Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery
Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery is a gallery commemorating the "imperial virtues" of Japan's Meiji Emperor, installed on his funeral site in the Gaien or outer precinct of Meiji Shrine in Tōkyō. The gallery is one of the earliest museum buildings in Japan and itself an Important Cultural Property.
On display in the gallery are eighty large paintings, forty in "Japanese style" and forty in "Western style", that depict, in chronological order, scenes from the Emperor's life and times. The gallery opened to the public in 1926, with the final paintings completed and installed ten years later. The selection and investigation of suitable topics for the paintings was overseen by Kaneko Kentarō, who also served as head of the editorial boards of Dai-Nihon Ishin Shiryō and , major contemporary historiographic undertakings respectively to document the Meiji Restoration and the Meiji Emperor and his era ; as such, the gallery and its paintings may be viewed as a highly visible historiographic project in its own right.
Background
In his brief survey of pre-Meiji Japanese imperial portraiture, surviving exemplars of which are known at least from the Kamakura period, Donald Keene writes that these "reveal very little individuality", eschewing realism "instead to convey courtly elegance or Buddhist consecration". A trend that lasted "well into" the nineteenth century, this was in part also an artefact of the artist typically not knowing what the emperor looked like. The earliest, extant though unpublished, photograph of the Meiji Emperor was taken late in 1871 at the Yokosuka Naval Yard. The next photographs were taken the following year, in response to a request by the Iwakura Mission, delegates having observed Western diplomats exchanging portraits of their respective heads of state. When Itō Hirobumi and Ōkubo Toshimichi briefly returned to Tōkyō, they were instructed to return with an official portrait; though they did not take the 1872 photographs, of the young Emperor in court dress, with them when they set off again for the US, the following year two new photographs, this time of the Emperor of Japan in Western dress, were taken and sent on to the Mission with the earlier pair. The final official photographs of the Emperor were taken later in 1873 after the return of the Mission, with the Emperor, his top-knot now cut off, in the Western military uniform that was to become his customary attire. These photographs were not widely distributed: when in 1874 someone in Tōkyō began selling unauthorized copies, after debate in government about the propriety of selling such, such sale was prohibited. Continuing to circulate nevertheless, the 16 April 1878 edition of the Yomiuri Shimbun featured a reported sighting of one hanging in a house of ill-repute in the Yoshiwara district, and it was not until 1898 that the official ban was lifted. In the meantime, commissioned by Hijikata Hisamoto, Chiossone's 1888 goshin'ei '''' had come to be widely distributed in the form of reproductions, not least, though initially only upon request, to schools across the country, where it helped foster "patriotism and loyalty to the emperor". Around a dozen incidents have been catalogued, between the mid-1890s and 1947, of teachers risking their lives to save this portrait from tsunami, fire, earthquake, air raid, even theft. Such respect and reticence might be understood in the light of the Meiji Constitution, according to Article 3 of which "The Emperor is sacred and inviolable", as well as Itō Hirobumi's Commentaries on the Constitution, in which he observes that the Tennō should not be the subject of common talk.The gallery
The Naien or inner precinct of Meiji Jingū was constructed between 1912 and 1920, supported by central government funds. In 1915, the Meiji Shrine Support Committee was established to raise funds for and plan the shrine's Gaien, or outer precinct. After a public competition in 1918, Kobayashi Masatsugu's design was the following year selected from the one hundred and fifty-six submissions received, Furuichi Kōi and Itō Chūta numbering amongst the judges. With some amendment by the shrine's building department, construction began in 1919 and ran until 1926, Ōkura Doboku, a legacy firm of what is now Taisei Corporation, starting their work in 1921. This was temporarily suspended due to the Great Kantō earthquake, after which the scaffolding was taken down and temporary barracks built to shelter victims, some 6,400 of whom were accommodated on the site. Construction resumed in May 1924. Internal finishing works began in 1925 and the building phase was completed late the following year. While Ōkura Doboku were responsible for most of the construction work and finishing, the materials were supplied by the government. Gravel was sourced from a government-owned direct collection site along the Sagami River, Asano Cement, a legacy firm of today's Taiheiyō Cement, provided the cement, and steel was brought at a heavily discounted rate from the government-owned Yahata Steel Works, the connecting railways and steamships carrying the loads at half the usual freight rate as their contribution to this important national project.Of reinforced concrete, the gallery extends some from east to west and from north to south, rising to a height of at the apex of the central dome, its two wings standing some high. The outer walls are faced with from Okayama Prefecture, copper sheeting covering much of the roof. The interior takes the form of a spacious central hall, beneath the dome, clad in domestically-sourced marble and with a marble and mosaic tiled floor; the two painting galleries open off to the sides, each with forty paintings, to the right the first forty nihonga, to the left the forty yōga. One of the earliest museum buildings in the country, the architecture, in which straight lines are emphasized, is "memorable, solid, and stately", and in June 2011 the gallery was designated an Important Cultural Property, for its "excellence of design" and "superior construction techniques", in particular those used in the shell dome and for the lighting the painting galleries, which are naturally lit from above.
