Kujō Michitaka

Kujō Michitaka (九条 道孝) was born on June 11, 1839, and died on January 4, 1906. He was a Japanese court noble (kuge) during the late Edo period and an early Meiji era politician. He was the son of Kujō Hisatada and was adopted by his brother, Kujō Yukitsune.

Kujō Michitaka served as a member of the House of Peers in the Meiji government. His family connections included notable relationships within the imperial family; one of his daughters, Sadako, was married to Emperor Taishō, and he was the maternal grandfather of Emperor Shōwa.

During the Bakumatsu period, Kujō Michitaka supported the policies of the Tokugawa Shogunate. As one of the highest courtiers of the imperial court, he experienced a loss of influence at the onset of the Meiji Restoration, following the announcement of the abolition of the Shogunate on January 3, 1868. His right to appear at the imperial court was suspended during this period. However, later in the same year, he was rehabilitated and appointed as the clan master of the Fujiwara family.

In the Boshin War, Kujō Michitaka held a nominal leadership position of the Northern Pacification Command (奥羽鎮撫総督府), overseeing the imperial army's operations in northern Japan. He spent the latter part of the conflict in that region.

Following the establishment of the Meiji government, Kujō Michitaka was elevated to a princedom in 1869, becoming the family head of the Kujō family under the new Kazoku peerage system.

His family lineage includes his father, Kujō Hisatada, and his mother, Karahashi Meiko (1796–1881). His foster father was Kujō Yukitsune (1823–1859). Kujō Michitaka was married to Sō Kazuko, and he also had a concubine, Noma Ikuko. Their children included Kujō Michizane (1870–1933), Noriko (1878–1901), who married Prince Yamashina Kikumaro, Kujo Sekiyuki, Kazuko (1882–1911) who married Otani Kozui, Ryuko who married Shibutani Ryukyo, and Kinuko who married Otani Koaki.

References for Kujō Michitaka’s life and lineage include sources such as the Japanese-language website Neket and other historical records.