Princess Sumiko

Princess Sumiko
桂宮淑子内親王
Head of the Katsura-no-miya
Reign1863–1881
PredecessorPrince Katsura Misahito
SuccessorLine extinct
BornFebruary 22, 1829
Yamashiro Province
DiedOctober 3, 1881(1881-10-03) (aged 52)
Kyoto Prefecture
BurialOctober 20, 1881
Sennyū-ji
HouseImperial House of Japan
FatherEmperor Ninkō
MotherKanroji Kiyoko

Princess Sumiko (桂宮淑子内親王; Katsura-no-miya Sumiko naishin'nō) was a Japanese princess. She was the head of the Katsura-no-miya from 1863 until 1881.[1] She was the last woman born a princess to lead a branch of the imperial family until Princess Akiko of Mikasa in September 2025.[2]

Life

Sumiko was the daughter of Emperor Ninkō and his lady-in-waiting, Kanroji Kiyoko. She was the elder half-sister of Chikako, Princess Kazu and Emperor Kōmei. On May 3, 1840, she was engaged with her cousin Prince Kan'in Naruhito; she officially became an imperial princess on October 18, 1842, to make way for her marriage. Two days later, however, Prince Naruhito died before they were married. Afterwards, Princess Sumiko remained unmarried until her death.[3]

In 1863, she succeeded to the head of the Katsura-no-miya house in her own right after the eleventh head, Prince Katsura Misahito, her younger half-brother who died in 1836.[3][4] The Katsura-no-miya house was one of the four shinnōke, branches of the Imperial Family of Japan which were eligible to succeed to the Chrysanthemum Throne in the event that the main line should die out. This was a very unusual position for a woman.

Her grave in Sennyū-ji
Her grave in Sennyū-ji

She died in 1881 on October 3, and with her, so did the Katsura-no-miya line of the Imperial family.[3] She is buried in Senyū-ji.[5]

References

  1. ^ Donald Keene, Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World, 1852-1912, 2010
  2. ^ 日本放送協会 (2025-09-30). "不在の三笠宮家当主は彬子さまに 母・信子さまは新宮家創設へ". NHKニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  3. ^ a b c 日本人名大辞典+Plus, デジタル版. "淑子内親王(すみこないしんのう)とは？ 意味や使い方". コトバンク (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  4. ^ 日本人名大辞典+Plus, デジタル版. "節仁親王(みさひとしんのう)とは？ 意味や使い方". コトバンク (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  5. ^ Jackson, Phillip (2021-09-05). "Imperial Graves at the Kuni-no-Miya Kaya-no Miya Cemetery". Hiddenpaths. Retrieved 2025-10-01.

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