Prince Tsuneyoshi Takeda
Encyclopedia
was the second and last heir of the Takeda-no-miya
collateral branch
of the Japanese Imperial Family.
and Princess Tsune-no-miya Masako (1888–1940), the sixth daughter of Emperor Meiji
. He was, therefore, a first cousin of Emperor Shōwa.
Prince Tsuneyoshi became the second head of the Takeda-no-miya
house on April 23, 1919. After being educated at the Gakushuin
Peers' School, and serving for a session in the House of Peers, he graduated from the 32nd class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in July 1930, and received a commission as a sub-lieutenant in the cavalry
.
, and rose to the rank of lieutenant
in August 1930 and captain in August 1936. He then graduated from the 50th class of the Army War College
in 1938 as the build-up to World War II
was beginning. He was promoted to the rank of major
in August 1940, and attached to the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff in Tokyo
, where he headed the Personnel Department. He became lieutenant colonel
in August 1943.
Prince Takeda held executive responsibilities over Unit 731
in his role as chief financial officer of the Kwantung Army. Unit 731 conducted biological weapons research on human subjects with a variety of bacterial cultures and viruses during World War II
. According to Daniel Barenblatt, Takeda received, with Prince Mikasa
, a special screening by Shiro Ishii
of a film showing imperial planes loading germ bombs for bubonic plague
dissemination over the Chinese city of Ningbo
in 1940.
Moreover, historian Hal Gold has alleged in his work "Unit 731 Testimony" that Prince Takeda had a more active role as "Lieutenant Colonel Miyata" – an officer in the Strategic Section of the Operations Division. Gold reports the testimony of a veteran of the Youth Corps of this unit, who testified in July 1994 in Morioka during a traveling exhibition on Shiro Ishii
's experiments, that Takeda watched while outside poison gas tests where made on thirty prisoners near Anda
. After the war, a staff photographer also recalled the day the Prince visited Unit 731's facility at Pingfang
, Manchukuo
and had his picture taken at the gates.
Prince Takeda briefly served as the emperor's personal liaison to the Saigon headquarters of Field Marshal
Terauchi Hisaichi
, commander of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group
. During that assignment, he observed first-hand the desperate conditions of the Japanese forces at Rabaul
, Guadalcanal
, and in Luzon
. After his return, he was then assigned to the Kwangtung Army headquarters. After Emperor Shōwa's radio address announcing the surrender of Japan
on August 15, 1945, he went to Shinkyo
in Manchukuo
to ensure the Kwantung Army's compliance with the surrender orders.
on October 14, 1947, Prince Tsuneyoshi and his family became commoners. Initially, he retired to his estate in Chiba Prefecture
to raise racehorses
, thus escaping the financial hardship many of his cousins experienced during the American occupation of Japan. In 1947, he attempted to enter the business world by establishing a company to make knitting machine
s, but the company soon went bankrupt.
Takeda then turned his attention to promoting and developing amateur and professional sports. As a participant in equestrian
events as part of Japan's delegation to the 1936 Summer Olympics
in Berlin
, he already had a reputation as the "sports prince". He became president of the Japan Skating Association in 1948 and a member of the north Tokyo Rotary Club. He became president of the Japanese Olympic Committee
in 1962 and was an important figure in organizing the 1964 Summer Olympics
in Tokyo
and the 1972 Winter Olympics
in Sapporo. He was also a member of the International Olympic Committee
from 1967 to 1981, during which he was director of its executive board for five years.
In 1987, the former Prince published a volume of autobiographical essays entitled "Kumo no use shita: Omoide-banashi" (Above and Below the Clouds: Remembrances).
The former prince died of heart failure on May 12, 1992, at the age of 83.
The current heir to the Takeda-no-miya family is Prince Tsuneyoshi's eldest son, Tsunetada Takeda (b. 1940), a graduate of the Gakushuin and Keio University
, with a degree in economics, and formerly employed by Mitsubishi Shoji
. He married Kyoko Nezu, the third daughter of Kaichiro Nezu, former chairman of Tobu Railway
s, and has a son, Tsunetaka Takeda (b. 1967), and daughter, Hiroko Takeda (b. 1971).
The former Takeda palace and a portion of its gardens in Tokyo survives as a part of the Takanawa Prince Hotel, and is open to the public.
Takeda-no-miya
The Takeda ōke was the tenth and youngest branch of the Japanese Imperial Family created from branches of the Fushimi-no-miya house.-Takeda-no-miya:...
collateral branch
Oke
The , were branches of the Japanese Imperial Family created from branches of the Fushimi-no-miya house. All but one of the ōke were formed by the descendants of Prince Fushimi Kuniye. The ōke were stripped of their membership in the Imperial Family by the American Occupation Authorities in...
of the Japanese Imperial Family.
