Sono Sachiko

Sono Sachiko (園祥子), born December 23, 1867, and deceased July 7, 1947, was a member of the Japanese imperial household as the fifth concubine of Emperor Meiji. She was the daughter of Count Sono Motosachi (園基祥). During her lifetime, she held the court title Kogiku Tenji (小菊典侍).

Sachiko gave birth to ten children, including six daughters and four sons, although several of her children died in infancy. Her children with Emperor Meiji are as follows:

- Princess Shizuko (no birth or death dates provided)

- The Princess Hisa (Hisa-no-miya Shizuko-naishinnō), born February 10, 1886, died April 4, 1887

- Prince Michihito (Aki-no-miya Michihito-shinnō), born August 22, 1887, died November 12, 1888

- Masako (The Princess Tsune), born September 30, 1888, died March 8, 1940; she married Tsunehisa, The Prince Takeda, in 1908

- Fusako (The Princess Kane), born January 28, 1890, died August 11, 1974; she married Naruhisa, The Prince Kitashirakawa, in 1909

- Nobuko (The Princess Fumi), born August 7, 1891, died November 3, 1933; she married Yasuhiko, The Prince Asaka, in 1909

- Prince Teruhito (The Prince Mitsu), born November 30, 1893, died August 17, 1894

- Toshiko (The Princess Yasu), born May 11, 1896; she married Naruhiko, The Prince Higashikuni, in 1915

- Princess Takiko (The Princess Sada), born September 24, 1897, died January 11, 1899

Following Emperor Meiji's death in 1912, Sachiko became part of the household of Empress Teimei, the consort of Emperor Taishō. She was present at the birth of Takahito, Prince Mikasa, in 1915.

Her final resting place is Saikōan Temple in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

In the context of the imperial family, she is often listed among other consorts and concubines of Emperor Meiji, which also include Empress Shōken, Hamuro Mitsuko (the first concubine), Hashimoto Natsuko (second concubine), Yanagiwara Naruko (third concubine and mother of Emperor Taishō), and Chigusa Kotoko (fourth concubine).