Item number: M506

Year: AD 1925

Material: Bronze

Size: 54.6 x 54.6 x 3.7 mm

Weight: 65.3 g

Manufactured by: Japan Mint, Osaka

Provenance: Private Collector, Japan, 2026

This is a commemorative medal celebrating the birth of Princess Shigeko, the eldest daughter of Prince Hirohito (later Emperor Shōwa) and the eldest granddaughter of Emperor Taishō.

The medal is circular in outline. At the centre of the obverse, within an inner ring, is a relief bust of Princess Shigeko as an infant, clad in swaddling clothes. Flanking the ring on both sides are imperial chrysanthemums and trailing leafy vines. Encircling the outer field is an inscription in seal script rendered in Chinese characters: ‘In Commemoration of the Birth of Her Imperial Highness Princess Teru Shigeko / Born on 6 December, the Fourteenth Year of Taishō’. The border of the medal features a rim shaped in an eight-petalled floral motif resembling a balloon flower or mallow. The edge is plain and bears a hallmark stamp reading ‘Made by the Mint’ (Zōheikyoku Sei).

The principal motif on the reverse depicts a phoenix in the lower section, symbolising auspiciousness. The background illustrates the Akasaka Palace—the residence of Prince Hirohito at the time and the birthplace of Princess Shigeko—known today as the State Guest House, Akasaka Palace. The initials ‘I. S.’ at the bottom represent the mark of Sato Iwao, who served as a technician at the Osaka Mint and was also the designer of this medal.

In late Taishō-period Japan, a confluence of societal factors emerged. On the one hand, following the conclusion of the First World War, the collapse of numerous imperial monarchies across Europe triggered a global crisis of dynastic rule, prompting officialdom and society in Japan to actively reshape the image of the Imperial House. Crown Prince Hirohito’s accessible demeanour during his tour of Europe in AD 1921 led the public to pin high hopes on a more open and modern monarchy. On the other hand, the Great Kantō Earthquake of AD 1923 devastated the Greater Tokyo Area, causing immense casualties and economic adversity, plunging society into the anxiety of post-disaster reconstruction. Concurrently, the flourish of Taishō Democracy and the Life Improvement Movement heightened public concern for the ‘new family’ and children’s welfare, creating an urgent societal need for a unifying symbol that could offer hope of rebirth.

The birth of Princess Teru Shigeko on 6 December AD 1925 injected a vital wave of renewal into a Japanese society still overshadowed by disaster, sparking an unprecedented surge of nationwide celebration. News of her birth spread rapidly across the country via newly popularised radio broadcasts and newspaper extras. This was followed by the ‘Children’s Exposition in Commemoration of the Imperial Grandchild’s Birth’, organised by newspaper publishing houses and enthusiastically embraced by the public. Held on a grand scale in cities such as Tokyo and Kyoto, the exposition attracted millions of visitors. The specially established ‘Princess Teru Memorial Hall’ within the exhibition dismantled former barriers of courtly secrecy by publicly displaying royal and civilian child-rearing accoutrements alongside historical artefacts, thereby narrowing the distance between the Imperial House and the general populace. Furthermore, this wave stimulated societal emphasis on scientific child-rearing, child hygiene, and children’s rights, transforming the perception of children from mere familial assets into the fundamental hope of the nation’s future.

As the eldest daughter of Emperor Shōwa and Empress Kōjun, Princess Teru Shigeko was raised within the imperial court and attended the Gakushūin, where she received an education for young women that harmonised tradition with modernity. In AD 1943, adhering to imperial custom, she married Prince Morihiro of Higashikuni and assumed the title of Princess Shigeko, wife of Prince Morihiro. However, following Japan’s defeat in the Second World War, the Higashikuni family was stripped of its imperial status in AD 1947 under the direction of the General Headquarters of the Allied Powers (GHQ), whereupon Shigeko was renounced as a member of the royal family and renamed Higashikuni Shigeko. Following her transition to commoner status, she lived a modest life and raised several children. In her thirties, she tragically contracted cancer and passed away in AD 1961.

物件編號: M506

年代: 公元 1925 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 54.6 x 54.6 x 3.7 mm

重量: 65.3 g

製造地: 造幣局大阪本局

來源: 日本私人收藏 2026

這是一枚紀念裕仁親王（日後的昭和天皇）長女、大正天皇的長孫女成子內親王出生的紀念章。

章體輪廓為圓形。正面中央環內為成子內親王的嬰兒浮雕半身像，身著褓衣。環上兩側飾有象徵皇室的菊花及葉蔓。外側環列篆體漢字｢照宮成子內親王殿下御降誕紀念 / 大正十四年十二月六日御誕生｣。章緣有邊環，為類似桔梗或葵花的八瓣花樣式。邊緣光平，有一處「造幣局製」戳記。

背面主圖為下方的鳳凰，象徵祥瑞。背景則為當時裕仁親王所居，成子內親王的出生地赤坂御所，即為今日的迎賓館赤坂離宮。下方「I. S」為時任大阪造幣局技手「佐藤磐」的標記，他同時也是此章的設計者。

在大正末期的日本，一方面在第一次世界大戰結束後，歐洲諸多帝國君主制相繼崩解，引發了全球性的帝制危機，使得日本官方與社會急於重塑皇室形象，皇太子裕仁於公元1921年訪問歐洲後展現出的親民態度，讓民眾對一個更加開放、現代的皇室寄予厚望；另一方面，公元1923年爆發的關東大地震重創首都圈，造成極大的死傷與經濟挫敗，讓整個社會陷入災後重建的焦慮之中。與此同時，大正民主思潮與生活改善運動蓬勃發展，大眾對於「新家庭」與「兒童權益」的關注日益提升，社會各界急需一個能凝聚人心、帶來重生希望的象徵。

公元1925年12月6日照宮成子的誕生，宛如為陰霾未散的日本社會注入一股強大的新生力量，引發了前所未有的舉國慶祝風潮。降生消息透過當時剛普及的廣播與新聞號外迅速傳遍全國，隨之而來的是由報社主辦、廣受民間響應的「皇孫誕生紀念兒童博覽會」，在東京與京都等地盛大舉行，吸引了數百萬人次湧入。展覽中特別設置的「照宮紀念館」，打破以往宮廷的神秘壁壘，公開展出皇室與民間的育兒用品與歷史文物，拉近了皇室與庶民的距離；這股風潮同時帶動了日本社會對「科學育兒」、「兒童衛生」與「兒童權利」的重視，孩子不再僅被視為家族的資產，更被提升為國家未來的希望。

照宮成子身為昭和天皇與香淳皇后的長女，幼年時在宮廷中成長，並進入學習院接受傳統與現代兼備的女子教育。公元1943年，她遵從皇室傳統，與盛厚王（東久邇宮盛厚）結為連理，改稱為盛厚王妃成子。然而，隨著第二次世界大戰日本戰敗，公元1947年，在駐日盟軍總司令部（GHQ）的主導下，東久邇宮家被廢除皇籍，成子也隨之降為平民，改名東久邇成子。脫離皇族身分後，她過著平民生活，並撫育了多名子女。三十多歲時，成子不幸罹癌，後於公元1961年病逝。