family and husband of the Emperor Hirohito's eldest daughter.
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[edit] Early life
The eldest son and heir of Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko, Prince Higashikuni Morihiro had the distinction of being a grandson of the Emperor Meiji and simultaneously both a first cousin and a son-in-law of Emperor Hirohito. He was born in Tokyo, and like most male members of the imperial family during the Empire of Japan, Prince Morihiro was groomed to pursue a career in the military from an early age.
[edit] Military career
After graduation from the Gakushuin and the Central Military Preparatory School, Prince Higashikuni Morihiro served for a session in the House of Peers. He graduated from the 49th class of Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1938, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the field artillery. He was soon promoted to first lieutenant in the IJA First Artillery Regiment.
During the Nomonhan Incident in summer 1939, he commanded the First Battery, 1st Heavy Field Artillery Regiment of the Kwantung Army. He withdrew in face of the Soviet offensive without orders during the heat of battle, and was transferred back to Japan on 2 August 1939. The incident was suppressed by Japanese military censors, but provided much propaganda for the Soviet Army. Despite this apparent blot on his service record, he was promoted to captain of the artillery in 1941. He attended the Army War College from 1942-1944, and on graduation was placed on the reserve list.
[edit] Marriage and family
On 10 October 1943, Prince Morihiro married sixteen year-old Princess Shigeko (9 December 1925 - 23 July 1961), the eldest daughter of Emperor Shōwa and Empress Kojun, who was widely known by her childhood appellation Teru-no-miya. The bride and groom were related several times over through their common descent from Emperor Meiji and Prince Kuni Asahiko (the father of Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko and the grandfather of Empress Kojun).
The couple had five children, the last three of whom were born after the Higashikuni family was removed from the imperial household register:
- Higashikuni Nobuhiko, né Prince Nobuhiko (東久邇宮 信彦王 Higashikuni-no-miya Nobuhiko-ō?) (9 March 1944 - present) m. 1973 Miss Shimada Yoshiko, one son, Higashikuni Masahiko (b.1974)
- Higashikuni Fumiko, née Princess Fumiko (Fumiko nyoō) (23 December 1946 - present); m. 23 March 1968 Mr. Omura Kazutoshi.
- Higashikuni Naohiko (b.1948), m. 27 Feb 1978 to Ms. Sato Kazuko (b.1957)
- Higashikuni Hidehiko (30 June 1949 - present) (later adopted by the Mibu family)
- Higashikuni Yuko (b. 1950 - present)
His first wife, former Princess Shigeko, died of cancer in July 1961. In 1964, Higashikuni Morihiro married Miss Terao Yoshiko. The second marriage produced two children:
- Higashikuni Atsuhiko
- Higashikuni Morihiko
[edit] Later life
In October 1947, the Higashikuni and the other branches of the Japanese Imperial family were divested of their titles and privileges during the American occupation of Japan and became commoners. As Higashikuni Morihiro, he attempted several unsuccessful business ventures before eventually becoming the chief of the research division of the Hokkaido Mining and Steamship Company. He died of lung cancer at St. Luke's Medical Center in Tokyo in 1969.
[edit] External Link
[edit] References
- Coox, Alvin D. Nomonhan: Japan Against Russia, 1939. Stanford University Press; Reprint edition (1990). ISBN: 0804718350
- Dower, John W. Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II. W. W. Norton & Company (2000). ISBN: 0393320278
