Kuni Asaakira

Asaakira, Prince Kuni (久邇宮 朝融王, Kuni-no-miya Asaakira-ō), was born on February 2, 1901, in Tokyo, Japan, and died on December 7, 1959. He was a member of the Japanese imperial family and served as a vice admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.

Family and Early Life:

He was the eldest son of Prince Kuni Kuniyoshi and his wife, Chikako, who was the seventh daughter of Prince Shimazu Tadayoshi, the last daimyō of Satsuma Domain. As a member of the collateral branch of the imperial family, he was the third head of the Kuni-no-miya house. His siblings included Empress Kōjun (Nagako), the consort of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito), making Asaakira a maternal uncle to Emperor Emeritus Akihito.

Education and Early Career:

Prince Kuni Asaakira graduated from the 49th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1921. He served as a midshipman aboard the cruiser Izumo and the battleship Kirishima. After his commissioning as an ensign, he was assigned to battleships including Yamashiro, Ise, and Nagato. He completed his studies at the Naval Staff College in 1925 and was subsequently assigned to the battleships Mutsu and Haruna. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in 1928.

Military Progression:

In 1931, he became the chief gunnery officer aboard the cruiser Kiso and transferred in the same capacity to the cruiser Yakumo in August 1934. By 1936, he had risen to lieutenant commander and was assigned to the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff Office. The following year, he was reassigned to the battleship Nagato at the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War. He was promoted to captain in 1938, and his first command was of the cruiser Yakumo starting July 9, 1940. During World War II, he commanded naval air groups at Kisarazu in November 1940 and Takao in March 1942.

Promotions and Service During WWII:

He was promoted to rear admiral on November 1, 1942, and was involved with the Southwest Area Fleet, which conducted operations including the Japanese occupation of Timor in the Pacific War. On May 1, 1945, he received the rank of vice admiral and remained active in the Imperial Japanese Navy's aviation bureau on the southern front until the end of the war in 1945.

Marriage and Children:

On July 25, 1925, Asaakira married his cousin, Princess Tomoko (May 18, 1907 – June 30, 1947), the third daughter of Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu. Together, they had eight children: five daughters and three sons. Their children included Princess Kuni Masako (born December 8, 1926), who married Prince Nashimoto Norihiko; Princess Kuni Asako (October 23, 1927 – August 21, 1964); Prince Kuni Kuniaki (born March 25, 1929); Princess Kuni Michiko (born September 14, 1933); Princess Kuni Hideko (born July 21, 1937); Prince Kuni Asatake (born May 11, 1940); Princess Kuni Noriko (born September 18, 1941); and Prince Kuni Asahiro (born October 7, 1944).

Post-War Life:

On October 14, 1947, following the American occupation of Japan, Asaakira and his children lost their imperial status and became common citizens. This abolished his and his family's collateral branch of the imperial lineage, and he was also barred from holding public office due to the purge of former military officials and imperial family members. Subsequently, he attempted to establish a luxury perfume business using the imperial chrysanthemum logo, but the venture failed during the economic hardships of the occupation. He later served as president of the Japan Shepherd Dog Association, was an avid orchid grower, and held positions within the Association of Shinto Shrines, which was the successor organization to governmental control of Shinto shrines. He died of a heart attack at the age of 57.

His eldest son, Kuniaki Kuni, born March 25, 1929, succeeded as the head of the former Kuni-no-miya family.