Mikasa-no-miya
| Mikasa-no-miya 三笠宮家 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Home province | Tokyo |
| Parent house | Imperial House of Japan |
| Titles | Prince Mikasa Princess Mikasa |
| Founder | Takahito, Prince Mikasa |
| Current head | Princess Akiko |
| Founding year | 1935 |
| Cadet branches | Katsura-no-miya Takamado-no-miya |
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|
The Prince Hitachi The Princess Hitachi |
The Mikasa-no-miya is a branch of the Japanese imperial family.
Overview
The Mikasa-no-miya was established on December 2, 1935, when Emperor Shōwa granted Prince Takahito the title of Prince Mikasa, along with permission to establish a new branch of the Imperial Family on the occasion of his 20th birthday and coming of age ceremony.[1]
Upon Prince Mikasa's death in 2016, his wife Princess Mikasa assumed leadership of the family.[2] Following her death in November 2024, the position of head of the family was left vacant until September 2025, when it was decided that Princess Akiko would succeed to the position. On this occasion, her mother, Princess Nobuko left the Mikasa household, establishing the Princess Tomohito of Mikasa household.[3]
Membership
Current members
| Name | Gender | Date of Birth | Age | Lineage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princess Akiko of Mikasa | Female | December 20, 1981 | 44 | Eldest daughter of Prince Tomohito of Mikasa | 3rd head of the family. Prince Tomohito household reintegrated into Mikasa household in 2013. |
| Princess Yōko of Mikasa | Female | October 25, 1983 | 42 | Second daughter of Prince Tomohito | |
Past members
| Name | Gender | Date of Birth | Age | Year of departure | Reason | Lineage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Takahito, Prince Mikasa | Male | December 2, 1915 | 2016 | Death | Fourth son of Emperor Taishō | First head of the Mikasa household. | |
| Yuriko, Princess Mikasa | Female | June 4, 1923 | 2024 | Death | Consort of Prince Takahito | Second head of the Mikasa household. | |
| Yasuko Konoe | Female | April 26, 1944 | 82 | 1966 | Left Imperial Family upon marriage | Eldest daughter of Prince Takahito | |
| Prince Tomohito of Mikasa | Male | January 5, 1946 | 1980 | Established household within Mikasa household | Eldest son of Prince Takahito | Died in 2012. | |
| Princess Tomohito of Mikasa | Female | April 8, 1955 | 71 | 2025 | Established Prince Tomohito of Mikasa household independent of Mikasa household | Consort of Prince Tomohito | Prince Tomohito household merged back in 2013. |
| Yoshihito, Prince Katsura | Male | February 11, 1948 | 1988 | Established Katsura-no-miya household | Second son of Prince Takahito | Died in 2014. | |
| Masako Sen | Female | October 23, 1951 | 84 | 1983 | Left Imperial Family upon marriage | Second daughter of Prince Takahito | |
| Norihito, Prince Takamado | Male | December 29, 1954 | 1984 | Established Takamado-no-miya household | Third son of Prince Takahito | Died in 2002. |
Genealogy
| 123rd Emperor of Japan Emperor Taishō | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 124th Emperor of Japan Emperor Shōwa | 1st Prince Mikasa Prince Takahito | 2nd House Head Princess Yuriko | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yasuko Konoe | Prince Tomohito | Princess Nobuko 〔Princess Tomohito of Mikasa household〕 | Prince Yoshihito 〔Katsura-no-miya〕 | Masako Sen | Prince Norihito 〔Takamado-no-miya〕 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd House Head Princess Akiko | Princess Yōko | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Heads of Household
| Position | Name | Appointed By | Date of Appointment | Ended | Reason | Length | Lineage | Descent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Takahito, Prince Mikasa | Established as head of household by Emperor Showa | December 2, 1935 | October 17, 2016 | Death | 80 years 331 days | Imperial Family | Fourth son of Emperor Taisho. |
| 2nd | Yuriko, Princess Mikasa | Imperial Household Council | November 16, 2016 | November 15, 2024 | Death | 8 years | Non-Imperial Origin | Second daughter of Masanori Takagi. Consort of Prince Takahito. |
| 3rd | Princess Akiko of Mikasa | Imperial Household Council | September 30, 2025 | Incumbent | Imperial Family | Eldest daughter of Prince Tomohito. | ||
Branch families
Prince Tomohito household
Prince Tomohito, the eldest son and heir of Prince Mikasa established his own household on November 7th, 1980, upon his marriage to Nobuko Aso. Unlike other princes of the Imperial Family who found new branches of the household, Prince Tomohito was not granted permission to do so, or a new princely title, as he was expected to eventually inherit the Mikasa household and title of Prince Mikasa.[4]
However, Prince Tomohito predeceased his father, passing away on June 6th, 2012, with no male heir. As a result, the headship of the Prince Tomohito household remained vacant. On June 10th, 2013, the Imperial Household Agency announced that the Prince Tomohito household would be considered abolished retroactively to the date of the prince’s death, and that its remaining members would be reintegrated into the Mikasa household while retaining their staff and imperial allowances. On July 31st of the same year, the former residence of the Prince Tomohito family was renamed the “Mikasa East Palace".[5]
Members
| Name | Gender | Date of Birth | Year of departure | Reason | Lineage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince Tomohito of Mikasa | Male | January 5, 1946 | 2012 | Death | Eldest son of Prince Takahito | Not granted princely title as heir to Mikasa household. |
| Princess Tomohito of Mikasa (Nobuko) | Female | April 9, 1955 | 2013 | Reintegrated into Mikasa household | Consort of Prince Tomohito | |
| Princess Akiko of Mikasa | Female | December 20, 1981 | 2013 | Reintegrated into Mikasa household | Eldest daughter of Prince Tomohito | Third head of Mikasa household. |
| Princess Yōko of Mikasa | Female | October 25, 1983 | 2013 | Reintegrated into Mikasa household | Second daughter of Prince Tomohito |
Princess Tomohito of Mikasa household
Following the November 2024 death of Princess Mikasa, the Mikasa household was left without a head. However, on September 30th, 2025, it was decided that Princess Akiko of Mikasa would become head of the household.
