astronomy

Masahito, Prince Hitachi

Masahito, Prince Hitachi is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Masahito, Prince Hitachi rather than just read about it. In short: Masahito, Prince Hitachi (常陸宮正仁親王, Hitachi-no-miya Masahito Shinnō; born 28 November 1935) is a member of the Imperial House of Japan, the younger brother of Emperor emeritus Akihito and the paternal uncle of Emperor Naruhito. He is the second son and sixth born child of Emperor Shōwa and Empress Kōjun and is third and last in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne.

Key takeaways

Masahito, Prince Hitachi belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Masahito, Prince Hitachi to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Masahito, Prince Hitachi from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Masahito, Prince Hitachi (常陸宮正仁親王, Hitachi-no-miya Masahito Shinnō; born 28 November 1935) is a member of the Imperial House of Japan, the younger brother of Emperor emeritus Akihito and the paternal uncle of Emperor Naruhito. He is the second son and sixth born child of Emperor Shōwa and Empress Kōjun and is third and last in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne. He is mainly known for philanthropic activities and his research on the causes of cancer.

Early life and education

Born at Tokyo Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Masahito held the childhood appellation Prince Yoshi (義宮正仁親王, Yoshi-no-miya Masahito Shinnō). Masahito received his primary and secondary schooling at the Gakushūin Peers' School. In late 1944, the Imperial Household Ministry evacuated Prince Yoshi and the Crown Prince to Nikkō, to escape the American bombing of Tokyo. After the war, from 1947 to 1950, Mrs. Elizabeth Gray Vining tutored both princes and their sisters, the Princesses Kazuko, Atsuko, and Takako, in the English language. Her account of the experience is entitled Windows for the Crown Prince (1952). Prince Yoshi received his undergraduate degree in chemistry from the Faculty of Science at Gakushuin University in 1958. He subsequently did postgraduate work in the Faculty of Science at Tokyo University. In 1969, he became a Research Associate of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research specializing in the study of cellular division. The results of his research have been reported in the technical journals of the Japanese Cancer Association, as well as of the American Association for Cancer Research. In 1997, Prince Hitachi received an honorary doctorate from George Washington University in the United States, and in April 2001 received another from the University of Minnesota. In March 1999, he became an honorary member of the German Association for Cancer Research, in recognition of his significant scientific contributions to the field of cancer research.

Marriage

On 30 September 1964, the Prince married Hanako Tsugaru (born 19 July 1940), fourth daughter of the late Yoshitaka Tsugaru, a former count and a descendant of the daimyō of Tsugaru Domain. The following day, Emperor Shōwa granted him the title Hitachi-no-miya (Prince Hitachi), and authorization to start a new branch of the Imperial Family in celebration of his wedding. Prince and Princess Hitachi have their official residence in a palace in large gardens off Komazawadori in Higashi, Shibuya. They have no children. In September 2021, the Japanese government considered plans to amend the Imperial Household Law and allow Prince Hitachi to adopt a male member of the former shinnōke or ōke collateral branches of the imperial family in an effort to address the Japanese imperial succession debate.

Public service Prince Hitachi is the honorary president of a wide variety of charitable organizations, especially those involving international exchange. Most recently, Prince and Princess Hitachi visited Nicaragua and El Salvador, to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with both countries in October 2005. They also made a visit to France in September 2007 and Peru, marking the celebration of 110 years since the establishment of a Japanese community in this country, June 2009.

Health Prince Hitachi suffered from fever in late February 2023 and was hospitalized on 1 March. He was diagnosed with ureteral stones for which he underwent ureteral stenting the day after at the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center. He was discharged from hospital on 5 March. On 21 March, he underwent ureteral lithotripsy and was discharged on 24 March. He was readmitted to hospital with a fever and loss of appetite on 2 April, and was subsequently diagnosed with a urinary tract infection. He was discharged from hospital on 24 April.

Titles and styles

28 November 1935 – 1 October 1964: His Imperial Highness Prince Yoshi 1 October 1964 – present: His Imperial Highness Prince Hitachi

Honours

National honours Japan: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (28 November 1955)

Foreign honours Denmark: Knight of the Order of the Elephant (28 September 1965) Italy: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (22 November 1965) Nepal: Member of the Order of the Benevolent Ruler (19 April 1960)

Honorary degree 1997: Doctor of Science, George Washington University 2001: Doctor of Science, University of Minnesota Chiang Mai University

Honorary positions President of the Japanese Society for the Preservation of Birds President of the Japanese Society for Disabled Children President of the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation President of the Japan-Denmark Society President of the Dainippon Silk Foundation President of the Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities President of the Japan Art Association President of the Tokyo Zoological Park Society President of Maison Franco-Japonaise President of the Princess Takamatsu Cancer Research Fund Honorary President of the Japan-Sweden Society Honorary President of the Japan-Belgium Society Honorary President of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research Honorary President of Association Pasteur Japon Honorary Vice-President of the Japanese Red Cross Society

Ancestry

Patrilineal descent

References

External links

Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Hitachi at the Imperial Household Agency website

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Masahito, Prince Hitachi

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Masahito, Prince Hitachi claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Masahito, Prince Hitachi before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Masahito, Prince Hitachi ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Masahito, Prince Hitachi

In research: Masahito, Prince Hitachi appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Masahito, Prince Hitachi in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Masahito, Prince Hitachi is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1935 births, 20th-century Japanese scientists, 21st-century Japanese scientists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Masahito, Prince Hitachi outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Masahito, Prince Hitachi” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Masahito, Prince Hitachi in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Masahito, Prince Hitachi means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Masahito, Prince Hitachi out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Masahito, Prince Hitachi in simple terms?

Why does Masahito, Prince Hitachi matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Masahito, Prince Hitachi?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Masahito, Prince Hitachi.