Tokugawa Yoshihisa (徳川慶久)
Yoshihisa TOKUGAWA (September 2, 1884 - January 22, 1922) was the seventh son of Yoshinobu TOKUGAWA, the 15th Shogun. His mother was Nobu SHINMURA, Yoshinobu's concubine. He was on the peerage as a duke. His original name was Hisashi. On becoming an heir to the family of Yoshinobu TOKUGAWA, he changed his name to Yoshihisa on June 6, 1902. It is said that he was popular with the people around him and was called by them with "Keikyu-sama," (which is another way of reading the kanji characters of his name Yoshihisa). He graduated from the University of Tokyo. He was a member of Kizokuin (the House of Peers) and worked as a board member of Daiichi Bank. Subsequently, he served as chairman of the committee on heredity property of the peerage. He was posthumously given the title of shosanmi (Senior Third Rank), the 3rd class of the Order of the Sacred Treasure.
He had a second degree in judo and also a second degree in go (board game of capturing territory) as an amateur, as well as being highly skilled at billiards, gun shooting, horse riding, golf and oil painting. His intelligence and good personality were praised by marquis Moritatsu HOSOKAWA, his best friend, who described him saying, "He is brilliant and has the good traits he inherited from Yoshinobu." He was once even considered for prime minister of the future.
His wife was Mieko TOKUGAWA, the second princess of Arisugawanomiya Imperial Prince Takehito (February 14, 1891 - April 25, 1933) and they got married on November 8, 1908. Mieko was the last princess in the Arisugawanomiya family, which was why her second daughter Kikuko married Imperial Prince Yoshihito TAKAMATSUNOMIYA, who succeeded the service of rituals for the Arisugawanomiya family.
They had one son and four daughters, as follows:
First Daughter: Yoshiko (January 24, 1910 – April 2, 1910)
Second daughter: Princess Kikuko (December 26, 1911 – December 18, 2004), who married Imperial Prince Nobuhito on February 4, 1930.
First Son: Yoshimitsu TOKUGAWA (February 6, 1913 – February 6, 1993)
Third daughter: Kisako SAKAKIBARA (October 29, 1921 – present), who married viscount Masaharu SAKAKIBARA. Fourth daughter: Kumiko (September 23, 1922 – present), who married Yasuyoshi MATSUDAIRA, the first son of marquis Yasumasa MATSUDAIRA, and later married Jiro IDE after the death of her first husband.
With his good looks, Yoshihisa attracted the eyes of the ladies of the peerage. His grandson Yoshitomo TOKUGAWA wrote in his book, "He could make a film actor."