Prince Tsunehisa Takeda

Prince Tsunehisa Takeda (竹田宮恒久王, Takeda-no-miya Tsunehisa-ō, September 22, 1882 – April 23, 1919) was the founder of the Takeda-no-miya collateral branch of the Japanese Imperial Family.

Prince Tsunehisa Takeda
Prince Tsunehisa Takeda in formal court dress
Born(1882-09-22)September 22, 1882
Kyoto, Japan
DiedApril 23, 1919(1919-04-23) (aged 36)
Tokyo, Japan
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1908)​
Issue
FatherPrince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa
MotherSaruhashi Sacihko
ReligionShinto
Military career
Allegiance Empire of Japan
Service/branch Imperial Japanese Army
Years of service1903 –1919
Rank Major General
Battles/warsRusso-Japanese War
Other workHouse of Peers
Prince Takeda in military uniform

Biography

Prince Tsunehisa Takeda was the eldest son of Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa and thus the brother of Prince Kitashirakawa Naruhisa. He was born in Kyoto in 1882. In 1902, he served in the House of Peers, and on November 30, 1903 graduated from the 15th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy. Due to his status, he was awarded the rank of major general in the Guards Cavalry Regiment and served with distinction in the Russo-Japanese War. It is commonly stated that he was standing next to Lieutenant Yoshinaga Nanbu, the 42nd chieftain of the Nanbu clan, during the Battle of Mukden when the latter was hit by a Russian bullet and died in combat; however, this incident occurred on March 4, 1905, after Prince Tsunehisa had been recalled to Japan.

In 1906, he was authorized to take the name of "Takeda" and to start a branch house of the imperial family in March 1906,. He was wed to Emperor Meiji's sixth daughter Masako, Princess Tsune on April 30, 1908. He continued to pursue a military career, graduating from the 22nd class of the Army War College in 1910. He returned to the House of Peers in 1919. However, in April of the same year, he died during the worldwide epidemic of the Spanish influenza. Due to his death, the coming-of-age ceremony for his nephew-in-law, Prince Hirohito had to be postponed by one year to 1920.

Decorations

Family

Prince Tsunehisa Takeda had a son and a daughter:

  1. Prince Tsuneyoshi Takeda (竹田宮恒徳王, Takeda-no-miya Tsuneyoshi ō) (1909–1992)[4]
  2. Princess Ayako Takeda (禮子女王, Ayako Joō), (1913–2003), married Count Sano Tsunemitsu.
  • Princess Takeda Masako, wife
  • Prince Takeda Tsuneyoshi, son and heir
  • Princess Takeda Ayako, daughter

Ancestry

[5]

References
  • Fujitani, T; Cox, Alvin D (1998). Splendid Monarchy: Power and Pageantry in Modern Japan. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-21371-8.
  • Lebra, Sugiyama Takie (1995). Above the Clouds: Status Culture of the Modern Japanese Nobility. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-07602-8.
  • Nihon Gaiji Kyōkai. (1943). The Japan Year Book. Tokyo: Foreign Affairs Association of Japan. OCLC 1782308

Media related to Prince Takeda Tsunehisa at Wikimedia Commons

Notes
  1. 『官報』第5881号「叙任及辞令」February 13, 1903
  2. 『官報』号外「叙任及辞令」December 30, 1906
  3. 『官報』第378号「叙任及辞令」November 1, 1913
  4. Nihon Gaiji Kyōkai. (1943). The Japan Year book, p. 5.
  5. "Genealogy". Reichsarchiv (in Japanese). Retrieved 7 September 2017.
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