The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-09-01
THE MIKADo OF JAPAN.

car drawn by bullocks cOnsecrated to
his imperial use. When he died, it was
believed that he entered at once into the
company Of the gods
The present emperor is somewhat
taller than the average japanese He
does not look nearly so imposing in his
European garments, which were adopt
ed some years ago, as he would in the
old style imperial japanese robes His
complexion is described by a traveller as
being about the color of coffee with
plenty of milk, his eyes are of a bril-
liant black, and his eyebrows have the
arch which in Japan is considered in
dicative of aristOcratic breeding. His
person is somewhat stopped, and this is
believed to have been caused by his re-
tanning the cid time japanese custom
of sitting upon the floor during his early
years This has now been long aban-
doned. He now not only sits on chairs as
Europeans and Americans do, but he
also takes his meals at table and eats
with knife and fork
1t is the ambition Of Mutsuhito to
adopt whatever he considers best in the
ways of western civilized men and to
procure the adoption by his people and
his government of western methods of
living and of doing business so far as is
himself to his subjects at brief inter
walls. He sometimes rides horseback on
these occasions, and when he does so is
accompanied by the imperial guards
after the manner of the car of Russia
and the emperor of Germany. Some
times the mikado drives, and his car
riages, which were imported from some
European country, were the wonder Of
all Japan when he got them He gives
a great amount Of attention to the af-
fairs Of government and also to the con-
duct Of his own personal business mat
tiers. These latter are of considerable
magnitude, for he is in his own right a
very rich man and is allowed a salary
of 81, 500, 900 year to maintain the
imperial establishment The number Of
persons included i'll his household is
very large, and it would be interesting
if there were space at command, to
speak Of it in detail Among the Off
Gals are included nine physicians. The
culinary department Is considered Of
great Importance, so great indeed that
Iwakura, a prince but once removed
from the imperial blood, is grand mas
ter of the kitchen and the cooks.
Ever since his accession to the throne
MutsuhitO has been devoted to the army
and navy. He has been in the habit of
reviewing the troops several times each
year, and his ordinary costume is the
uniform of an officer in the Japanese
army. During his reign the military
forces Of the empire have been brought to
an exceedingly high grade Of efficiency.
He is fond of outdoor sports of various
sorts, especially bunting, but although
he is himself a good all around sports
man he often prefers to watch the 9TH
erS rather than to take part
It is easy to see that the emperor of
Japan must be a busy man He rises
early, has breakfast BY himself at or
s o'clock in the morning, and by
O'Clock is ready to receive his ministers
in his study Audiences with them last
until IL. when he takes lunch. After
lunch he reads the japanese papers of
the day and translatiOns of articles re-
ferring to Japan from American and
European periodicals When he has fin
ished his reading, he devotes some time
to exercise or recreation, and dinner,
som etimes with the empress and some
times alone, follows. He has never had
time to learn the European languages,
much to his regret.
The empress is about the same age as
her husband Until few years ago she
wore the old japanese costume, but now
she dresses in European style Both are
personally very popular, and the emper-
Or's declaration of war against China
has caused one of the greatest outbursts
OF patriotism the land of the chrysan-
themum has ever seen.