Yanagiwara Naruko (Japanese: 柳原愛子), also known as Sawarabi no Tsubone (26 June 1859 – 16 October 1943), was a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

of the

Imperial House of Japan The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the House of Yamato, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the Emperor i ...

. A

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. Concubi ...

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 ...

, she was the 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 ...

and the last concubine to have given birth to a reigning Japanese emperor.

Life

Yanagiwara Naruko was born in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

as the second daughter of imperial

chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

Yanagiwara Mitsunaru (1818–1885), who held the rank of ''

chūnagon was a counselor of the second rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century. The role was eliminated from the Imperial hierarchy in 701, but it was re-established in 705. This advisory position remained a part of the I ...

'' in the imperial household and was subsequently appointed ''

dainagon was a counselor of the first rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century. This advisory position remained a part of the Imperial court from the 8th century until the Meiji period in the 19th century.Nussbaum, "Dainag ...

''. The

Yanagiwara family The Yanagiwara family (柳原家, ''Yanagiwara-ke'') is a Japanese aristocratic family descending from the Fujiwara clan's Hokke (Fujiwara), Hokke house. Its ''kuge'' family rank was ''meike''. After the Meiji Restoration, the family was appointe ...

were of the

Reizei family Reizei family (冷泉家, ''Reizei-ke'') is a Japanese ''kuge'' (court noble) family from Kyoto. It is a branch of the Fujiwara clan, with a long poetic tradition. History The Reizei family descended from Fujiwara no Michinaga through his six ...

line of the

Fujiwara clan was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since the ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...

. Her elder brother,

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Yanagiwara Sakimitsu Count was a Japanese statesman and diplomat. He is the father of the poet and novelist Byakuren Yanagiwara. Biography Yanagiwara Sakimitsu was born in Kyoto to the prominent Yanagiwara family. His sister was Yanagihara Naruko, a concubine of th ...

(4 May 1850 – 2 September 1894), fought in the

Boshin War The , sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War, was a civil war in Japan fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and a clique seeking to seize political power in the name of the Imperi ...

on the imperial side, subsequently becoming Lieutenant Governor of the Tōkaidō and later Governor of

Yamanashi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 817,192 (1 January 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the no ...

. Entering the diplomatic service after the Restoration, he signed the Sino-Japanese Friendship treaty after the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the po ...

, was ennobled as a count and became a privy councillor, helping to draft the Imperial House Law before his death at the age of 44. During her lifetime, Lady Naruko was described as an intelligent, graceful and gentle lady, admired by all in the harem. She was noted as an excellent poet and calligrapher. She joined the imperial household in 1870 as a lady-in-waiting to the Dowager

Empress Eishō was the empress consort of Emperor Kōmei of Japan. She is also known under the technically incorrect name . Early life As the daughter of Kujō Hisatada, who was a former '' kampaku,'' Kujō Asako could anticipate a life unfolding entirel ...

, and was appointed ''gon no tenji'' (imperial concubine) on 20 February 1873. Lady Naruko and the Meiji Emperor were both descended from the Ōgimachisanjō clan; both shared a great-great-grandfather in Ōgimachisanjō Sanetomo (1748–1785), a senior palace courtier, making them third cousins. On 21 January 1875, she gave birth to her first child, Shigeko, Princess Ume, at the Aoyama Palace, but the princess died of

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...

the following year, on 8 June 1876. On 23 September 1877, she gave birth to Yukihito, Prince Take, who also died of meningitis before his first birthday, on 26 July 1878. On 31 August 1879, she gave birth to her third child and the only one to survive into adulthood, the future

. The prolonged and extremely difficult birth resulted in Lady Naruko becoming hysterical, crying and screaming through the delivery. On 6 September, the emperor named his son Yoshihito, later giving him the title of Prince Haru. Owing to the difficult delivery, Lady Naruko did not recover her health for some time; as her son had contracted meningitis shortly after his birth, his life was feared for until he finally recovered in late December. As a result of her delicate health following her son's birth, she never again served the emperor as a physical concubine, though she retained the title. In 1902, she was officially appointed as an imperial lady-in-waiting. In her later years, she was conferred several prestigious honours in recognition of having continued the imperial line, despite a tendency to blame her for her son's increasingly poor mental health. However, she was permitted to be present at her son's deathbed in December 1926. In 1941, Lady Naruko's great-grandniece, the Hon. Takagi Yuriko, married her grandson

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 ...

. Lady Naruko died on 16 October 1943, aged 84, in the reign of her grandson the

Showa Emperor Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...

, having outlived her son the previous emperor by nearly two decades. She was buried in

Nakameguro is a residential district of Meguro, Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo. It is popular for its unique boutique cafes and stores, and the area near the Meguro River is a popular ''hanami'' (cherry blossom viewing) destination in mid-spring. The district is sit ...

Yūtenji is a temple of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism in Nakameguro, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan. In 1718, the 3rd year of the Kyōhō era, the 36th Buddhist monk of Zōjōji called died. One of his disciples, , built Yūtenji as his shrine and made him ...

(5-chome, Meguro-ku) in Tokyo.

Honours

*Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six classes, the lowest ...

(10 May 1925; Second Class: 1 December 1915) *Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Precious Crown The is a Japanese order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. Since the Order of the Rising Sun at that time was an Order for men, it was established as an Order for women. Originally the order had five classes, but on Ap ...

(11 February 1940)

Order of precedence

*Fourth rank (29 November 1892) *Senior third rank (July 1913) *Second rank (1 December 1915) *Senior second rank (8 May 1919) *First rank (16 October 1943; posthumous)

Ancestry

References

*{{citation, title= Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World, 1852–1912, last= Keene, first=Donald, author-link =Donald Keene, year= 2002, publisher=Columbia University Press Fujiwara clan Imperial House of Japan Grand Cordons of the Order of the Precious Crown Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure 1859 births 1943 deaths Japanese concubines Emperor Taishō Japanese ladies-in-waiting Women calligraphers Japanese calligraphers