HIH Prince Kuni Asaakira
2 February 1901 - 7 December 1959
His Imperial Highness Prince Kuni Asaakira
Place of birth	Tokyo, Japan
Place of death	Tokyo, Japan
Allegiance	Empire of Japan
Years of service	1921–1945
Rank	Vice Admiral
Commands	Imperial Japanese Navy
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Order of the Golden Kite (4th class) Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum.

Prince Kuni Asaakira (久邇宮 朝融王, Kuni-no-miya Asaakira-ō^?) (2 February 1901 - 7 December 1959), was third head of the Kuni-no-miya, a collateral branch of the Japanese imperial family and vice admiral in the Japanese Imperial Navy during World War II. He was the elder brother of Empress Kojun (Nagako), the consort of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito), and thus a maternal uncle to the current Emperor Akihito. February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... December 7 is the 341st day (342nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (428x641, 101 KB) Description: HIH Prince Kuni Asaakira Source: National Diet Library Archives Date: circa late 1930s File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Prince Kuni Asaakira Metadata... For other uses, see Tokyo (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Tokyo (disambiguation). ... Anthem: Kimi Ga Yo Imperial Reign Slogan: Fukoku Kyohei Enrich the Country, Strengthen the Military Imperial Japan at its fullest extent during World War II Capital Tokyo Government Constitutional monarchy Emperor  - 1852-1912 Emperor Meiji  - 1912-1926 Emperor Taishō  - 1926-1989 Emperor Shōwa Prime Minister (many other Prime Ministers... Vice Admiral is a naval rank of three star level, equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority. ... The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) (: 大日本帝國海軍 Shinjitai: 大日本帝国海軍   or 日本海軍 Nippon Kaigun), officially Navy of Empire of Greater Japan, also known as the Japanese Navy or Combined Fleet was the Navy of Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japans constitutional renunciation of the use of force... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States France Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan Hungary and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Charles de Gaulle Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Regent Miklos Horthy. ... The Order of the Golden Kite (金鵄章) was a Japanese Order (decoration), established on February 12, 1889 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. ... The Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum (大勳位菊花章, literally Grand Order of the Badge of the Chrysanthemums) is Japans highest order. ... February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... December 7 is the 341st day (342nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The ōke (王家), literally Prince Houses, were branches of the Imperial Family formed from branches of the Fushimi-no-miya house. ... The ōke (王家), literally Prince Houses, were branches of the Imperial Family formed from branches of the Fushimi-no-miya house. ... Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan. ... Vice Admiral is a naval rank of three star level, equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority. ... The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) (大日本帝國海軍 Dai-Nippon Teikoku Kaigun or 日本海軍 Nippon Kaigun) was the navy of Japan before 1945. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States France Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan Hungary and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Charles de Gaulle Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Regent Miklos Horthy. ... Nagako (良子), Empress and later Empress Dowager of Japan, consort to the Emperor Showa Hirohito, (March 6, 1903 - June 16, 2000) and mother of the Emperor Akihito. ... Hirohito (Japanese: ) (April 29, 1901 – January 7, 1989) was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 1926 to 1989. ... Akihito () (born December 23, 1933) is the current Emperor ) of Japan, the 125th person to hold that title, according to the traditional order of succession. ...

Early life

Prince Kuni Asaakira was born in Tokyo, the eldest son of Prince Kuni Kuniyoshi and his wife, Chikako, the seventh daughter of Prince or Duke Shimazu Tadayoshi, the last daimyo of Satsuma. In 1921, he served for the customary term in the House of Peers. Upon his father's death on 29 January 1929, he succeeded as head of the Kuni-no-miya house. For other uses, see Tokyo (disambiguation). ... Prince Kuni Kuniyoshi (Kuni no miya Kuniyoshi ō) (23 June 1873 - 29 June 1929) was a member of the Japanese imperial family and a career army officer during the Meiji and Taisho periods. ... For other uses, see Duke (disambiguation). ... Shimazu Tadayoshi (島津忠良; October 14, 1493-December 31, 1568) is a daimyo who ruled Satsuma Province. ... Daimyo Matsudaira Katamori visits the residence of a retainer. ... Satsuma is the name of a town in Japan, Satsuma, Kagoshima, the surrounding district, Satsuma District, Kagoshima, the former province, Satsuma Province, which is now the western half of Kagoshima Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, a revolt, the Satsuma Rebellion. ... The House of Peers (貴族院 Kizokuin) was the upper house of the Imperial Diet under the Constitution of the Empire of Japan (in effect from 11 February 1889 to 3 May 1947). ... January 29 is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Military career

Prince Asaakira graduated from the 49th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1921 and the Naval War College (Japan) in 1925. He rose to the rank of lieutenant in 1928. In 1931, Prince Kuni became the chief gunner aboard the cruiser Kiso. The Imperial Japanese Naval Academy ) was a school established to train officers for the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... The Naval War College (Japanese: Kaigun Daigakkō; Short form: 海大 Kaidai) of the Empire of Japan was founded in Tsukiji, Tokyo in 1888, the same year the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy moved from Tsukiji to Etajima, Hiroshima. ...

