Yasuhito, Prince Chichibu
Yasuhito, Prince Chichibu was the second son of Emperor Taishō (Yoshihito) and Empress Teimei (Sadako), a younger brother of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) and a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. As a member of the Imperial House of Japan, he was the patron of several sporting, medical, and international exchange organizations. Before and after World War II, the English-speaking prince and his wife attempted to foster good relations between Japan and the United Kingdom and enjoyed a good rapport with the British royal family. As with other Japanese imperial princes of his generation, he was an active-duty career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army. Like all members of the imperial family, he was exonerated from criminal prosecutions before the International Military Tribunal for the Far East by Douglas MacArthur.
Prince Chichibu in December 1940
Emperor Taishō's four sons in 1921: Hirohito, Takahito, Nobuhito and Yasuhito
The Prince and Princess Chichibu on their wedding day.
Prince Chichibu in 1934
Yoshihito, posthumously honored as Emperor Taishō, was the 123rd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 1912 until his death in 1926. The era he presided over is known as the Taishō era.
Formal portrait, 1912
Emperor Taishō's four sons in 1921: Hirohito, Takahito, Nobuhito and Yasuhito
Emperor Taishō on his way to the opening ceremony of the Imperial Diet in 1917, during World War I
Emperor Taishō in the robes of the Order of the Garter