JAPAN: Stalwart Princes

Paunchy President Gaston Doumergue of France received last week at the Elysee a lean, taut-waisted, owlishly spectacled Jap, Prince Chichibu, second son of the Mikado.

“Your Imperial Highness’ achievements during the past month are unique,” smiled President Doumergue.

Prince Chichibu, though he turned the compliment deftly, may well have felt a smouldering pride at the thought that no personage of the blood imperial is known to have equaled his achievement in scaling nine of the principal mountains of Europe.* (TIME, Aug. 30, et seq.)

Prince Chichibu began to explore the Northern Japanese Alps in 1923, and during 1924 scaled the snow-capped and hurricane swept Tateyama, one of the most dangerous and forbidding mountains in southern Japan. This youth of 24 who dropped in upon President Doumergue last week on his way to a winter of study at Oxford has indeed been chiefly responsible for the wave of interest in skiing and alpine climbing, now spreading over young Japan. Meanwhile those familiar with modern Nippon recalled that all the princes of the present ruling house are remarkable for their athletic prowess.

Prince Regent Hirohito† has not only fostered the introduction of tennis into Japan but is an inveterate long distance horseback rider, and a swimmer of remarkable strength. During a recent swimming exhibition off the famed Isshiki Beach, Prince Hirohito donned a bathing suit, seized a rifle, and entering the water, proved his skill at the peculiar Japanese pastime of shooting at a target while treading water. Later he applauded enthusiastically a group of expert swimmers who donned ancient Samurai suits of metal armor and thus clad swam an exciting race. As everyone knows, the Prince of Wales and Prince Regent Hirohito played a game of golf on the Komazawa links (1923) in which Edward won by a point—a fact patriotically concealed at the time by the Japanese press.

Prince Takamatsu, third son of the Mikado, recently arranged the unprecedented spectacle of a rowing race between princes of the blood and nobles of the imperial household. The prince is often to be seen skedaddling in a single scull.

Prince Takahito, eleven years old, youngest son of the Mikado, is already famous as an irrepressible and raucous baseball fan. When he attends one of the numerous interuniversity Japanese ball games a special dais is erected for him near third base, and he invariably insists that the game be played to a finish whether or not rain descends.

* Matterhorn, Wetterhorn, Finsteraarhorn, Grosscherkhorn, Schreckhorn, Engelhorn, Zinalrothorn, Monte Rosa, Lyskamm.

† Created Regent in 1921 on account of the continued infirmity of the still living Mikado Yoshihito.