Princess Tomohito of Mikasa
Princess Tomohito of Mikasa (寛仁親王妃信子, Tomohito Shinnōhi Nobuko) (born Nobuko Asō (麻生信子, Asō Nobuko); 9 April 1955) is a member of the Japanese Imperial Family as the widow of Prince Tomohito of Mikasa.
Nobuko
Background and education[edit]
Nobuko, a Catholic, was born on 9 April 1955 in Tokyo.
She is the third daughter and youngest child of Takakichi Asō (麻生太賀吉, Asō Takakichi, 1911–1980), the chairman of the Asō Company (best known originally for its activities in the development of coal mines and metallurgy, but today mainly specializing in cement making, as well as being in the medical, environmental and real estate business) and a member of the House of Representatives from 1949 to 1955. He was also a close associate of Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka. Her mother, Kazuko Yoshida (吉田和子, Yoshida Kazuko, 1915–1996), was the daughter of Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida. Her elder brother is the former prime minister Tarō Asō.
Through her paternal grandmother, she descends from a younger branch of the feudal Ichinomiya clan. She is the great-granddaughter of the diplomat Count Nobuaki Makino (牧野伸顕, Makino Nobuaki, 1861–1949) and the great-great-granddaughter of the samurai Ōkubo Toshimichi, famous for having been the cause of the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877.
She studied in England and graduated from Rosslyn House College in 1973. After returning to Japan, she taught English in Shoto kindergarten in the district of Shibuya, Tokyo.
Whilst in the UK she met her future husband, Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, himself a student at Oxford University. His first marriage proposal was rejected in 1973 because of Nobuko's young age. The Imperial Household Council announced the engagement of Prince Tomohito of Mikasa and Nobuko Asō on 18 April 1980 and the engagement ceremony was held on 21 May 1980. The wedding ceremony took place on 7 November 1980 and she became Princess Tomohito of Mikasa. As tradition dictates, upon her entry into the imperial family and like other members, she received a personal emblem (o-shirushi (お印)): the flower of prunus persica (hanamomo (花桃)). Born a Catholic, she is not the first Christian to enter the imperial family (Empress Michiko also comes from a Catholic family and was raised in Christian religious institutions), but she is the first to be baptized.
The couple had two daughters:
The family lived in a compound within the Akasaka Estate complex, in Moto-Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo. In October 2009 and amid her illness, she separated her residence from her husband and children.[1]
The Princess became a widow on 6 June 2012, upon the death of her husband. Nobuko did not appear publicly during the mourning period, and their daughter Princess Akiko acted as the chief mourner.[2] In June 2013 in a statement about the Prince's household, it was announced by the Imperial Household Agency that "it [had] reduced the number of households in the Imperial family by one", integrating it into the household led by his father.[1] According to the agency's officials the household integration would not have any effect on the lives of the widow and daughters of Prince Tomohito.[1]
Princess Tomohito is usually presented by her family as an excellent chef, and has published two books of recipes titled:
The second book features recipes and ingredients common in Fukushima Prefecture.
Health[edit]
Princess Nobuko suffered from brain ischemia in May 2004, which forced her to withdraw for a while to the villa of Sōma family in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, for medical treatment and rest. She continued her rest due to menopause,[4] but in 2006 she returned to Tokyo once to give her New Year's prayers. She went to Karuizawa again for treatment and her symptoms subsided, which resulted in plans for her to return to Tokyo in May. However, the return was postponed due to Prince Tomohito's poor health, who returned to the palace in August of the same year for the first time in two years.[9]
In 2008, she suffered from asthma and was repeatedly in and out of the hospital. She underwent long-term medical treatment at the villa of her older siblings, and even after returning to Tokyo, she did not return to the imperial residence, but instead lived in the official residence of the Commissioner of the Imperial Household Agency. In October 2009, she moved from the hospital where she was hospitalized to the Imperial Household Agency building for medical treatment.[10][11]
On the night of 8 September 2019, Princess Nobuko fell at her home in Tokyo. The next morning, due to persistent pain, the Princess went to Keio University Hospital in Tokyo, where she was diagnosed with a first lumbar vertebral fracture. She was prescribed a total recovery period of 3 months.[12][13]
Princess Nobuko was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer in November 2022. Doctors expressed no concern about her case, as she had no obvious symptoms of cancer. The Princess was admitted to Keio University Hospital on 16 November for further examinations, and her surgery to remove the tumor was held on 19 November.[14][15] After undergoing the surgery, which lasted 2 hours, it was discovered that her breast cancer was at stage 0, and not at stage 1.[16][17] The Princess was discharged from the hospital on 24 November, after doctors confirmed that her recovery was going well and that the chances of cancer recurrence were very low.[18] She received radiation therapy over 25 sessions at Keio University Hospital between 23 January and 27 February 2023.[19][20]
On march 4th 2024 the Princess underwent surgery for primary angle-closure & cataracts at Keio University Hospital.[21]
Styles of
Nobuko, Princess Tomohito of Mikasa
Your Imperial Highness
