, formerly , is a former member of the

Imperial House of Japan 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 ...

and the second daughter of Norihito, Prince Takamado and Hisako, Princess Takamado. She married Kunimaro Senge, a commoner, on 5 October 2014. As a result, she gave up her imperial title and left the Japanese Imperial Family, as required by law.

Biography

Princess Noriko was born on 22 July 1988 at Aiiku Hospital in Minami-Azabu,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. After her birth, her father, Prince Takamado, chose her name. She went to Gakushuin Kindergarten. After that she attended the prestigious Gakushuin School for her primary, junior high, and high school education. In April 2007, Princess Noriko enrolled in the Gakushuin University, Faculty of Letters, Department of Psychology, and expressed her intent to pursue studies in the field of

clinical psychology Clinical psychology is an integration of human science, behavioral science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well ...

. In July 2008, she came of age and attended official ceremonies in Japan with the other members of the Imperial Family. She attended official functions at the palace and accompanied her mother to some other official events, as well as attending some on her own. On 20 March 2011, she graduated from Gakushuin University with the B.A. degree in

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

Marriage

On 27 May 2014, Princess Noriko announced her engagement to , a kannushi for the Izumo-taisha shrine. The two married on 5 October at the shrine. Senge Kunimaro is the eldest son of Senge Takamasa, the head priest of the Izumo Grand Shrine. The Senge family have been hereditary administrators of the shrine for generations. Though legally commoners today, the heads of the family held the title of

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

in the Imperial Japanese peerage (''

kazoku The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. It was formed by merging the feudal lords (''Daimyo, daimyō'') and court nobles (''kuge'') into one system modelled after the British peerage. Distin ...

'') before its abolition in 1947. Senge Kunimaro is a second cousin (twice removed) of the present Emperor and a distant cousin twice over of Princess Noriko. He and Noriko are third cousins once removed by their shared descent from Prince Kujō Michitaka, who was the father of the Empress Teimei, Princess Noriko's great-grandmother and Senge Kunimaro's great-great-aunt. The couple are also fifth cousins through their shared descent from Marquis

Nakayama Tadayasu Kazoku, Marquess Nakayama Tadayasu (Japanese: 中山忠能, 17 December 1809 – 12 June 1888) was a Japanese nobleman and courtier of the Edo period and then one of the Kazoku of the post-1867 Empire of Japan. He was the father of Nakayama Yos ...

, the maternal grandfather of the Meiji Emperor. By birth, Kunimaro is also related to other members of the imperial family. He is a sixth cousin once removed of his grandmother-in-law, Princess Mikasa, a third cousin twice removed of Princess Hitachi and a cousin of the late Princesses

Takamatsu file:Takamatsu City Hall.jpg, 270px, Takamatsu City Hall file:Takamatsu city center area Aerial photograph.2007.jpg, 270px, Aerial view of Takamatsu city center file:Takamatsu200910cut.JPG, 270px, View from Yashima to Takashima port is a capital ...

and Chichibu (a second cousin thrice removed and a fourth cousin thrice removed, respectively). After the wedding, Princess Noriko lost her imperial status. This change in her status is mandated by the Imperial Household Act of 1947 that requires females of the Imperial Family to relinquish their title from birth, official membership in the Imperial Family, and allowance from the state upon marriage to a commoner. At 26 years of age, she became the seventh female member born into the Japanese Imperial Family to marry a commoner since the passage of the Imperial Household Law in 1947, and the first member of the family to lose her royal status since the marriage of Sayako, Princess Nori, Emperor Akihito's daughter, in 2005. The government decided to bestow a one-time ¥106.75 million allowance on the couple.

Titles and styles

*22 July 1988 – 5 October 2014: ''Her Imperial Highness'' Princess Noriko of Takamado *5 October 2014 – present: ''Mrs.'' Kunimaro Senge

Ancestry

References

External links

Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado and her family
at the Imperial Household Agency website Japanese princesses 1988 births Living people Nobility from Tokyo People from Minato, Tokyo Gakushuin University alumni Order of the Precious Crown members Izumo clan {{Izumo-taishakyo