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You are here: Home / World / Why is The Comic Opera The Mikado Not From Japan?

Why is The Comic Opera The Mikado Not From Japan?

May 27, 2020 by Karen Hill

The English playwrights Gilbert and Sullivan wrote a musical about the emperor of Japan called the Mikado.

Most people think that the Mikado was the name of the Japanese emperor. The Mikado was actually the name of a door!

In medieval times, the Japanese were not allowed to say the name of their emperor. Saying his name was considered a sign of disrespect.

Instead, they called him the Mikado, which means “exalted door” and referred to the doorway to the emperor’s chambers.

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Filed Under: World

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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