was a Japanese politician and samurai. He is best known as the father of philosopher Kuki Shà «zà Â.
Kuki was born Hoshizaki Sadajirà  in Sanda Domain (present-day Sanda, Hyà Âgo Prefecture), the second son of Hoshizaki Sadamoto, a retainer of the Sanda Domain. After his mother died in 1860, he was adopted by Kuki Takahiro, the karà  of Ayabe Domain, through the mediation of Kuki Takayoshi, the daimyo of Sanda. In 1866, he succeeded as the head of the Kuki family.
In the early years of the Meiji period, after studying under Fukuzawa Yukichi, he took a post in the Japanese Ministry of Education, specializing in cultural policy. In 1884, he was appointed Japanese ambassador to the United States.
Complications in his career arose when his wife Hatsu had an affair with Okakura Kakuzà Â. He eventually returned to Japan where he continued to work in the Ministry of Education, and play a role as a patron of the arts. In 1897, he was appointed as the first Director of the Imperial Museum (presently Tokyo National Museum) and he worked on establishing the Law for the Preservation of Ancient Shrines and Temples (å¤社寺ä¿ÂÃ¥ÂÂæ³Â, koshaji hozonhà  of June 5, 1897), the first law which defines cultural properties in Japan.
From the Japanese Wikipedia article