In August 1934, he transferred to the cruiser Yakumo in the same capacity. Two years later, he rose to the rank of lieutenant commander in 1936 and was assigned to the Naval General Staff Office. He was reassigned to the battleship Nagato in 1937. He rose to the rank of captain in 1938 and rear admiral in 1940. Two years later, he was given command of the First Naval Aviation Wing. The IJN Yakumo (八雲) was an armored cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy, designed and built by the Stettiner Vulcan AG shipyards in Stettin, Germany. ... Nagato (Japanese: 長門, named after Nagato province) was a battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the lead ship of her class. ...

In 1942, Prince Kuni Asaakira commanded the naval air squadron that supported the Japanese occupation of Timor in the Pacific War. He was promoted to the rank of vice admiral in 1943, but remained on active service with naval aviation in the southern front until the end of the war. Map of Timor Timor Island from space, November 1989. ... Combatants Republic of China U.S.A. (from 1941) U.K. (from 1941) Australia (1941) Netherlands (1941) New Zealand (1941) Canada (1941) U.S.S.R. (from 1945) Empire of Japan Commanders Chiang Kai-shek, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Josef Stalin (from 1945) Hideki Tojo The Pacific War was... Naval aviation is the application of manned military air power by the navies of the world such as those operated by the United States Navy. ...

Marriage and Family

On 25 July 1925, Prince Kuni Asaakira married his cousin, Princess Tomoko (18 May 1907 - 30 June 1947), the third daughter of Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu. Prince and Princess Kuni Asaakira had six children: four daughters and two sons: July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... May 18 is the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 184 days remaining. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... His Imperial Highness Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu ) (16 October 1875 - 16 August 1946) was a scion of the Japanese imperial family and was a career naval officer who served as chief of staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1932 to 1940. ...

1. HIH Princess Kuni Masako (b. 8 December 1926)
2. HIH Princess Kuni Asako (b. 23 October 1927)
3. HIH Prince Kuni Kuniaki (b. 25 March 1929)
4. HIH Princess Kuni Michiko (b. 14 September 1933)
5. HIH Princess Kuni Hideko (b. 21 July 1937)
6. HIH Prince Kuni Asatake (b. 11 May 1940)
7. HIH Princess Kuni Noriko (b. 18 September 1941)

As a commoner

On 14 October 1947, Prince Kuni Asaakira and his children lost their imperial status and became ordinary citizens, as part of the American Occupation's abolishment of the collateral branches of the Japanese Imperial family. As a former naval officer, he was also purged him from holding any public office. Hoping to capitalize on his close ties to the throne (his sister was the empress), former prince Kuni Asaakira started a luxury perfume line carrying the imperial chrysanthemum logo. However, since few Japanese had money to purchase luxury items during the American Occupation, the Kuni Perfume Company quickly went bankrupt. He later became president of the Japan Shepherd Dog Association, and an avid orchid grower, and held posts in the Jinja Honcho, the religous corporation which succeeded the government in the control of Shinto shrines. October 14 is the 287th day of the year (288th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP) was the title for Douglas MacArthur during the Occupation of Japan following WWII. The title did belong to Dwight David Eisenhower during WWII, however, he had nothing to do with the attacks on Japan. ... At the end of the Second World War, Japan was occupied by the Allied Powers. ... Shinto() is the native religion of Japan and was once its state religion. ...

The former prince died of a heart attack at age 57 and his elder son Kuni Kuniaki (born 25 March 1929) succeeded him as titular head of the former Kuni-no-miya family. A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ... March 25 is the 84th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (85th in leap years). ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Gallery=

HIH Princess Kuni Tomoko, consort Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (450x649, 134 KB) Description: HIH Princess Kuni Tomoko, consort of Prince Kuni Asaakira Source: National Diet Library Archives Date: 1930s File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Prince...

References

• Foreign Affairs Association of Japan, The Japan Year Book, 1939-40 (Tokyo: Kenkyusha Press, 1939).
• Foreign Affairs Association of Japan, The Japan Year Book, 1945 (Tokyo: Kenkyusha Press, 1946).
• Lebra, Sugiyama Takie. Above the Clouds: Status Culture of the Modern Japanese Nobility. University of California Press (1995). ISBN: 0520076028
• "Ex Prince Kuni is Dead", New York Times, 8 December 1959.