Atsuko Ikeda

Atsuko Ikeda (Japanese: 池田 厚子, Ikeda Atsuko), born on March 7, 1931, is a former member of the Japanese imperial family. She was born at the Tokyo Imperial Palace to Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) and Empress Kōjun. Her childhood name was Yori-no-miya (順宮).

She had three elder sisters: Princess Shigeko, Princess Sachiko (who died in infancy), and Princess Kazuko. During her childhood, she was not raised by her biological parents but was instead cared for by court ladies at a separate palace located in the Marunouchi district of Tokyo. She completed her education at the Gakushūin Peer's School and received English language tutoring from Elizabeth Gray Vining, an American tutor, during the Allied occupation of Japan after World War II. She later graduated from Gakushuin University Women's College in March 1952.

On October 10, 1952, she married Takamasa Ikeda, born October 21, 1926, and who passed away on July 21, 2012. Takamasa Ikeda was the eldest son of former Marquis Nobumasa Ikeda and a descendant of the last daimyō of Okayama Domain. She met him at a Japanese tea ceremony at Kōraku-en gardens. Their engagement lasted approximately six months, but the wedding was delayed due to the death of her grandmother, Empress Teimei, in 1951 and a period of mourning.

Upon her marriage, she relinquished her imperial status and became a commoner, in accordance with the 1947 Imperial Household Law. This was the second occurrence of an imperial princess giving up her royal status through marriage. She also gave up her annual imperial allowance of ¥650,000 (approximately US$1,800 at that time). Her marriage linked her to Takamasa Ikeda through distant familial ties, as her mother and her husband’s father were first cousins, making them second cousins.

Following her marriage, she moved to Okayama Prefecture, where her husband managed a cattle ranch and served as director of Ikeda Zoo in Okayama city for over fifty years. In 1965, she was hospitalized with sepsis, a matter of concern for the Imperial Family, given her sister Shigeko's death from stomach cancer.

In October 1988, she succeeded her elder sister Princess Kazuko Takatsukasa as the most sacred priestess (saishu) of the Ise Grand Shrine, a position she held until June 19, 2017. After stepping down, she was succeeded by her niece, Sayako Kuroda. She also served as Chairperson of the Association of Shinto Shrines until June 2017.

In April 2024, she adopted Motohiro Nozu, the CEO of Kabaya. Discussions about her adopting someone to continue the Ikeda family line had been ongoing for about ten years prior to this decision. Motohiro Nozu and his wife changed their family name to Ikeda, although they have no children. This adoption was intended to preserve the Ikeda family's lineage, although it does not guarantee its continuation.

Atsuko Ikeda holds the national honor of the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Precious Crown.