Prince Hitachi
Prince Hitachi (Masahito) of Japan (常陸宮正仁親王,
Hitachi no miya Mashahito Shinnō) (
28 November 1935) is a member of the
Japanese imperial family and the younger brother of the
Emperor Akihito. The prince is the second son and sixth born child of the
HIM Shōwa Emperor and
HIM Empress Kōjun. Currently, he is third in line to the
Chrysanthemum throne. Prince Hitachi is mainly known for philantrophic activities and his research on the causes of
cancer.
Born at the
Kokyo Imperial Palace in
Tokyo, Prince Masahito held the childhood appellation Prince Yoshi (義宮正仁, Yoshi-no-miya Masahito).
He received his primary and secondary at the then-boys department of the Gakushuin. In late
1944, the Imperial Household Ministry evacuated Prince Yoshi and the Crown Prince to
Nikko, to escape the American bombing of Tokyo. From
1947 to
1950, Mrs. Elizabeth Gray Vining tutored both princes and their sisters, the Princesses Kazuko, Atsuko, and Takako, in English.
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.
On
30 September 1964, the Prince married
Tsugaru Hanako (born
19 July 1940), fourth daughter of the late
Tsugaru Yoshitaka, a former count in the abolished
kazoku and a descendant of the former
daimyo of Tsugaru. The following day, Emperor Shōwa granted his second son the title Hitachi-no-miya (Prince Hitachi). He had previously received authorization from the Imperial Household Council to form an independent imperial household. Prince and Princess Hitachi have no children.
Prince and Princess Hitachi are currently presidents of societies concerned with
international exchange (such as the
Japan-Sweden Society,
Japan-Belgium Society), the
disabled (
Japanese Society for Disabled Children, etc.), and the
conservation of
nature (
Japanese Society for the Preservation of Birds). Prince Hitachi currently hold positions as
president and honorary positions in at least fourteen organisations.
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Kunaicho | Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Hitachi
