Imperial Prince Kideranomiya Yasuhito (木寺宮康仁親王)
Imperial Prince Kideranomiya Yasuhito (1320 - June 10, 1355) was a member of the Imperial Family in the period of the Northern and Southern Courts, and he was Emperor Kogon's Crown Prince of Jimyoin Imperial line. His grandfather was Emperor Gonijo of the Daikakuji Imperial line, his father was Emperor Godaigo's Prince, Imperial Prince Kuniyoshi, also called Kuninaga. He was the originator of the Daikakuji Imperial line. Later on he established the Kideranomiya family.
When Emperor Godaigo of the Daikakuji Imperial line's branch family was banished to Oki after he attempted to overthrow the Kamakura bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun), (the Genko Disturbance) Emperor Kogon was enthroned from the Jimyoin Imperial line. However, the Kamakura bakufu insisted that because this incident had nothing to do with the Daikakuji Imperial line, the Daikakuji Imperial line should appoint a successor to the Crown Prince, and Imperial succession should be shared alternately between the two parties in turns continuously, the Jimyoin Imperial line agreed to this and accepted Imperial Prince Yasuhito as Crown Prince who was thirteen years old at the time. However on the following year, in 1333, after Kamakura bakufu died out after the attack of Emperor Godaigo's army, the Emperor announced the refusal to accept Emperor Kogon to succeed to the throne and Imperial Prince Yasuhito became Crown Prince.
After that, the Imperial Prince was appointed to Nakatsukasakyo (an official position equivalent to Shoshiinojo (Senior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade)), the conflict between his granduncle, Emperor Godaigo continued, he was supportive when Emperor Komyo succeeded to the throne which was organized by Takauji ASHIKAGA. There was a legend that Imperial Prince Yasuhito went to Irino (currently Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture) the manor of the Southern Court, and established Ryoun-ji Temple, then he settled in to live there, there is the place where the Prince use to live, and his cemetery and portrait remain within the temple. The records show that the Prince died around Kyoto according to "Entairyaku" (Diary of Kinkata TOIN), although it is not known whether the legend is true or not, at least it must have been true that Kideranomiya's descendant went to Irino.
According to some old documents at Ryoun-ji Temple, the Imperial Prince Yasuhito let his second son enter into the priesthood and sent him to study under Fumyo kokushi (the Most Reverend Priest) who established Kyoto Shokoku-ji Temple. The Imperial Prince went to Irino where there used to be a manor of the Southern Court at that time and built an office for the manager of the manor and had more than four hundred koku, furthermore, after building a prayer room next to the office, he became the founder. At that time, Fumyo kokushi was invited and the Prince's second son (明庵察公) was welcomed as the practical chief priest (at a Buddhist temple). Imperial Prince Yasuhito died in 1355 when he was thirty six years old. There was a gorinto (a gravestone composed of five pieces piled up one upon another) remain inside the precincts of a Ryoun-ji Temple. If Imperial Prince Yasuhito in fact died in Kyoto, it was presumed that he went back to Kyoto after the opening Ryoun-ji Temple and died there, part or all of his remains were moved back to the temple. After that the Kideranomiya family continued to exist until Cloistered Imperial Prince Jokaku, however there was no record of the details of the other two generations that followed until Akatsu nakatsukasanosho (vice minister to Nakatsukasakyo). Akatsu nakatsukasanosho's second son (there was another theory), 円堂瑞椿 became a practical chief priest at Ryoun-ji Temple. There was the example of the Itsutsujinomiya family who went to the country and established a household of the Imperial prince.
According to the "Documents of the Ryoun-ji temple," during the era of Eiroku and Tensho, 'Omiya sama' used to live in this temple, as he was during military service in the Takeda forces, the temple was attached by Ieyasu TOKUGAWA, he burnt the temple and escaped to Shinshu (1580). Omiya sama' means Akatsu nakatsukasanosho (vice minister to Nakatsukasakyo) and he was called the eighth generation of Kideranomiya (Imperial Prince Yasuhito). There were no details about him although it was true that he was a descendant of the Imperial Family. Kideranomiya, was said to be the mother of Motoie OSAWA, and 知久頼氏 's wife, was the daughter of Akatsu nakatsukasanosho.