Completed on 22 October 1926, the Gallery specially opened to the public for one day the following day, although at this point only five paintings had been dedicated, one nihonga, four yōga. The same year also saw the dedication of the Gaien or Meiji Shrine's outer gardens, covering some. From 1 October 1927 the Gallery was open on weekends and public holidays only. 21 April 1936 saw a special commemorative ceremony on the completion of the paintings and exactly one year later the Gallery opened to the public on a full-time basis. In December 1944 the Gallery closed due to the war situation. With the US Occupation, the Gallery was requisitioned by occupying forces, a state of affairs that continued until 1952. More recently, in 2005 2,200 glass plates from the time of construction were found in a gallery storeroom.
Painting topics
Discussion of which topics should be selected for the paintings began at committee level at the beginning of 1916 and, two years later, eighty-five possible subjects were selected, those rejected including Commodore Perry's Arrival at Uruga. Later in 1918 a panel of five began their research trips across Japan, to confirm suitability, document locations, and draft explanatory texts, amongst them, who prepared "provisional paintings". In 1921 the final eighty were proposed, and these were approved the following year.A recent analysis of the subject matter of the paintings has highlighted their range of topic, geographic setting, and how neither Emperor nor Empress appear in a quarter of the paintings, the Emperor hidden in a further thirteen, 12 sitting, 5 riding, 1 in a carriage, 8 the Empress, 1 the Empress ).
The paintings
While there are eighty paintings, there are not quite eighty different artists, Kondō Shōsen and responsible for two, and Kobori Tomoto for three. The pictures each measure approximately by to ; as such together they run almost and, at this scale, are sometimes described as "murals". Tosa washi was selected as the official support for the paintings, although not all artists chose to use it.| Painting | Date of event | Painter | Dedication of painting | Comments | Image | Dedicator | |
| 1 | The Birth of Emperor Meiji Go-kōtan | Takahashi Shūka | depicted is the Lying-in Chamber, erected by the future emperor's maternal grandfather Nakayama Tadayasu in the grounds of Kyoto Imperial Palace | ||||
| 2 | The Rites of Growth On-fukasogi | Kitano Tsunetomi | ceremonial dressing of the hair, performed by Minister of the Left Ichijō Tadaka in the Omima | ||||
| 3 | Investiture of the Crown Prince Ritsu shinnō senge | Hashimoto Eihō | Nijō Nariyuki presents the imperial proclamation at the Palace | ||||
| 4 | Accession to the Throne Senso | Kawasaki Shōko | the Emperor, aged fifteen, appointed Nijō Nariyuki as regent in the Seiryōden on the day of his accession | ' | |||
| 5 | Resignation of the Last Shōgun Taisei hōkan | Murata Tanryō | Tokugawa Yoshinobu informs officials of his decision at Nijō-jō | ||||
| 6 | Restoration of Imperial Rule Ōsei-fukko | Shimada Bokusen | the Emperor abolishes the offices of Sesshō, Kampaku, and Shōgun | ||||
| 7 | The Battles of Toba and Fushimi Fushimi-Toba-sen | Matsubayashi Keigetsu | |||||
| 8 | Attainment of Majority Ceremony Go-genpuku | Itō Kōun | held shortly after the Emperor turned 16; his hairstyle was changed, he donned the robes of manhood, and he was crowned by Prince Fushimi Kuniie | ||||
| 9 | The Emperor's Visit to the Dajōkan Nijō-jō Dakōjan dai-gyōkō | Kobori Tomoto | the Emperor was conveyed to Nijō-jō by palanquin | ||||
