The Mikado of the title character as a disrespectful representation of the revered Meiji Emperor; Japanese theatre was prohibited from depicting the emperor on stage. Japanese Prince Komatsu Akihito, who saw an 1886 production in London, took no offence. When Prince Fushimi Sadanaru made a state visit in 1907, the British government banned performances of "The Mikado" from London for six weeks, fearing that the play might offend him – a manoeuvre that backfired when the prince complained that he had hoped to see "The Mikado" during his stay. A Japanese journalist covering the prince's stay attended a proscribed performance and confessed
Mikado (game) Mikado (game) Mikado is a pick-up sticks game originating in Europe, played with a set of same-length sticks which can measure between and . In 1936, it was brought from Hungary (where it was called Marokko) to the United States and named pick-up sticks. This term is not very specific in respect to existing stick game variations. The "Mikado" name may have been avoided because it was a brand name of a game producer. The game is named for the highest scoring (blue) stick "Mikado" (Emperor of Japan). Classic Mikado consists of 41 sticks. They are coded with different values