, formerly , is a former member of the Imperial Family of Japan. She is the fourth child and second daughter of

Takahito, Prince Mikasa was a Japanese prince, the youngest of the four sons of Emperor Taishō (Yoshihito) and Empress Teimei (Sadako). He was their last surviving child. His eldest brother was Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito). After serving as a junior cavalry officer in ...

and

Yuriko, Princess Mikasa (born , 4 June 1923 – 15 November 2024) was a member of the Imperial House of Japan as the wife of Takahito, Prince Mikasa, the fourth son of Emperor Taishō and Empress Teimei. The Princess was the last surviving paternal great-aunt by marri ...

.Kunaicho , Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Mikasa and their family
/ref> She is the wife of the 16th-generation Soshitsu Sen.

Education

For her early education as a child, Princess Masako attended Gakushuin Elementary School and then Gakushuin Women's Secondary School. She later enrolled in the Department of Japanese Language and Literature, Faculty of Letters,

Gakushuin University is a private university in Mejiro, Toshima, Tokyo. The Gakushūin (or "Peers School") was established during the Meiji period to educate the children of the Japanese nobility, but back then the institution had only the primary and secondary ...

. After completing three years, she was sent to a boarding school in Switzerland and moved to Paris for studying in the

University of Sorbonne The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

Marriage and family

Princess Masako married Masayuki Sen (b. 1956), the elder son of Sōshitsu Sen XV, on 14 October 1983. Upon her marriage, she gave up her imperial title and left the

Japanese Imperial Family The is the reigning dynasty of Japan, consisting of those members of the extended family of the reigning emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present constitution of Japan, the emperor is "the symbol of the State ...

as required by Imperial Law, and took the surname of her husband. He succeeded his father and thus became , the sixteenth hereditary grand master (''

Iemoto is a Japanese term used to refer to the founder or current Grand Master of a certain school of traditional Japanese art. It is used synonymously with the term when it refers to the family or house that the iemoto is head of and represents. Th ...

'') of the

Urasenke is one of the main schools of Japanese tea ceremony. Along with and , it is one of the three lines of the family descending from , which together are known as the - or the "three houses/families" (). The name , literally meaning "rear hous ...

Japanese Tea Ceremony The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or lit. 'Hot water for tea') is a Culture of Japan, Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . The term "Japa ...

School, in December 2002. The couple have two sons and one daughter: * Akifumi Kikuchi (10 November 1984 – 20 August 2024), had his surname officially changed from "Sen" to "Kikuchi" in 2014 * Makiko Sakata (born 11 July 1987), married in 2017 to Munehiro Sakata * Takafumi Sen (born 6 July 1990)

Official activities

Masako Sen has been active in the

Soroptimist International Soroptimist International (SI) , founded in 1921, is a global volunteer service for women with almost 66,000 members in 118 countries worldwide. Soroptimist International also offers Associate Membership and E-Clubs. Soroptimist International h ...

(SI) organization in Japan. She was President of the SI Kyoto Club in 2006, and again, in 2016. In 2012, she was elected as the 14th Governor of Japan's Soroptimist International of the Americas (SIA) Chuo Region. In March, 2018, she was elected as Chair of the Soroptimist Japan Foundation.

Titles and styles

* 23 October 1951 – 14 October 1983: ''Her Imperial Highness'' Princess Masako * 14 October 1983 – present: ''Mrs.'' Soshitsu Sen

Honours

National honours

* Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Precious Crown The is a Japanese order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. Since the Order of the Rising Sun at that time was an Order for men, it was established as an Order for women. Originally the order had five classes, but on Apr ...

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sen, Masako 1951 births Living people Japanese princesses People from Shinagawa Grand Cordons (Imperial Family) of the Order of the Precious Crown Gakushuin University alumni