Early life
Prince Takeda Tsuneyoshi was the only son of Prince Takeda TsunehisaPrince Takeda Tsunehisa
was the founder of the Takeda-no-miya collateral branch of Japanese Imperial Family.- Biography :Prince Takeda Tsunehisa was the eldest son of Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa and thus the brother of Prince Kitashirakawa Naruhisa...
and Princess Tsune-no-miya Masako (1888–1940), the sixth daughter of Emperor Meiji
Emperor Meiji
The or was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 3 February 1867 until his death...
. He was, therefore, a first cousin of Emperor Shōwa.
Prince Tsuneyoshi became the second head of the Takeda-no-miya
Takeda-no-miya
The Takeda ōke was the tenth and youngest branch of the Japanese Imperial Family created from branches of the Fushimi-no-miya house.-Takeda-no-miya:...
house on April 23, 1919. After being educated at the Gakushuin
Gakushuin
The or Peers School is an educational institution founded in Tokyo in 1877, during the Meiji period, for the education of the children of the Japanese aristocracy, though it eventually also opened its doors to the offspring of extremely wealthy commoners...
Peers' School, and serving for a session in the House of Peers, he graduated from the 32nd class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in July 1930, and received a commission as a sub-lieutenant in the cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
.
Marriage & family
On May 12, 1934, Prince Takeda married Sanjo Mitsuko. She was the youngest daughter of Prince Sanjo Kimiteru, with whom he had five children (3 sons and 2 daughters):- , born on 11 October 1940 (age 71)
- , (b. 1942)
- , (b. 1943)
- (b. 1944) Japanese ambassador to BulgariaBulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
- , (b. 1947)
Military career
The Prince served a brief tour with a cavalry regiment in ManchuriaManchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
, and rose to the rank of lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in August 1930 and captain in August 1936. He then graduated from the 50th class of the Army War College
Army War College (Japan)
The ; Short form: of the Empire of Japan was founded in 1882 in Minato, Tokyo to modernize and Westernize the Imperial Japanese Army. Much of the empire's elite including prime ministers during the period of Japanese militarism were graduates of the college....
in 1938 as the build-up to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was beginning. He was promoted to the rank of major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in August 1940, and attached to the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, where he headed the Personnel Department. He became lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
in August 1943.
Unit 731
was a covert biological and chemical warfare research and development unit of the Imperial Japanese Army that undertook lethal human experimentation during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. It was responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes carried out by Japanese...
in his role as chief financial officer of the Kwantung Army. Unit 731 conducted biological weapons research on human subjects with a variety of bacterial cultures and viruses during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. According to Daniel Barenblatt, Takeda received, with Prince Mikasa
Prince Mikasa
is a member of the Imperial House of Japan. He is the fourth and youngest son of Emperor Taishō and Empress Teimei. His eldest brother was Emperor Shōwa , and is the only surviving paternal uncle of Emperor Akihito. With the death of his sister-in-law, Princess Takamatsu , on 17 December 2004, he...
, a special screening by Shiro Ishii
Shiro Ishii
was a Japanese microbiologist and the lieutenant general of Unit 731, a biological warfare unit of the Imperial Japanese Army responsible for human experimentation and war crimes during the Second Sino-Japanese War.-Early years:...
of a film showing imperial planes loading germ bombs for bubonic plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
dissemination over the Chinese city of Ningbo
Ningbo
Ningbo is a seaport city of northeastern Zhejiang province, Eastern China. Holding sub-provincial administrative status, the municipality has a population of 7,605,700 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 3,089,180 in the built up area made of 6 urban districts. It lies south of the Hangzhou Bay,...
in 1940.
Moreover, historian Hal Gold has alleged in his work "Unit 731 Testimony" that Prince Takeda had a more active role as "Lieutenant Colonel Miyata" – an officer in the Strategic Section of the Operations Division. Gold reports the testimony of a veteran of the Youth Corps of this unit, who testified in July 1994 in Morioka during a traveling exhibition on Shiro Ishii
Shiro Ishii
was a Japanese microbiologist and the lieutenant general of Unit 731, a biological warfare unit of the Imperial Japanese Army responsible for human experimentation and war crimes during the Second Sino-Japanese War.-Early years:...
