The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-07
JAPAN,s IMPERIAL FAMILY.
The Emperor, Empress and Crown
Prince of the Island Empire.
New York Herald

me emperor, Empress and Crown
Prince of the Island Empire.
New York Herald.
The lady whoever she may be who con-
sents to wed the Mikado's heir now, accord
ing to the dispatch published in yesterdays
Herald, in search of bride, will certainly
have the satisfaction of allying herself with
family whose genealogical claims are the
proudest in the world An ancestry of few
beggarly centuries pales into insigniicance
when contrasted with a line of descent
which is asserted to run back to the twi-
light of the gods. The Mikado himself, no
doubt Is too much enlightened, too COM
p pie in touch with the &c, current of mod
dreds of thousands of his subjects that d.
vine blood courses through his veins. But,
whether he believes in this or not, the ruler
of Japan can at least point to genealogical
tree which entities him to boast of pos
sessing the .'bluest'' blood on earth. His
Imperial Majesty is the one hundred and
twenty-third Emperor of Japan. The Jap
anese have their history and their mythol-
Jimmu Tenno, who, was the first Mikado.
and who ruled Japan $50 years be
bore Christ was born.2,554 years ago. This
and Mutsuhito, the present Emperor, traces
his descent directly from him. Japanese
history gives the story of each of the 122
Emperors between the two, and if you will
think thin moment you will see how far back
$50 3. G. is. It was before Rome had be-
l.
even to the Romans, and hundreds of years
were yet to elapse before Caesar penetrated
Gaul. Such is the ancient lineage claimed
by the present Emperor of Japan If an
tiquity OF descent counts for anything a
more aristocratic father-in-law surely could
not be desired.
The young Prince, for whom, it is said
Western bride is being sought, will be
was born on 8ug g. 1s ans and IS e
only in his sixteenth year. But in the East
he Tho do
himself succeeded his father at fifteen and
married before he. was seventeen. The
this year, and no doubt his marriage will
follow as soon as circumstances will per-
Claimed ahe to rrrse who 10
1889. is naturally as yet comparatively I'm
t Known n. to the great outside world but all
tractive young fellow He has a Strong
about his country's modern army, in Which Which
he holds commission, and habitually
wears an officers uniform. He carries him
and is somewhat reserved. He is, however
not toe, dignied to be devoted to boat rae
was educated at the mobiles school, and
h Mork eaen as hard as any OF his rivals. He
mas oea eel, tnoroughiy educated in accord
English, German and French.
In looking abroad for a wife for his heir,
the Mikado would break one of the ancient.
traditions of his race. Hitherto the EN-
perors of Japan have always selected their
wives wives from one OF the five ancient families
which also the three highest offices under
the Emperor were always filled. The pres
the revolution of 1865 when the power Of
the Shoguns, which for many centuries
had had completely overshadowed that of the
therefore particularly desirable that the
imperial marriage should be according to
precedent. and the Empress, who is very
pretty, was chosen from the house of
lchiJo. one of the five families in question.
Peeresses' school, established by her In in
Toxic, in which she has a suite of apart
ments, though she uses them so seldom
just before she arrives and remove ii as
soon as she leaves. Miss Bacon. who was a
mistress in the school. speaks of her as a
small. slender woman. Her face, to me-
seemed sad one. with patient look
about.it that was pathetic. They say that
she Is a very intellectual woman, and one
of great beauty and strength of character
She has jet black hair. her face is long
and thin, her forehead high and her head
and ceremonies were rather a bore to her
The hrst song sung was the one written
for for the school by the Empress herself"
One of the pictures on the walls of the
school consists of some of the Empress's
poetry. She is one of the best poets in the
empire, and many of her poems have been
set to music and have been adopted as ma
tional songs. The Empress is very chari-
table and she is especially patron of the
ty HOSPITAL. She is fine Chinese scholar.
wears little jewelry, dresses in European
style and is fond of riding, when, of course
she wears a European riding habit.
The Emperor, the Empress and the Crown
Prince have all three separate establish
ments inside the palace grounds. The
Crown Prince is heir apparent to the throne
He is the son of the Emperor by Nine.
Yanagiwara. and not by the Empress
Haruko. The Mikado of Japan has the right I.
TO twelve concubines in addition to the
Empress, and the children of these. in case
of the failure Of Issue by the Empress, have
the right to the throne. They are all legit-
innate and noble, and II is to these concu-
b.nes in time past that the mobiles of the
court families of to-day date their origin.
Very little is known about them outside the
royal palace. These royal ladies' do not ap-
pear at the court ceremonies, and each has
2 little establishment, of her own inside
the palace grounds. They are a part of the
of the royal family Children
thus born have nothing TO do with their
mothers. and the young Crown Prince was
brought up apart.
The AIikado whose revenue in addition to
his private fortune, is about s.. 500 coo, re-
sides in the imperial palace. which is stu
ated right in the center of Toxic, in the
midst of a lordly park and surrounded by