COMPANIONS from Japan

Top 5

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Japanese Companions of all time. This list of famous Japanese Companions is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Empress Kōjun (1903 - 2000)

With an HPI of 63.78, Empress Kōjun is the most famous Japanese Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 32 different languages on wikipedia.

Nagako (6 March 1903 – 16 June 2000), posthumously honoured as Empress Kōjun, was a member of the Imperial House of Japan, the wife of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) and the mother of Emperor Emeritus Akihito. She was Empress of Japan from 1926 until her husband's death in 1989, making her the longest-serving empress consort in Japanese history.

2. Empress Shōken (1849 - 1914)

With an HPI of 60.31, Empress Shōken is the 2nd most famous Japanese Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Masako Ichijō (一条勝子, Ichijō Masako, 9 May 1849 – 9 April 1914), who adopted the imperial given name Haruko (美子) in 1867 and was posthumously honoured as Empress Dowager Shōken (昭憲皇太后, Shōken-kōtaigō), was the wife of Emperor Meiji of Japan. She was one of the founders of the Japanese Red Cross Society, whose charity work was known throughout the First Sino-Japanese War.

3. Empress Teimei (1884 - 1951)

With an HPI of 59.82, Empress Teimei is the 3rd most famous Japanese Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Sadako Kujō (九条節子, Kujō Sadako, 25 June 1884 – 17 May 1951), posthumously honoured as Empress Teimei (貞明皇后, Teimei-kōgō), was the wife of Emperor Taishō and the mother of Emperor Shōwa. Her posthumous name, Teimei, means "enlightened constancy". She was also the paternal grandmother of Emperor Emeritus Akihito, and the paternal great-grandmother of Emperor Naruhito.

4. Shigeko Higashikuni (1925 - 1961)

With an HPI of 56.20, Shigeko Higashikuni is the 4th most famous Japanese Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Shigeko Higashikuni (東久邇 成子, Higashikuni Shigeko, 6 December 1925 – 23 July 1961), born Shigeko, Princess Teru (照宮成子内親王, Teru-no-miya Shigeko Naishinnō), was the wife of Prince Morihiro Higashikuni (grandson of Emperor Meiji) and eldest daughter of Emperor Shōwa and Empress Kōjun. She was the eldest sister to Emperor Emeritus Akihito, and paternal aunt to Emperor Naruhito.

5. Olivia Lufkin (b. 1979)

With an HPI of 37.28, Olivia Lufkin is the 5th most famous Japanese Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Olivia Lufkin (born December 9, 1979), known professionally as Olivia, is a Japanese-American singer and songwriter. Lufkin began her solo career after singing in the Japanese girl group D&D. She gained mainstream success in 2006 after creating songs for the fictional band Trapnest under the alias "Olivia Inspi' Reira (Trapnest)." The songs were used for the popular anime adaptation of Nana.