Empress Shōken of Japan (Lady Masako Ichijō)

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Empress Shōken of Japan; Credit – Wikipedia

Empress Shōken is the posthumous name of the wife of Emperor Meiji of Japan.  Born Lady Masako Ichijō on May 9, 1849, in Heian-kyō, Japan, she was the third daughter of Tadaka Ichijō, a government minister and the head of the Ichijō branch of the Fujiwara clan. As a child, Empress Shōken was considered very bright, due to her ability to read and write traditional Japanese poetry at an early age. She also studied classical Chinese, Japanese calligraphy, the koto (the traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument), Noh drama (classical Japanese musical drama), ikebana (the Japanese art of flower arrangement), and the Japanese tea ceremony.

On January 30, 1867, 36-year-old Emperor Kōmei suddenly became seriously ill and died. His 14-year-old son succeeded him and is now known by his posthumous name Emperor Meiji. Soon after his accession, the Emperor’s officials suggested Lady Masako Ichijō as a possible bride. The Emperor was three years younger than the prospective bride and this was considered an obstacle to the marriage. However, this problem was solved resolved by changing the bride’s official birth year from 1849 to 1850.

Emperor Meiji in 1872; Credit – Wikipedia

Lady Masako Ichijō became engaged to Emperor Meiji on September 2, 1867, and she adopted the given name Haruko. The wedding was delayed until January 11, 1869, after the Emperor had his genpuku (coming of age ceremony). The new Empress would be the first Empress Consort of Japan to play a public role but sadly, she had no children. Emperor Meiji had fifteen children by five official ladies-in-waiting but only five children survived to adulthood. The Empress officially adopted Yoshihito, her husband’s eldest surviving son by a concubine, as was the custom. Yoshihito succeeded his father as Emperor and is known as Emperor Taishō, his posthumous name.

Since 1185, a shogun, a military dictator, had been the de facto ruler of Japan, although the shoguns were appointed by the Emperor. However in 1868, the last shogun had lost power, and in the name and with the support of Emperor Meiji, a new, more Western-oriented upper class initiated the modernization of Japan known as the Meiji Restoration. Some of the modernizations affected the Empress and the ladies of the court. The Emperor insisted that the Empress and the ladies of the court attend regular lectures on conditions in Japan and on events and developments abroad. Starting in 1886, the Empress and her court wore only Western-style clothing during public appearances.

The Empress also acted as hostess to foreign visitors including the former American President Ulysses S. Grant and his wife Julia, King Kalākaua of Hawaii, and Prince Albert Victor and Prince George (the future King George V) of the United Kingdom, the sons of King Edward VII.

Empress Shōken teaching children to read (1887); Credit – Wikipedia

It became the usual practice that the Empress would accompany the Emperor on official visits to cities in Japan, schools, factories, and military bases. The Empress became well-known for supporting charities that promoted the education of women. During the First Sino-Japanese War, she was involved in founding the Japanese Red Cross. The work of the Red Cross during peacetime was of particular concern to her, and so she set up a fund for the International Red Cross, later named The Empress Shōken Fund. This fund is still in existence and according to its website, it is used for “peacetime activities of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world. The fund has helped improve the quality of life and resilience of vulnerable people through disaster response operations, as well as long-term development programs such as disaster risk reduction, disaster preparedness, health, and other community-based activities.” See The Empress Shōken Fund for more information.

Emperor Meiji died on July 30, 1912, at the Meiji Palace in Tokyo at the age of 59. He had suffered from diabetes, nephritis, and gastroenteritis, and died of uremia. He was buried at the East Mound of the Fushimi Momoyama Ryo in Kyoto, Japan. After her husband’s death, she was granted the title Empress Dowager by Emperor Taishō. Empress Shōken survived her husband by less than two years, dying on April 9, 1914, at the age of 64 at the Imperial Villa in Numazu, Shizuoka, Japan. She was buried in the East Mound of the Fushimi Momoyama Ryo in Fushimi, Kyoto, Japan next to Emperor Meiji. Her soul along with the soul of Emperor Meiji was enshrined in Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, Japan.

Burial Mound of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken; Credit – Wikipedia

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Works Cited

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