Kikuko, Princess Takamatsu

Kikuko, Princess Takamatsu (宣仁親王妃喜久子, Nobuhito Shinnōhi Kikuko), was born Tokugawa Kikuko (徳川喜久子) on December 26, 1911, in Tokyo, Japan. She passed away on December 18, 2004. She was a member of the Japanese imperial family through her marriage to Nobuhito, Prince Takamatsu, the third son of Emperor Taishō and Empress Teimei. As such, she was a sister-in-law to Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) and an aunt by marriage to Emperor Akihito.

Her early life details indicate she was the second daughter of Yoshihisa Tokugawa (August 2, 1884 – January 22, 1922), a peer who was a descendant of Yoshinobu Tokugawa, the last shōgun of Japan. Her mother was Princess Mieko of Arisugawa (February 14, 1891 – April 25, 1933), a member of the Arisugawa-no-miya, one of the four collateral branches of the Imperial Family during the Edo period that could provide a successor to the throne. Kikuko received her primary and secondary education at the girls' department of the Gakushuin school.

At age eighteen, she became engaged to Prince Takamatsu, who was then third-in-line to the throne. Both she and Prince Takamatsu shared common ancestry; they were related as sixth cousins twice removed through their descent from Emperor Reigen, with Prince Takamatsu being a seven-times great-grandchild and Kikuko a five-times great-grandchild of Reigen.

She married Prince Takamatsu at the Tokyo Imperial Palace on February 4, 1930. Following their wedding, the couple undertook a world tour, partly to reciprocate the goodwill shown by King George V of the United Kingdom in sending a mission to Tokyo to present Emperor Shōwa with the Order of the Garter. During this tour, they traveled across the United States to promote goodwill between Japan and the U.S. She and Prince Takamatsu returned to Japan in June 1931 and resided in Takanawa, Minato, Tokyo.

After the death of her mother from bowel cancer in 1933, Kikuko became involved in philanthropic activities, especially related to cancer research. She established the Princess Takamatsu Cancer Research Fund in 1968, supporting scientific symposia and awarding researchers. She also served as president of organizations providing relief to leprosy patients and held honorary positions in several charitable foundations, including the "Saiseikai" Imperial Gift Foundation Inc., Tofu Kyokai Foundation, Shadan Houjin Tokyo Jikeikai, Nichifutsu Kyokai, and Nichifutsu Kaikan. Additionally, she was an honorary vice-president of the Japanese Red Cross Society.

In 1991, Princess Takamatsu and an aide discovered a twenty-one volume diary written by Prince Takamatsu between 1922 and 1947. Despite opposition from the Imperial Household Agency, she released excerpts of the diary to the magazine Chūōkōron in 1995. The diary revealed Prince Takamatsu's opposition to certain military actions during Japan's wartime period and his warnings to Emperor Hirohito regarding the military's limitations against the United States.

Following the death of Empress Kōjun in 2000, she became the oldest member of the Imperial Family. In 2001, at age 90, she publicly called for reforms to the 1947 Imperial Household Law, advocating for the possibility of a female emperor, citing historical precedents.

Princess Takamatsu died of sepsis at St. Luke's Medical Center in Tokyo on December 18, 2004. Her funeral was held on December 27 at Toshimagaoka cemetery in Tokyo’s Bunkyō Ward, with Prince Tomohito of Mikasa serving as the chief mourner. Her ashes were placed in her husband's tomb. She was recognized as the last surviving member of the imperial family born during the Meiji period.

Her honors include the Dame Grand Cordon of the Order of the Precious Crown awarded on February 4, 1930, and the Dame of the Royal Order of Queen Maria Luisa from Spain on November 16, 1930.