Emperor Taisho
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Emperor Taisho (大正天皇 Taishō Tennō) (August 31, 1879 – December 25, 1926), whose given name was Yoshihito (嘉仁), was the 123rd imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession, from 1912 until his death in 1926.
Early life
He was born at the Aoyama Palace to Emperor Meiji and Yanagiwara Naruko, a lady-in-waiting. Emperor Meiji's consort, Empress Shoken (Haruko), was officially regarded as his mother. He received the personal name of Yoshihito and the title Haru-no-miya (Prince Haru) from the Emperor Meiji on September 6, 1879.
Prince Yoshihito contracted meningitis shortly after birth, leaving him in poor health both physically and mentally. (There are also rumors that he suffered from lead poisoning, supposedly contracted from the powder makeup his wetnurse used.) Despite this, after his four older brothers suffered early deaths, he was officially declared heir apparent on August 31, 1887 and had his formal investiture as crown prince on November 3, 1888.
He began his schooling at Gakushuin in August 1887, but due to his health problems was often unable to continue his studies. He spent much of his youth by the sea in Atami for health reasons. Although he showed skill in some areas, such as horseback riding, he proved to be poor in areas requiring higher-level thought. He was finally withdrawn from Gakushuin in 1894. He continued to receive extensive tutoring in French, Chinese and history from private tutors at the Akasaka Palace; Emperor Meiji gave Prince Takehito responsibility for taking care of Yoshihito, and the two princes became friends.
On May 10, 1900, Crown Prince Yoshihito married then 15-year-old Sadako, the daughter of Prince Kujo Mitchitaka, the head of the five senior branches of the Fujiwara clan, and had issue:
- The future Emperor Hirohito (Showa), (April 29, 1901–January 7, 1989); married Princess Nagako (March 6, 1903–June 16, 2000), eldest daughter of Prince Kuni Kuniyoshi; and had issue.
- Prince Chichibu (Yasuhito), (May 26, 1902 –January 4, 1953); married September 28, 1928 Miss Matsudaira Setsuko (September 9, 1909–August 25, 1995), eldest daughter of Mr. Matsudaira Tsuneo, sometime Japanese ambassador to Britain and the United States, and imperial household minister; no issue.
- Prince Takamatsu (Nobuhito), (March 1, 1905–February 3, 1987); married February 4, 1930 Tokugawa Kikuko (December 26, 1911–December 18, 2004), second daughter of Prince Tokugawa Yoshihisa [peer] no issue.
- Prince Mikasa (Takahito), (born December 2, 1915); married October 22, 1941 Yuriko (born June 6, 1923), second daughter of Viscount Takagi Masanori.
As Emperor
After his accession to the throne in 1912, he was kept out of view of the public as much as possible.
On one of the rare occasions he was seen in public, the 1913 opening of the Diet, he is famously reported to have rolled his prepared speech into a telescope and stared at the assembly through it. Although this is often cited as an example of his poor mental condition, others believe he may have been checking to make sure the speech was rolled up properly, as his manual dexterity was also handicapped.
After 1919, he undertook no official duties, and Crown Prince Hirohito (who would succeed Taisho as Emperor) was named Prince Regent in 1921.
He died of a heart attack at 1:25 AM on December 25, 1926 at Hayama Palace.
See also
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