The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-12
WEEDS YOUNG PRINCESS
CROWN PRINCE OF JAPAN WEEDS A
EXPERIMENTATION GIRL.
Her Name Is Sada Ko, and She BE-
longs tOsthe Famous Family
of Fugiwaras.

YOKOHAMA, May 1.-THE wedding of
Crown Prince Yoshihito Harunomiya and
Princess saba Ko. a daughter of the Full
wara family. at Toxic. on Thursday. was a
most simple ceremony. The contracting
parties drank cups of wine before the
shrine in the imperial palace. The foreign
residents presented an address.
Princess Sada, now the crown princess of
Japan and it's future empress, is fifteen
years of age. She is a daughter of the
powerful Prince Hugo Michikata, who is a
direct descendant of the illustrious family
of the Fujiwaras. who have furnished
many an empress to the japanese. The
family is noted for its military traditions
and it's great wealth. About eighteen
months ago the Mikado decided that his
son should marry, and the little princess.
then a pupil in the third grade of the High
School, was selected as the bride. Japanese
girls mature at a much earlier age than
their fairer European sisters, which ac-
counts for the youthfulness of the prince
imperials bride. When the court of Toxic
selected little Sada for that high honor
she was taken from among her compan-
ions at school and turned over to efficient
masters whose duty it was to instruct her
in those special branches in the study of
which modernized Japan encourages it's
nobility. Dropping all her studies save his
tory, French and geography. she began to
devote herself especially to these and to
the study of music, not forgetting the Gull
tivation of her talent for poetry, which is
said to be so unusually promising as to
threaten the prestige of the present en-
press as a poet in addition to these men
tai exercises the princess has not been al
lowed to neglect her calisthenics and her
naturally robust physique has been
strengthened by work in the gymnasium
and in the open air.
Prince Yoshihito is twenty-one years old.
but young as this may seem for benedict
to Occidental custom, II Is a very mature
age for Japan. The groom's imperial father
was married at the startlingly early age of
fifteen. Yoshihito is not the son of the
empress. The dynasty cannot be endan-
gered by the practice of monogamy, and
that Is why the Emperor Is always supplied
with several secondary wives, who live
quietly and are seldom heard of. One of
these-Mme. Yanagiwara-is the mother of
the crown prince.
All of the Mikado's hopes of a succession
in his direct line arc conferred upon Yoshi-
hito. He is the only living son Of the En-
peror, and would have been married long
ago had he not been something of an in
valid. 1t is said that he has weak lungs,
but lately he has been in very good health
owing to the skill of eminent foreign sur
geons. who have been consulted In the case.
Should the prince have no issue. the crown
of Japan will pass to an heir who is only
remotely related TO the reigning house.
Hence the great solicitude of the Mikado
and his friends for the marriage of the
delicate young man who Is at last a hus-
band.
A Japanese wedding is not simple af-
fair, and that of the crown prince was no
exception to the rule. The bride is required
to wear thirteen silk garments and to make
several changes of gowns before the cere-
mony can be said to be finished. No vows
are interchanged. but such ceremonies as
the West is familiar with are replaced by
the drinking in solemn fashion of several
draughts of wine from different vessels
The vessels are very small-about the size
of a benedictine glass--and bride and groom
alternate in consuming the wine from these
diminutive utensils.
Their royal highnesses, the crown prince
and princess will pay visit TO the United
States and to Europe In the near future
The princess will bring with her a truly
royal trousseau. IL has been long in pro-
cess of making. and its cost has been not
less than $3.50. 600 in American money. This
sum was given by the fathers OF the young
people. The trousseau consists of the finest
fabrics Japanese art is capable of produc-
ing. The gowns are made in native and
European style. and the little princess has
so many of them that she will never be at
loss, no matter what the occasion, for the
right kind of dress.
Prince and Princess Yoshihito were the
recipients of hundreds of costly presents
from all kinds of sources. The most inn
portant of these is a fine palace. magnifl-
Gently furnished, in which they begin their
marriage life surrounded by every comfort
conceivable to the Oriental Imagination and
possible Of production by modern art.