Prince and Princess Chichibu

Book excerpt: This volume offers invaluable new insights into the controversial lives and history of Prince and Princess Chichibu - two high-profile members of the Japanese imperial family, both before and after the Pacific War. Their lives were lived both above and below ‘the clouds’, with the princess a commoner in an arranged marriage and the popular ‘sporting prince’, dogged by ill health and his association with the Japanese Imperial Army. At the heart of the book is a complete translation of Princess Chichibu’s original autobiography, first published in a shorter, condensed version in 1996 under the title The Silver Drum, together with a short biography of Prince Chichibu supported by important new data on his role in the war years, thanks to recent access to new studies as well as the prince’s own writings. Also included for the first time is a translation of most of Princess Chichibu’s collection of poems which formed part of the original memoir.