mikado

Mikado is a term with several distinct uses in Japanese culture and Western popular culture. It can refer to a traditional game, the historical title for the Emperor of Japan, or the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera The Mikado.

The game Mikado, also called pick-up sticks, involves scattering a bundle of slender bamboo sticks into a loose heap. Sticks are colored or marked to indicate different point values. Players take turns removing a single stick from the pile without disturbing the others. If a move causes disturbance, the turn ends and the stick may not be scored. The game is usually played by two or more players and has many regional rule variations. It was popularized in the West in the late 19th century under the name Mikado.

The Mikado is a comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan. It premiered in London in 1885 and is set in Japan. The plot centers on Ko-Ko, Yum-Yum, Nanki-Poo, Katisha, and the Mikado, the Emperor. The work uses satire to lampoon bureaucracy and social pretensions and remains a frequent offering in the repertoire, though it has drawn critique for its orientalist portrayal. The music and some songs, such as Three Little Maids from School, contributed to its enduring popularity.

Mikado has been used in English to refer to the Emperor of Japan, especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In modern Japan the official title is Tennō, and Mikado is largely encountered in historical, literary, or fictional contexts as well as in the operetta and some games.