Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-30
A POWER ON THE THRONE.
Japan's Mikado is More Than an ORR
entail Figurehead.

From the Kansas City Star.
Comparatively few foreigners have seen
the Mikado of Japan closely. In spite of it's
wonderful advance in occidental ideas in re-
cent years. Japan retains enough of its
orientalism to insist upon certain seclu-
sion for its ruler. Mutsuhito breaks away
from his purely oriental environment occa-
sionally. He goes among his people in
cognito. While strolling through the streets
of Toxic as a young man attired as COM
mon Japanese sailor, Mutsuhto encounter
ed the first American he had ever seen.
Walking boldly up to this son of Uncle
Sam the boy emperor introduced himself
as young sailor, and. finding the Ameri-
can could spea ak little japanese, he pour
ed forth flood of eager questions. The
traveller from the United States told the
supposed sailor wonderful tale of the re-
suits of American civilization. The i'm
perial ambition received new stimulus and
that interview with an American accom-
pliShed much for Japan.
Mutsuhito-tenwo, Emperor of Japan, is
the present representative of the oldest
royal dynasty extant He is the l2lst en-.
an unbroken line 1855 years. He is the
direct descendant of Ginmu, the "Divine
Conqueror," who, according to Japanese
mythology. descended from heaven on the
white bird of the clouds" Ginmu's first
task in his NEUROLOGICAL role of divine con-
Queror was the subjugation of the Amos, a
savage, warlke race, whose descendants
are still found in the northern extremity of
Japan Having subdued these fierce Amos,
Ginmu proclaimed himself to be 'Tenshi."
the "Son of Heaven. and established the
still existing dynasty in $50 B. c. 1t is no
exaggeration, Therefore to say that through
the veins of Mutsuhito-tenwo flows the
very bluest of blue blood"
Personally, the emperor has a pleasant
appearance. pH He is very tall for a Japanese
almost six feet. He is muscular and we'll
proportioned. He has a broad, high fore
head. and Judged by the most exacting
standard of manly beauty. he is a hand
some sovereign. Fu
The mikado takes more interest in the
government than any of his predecessors.
He reads the papers and attends cabinet
councils He itakes all the important Ameri-
can and English magazines. He has aston
ished the upper CLASSES of Japanese by
knowing something about the government
of his people,
The mikade lives in a palace built In the
American way with steel framework made
in Pittsburgh Pa9s This was done to avoid
accidents by earthquakes, so common in
Japan.
Haruko. Empress of Japan. was a daugh-
ter of japanese noble. She is ffty-four
years old, two years older than her hus-
band. Her name. Haruko. means spring
time"
In the mikado's reign the bands of feudaI-
ism that bound Japan to the middle ages
were broken: constitution was granted by
him voluntarily; the old social order of
caste limitations gave way to a more liberal
order of equality; modern education Htera-
ture arts, science and industry were well
coined; the army and the navy Were
changed from the bow and arrow stage to
markable advancement in the reign of Mutt
suhito that made 1t possible for oriental
Japan to be equal to the task of a possible
successful war with Russia