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Prince Kanin Kotohito

Prince
Kan'in Kotohito
Prince Kanin Kotohito.jpg
Prince Kan'in Kotohito
Native name 閑院宮載仁親王
Nickname(s) Prince messenger
Born (1865-11-10)November 10, 1865
Kyoto, Japan
Died May 21, 1945(1945-05-21) (aged 79)
Odawara, Kanagawa, Japan
Allegiance Empire of Japan
Service/branch Imperial Japanese Army
Years of service 1881–1945
Rank Field Marshal
Commands held
Battles/wars
Awards

Prince Kan'in Kotohito (閑院宮載仁親王 Kan'in-no-miya Kotohito Shinnō OM?, November 10, 1865 – May 21, 1945) was the sixth head of a cadet branch of the Japanese imperial family, and a career army officer who served as Chief of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff from 1931 to 1940.

Prince Kotohito was born in Kyoto on November 10, 1865 as the sixteenth son of Prince Fushimi Kuniye (1802–1875). His father was twentieth head of the Fushimi-no-miya, one of the four shinnōke, branches of the Imperial Family which were eligible to succeed to the throne if the main line should die out. Since the infant mortality rate in the main imperial household was quite high, Emperor Kōmei, the father of Emperor Meiji, adopted Prince Kotohito as a potential heir. Prince Kotohito was thus the adopted brother of Emperor Meiji and a great uncle to both Emperor Shōwa and his consort, Empress Kōjun.

Prince Kotohito was initially sent to Sambō-in monzeki temple at the age of three to be raised as a Buddhist monk, but was selected in 1872 to revive the Kan'in-no-miya, another of the shinnōke households, which had gone extinct upon the death of the fifth head, Prince Naruhito.


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