
Sono Sachiko (園祥子) (December 23, 1867 – July 7, 1947) was the fifth concubine of
Emperor Meiji
, also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...
of
Japan. Although Meiji was the last Japanese emperor to have more than one consort, the official role at court was not abolished until 1924; surviving concubines remained as members of the imperial family in retirement. In 2005
Prince Tomohito of Mikasa
was a member of the Imperial House of Japan and the eldest son of Takahito, Prince Mikasa and Yuriko, Princess Mikasa. He was a first cousin of Emperor Akihito, and was formerly sixth in the line of succession to the Japanese throne and the ...
urged the revival of concubinage to address problems related to male-only primogeniture in
the current order of Japanese imperial succession.
Sachiko's father was Count
Sono Motosachi
Sono, SONO, or SoNo may refer to:
Places
* SoNo, Atlanta, a district in the city of Atlanta, Georgia
* Sono Department, a department in Burkina Faso
* South Norfolk, Virginia, a former independent city in the South Hampton Roads region of easte ...
(園基祥);
she was known as Kogiku Tenji (小菊典侍). She gave birth to two sons and six daughters, several of whom died prematurely. Her children with Emperor Meiji include the following members of the Japanese imperial family:
*Princess Hisanomiya Shizuko-naishinnō (久宮静子内親王, February 10, 1886 – April 4, 1887)
*Prince Akinomiya Michihito-shinnō (昭宮猷仁親王, August 22, 1887 – November 12, 1888)
*
Princess Masako Takeda
, born , was the tenth child and sixth daughter of Emperor Meiji of Japan, and the third child and second daughter of Sono Sachiko, the Emperor's fifth concubine.
Biography
Masako was born in Tokyo Prefecture, the daughter of Emperor Meiji and ...
(常宮昌子内親王, September 30, 1888 – March 8, 1940)
*Princess
Fusako Kitashirakawa (周宮房子内親王, January 28, 1890 – August 11, 1974)
*
Princess Nobuko Asaka (富美宮允子内親王, August 7, 1891 – November 3, 1933)
*Prince Mitsunomiya Teruhito-shinnō (満宮輝仁親王, November 30, 1893 – August 17, 1894)
*Princess
Toshiko Higashikuni
, born , was the fourteenth child and ninth daughter of Emperor Meiji of Japan, and the seventh child and fifth daughter of Sono Sachiko, the Emperor's fifth concubine.
Biography
Toshiko was born in Japan, the daughter of Emperor Meiji and Lad ...
(泰宮聡子内親王, May 11, 1896 – March 5, 1978)
*Princess Sadanomiya Takiko-naishinnō (貞宮多喜子内親王, September 24, 1897 – January 11, 1899)
Following the death of Emperor Meiji in 1912, Sachiko became a member of the household of
Empress Teimei
, born , was the wife of Emperor Taishō and the mother of Emperor Shōwa of Japan. Her posthumous name, ''Teimei'', means "enlightened constancy".
Biography
Sadako Kujō was born on 25 June 1884 in Tokyo, as the fourth daughter of Duke Michita ...
, the consort of
Emperor Taishō
was the 123rd Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession, and the second ruler of the Empire of Japan from 30 July 1912 until his death in 1926.
The Emperor's personal name was . According to Japanese custom, while reigni ...
. She attended the birth of
Takahito, Prince Mikasa
was a Japanese prince, the youngest of the four sons of Emperor Taishō (Yoshihito) and Empress Teimei (Sadako). He was their last surviving child. His eldest brother was Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito). After serving as a junior cavalry officer in t ...
in 1915.
Her tomb is at
Saikōan Temple in
Shinjuku, Tokyo
is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world (Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administratio ...
.
See also
*
Empress Shōken
, born , was the wife and adviser of Emperor Meiji of Japan. She is also known under the technically more correct name . She was one of the founders of the Japanese Red Cross Society, whose charity work was known throughout the First Sino-Japane ...
, primary consort of Emperor Meiji, later Empress Dowager
*
Hamuro Mitsuko (葉室光子), first concubine
*
Hashimoto Natsuko (橋本夏子), second concubine
*
Yanagiwara Naruko
Yanagiwara Naruko (Japanese: 柳原愛子), also known as Sawarabi no Tsubone (26 June 1859 – 16 October 1943), was a Japanese lady-in-waiting of the Imperial House of Japan. A concubine of Emperor Meiji, she was the mother of Emperor Taishō an ...
, third concubine of Emperor Meiji, mother of
Emperor Taishō
was the 123rd Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession, and the second ruler of the Empire of Japan from 30 July 1912 until his death in 1926.
The Emperor's personal name was . According to Japanese custom, while reigni ...
*
Chigusa Kotoko (千種任子), fourth concubine
References
Imperial House of Japan
1867 births
1947 deaths
Japanese concubines
Emperor Meiji
{{Japan-noble-stub