Takatsukasa Sukehira (鷹司輔平)
Sukehira TAKATSUKASA (March 17, 1739 - February 8, 1813) was a court noble who lived in the middle of the Edo period. He was a Toshi choja (the head of Fujiwara Clan). He was at the rank of Juichii (Junior First Rank) and the position of Kanpaku (chief advisor to the Emperor). His childhood name was Atsunomiya.
Family tree
He was the fourth son of Imperial Prince Kaninnomiya Naohito. His mother was a court lady of the Sachi Nakano clan. His legal wife was Fumiko (Iho no tsubone) who was a daughter of Shigetaka MORI, the head of Choshu Domain. His grandfather was Emperor Higashiyama and his nephew was Emperor Kokaku.
Brief Personal History
In 1743, Mototeru TAKATSUKASA who was at the rank of Junii (Junior Second Rank) and the position of Naidaijin (Minister of the Interior) died suddenly at the age of 17 on July 6, which placed the Takatsukasa family in danger of becoming extinct. Kanpaku Kaneka ICHIJO who was Mototeru's biological father, who had taken over the Ichijo family by being adopted from the Takatsukasa family, worried about the situation and sent a messenger to the Kasuga-Taisha Shrine asking an oracle to decide the heir. As a result of the divination done at the Kasuga-Taisha Shrine, Atsunomiya who was a son of Imperial Prince Naohito was chosen to be adopted. First, Kaneka made him a yushi (another child considered as one's own) of Empress Sakuramachi on November 19, then adopted him as his own child on December 12, and finally, made him take over the Takatsukasa family as an adopted child from the Ichijo family.
He went through Genpuku (ceremony of attaining manhood) on December 29, 1745. In 1756, he assumed the position of Naidaijin. Sukehira assumed the position of Kanpaku in 1787 and assisted his nephew, Emperor Kokaku (his older brother's biological child and ascended the throne in 1779) who ascended the throne after being adopted from the Kaninnomiya family just like him. In 1797, he entered the priesthood and called himself Rien. In 1813, he died at the age of 75.