Yoshihito, Prince Katsura

{{Infobox royalty

|name =Yoshihito

|image =Prince Yoshi.jpg

|alt =Picture of a man with goatee wearing glasses

|title =Prince Katsura

|royal house =Imperial House of Japan

|father =Takahito, Prince Mikasa

|mother =Yuriko Takagi

|birth_date ={{Birth date|1948|2|11|df=y}}

|birth_place =Kamiōsaki, Tokyo, Japan

|death_date ={{Death date and age|2014|6|8|1948|2|11|df=y}}

|death_place =University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

|date of burial =17 June 2014

|place of burial ={{ill|Toshimagaoka Imperial Cemetery|ja|豊島岡墓地}}, Bunkyo, Tokyo

|occupation =

}}

{{nihongo|Yoshihito, Prince Katsura|桂宮宜仁親王|Katsura-no-miya Yoshihito Shinnō|extra= 11 February 1948 – 8 June 2014}} was a member of the Imperial House of Japan and the second son of Takahito, Prince Mikasa and Yuriko, Princess Mikasa. He was a first cousin of Emperor Akihito. Originally known as Prince Yoshihito of Mikasa, he received the title Prince Katsura (Katsura-no-miya) and authorization to start a new branch of the Imperial Family on 1 January 1988 at age 39. He died of a heart attack on 8 June 2014, aged 66.

Early life and education

File:Princess Mikasa and her children.jpg, his mother Princess Mikasa, and his sister Princess Yasuko, c. 1950]]

The Prince was born at the Mikasa Family Home at Kamiōsaki, Shinagawa, Tokyo.

He graduated from the Department of Political Studies in the Faculty of Law of Gakushuin University in 1971. Between 1971 and 1973, he studied at the Graduate School of the Australian National University, in Canberra, Australia. After his return to Japan, he worked as an administrator at the Japan Broadcasting Corporation from 1974 to 1985.

Public service

In 1982, the Prince returned to Australia as part of the Japanese delegation in honor of the tenth anniversary of the Australia-Japan Society. He also visited New Zealand to strengthen ties and friendly diplomatic relations. Despite his disabilities following a series of strokes in 1988, he took an active role in public service, and appeared regularly at award ceremonies, diplomatic events, and as President of various charity organizations.

In July 1997, Prince Katsura again visited Australia, to help promote an exhibition of the traditional sport of sumo, with exhibition matches held in Sydney and Melbourne.

Health problems and death

Prince Katsura experienced a series of strokes in May 1988 and had surgery for acute subdural hematoma.{{cite web|url=http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/emperors-cousin-prince-katsura-dies-at-66|title=Emperor's cousin, Prince Katsura, dies at 66|date=8 June 2014 |publisher=Japan Today|access-date=14 May 2015}} He used a wheelchair, but remained active in public life and appeared regularly at award ceremonies, diplomatic events, and as president of various charity organizations. However, he had been hospitalized on and off since 2008 due to sepsis. In early 2014, the Prince was diagnosed with an unspecified illness that affected and deteriorated his heart. In the early morning hours of 8 June 2014, he experienced a massive heart attack, and despite best efforts he was pronounced dead at 10:50 AM local time. He was 66 years old.{{cite news|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/east-asia/story/japans-prince-katsura-cousin-emperor-akihito-dies-66-20140608|title=Japan's prince Katsura, cousin of Emperor Akihito, dies at 66|work=The Straits Times|date=8 June 2014 |access-date=14 May 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/06/08/national/prince-katsura-cousin-emperor-akihito-dies-66/|title=Prince Katsura, cousin of Emperor Akihito, dies at 66|work=The Japan Times|date=8 June 2014 |access-date=14 May 2015}} On 17 June 2014, the main funeral service for Prince Katsura, called "Renso no Gi", was held at Toshimagaoka Imperial Cemetery in Tokyo.{{cite web|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/06/17/national/funeral-service-late-prince-katsura-held-tokyo-cemetery/|title=Funeral held for Prince Katsura|work=The Japan Times|date=17 June 2014 |access-date=14 May 2015}} About 560 dignitaries including the members of Imperial Family attended the funeral. Prince and Princess Mikasa, Prince Katsura's parents, acted out the duty of chief mourners and his niece, Princess Akiko, hosted the ceremony.{{cite web|url=http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/funeral-held-for-emperors-cousin-prince-katsura|title=Funeral held for emperor's cousin, Prince Katsura|date=18 June 2014 |publisher=Japan Today|access-date=14 May 2015}}

Prince Katsura never married and left no legitimate children. At the time of his death, he was sixth in line to the Japanese throne.

Honours

{{see also|List of honours of the Japanese Imperial Family by country}}

= National =

Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (27 February 1968)

= Foreign =

{{Flag|Italy}} : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (09/03/1982)[http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=16354 Italian Presidency] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928084154/http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=16354 |date=28 September 2013 }}, S.A.I. Yoshihito di Mikasa Principe del Giappone

= Honorary positions =

President of the Japan Australia New Zealand Society, Inc.
President of the Agricultural Society of Japan
President of the Japan Forestry Association
President of the Japan Art Crafts Association
President of the Japanese Urushi Craft•Art Association

Ancestry

{{ahnentafel

|collapsed=yes |align=center

|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;

|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;

|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;

|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;

|1= 1. Yoshihito, Prince Katsura

|2= 2. Takahito, Prince Mikasa

|3= 3. The Hon. Yuriko Takagi

|4= 4. Yoshihito, Emperor Taishō

|5= 5. Lady Sadako Kujō

|6= 6. Masanari Takagi

|7= 7. Kuniko Irie

|8= 8. Mutsuhito, Emperor Meiji

|9= 9. Lady Naruko Yanagihara

|10= 10. Prince Michitaka Kujō

|11= 11. Ikuko Noma

|12= 12. Masayoshi Takagi

|13= 13. Saneko Matsudaira

|14= 14. Tamemori Irie

|15= 15. Nobuko Yanagihara

}}

=Patrilineal descent=

{{chart top|text-align=left|Patrilineal descent{{Cite web|url=http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-about/genealogy/img/keizu-e.pdf |title=Genealogy of the Emperors of Japan |publisher=Imperial Household Agency |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110322210732/http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-about/genealogy/img/keizu-e.pdf |archive-date=22 March 2011 |access-date=30 March 2011 |url-status=dead }}}}

;Imperial House of Japan