Japanese Princess Akiko receives replica of Emperor Meiji’s letter to Sultan Abdulhamid II in Türkiye
Gift marks historic ties between Ottoman Empire and Japan dating back to 1888
A view of brooch featuring the Turkish and Japanese flags of Princess Akiko of Mikasa as she visits historical Balikligol (Pool of the Sacred Fish) in Sanliurfa, Turkiye on September 19, 2025.
SANLIURFA, Türkiye
Japanese Princess Akiko of Mikasa was presented with a replica of an 1888 letter sent by Emperor Meiji of Japan to Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II.
During her visit to southeastern Türkiye’s Sanliurfa province, Princess Akiko met with Sanliurfa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mehmet Kasim Gulpinar at the Cumhuriyet Social Facilities.
To mark the occasion, Gulpinar gifted the princess a facsimile of the letter, dated May 10, 1888, in which Emperor Meiji informed Sultan Abdulhamid II that he had been awarded the Order of the Chrysanthemum.
The original Order of the Chrysanthemum and the letter are preserved at Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace Museum.
Historical records indicate that the Japanese emperor sent them in response to the warm welcome extended by Sultan Abdulhamid II to a visiting Japanese prince and princess in 1888.
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