Saneharu Sanjō

Sanjō Saneharu (March 2, 1913 – June 30, 1990) was a Japanese Shinto priest, a member of the nobility, and a duke (koshaku) member of the House of Peers. His father was Sanjō Kimitada, and his mother was Takae (daughter of Mōri Mototoshi).

Career

He graduated from the Faculty of Letters at Tokyo Imperial University in 1938. In the same year, he began working as a contracted staff member at the Planning Division of the Ministry of Welfare's Bureau of Physical Strength, and later served as a contracted staff member at the Population Division of the Population Bureau and the Population and Ethnic Studies Department of the Institute of Population Research. During this time, he was drafted into the Imperial Army and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Upon the death of his father, Kimitada, he inherited the title of duke on December 15, 1945, and was appointed as a duke member of the House of Peers. He served until the abolition of the House of Peers on May 2, 1947.

After the war, he was active as the chief priest of Kasuga Taisha and Heian Shrine.

Family Relations

He was married three times: to Suzuko, the third daughter of Kanemi Kintomo; Chigako, the eldest daughter of Ikejiri Motofusa; and Hatsue, the eldest daughter of Saito Takeichi. He had a son named Miyajō Kimitaka.

Among his sisters were Hiroko, wife of Baron Tokugawa Yoshihiro; Princess Haruko, sister of Emperor Kōkaku; and Shuko, wife of Baron Asano Tadamitsu.

References

Kasaka Magazine Compilation, "Heisei New Revised Old Nobility Family Genealogy," Volume 1, Yoshikawa Kōbunkan, 1996.

House of Representatives and House of Councillors Compilation, "A Hundred Years of Parliamentary System - Directory of Nobility and Councilors," Ministry of Finance Printing Bureau, 1990.