Setsuko, Princess Chichibu

Setsuko, Princess Chichibu (雍仁親王妃勢津子, Yasuhito Shinnōhi Setsuko), was born Setsuko Matsudaira (松平節子, Matsudaira Setsuko) on September 9, 1909, in Walton-on-Thames, England. She passed away on August 25, 1995. She was a member of the Japanese imperial family through her marriage and was related to several prominent Japanese aristocratic families.

Her father was Tsuneo Matsudaira, a diplomat and politician who served as Japan's ambassador to the United States in 1924 and to the United Kingdom in 1928. He later served as Imperial Household Minister from 1936 to 1945 and again from 1946 to 1947. Her mother was Nobuko Nabeshima, a member of the Nabeshima family and granddaughter of Marquis Naohiro Nabeshima, former daimyo of the Saga Domain. Her paternal grandfather was Katamori Matsudaira, the last daimyō of Aizu Domain and head of the Aizu-Matsudaira branch of the Tokugawa clan. Her maternal aunt, Itsuko Nabeshima, married Prince Morimasa Nashimoto, linking her to the imperial circle.

Although technically a commoner at birth, Setsuko's family maintained kinship ties with aristocratic families close to the Japanese Imperial Family. From 1925 to 1928, she studied at the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., while her father was ambassador to the United States. She became fluent in English and was sometimes regarded as a Kikokushijo, or an overseas-educated Japanese.

In 1928, her uncle, Viscount Morio Matsudaira, officially adopted her, which changed her social status to that of aristocracy and made her eligible for marriage into the imperial family. On September 28, 1928, at age 19, she married Yasuhito, Prince Chichibu, the second son of Emperor Taishō and Empress Teimei. Consequently, she became Princess Chichibu. Both she and Prince Chichibu were eighth cousins, thrice removed, with descent traced from Nabeshima Katsushige, the first lord of Saga.

The marriage did not produce children, as her only pregnancy ended in miscarriage. Nevertheless, their marriage was characterized by mutual affection and happiness. In 1937, the couple undertook a multi-month tour of Western Europe, during which they attended the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Westminster Abbey, visited Sweden and the Netherlands, and met with Adolf Hitler in Nuremberg, Switzerland, and other European countries. Princess Chichibu expressed affection for the United States and the United Kingdom, and her perspectives were notably changed by Japan's entry into World War II on the Axis side.

Following the death of Prince Chichibu from tuberculosis in 1953, Princess Setsuko became active in public service. She served as president of the Society for the Prevention of Tuberculosis, honorary president of the Britain-Japan Society and the Sweden-Japan Society, and an honorary vice president of the Japanese Red Cross. She conducted several semi-official visits to Britain and Sweden.

Princess Chichibu died of heart failure in Tokyo on August 25, 1995, shortly before her 86th birthday. Her autobiography, titled "The Silver Drum: A Japanese Imperial Memoir," was published posthumously and translated into English by Dorothy Britton.

Her honors included the National Grand Cordon of the Order of the Precious Crown, 1st Class, received on September 28, 1928, and decorations from foreign nations, such as Dame Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George from the United Kingdom.