| 10 | The Imperial Army Leaves Kyōto Dai-sōtoku Taruhito shinnō Kyōto shinpatsu | Takatori Wakanari | Prince Arisugawa Taruhito salutes the Emperor in front of the Kenreimon before setting out for Edo | ||||
| 11 | The Emperor Receives Foreign Ministers Kakkoku kōshi shōken | Hiroshima Kōho | the Emperor receives Dirk de Graeff van Polsbroek; to the left and right of the imperial dais are Prince Yamashina Akira and Iwakura Tomomi | ||||
| 12 | Proclamation of the Imperial Oath Gokajō no go-seimon | Inui Nanyō | Sanjō Sanetomi reads the Oath in Five Articles | ||||
| 13 | The Surrender of Yedo Castle Edo kaijō danpan | Yūki Somei | Saigō Takamori and Katsu Kaishū negotiate the surrender without bloodshed of Edo Castle | ||||
| 14 | The Emperor Reviewing Clan Warships Ōsaka gyōkō shohan gunkan goran | Okada Saburōsuke | in Ōsaka Bay | ||||
| 15 | Enthronement of the Emperor Sokui no rei | Ikai Shōkoku | in the grounds of Kyōto Imperial Palace | ||||
| 16 | The Emperor Viewing Rice Harvest Nōmin shūkaku goran | Morimura Gitō | in Hatchōnowate, Owari Province, while en route to Tōkyō | ||||
| 17 | The Emperor Arriving in Tōkyō Tōkyō go-chakuren | Kobori Tomoto | arrival at Edo Castle | ||||
| 18 | Installation of the Empress Kōgō no sakuritsu | Suga Tatehiko | Princess Haruko arrived at the Kyōto Imperial Palace in the traditional ox-cart | ||||
| 19 | The Emperor at the Grand Shrine of Ise Jingū shinetsu | Matsuoka Eikyū | the Emperor left Kyōto for Tōkyō for the second time on 8 April 1869, stopping en route at Ise Jingū | ||||
| 20 | The End of the Feudal Clans Haihan chiken | Kobori Tomoto | Sanjō Sanetomi reads the edict | ||||
| 21 | [Iwakura Mission|The Iwakura Tomomi|Iwakura Mission to America and Europe] Iwakura taishi Ōbei haken | Yamaguchi Hōshun | the party board the steamship SS America in the Port of Yokohama | ' | |||
| 22 | The Great Imperial Thanksgiving Rite Daijō-sai | Maeda Seison | performed once by each emperor; the Emperor offers up newly harvested rice and sake | ' | |||
| 23 | Imperial Tour of Chūgoku and Kyūshū Chūgoku Saikoku junkō | Yamamoto Morinosuke | aboard the ironclad Ryūjō | ||||
| 24 | Imperial Tour of Chūgoku and Kyūshū Chūgoku Saikoku junkō | Yamauchi Tamon | the imperial entourage enters the Shimazu residence, where the Emperor stayed nine days | ||||
| 25 | Opening of the Tokyo-Yokohama Railway Keihin tetsudō kaigyō-shiki gyōkō | Komura Daiun | the Emperor arrives at Shimbashi Station by carriage before proceeding to Yokohama Station by train | ||||
| 26 | Establishment of the Ryūkyū Clan Ryūkyū-han setchi | Yamada Shinzan | in 1872 Shō Tai, last king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, sent an envoy to Tōkyō; the ship is shown returning to Naha | ' | |||
| 27 | The Emperor Reviewing Military Manoeuvres Narashino-no-hara enshū gyōkō | Koyama Eitatsu | on the Narashino Plain in Chiba Prefecture | ||||
| 28 | The Empress at a Silk Factory Tomioka seishijō gyōkei | Arai Kampō | Empress Shōken and Empress Dowager Eishō visit Tomioka Silk Mill | ||||
| 29 | The Emperor Drilling Soldiers Go-renbei | Machida Kyokukō | on the grounds of the Akasaka Temporary Palace | ||||
| 30 | His Majesty at Lecture Jikō shinkō | Dōmoto Inshō | Motoda Nagasane lectures to the Emperor | ' | |||
| 31 | The Emperor on a Personal Visit Tokugawa-tei gyōkō | Kimura Buzan | while viewing cherry blossoms at the residence of Tokugawa Akitake, the Emperor composed a tanka in honour of the loyalty of his host's forebears Tokugawa Mitsukuni and Tokugawa Nariaki | ||||
| 32 | The Empress Viewing Rice-Planting Kōgō-miya taue goran | Kondō Shōsen | in the grounds of the Akasaka Temporary Palace | ||||
| 33 | The First Conference of Governors Chihōkan kaigi ringyo | Isoda Chōshū | |||||
