Yuriko, Princess Mikasa

Yuriko, Princess Mikasa (崇仁親王妃百合子, Takahito Shinnōhi Yuriko), born Yuriko Takagi (高木百合子, Takagi Yuriko), was born on June 4, 1923, and died on November 15, 2024. She was a member of the Imperial House of Japan through her marriage to Takahito, Prince Mikasa, the fourth son of Emperor Taishō and Empress Teimei.

**Early Life**

Yuriko Takagi was born at her family's residence in Tokyo. She was the second daughter of Viscount Masanari Takagi (1894–1948) and Kuniko Irie (1901–1988). Her paternal lineage included the Takagi clan, formerly hereditary lords of the small feudal domain of Tannan, and traced back to Hotta Masayoshi, a prominent rōjū (shogunal advisor) during the Bakumatsu period. Her maternal lineage was descended from the Yanagihara clan, and she was a second cousin of Emperor Shōwa. Lady Yanagiwara Naruko, the grandmother of the Emperor, was her great-aunt. Yuriko completed her education at Gakushuin Women's Academy in 1941.

**Marriage**

Yuriko's engagement to her second cousin once removed, Takahito, Prince Mikasa, was announced in March 1941. Their engagement ceremony was held on October 3, 1941, followed by their wedding on October 22, 1941. Her style was then Her Imperial Highness The Princess Mikasa. Her married life coincided with a tumultuous period in Japan’s history, shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States' entry into World War II.

Following her marriage, the Princess Mikasa was involved in domestic duties, especially during the post-war years when her family faced financial difficulties after their residence was destroyed in the US fire bombings of Tokyo in 1945. She experienced the final months of World War II amid tense and frightening circumstances and later assisted with her husband's hospitalization during his terminal illness. On October 22, 2016, the couple celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary, shortly before her husband's death five days later. She led his funeral procession as the chief mourner.

**Family**

Yuriko and Takahito, Prince Mikasa, had five children, three of whom predeceased them. Their children included:

- Yasuko Konoe (born 1944), who married Tadateru Konoe, the younger brother of former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa, and the adopted heir of Fumimaro Konoe.

- Prince Tomohito of Mikasa (1946–2012), heir apparent, married Nobuko Asō, and fathered two daughters.

- Prince Katsura (1948–2014), who was created Katsura-no-miya in 1988.

- Princess Masako of Mikasa (born 1951), married Masayuki Sen, and has children.

- Prince Norihito of Takamado (1954–2002), married Hisako Tottori, with whom he had three daughters.

**Public Service**

Princess Yuriko served as honorary president of several charitable organizations, focusing on the preservation of traditional Japanese culture. She actively participated in the Japanese Red Cross Society and was the president of the Imperial Gift Foundation Boshi-Aiiku-kai from 1948 until her resignation in September 2010. Her involvement included attending events related to maternal and child health.

**Health and Death**

Yuriko had a pacemaker implanted in 1999 and underwent colon cancer surgery in 2007. She was hospitalized multiple times from 2020 onward due to heart failure, pneumonia, arrhythmia, and complications from cerebral infarction and stroke. Despite health challenges, she continued to receive care at St. Luke's International Hospital. She celebrated her 100th birthday in June 2023 while hospitalized. In early 2024, she experienced further health decline, with reports of pneumonia and overall body function deterioration. Her condition worsened in November 2024, leading to her death at 6:32 am on November 15 at St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo, aged 101. Her death was attributed to old age, with subsequent reports noting pneumonia as a contributing factor.

Following her demise, the Imperial Household Agency announced her passing, and arrangements for her wake and funeral were conducted according to imperial protocols. Her funeral was held at Toshimagaoka Cemetery in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward on November 26, 2024.