Setsuko, Princess Chichibu – “Extraordinary friendliness” (Part three)

Read part two here.

Setsuko was greatly supported by her new husband as she learned the way of the imperial family. She wrote, “But above all, it was the moral support given me by the Prince that kept me going from day to day. He was my source of spiritual strength with his encouragement and his caring consideration. […] From that day on, I knew I could rely on the Prince to be my tower of strength, and that everything would be all right if I did as he said. I also knew that I would do anything in the world for him, and that nothing would be too hard.”¹

Setsuko’s newly learned skills were put to the test almost immediately at the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako. Setsuko later wrote, “With the Emperor and Empress and their court all dressed in the ancient style, the age-old enthronement ceremonies must have seemed like a beautiful antique screen or scroll come to life. I remember, however, the enormous weight of my ‘twelve-layered’ robe – winter-weight, as opposed to the summer-weight robe I wore at my wedding. I heard later that it probably weighed between fifteen and sixteen kilograms!”²

Shortly after this, Setsuko visited her family to say goodbye as her father had been appointed Ambassador to the United Kingdom. She wrote, “I felt strange and uncomfortable being received as royalty by my own kith and kin, and thought how curious it was that I had stood myself in a similar line at the door of the Japanese Embassy in Washington when the Prince had arrived there the year before.”³ A few days later, Setsuko’s husband entered the Military Academy by Imperial command, and he would combine this with his duties as a member of the Imperial family for three years. After graduating from the Military Academy in 1931, Prince Chichibu was appointed a Company Commander of the Third Infantry Regiment.

On 4 February 1930, Setsuko gained a sister-in-law when Prince Takamatsu married Kikuko Tokugawa. Setsuko later wrote, “I was overjoyed to gain a royal sister-in-law, and she proved to be a great source of strength to me. Prince and Princess Takamatsu were always so helpful and kind to both of us over the years.”⁴

Not long after Pu Yi, the last Emperor of China, was made Emperor of Manchukuo, Prince Chichibu carried a personal letter to him from the Emperor. In April 1935, Setsuko and her husband welcomed Emperor Pu Yi at Yokohama when he came to Japan for an official visit. In August, Prince Chichibu was posted to Hirosaki in Aomori Prefecture. He was promoted to Major and appointed Commander of the Thirty-first Infantry Regiment. Setsuko wrote, “The coldest time of the year in Hirosaki began about the middle of January, with blizzards almost every day, making driving impossible so that the Prince had to ski to work most of the time.”⁵

In May 1937, Setsuko and her husband were to head to England for the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Ahead of this, Prince Chichibu was officially transferred to the First Division, Army Staff Headquarters in Tokyo. They sailed for Canada on 18 March 1837 on the Heian Maru. They crossed Canada by train and sailed from New York to England on the Queen Mary. They were greeted in London by the Duke of Gloucester, whom the Prince had met before. Before the coronation on 12 May, the Prince and Princess had several engagements in London. Setsuko wrote, “The Japanese Imperial Family was treated with especial respect by the British Royal Family. Whatever the reason, the extraordinary friendliness expressed to us by the British Royal Family was quite remarkable.”⁶ Unfortunately, both Setsuko and her husband came down with a cold, and while Setsuko recovered quickly, her husband came down with pneumonia. Visits to the Kings of Norway and Sweden had to be cancelled.⁷

After two weeks of recuperation, Setsuko and her husband picked up their itinerary with a visit to Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands in The Hague. However, the two fell ill again, and it was decided to cancel the European tour.⁸ They remained in Europe for now to recover, and in September, Prince Chichibu was invited to Germany. Prince Chichibu went to Nuremberg Castle, where he attended a luncheon given by Adolf Hitler. Afterwards, he returned to London, where Setsuko awaited him so they could board a ship at Southampton. They finally arrived back in Japan on 15 October.⁹ Despite still being ill, Prince Chichibu reported for duty.

In May 1939, Setsuko agreed to become the President of the newly proposed organisation to be called the Anti-Tuberculosis Association. She had been suggested by the Empress, who had personally contributed 500,000 yen to the cause. Setsuko wrote, “I knew nothing about the disease, but began to study material I obtained from the Association, wondering what there was that I could do to help in its prevention. […] I was stirred into action. I simply had to do something.”¹⁰

Prince Chichibu continued to have health issues. In July 1940, he fell ill with what was thought to be bronchitis. It wasn’t until the following month that the palace physicians diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis. Setsuko wrote, “It was impossible to put into words the emotional shock it was to me. And I could not possibly allow any of this to show. ‘Pull yourself together’, I kept telling myself. Although I tried to look calm, I was overcome by remorse and the feeling that I had somehow let the Prince down.”¹¹

Read part four here.

1. The silver drum: a Japanese imperial memoir by Princess Chichibu p.98
2. The silver drum: a Japanese imperial memoir by Princess Chichibu p.100
3. The silver drum: a Japanese imperial memoir by Princess Chichibu p.102
4. The silver drum: a Japanese imperial memoir by Princess Chichibu p.118
5. The silver drum: a Japanese imperial memoir by Princess Chichibu p.126
6. The silver drum: a Japanese imperial memoir by Princess Chichibu p.133
7. The silver drum: a Japanese imperial memoir by Princess Chichibu p.136
8. The silver drum: a Japanese imperial memoir by Princess Chichibu p.137
9. The silver drum: a Japanese imperial memoir by Princess Chichibu p.137
10. The silver drum: a Japanese imperial memoir by Princess Chichibu p.142-143
11. The silver drum: a Japanese imperial memoir by Princess Chichibu p.145-146