Emperor Hirohito Was Not Raised By His Parents

The Crown Prince Yoshihito's oldest child was Hirohito. He was born on April 29, 1901 in Tokyo's Aoyama Palace. Children and parents were separated at that time by imperial conventions. As a result, Hirohito was reared by a deceased retired admiral Kawamura; his new guardian was an imperial attendant. This is customary among the Japanese aristocracy. He hardly ever visited his parents, even after he came back to the palace in 1904. Only once a week was allotted for him to see his mother, and he hardly ever saw his father. He was instead brought up by an imperial attendant.

At the age of 7, he began attending the school for privileged children. He was taught military strategy, religious instruction, science, and algebra at school, among other things. Hirohito enrolled in the Gakushuin, a unique class of twelve boys from the Japanese nobility. The instructor was General Maresuke Nogi. Famous soldier Nogi distinguished himself during the Russo-Japanese War. Nogi made an effort to instill in the young prince a stoic mentality, loyalty to duty, and respect for hard work. He completed his education at the age of 19. Hirohito was the first Japanese crown prince to leave the country, traveling in 1921. There were 34 other men with him. They were gone for six months.