's experiments, that Takeda watched while outside poison gas tests where made on thirty prisoners near Anda
Anda (Heilongjiang)
Anda , Heilongjiang, China is a city west of Harbin on the Harbin-Manzhouli Railway about 30 km east of Daqing....
. After the war, a staff photographer also recalled the day the Prince visited Unit 731's facility at Pingfang
Pingfang
Pingfang District is a district in the outskirts of Harbin, China . It was the headquarters of the Japanese Biological Warfare Unit 731 during the Japanese invasion of China and World War II. It had an airport, railway and dungeons...
, Manchukuo
Manchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
and had his picture taken at the gates.
Prince Takeda briefly served as the emperor's personal liaison to the Saigon headquarters of Field Marshal
Field Marshal (Japan)
was the highest title in the prewar Imperial Japanese Military.The term gensui, which was used for both the Imperial Japanese Army and the Imperial Japanese Navy, was at first a rank held by Saigō Takamori as the Commander of the Armies in 1872...
Terauchi Hisaichi
Terauchi Hisaichi
|-...
, commander of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group
Southern Expeditionary Army Group
The was a army group of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. It was responsible for all military operations in South East Asian and South West Pacific campaigns of World War II....
. During that assignment, he observed first-hand the desperate conditions of the Japanese forces at Rabaul
Rabaul
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
, Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
, and in Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
. After his return, he was then assigned to the Kwangtung Army headquarters. After Emperor Shōwa's radio address announcing the surrender of Japan
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
on August 15, 1945, he went to Shinkyo
Shinkyo
Shinkyō can refer to the following things:*Shinshūkyō , the New Religions of Japan*Shinkyō , the Japanese name of the capital of former pupper-state Manchukuo*A sacred mirror, e.g. Yata no Kagami...
in Manchukuo
Manchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
to ensure the Kwantung Army's compliance with the surrender orders.
Post-war
With the abolition of the collateral branches of the imperial family by the American occupation authoritiesSupreme Commander of the Allied Powers
Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the Occupation of Japan following World War II...
on October 14, 1947, Prince Tsuneyoshi and his family became commoners. Initially, he retired to his estate in Chiba Prefecture
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
to raise racehorses
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
, thus escaping the financial hardship many of his cousins experienced during the American occupation of Japan. In 1947, he attempted to enter the business world by establishing a company to make knitting machine
Knitting machine
A knitting machine is a device used to create knitted fabrics in a semi- or fully automated fashion.There are numerous types of knitting machines, ranging from the simple, non-mechanical, to the highly complex and electronic. All, however, produce various types of knitted fabrics, usually either...
s, but the company soon went bankrupt.
Takeda then turned his attention to promoting and developing amateur and professional sports. As a participant in equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
events as part of Japan's delegation to the 1936 Summer Olympics
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, he already had a reputation as the "sports prince". He became president of the Japan Skating Association in 1948 and a member of the north Tokyo Rotary Club. He became president of the Japanese Olympic Committee
Japanese Olympic Committee
The Japanese Olympic Committee is the national Olympic committee in Japan for the Olympic Games movement, based in Tokyo, Japan...
in 1962 and was an important figure in organizing the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and the 1972 Winter Olympics
1972 Winter Olympics
The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan...
in Sapporo. He was also a member of the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
from 1967 to 1981, during which he was director of its executive board for five years.
In 1987, the former Prince published a volume of autobiographical essays entitled "Kumo no use shita: Omoide-banashi" (Above and Below the Clouds: Remembrances).
The former prince died of heart failure on May 12, 1992, at the age of 83.
The current heir to the Takeda-no-miya family is Prince Tsuneyoshi's eldest son, Tsunetada Takeda (b. 1940), a graduate of the Gakushuin and Keio University
Keio University
,abbreviated as Keio or Keidai , is a Japanese university located in Minato, Tokyo. It is known as the oldest institute of higher education in Japan. Founder Fukuzawa Yukichi originally established it as a school for Western studies in 1858 in Edo . It has eleven campuses in Tokyo and Kanagawa...
, with a degree in economics, and formerly employed by Mitsubishi Shoji
Mitsubishi
The Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
. He married Kyoko Nezu, the third daughter of Kaichiro Nezu, former chairman of Tobu Railway
Tobu Railway
is a Japanese commuter railway company in the Greater Tokyo Area as well as an intercity and regional operator in the Kantō region. It operates in Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, Tochigi, and Gunma Prefectures...
s, and has a son, Tsunetaka Takeda (b. 1967), and daughter, Hiroko Takeda (b. 1971).
The former Takeda palace and a portion of its gardens in Tokyo survives as a part of the Takanawa Prince Hotel, and is open to the public.