Kuni no Miya (久邇宮)
Kuni no Miya was the Miyake (house of an imperial prince) established by Fushimi no Miya Imperial Prince Kuniie's fourth Prince, Kuni no Miya Imperial Prince Asahiko during the early Meiji period.
Imperial Prince Asahiko
The first Imperial Asahiko was born in 1824. His initial name was Narinori. He became the chief priest of Nara Ichijo-in Temple, after he received the title Prince by Imperial order, he became a priest and the priest-prince of Shoren-in Temple, he was the head priest of the Tendai sect of Buddhism and named as the monk-Prince Sonyu. He returned to a secular life to receive the miya go title of Nakagawa no Miya, he was renamed Asahiko. He supported Emperor Komei as a general official of the Imperial Household in charge of State affairs, and put his effort into getting rid of people who were supporters of the doctrine of restoring the emperor (to power) and expelling the barbarians from the Imperial Palace. Therefore, he was arrested after the Meiji Restoration, suspected of forming a plot against the government, and his position of Imperial Prince was taken away, he was left with the Hiroshima Domain in Aki Province.
He returned to Fushimi no Miya in 1870. He received the Miya go title of Kuni no Miya in 1875. It is said that the Miya go title came from the ancient capital of Kuni-kyo, or from the historical tradition that the head of the family used the Kanji character '邦 (kuni)' every second generation to prevent bad luck. After that Imperial Prince Asahiko, as chief mourner of the Shinto Shrine, put his efforts into restoring traditional Imperial event, he died in 1891 when he was sixty eight years. Imperial Prince Asahito had many Princes and Princesses, such as Kaya no Maya Prince Kuninori, Prince Kuniyoshi, Nashimoto no Miya Prince Morimasa,Prince Taka, Asaka no Miya Prince Yasuhiko and Higashi Kuni no Miya Prince Naruhiko.
Prince Kuniyoshi
The second Kunino Miya Prince Kuniyoshi was born in 1873. He succeeded the Miyake after his father died in 1891. After he graduated from the Military Academy and the Army Academy, he achieved the rank of Full General. In 1899 he married Prince Tadayoshi SHIMAZU's daughter, Chikako. He was the victim of an assassination attempt by Korean terrorist during his stay in Taiwan in 1929, but escaped injury. In 1929 he died of cankerous peritonitis when he was fifty six years old.
His Princes and Princesses are Kuni no Miya Prince Asa akira, Kunihisa KUNI, (demoted from nobility to subject in 1923), Jigo HIGASHIFUSHIMI (demoted from nobility to subject in 1931), the Empress Kojun, Nobuko SANJONISHI (married to Kinosa SANJONISHI), Satoko OTANI. (married to Kocho OTANI).
Prince Taka
Prince Kuniyoshi's younger brother, Prince Taka lived in Kyoto and did not establish a new Miyake until the end. He had three boys and three girls with his Empress, Shizuko, and he worked as a chief mourner of the Shinto Shrine. He died when he was sixty three years old in 1937.
Prince Asa Akira
The third Kuni no Miya Prince Asa Akira was born in 1901. Although he cancelled his engagement, he later married Fushimi no Miya Prince Hiroyasu's Princess, Princess Tomoko in 1925. In 1929 he succeeded to the Miyake. He graduated from the Naval Academy (Japanese Navy). He became Vice Admiral when the War finished. In 1947, after the War, Empress Tomoko died.
In the same year, he was demoted from nobility to subject and became Asaakira KUNI. He ventured into various businesses, however, none were successful during the tough period in Japan under the occupation of the Allied Forces. He died at fifty eight years old in 1959.
Others
The land where the Kunino Miya palace used to stand in Azabu, is currently used as a campus for the University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo, and the Onjo/gojo Goten (a part of the palace being used every day) still exists and is called Kuni house. The Kuni no Miya palace was where the Empress Kojun was born, the present Emperor's Empress, Michiko graduated from the University of the Sacred Heart, thus the place is related via the second generation to the Imperial family.
The current head of the family is Kunino Miya Prince Asa Akira's oldest son, Kuniaki KUNI.