ABSTRACT
Named Michi-no-miya Hirohito after his birth on 29 April 1901, Hirohito was soon separated from his parents, Crown Prince Yoshihito, the future Taish) Emperor, and Sadako, his consort, as was customary at court. They entrusted him to the care of a respected ex-naval officer, Kawamura Sumiyoshi, and his wife (Kawahara 1990:14). Chichibu-no-miya Yasuhito Shinn), Hirohito’s first brother, born in 1902, likewise was sent to live with the Kawamura family, not far from the imperial palace. After Kawamura died in 1904, however, the young princes rejoined their parents at the T)g*-gosho, the Crown Prince’s palace in Akasaka. In 1905 Hirohito’s second brother, Takamatsu-no-miya Nobuhito, was born. A third brother, Mikasa-no-miya Takahito, was born ten years later.