| 34 | The Empress at a School for Girls Joshi shihan gakkō gyōkei | Yazawa Gengetsu | the Empress attends the opening ceremony of Tokyo Normal School for Girls | ||||
| 35 | The Emperor Inspecting Horses Ōu junkō bahitsu goran | Neagari Tomiji | at Morioka Hachimangū | ' | |||
| 36 | The Imperial Mausoleum at Unebi Unebi-ryō shinetsu | Yoshida Shūkō | the Emperor worships at the mausoleum of Emperor Jimmu at Unebi | ||||
| 37 | The Siege of Kumamoto Castle Seinan-eki Kumamoto rōjō | Kondō Shōsen | rebels under Saigō Takamori shell Kumamoto Castle during the Satsuma Rebellion | ||||
| 38 | Attending an Industrial Exhibit Naikoku kangyō hakurankai gyōkō kei | Yūki Somei | The Emperor and Empress attend the First National Industrial Exhibition in Ueno Park | ||||
| 39 | The Emperor and Empress Dowager at a Noh Play Nōgaku goran | Konoshima Ōkoku | at the Aoyama Palace | ||||
| 40 | The Empress Composing a Poem Hatsu-gan no o-uta | Kaburagi Kiyotaka | Empress Shōken composed over thirty thousand poems, including one linking the flight of the wild geese she saw at the Akasaka Temporary Palace with the absent Emperor; her ladies-in-waiting subsequently sent the poem to the Emperor | ' | |||
| 41 | The Emperor Meeting General U. S. Grant Guranto shōgun to o-taiwa | Ōkubo Sakujirō | the Emperor and Grant met at the Hama-rikyū Detached Palace, Yoshida Kiyonari serving as interpreter | ' | |||
| 42 | The Emperor in Hokkaidō Hokkaidō junkō tondenhei goran | Takamura Shimpu | the Emperor visits a tondenhei community in the village of Yamana, now Sapporo | ||||
| 43 | Visiting a Silver Mine Yamagata Akita junkō kōzan o | Gomi Seikichi | at Innai Silver Mine in Akita Prefecture | ||||
| 44 | Establishment of the Monetary Conversion System Dakan seido go-jijō | Matsuoka Hisashi | Minister of the Treasury Matsukata Masayoshi explains the currency conversion system to the Emperor | ||||
| 45 | Imperial Mandate for the Army and Navy Gunjin chokuyu kashi | Terasaki Takeo | the Emperor hands the mandate to Army Minister Ōyama Iwao | ||||
| 46 | Conference on the Revision of Treaties Jōyaku kaisei kaigi | Ueno Hiroichi | Minister of Foreign Affairs Inoue Kaoru delivers a speech | ||||
| 47 | The Emperor Visiting a Sick Iwakura Iwakura-tei gyōkō | Kita Renzō | Iwakura Tomomi died the following day | ||||
| 48 | The Empress at the Peeress' School Kazoku jogakkō gyōkei | Atomi Yutaka | Empress Shōken listens to the Principal reading a congratulatory message to the assembled students and teachers | ||||
| 49 | Patroness of the Tokyo Charity Hospital Tōkyō jikei iin gyōkei | Mitsutani Kunishirō | Empress Shōken donated annually to the hospital and visited regularly | ||||
| 50 | Conference on Drafting a Constitution Sūmitsuin kenpō kaigi | Goseda Hōryū | Itō Hirobumi explains the draft of the Meiji Constitution to the Emperor and the Privy Council | ||||
| 51 | Promulgation of the Constitution Kenpō happu shiki | Wada Eisaku | the Emperor hands the Meiji Constitution to Prime Minister Kuroda Kiyotaka at a ceremony in the Imperial Palace | ||||
| 52 | Grand Parade to Celebrate the Constitution Kenpō happu kanpei shiki gyōkō kei | Katada Tokurō | after promulgation of the Meiji Constitution, the Emperor and Empress leave the Imperial Palace on their way to the Aoyama Parade Grounds for a military review | ||||
| 53 | Poetry Party at the Imperial Palace Uta-gokai hajime | Yamashita Shintarō | held in the Phoenix Hall at the Imperial Palace, with poems composed on the topic of the celebration of national prosperity | ||||
| 54 | The Emperor at Joint Military Manoeuvres Rikukaigun dai-enshū go-tōkan | Nahahara Kōtarō | the Emperor watches from a hill near Nagoya during a rain storm | ||||
