Prince Fushimi Kuniie

Kuniie, Prince Fushimi (伏見宮邦家親王, Fushimi-no-miya Kuniie-shinnō), was born on October 24, 1802, and died on August 5, 1872. He was a member of Japanese royalty, serving as the 20th and later the 23rd head of the House of Fushimi. He was the eldest son of Prince Fushimi Sadayuki (1776–1841) and his concubine Seiko. His familial connections position him as the 11th cousin of Emperor Sakuramachi.

In 1817, Kuniie was adopted by Emperor Kōkaku, which conferred upon him the status of a full prince of the blood, akin to a natural-born son of the emperor. Upon the death of his father in 1841, he became the head of the Fushimi-no-miya. In 1842, following a scandal involving his eldest natural son, Zaihan (later known as Prince Yamashina Akira), who ran away with Princess Takako while Zaihan was a monk at Kajū-ji, Kuniie abdicated the headship of the house in favor of his son from his wife, Prince Sadanori. Subsequently, he took the monastic name Zengaku (禪樂).

In 1864, Kuniie became head of the Fushimi-no-miya again. After the capital of Japan was relocated to Tokyo by Emperor Meiji, Kuniie left Kyoto and moved to Tokyo in 1872. Later that year, he abdicated to his second son, Prince Sadanaru, and lived in seclusion until his death.

Kuniie fathered a total of 17 princes and 14 princesses. Of his children, nine princes and five princesses were born before his marriage to Karatsukasa Hiroko in 1836; he had additional children with nine concubines, totaling 24 offspring. His notable descendants include Prince Kuni Asahiko, Prince Yamashina Akira, Prince Higashifushimi Yorihito, Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa, Prince Fushimi Sadanaru, Prince Kan'in Kotohito, and through his lineage, he is the grandfather of Japan’s first post-World War II Prime Minister, Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni. He is also an ancestor of Empress Kōjun and Emperor Akihito, as well as the common ancestor of the Ōke branch of Japanese nobility.

On January 9, 1836, Kuniie married Takatsukasa Hiroko (1814–1892), daughter of Takatsukasa Masahiro, who was a second cousin of Emperor Ninkō. Their marriage produced seven children. In addition to his lawful wife, he fathered 24 children with nine concubines.

His children included:

- Prince Yamashina Akira (1816–1891), his first son.

- Prince Shōgoin Yoshikoto (1821–1868), his second son.

- Prince Manshuin Jonin (1824–1842), his third son.

- Prince Kuni Asahiko (1824–1891).

- Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa (1847–1895).

- Prince Higashifushimi Yorihito (1867–1922).

- Prince Kan'in Kotohito (1865–1945).

Additional children encompassed several daughters who married into prominent families, becoming either Buddhist nuns or noble spouses. Several of his offspring received titles or became associated with significant noble houses, and among his descendants, many served in important roles within the Imperial Family and the Japanese nobility.