The King lost his mother in [[1864]], his queen in [[1868]], and his great-grandmother, the ''[[kikoe-ogimi|kikoe-ôgimi]]'', in [[1869]]; he was distraught with mourning when his close advisor [[Kishaba Choken|Kishaba Chôken]] advised him that a famine was on the horizon - people were trading their children for sweet potatoes. The following spring ([[1870]]), the famine had grown worse; the 28-year-old king ordered that the kingdom purchase rice & other grains and distribute them to address the famine. It is said no one died of starvation that year. | The King lost his mother in [[1864]], his queen in [[1868]], and his great-grandmother, the ''[[kikoe-ogimi|kikoe-ôgimi]]'', in [[1869]]; he was distraught with mourning when his close advisor [[Kishaba Choken|Kishaba Chôken]] advised him that a famine was on the horizon - people were trading their children for sweet potatoes. The following spring ([[1870]]), the famine had grown worse; the 28-year-old king ordered that the kingdom purchase rice & other grains and distribute them to address the famine. It is said no one died of starvation that year. |