Takedanomiya (竹田宮)

Takedanomiya is a Miyake (family allowed to have the status of Imperial family) created by Takedanomiya Prince Tsunehisa, who was a prince of Imperial Prince Kitashirakawanomiya Yoshihisa, in the late Meiji period.

Takedanomiya Prince Tsunehisa

The first Prince Tsunehisa was born as the first prince (the eldest child born out of wedlock) of Imperial Prince Yoshihisa in 1882. In 1906 he was given the Miyago (reigning name) of Takedanomiya (whose origin is the name of the place in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City). In 1908 he married Imperial Princess Masako, who was an Imperial princess of Emperor Meiji. After graduating from Military Academy and Army War College, Prince Tsunehisa pursued a career as a military officer, and became an army cavalry colonel and advanced to an army major general in 1920, but he died at the age of 38. With Imperial Princess Masako, he had Prince Tsuneyoshi and Princess Ayako, who became the wife of Count Tsunemitsu SANO.

Prince Takedanomiya Tsuneyoshi

The second Prince Tsuneyoshi was born in 1909. In 1919 due to his father's death, he succeeded the Miyake at the age of only 10. In 1934 he married Mitsuko, who was a daughter of Prince Kinteru SANJO. He started his career in the army following his father's will. He graduated from Military Academy and Army War College. At the end of the World War II he was a lieutenant colonel of army.

He worked as an instructor at the cavalry school of army and in the Pacific War he took part in the Battle of Guadalcanal as staff officer of the Imperial headquarters. He had a remarkable talent for a military man and staff officer from the Imperial family, he motivated top military leadership and endeavored to have some 10,000 soldiers evacuated. After the war he seceded from the Imperial Family in 1947.

As his Miyake Hontei (main residence) in Shiba Takanawa, Tokyo (Minato Ward, Tokyo) was not destroyed in air raids, he sold a part of the land, established a sawing machine company called Takeda Amiki, and started business, but failed. As he enjoyed skating as a hobby while attending the Military Academy, he assumed the President of Japan Skating Federation. Triggered by this, he worked on the promotion of various sports as 'Prince of Sports'. He served in a variety of posts, including the executive managing director of Japan Sports Association, Chairman of the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee, member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)and was known as 'Prince Takeda' in the international sports community. In 1992 he died at the age of 82.

Prince Tsuneyoshi had three sons, Tsunetada TAKEDA, Tsuneharu TAKEDA and Tsunekazu TAKEDA, and two daughters, Motoko TAKEDA and Noriko TAKEDA.

Genealogy after the war

The third son, Tsunekazu TAKEDA (born in 1947) was active in Japan Equestrian Federation like his father. He is the Chairman of the Japanese Olympic Committee.

Tsuneyasu TAKEDA (born in 1975), a son of Tsunekazu, is expressing his opinion on the succession to the Imperial Throne from the standpoint of a former Imperial family.

Others
After used as the official residence of the Minister of Trade and Industry, the Miyake Hontei (main residence) in Shiba Takanawa (Minato Ward, Tokyo) was sold to SEIBU Railway Co. LTD and is currently (Grand) Prince Hotel Takanawa.

[Original Japanese]