On this occasion, Princess Nobuko departed the Mikasa household and established the Princess Tomohito of Mikasa household.[6]
| Name | Gender | Date of Birth | Relation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princess Tomohito of Mikasa (Nobuko) | Female | April 9, 1955 | Consort of Prince Tomohito | In 2025, she left the Mikasa household and established the independent Princess Tomohito of Mikasa household. |
Katsura-no-miya
Prince Yoshihito received the title of Prince Katsura and permission to start a new branch of the Imperial Family in 1988. This was somewhat unusual as he never married or had children.[7]
| Name | Gender | Date of Birth | Year of Departure | Reason | Lineage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yoshihito, Prince Katsura | Male | February 11, 1948 | 2014 | Death | Second son of Prince Takahito | Household abolished upon Prince Katsura's death. |
Takamado-no-miya
Prince Norihito received the title of Prince Takamado and permission to start a new branch of the Imperial Family upon the occasion of his marriage in 1984. The Takamado branch remains extant, although Prince Norihito died in 2002.[8]
| Name | Gender | Date of Birth | Year of Departure | Reason | Lineage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norihito, Prince Takamado | Male | December 29, 1954 | 2002 | Death | Third son of Prince Takahito | Died in 2002. |
| Hisako, Princess Takamado | Female | July 10, 1953 | Eldest daughter of Shigejiro Tottori | |||
| Princess Tsuguko of Takamado | Female | March 8, 1986 | Eldest daughter of Prince Norihito | |||
| Noriko Senge | Female | July 22, 1988 | 2014 | Left Imperial Family upon marriage | Second daughter of Prince Norihito | Left the Imperial Family upon marriage to Kunimaro Senge on May 27, 2014. |
| Ayako Moriya | Female | September 15, 1990 | 2018 | Left Imperial Family upon marriage | Third daughter of Prince Norihito | Left the Imperial Family upon marriage to Kei Moriya on October 29, 2018. |
Residences
The principal residence of the Mikasa household is the Mikasa Palace, located adjacent to the Mikasa East Palace and the Takamado Palace, within the grounds of the Akasaka Estate, in Moto-Akasaka, Tokyo. Completed in 1970, the palace has a floor area of approximately 11,500 square feet across two floors, and served as the official residence of Prince Mikasa and Princess Mikasa from 1970 until their respective deaths in 2016 and 2024. It was vacant following the death of Princess Mikasa, but in September of 2025, it was announced that, in conjunction with Princess Akiko assuming the headship of the Mikasa household, she would move into the Mikasa palace. She moved in to the Mikasa Palace on May 7th, 2026.[9]
The Mikasa East Palace is another residence of the Mikasa family, located on the south side of the Akasaka Estate, adjacent to the Mikasa and Akishino Palaces. Completed in 1982 as the official residence of the Prince Tomohito household, the two story, 7,300 square foot palace contains 15 rooms, plus offices and staff accommodations. While was originally named the Prince Tomohito Residence, it was renamed to the Mikasa East Palace following Prince Tomohito's death in 2012. Princess Akiko and Princess Yōko continued to live there (Princess Nobuko having been living separately since 2003) until May 2026, when Princess Akiko moved into the Mikasa Palace. Princess Yōko continues to reside at the Mikasa East Palace.[10]
References
- ↑ "三笠宮家". 宮内庁 (in Japanese). Retrieved May 15, 2026.
- ↑ 産経新聞 (November 16, 2016). "【三笠宮さま薨去】百合子さまが三笠宮家当主に". 産経新聞：産経ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved May 15, 2026.
- ↑ "三笠宮家の新当主に彬子さま 母・信子さまは新宮家創設で分裂". 毎日新聞 (in Japanese). Retrieved May 15, 2026.
- ↑ "「ガラスの天井」を破ったのは政治だけではない…"女性宮家"の扉開く彬子さま、162年ぶりとなる歴史的決断の背景 2025年を振り返る【JBpressセレクション】 | JBpress (ジェイビープレス)". JBpress（日本ビジネスプレス） (in Japanese). Retrieved May 15, 2026.
- ↑ "寛仁親王家、三笠宮家入り 宮内庁発表 関係の皇族方が合意｜ニュース｜富久無線電機株式会社". www.tomihisa.co.jp. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
- ↑ "【速報】三笠宮家の当主に彬子さま 信子さまは新たな宮家「三笠宮寛仁親王妃家」の当主に 皇室経済会議がお二方の独立生計認める（日テレNEWS NNN）". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved May 15, 2026.
- ↑ "旧桂宮". 宮内庁 (in Japanese). Retrieved May 15, 2026.
- ↑ "Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado and her family". The Imperial Household Agency. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
- ↑ "《園遊会でお話しも》彬子さま 三笠宮邸での転居生活がスタート！瑶子さまとの"急転和解の背景"（女性自身）". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved May 17, 2026.
- ↑ "彬子さま、７日に三笠宮邸に引っ越し…家長として祭祀を担うため". 読売新聞 (in Japanese). May 1, 2026. Retrieved May 17, 2026.