TOKYO -- After living through the tumultuous Showa period (1926-1989), the entire Heisei (1989-2019) and into the current Reiwa era, Japan's Princess Yuriko died on Nov. 15 at 101. In a series of interviews for the biography of her late husband Prince Mikasa (d. 2016), she spoke about her perspective on the ending of World War II.

The Princess gave the 11 interviews with her own diary and photo albums of the Imperial Family on hand. Contemporary Japanese historian Seishin Funabashi conducted the interviews at locations including the Imperial Akasaka Estate in Tokyo. Funabashi noted, "With her unassuming personality, she carried on the ancient culture of the Imperial Family and always set an example as a female member of the Family."

Her personality came through the interviews as she had diligently prepared her answers to the questions provided beforehand by Funabashi. What deeply struck her interviewer was all the ways the Princess touched upon the war.

When the Akasaka Estate was destroyed by aerial bombardments on May 25, 1945, Princess Yuriko, Prince Mikasa -- the younger brother of then Emperor Hirohito (posthumously known as Emperor Showa) -- and the couple's daughter Yasuko took refuge in an air raid bunker. Princess Yuriko recalled the scene, saying, "The fire was really serious, but so was the smoke. At one point His Imperial Highness (Prince Mikasa) said he was going to make a few rounds from the shelter. We had filled several buckets with water there, and he poured water over his head."

On Aug. 14, 1945, the day before Emperor Hirohito announced Japan would sue for peace, a number of young officers and others came to Prince Mikasa, who was then in the army. "The young people were saying the war should be continued. It was the Prince who said it was better to end it now. There was a heated argument, and it was so tense that you would have thought bullets could fly at any moment," Princess Yuriko recalled.

Prince Mikasa's regrets

After the surrender announcement, confidential military documents were burned at Prince Mikasa's estate. Princess Yuriko recalled, "Some of them were half-burned, some blown up by the wind. We used sticks to bring them down, and burned them until the letters were no longer visible. It was awful. I remember the heat." She added, "From some time later, the Prince said, 'It would have been good if they hadn't been burned,'" evincing Prince Mikasa's regrets.

Funabashi was surprised by the strength of Princess Yuriko's memory. "She had neatly organized past events in her mind and kept them as memories. Through the interviews, I could sense her strong will to convey and preserve the modern history of Prince Mikasa's family to as many people as possible," he said.

Postwar life as supporter of husband's historical research

Funabashi was also interested in how Imperial Household traditions were transmitted through interactions between members of the Imperial Family. After the war, Princess Yuriko reportedly enjoyed "karuta" playing cards themed on Noh -- a skill of Emperor Taisho's wife Empress Teimei -- and the "Hyakunin Isshu" anthology of one hundred classical "waka" poems with princesses Chichibu and Takamatsu and former Imperial Household members. Reflecting fondly on those scenes, Princess Yuriko called them "elegant."

She went on to support her husband and raise their five children.

Princess Yuriko also acted as an assistant for Prince Mikasa, who followed the path of a historical researcher after the war. She made copies of notes borrowed from good friends during his time as a research student at the University of Tokyo, and was behind the lens taking 8-millimeter films when he was on research trips. She also handled projecting the slides at his lectures.

"Prince Mikasa was an extremely free-spirited member of the royal family, but the role of Princess Yuriko, who stood by his side and supported him, is immeasurable. Princess Yuriko herself took it for granted, and I suspect that she was rather pleased to do so," Funabashi said.

The interviews took place over a period of around eight months. Funabashi reflected, "Princess Yuriko's love for Prince Mikasa was evident through her happy and nostalgic air when speaking. I am so glad I was able to deliver this biography of Prince Mikasa while Princess Yuriko was still in good health."

(Japanese original by Hiroyuki Takashima, Tokyo City News Department)