Princess Nobuko Asaka
Imperial princess / residence co-owner / Art Deco patron
1891–1933
Who they were
Princess Nobuko was Emperor Meiji’s eighth daughter and married Prince Yasuhiko Asaka in 1910. In 1923 she travelled to France to care for her husband after a traffic accident. Their extended stay exposed them to contemporary French decorative art.
Together they visited the Paris decorative arts exhibition in 1925. The Teien Art Museum identifies their European experience as an important influence on their new Tokyo residence. The couple commissioned Henri Rapin to design the principal interiors, while other artists and Japanese craftspeople contributed to the building and decoration.
The residence was completed in May 1933, but Nobuko died that November. Her short time in the finished house should not obscure her part in its conception. The museum describes both spouses as owners and patrons, making her an individual participant in its history rather than an unnamed member of the household.
Related residences
Sources
- Teien Art Museum — Asaka family chronology
- Teien Art Museum — the couple’s European travels
- Teien Art Museum — interior design and craftsmanship
Short biography checked 10 October 2026. Lifespan and documented activity dates are labelled separately.