| 55 | The Imperial Rescript on Education Kyōiku chokugo kashi | Ataka Yasugorō | Prime Minister Yamagata Aritomo and Minister of Education Yoshikawa Akimasa leave the Imperial Palace with the Rescript | ||||
| 56 | Inauguration of the First Imperial Diet Teikoku Gikai kaiin shiki ringyo | Kosugi Misei | Itō Hirobumi, Speaker of the House of Peers, receives the Emperor's message, while Speaker of the House of Representatives Nakajima Nobuyuki stands below | ||||
| 57 | Silver Wedding Anniversary of the Emperor Daikon nijūgo-nen shukuten | Hasegawa Noboru | a performance of traditional dances in the Imperial Palace | ' | |||
| 58 | The Battle of Pyongyang Nisshin-eki Pyon'yan-sen | Kanayama Heizō | the Mixed Ninth Brigade, under General Ōshima Yoshimasa, in action, during the First Sino-Japanese War | ||||
| 59 | The Battle of the Yellow Sea Nisshin'eki Kō-kai kaisen | Ōta Kijirō | the Japanese fleet, under Admiral Itō Sukeyuki, engages the Chinese | ||||
| 60 | The Emperor at Imperial Headquarters Hiroshima daihon'ei gunmu shinsai | Minami Kunzō | the Emperor as Supreme Commander is briefed by Vice-Chief of the General Staff Kawakami Sōroku at headquarters in Hiroshima | ||||
| 61 | The Empress Visiting Wounded Soldiers Hiroshima yobi byōin gyōkei | Ishii Hakutei | Empress Shōken visits the Army Auxiliary Hospital in Hiroshima | ||||
| 62 | Peace Conference at Shimonoseki Shimonoseki kōwa danpan | Nagatochi Hideta | the signing of the treaty | ||||
| 63 | [Japanese invasion of Taiwan under Japanese rule|Taiwan (1895)|Restoration of Peace in Taiwan] Taiwan chintei | Ishikawa Toraji | Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa enters Taipei | ||||
| 64 | The Emperor at Yasukuni Shrine Yasukuni Jinja gyōkō | Shimizu Yoshio | the Emperor ascends the stairs to honour those who fell in the First Sino-Japanese War | ||||
| 65 | Shintenfu Hall Shintenfu | Kawamura Kiyoo | the hall was built in the grounds of the Imperial Palace to house items relating to the war, including photographs of all the officers and the names of all the dead | ||||
| 66 | The Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Alliance Nichiei dōmei | Yamamoto Kanae | Prime Minister Katsura Tarō reads the Treaty to the House of Peers | ||||
| 67 | The Empress at a Red Cross Meeting Akajūji-sha sōkai gyōkei | Yuasa Ichirō | Empress Shōken addresses the 11th General Meeting of the Japanese Red Cross Society in Ueno Park | ||||
| 68 | Declaration of War with Russia tai-Ro sensen fukoku gozen kaigi | Yoshida Shigeru | the Emperor, Prime Minister Katsura Tarō, elder statesman Itō Hirobumi, and others agree to the declaration of war with Russia at a Gozen Kaigi | ||||
| 69 | The Surrender of Port Arthur Nichiro-eki ryojun kaijō | Arai Rokuo | General Anatoly Stessel presents his horse to General Nogi Maresuke in the village where the surrender was signed three days earlier | ' | |||
| 70 | The Battle of Mukden Nochiro-eki Hōten-sen | Kanokogi Takeshirō | General Ōyama Iwao and his staff enter the South Gate of Mukden, after the city fell on the 10th | ||||
| 71 | The Battle of the Japan Sea Nichiro-eki Nihon-kai kaisen | Nakamura Fusetsu | Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō's flagship, the Mikasa, leads the Japanese fleet into action at the Battle of Tsushima | ||||
| 72 | The Portsmouth Peace Conference Pōtsumasu kōwa danpan | Shirataki Ikunosuke | Komura Jutarō, Sergei Witte, and others sign the Treaty, bringing to an end the Russo-Japanese War | ||||
| 73 | The Triumphal Grand Naval Review Gaisen kankan shiki | Tōjō Shōtarō | the Emperor aboard the Asama reviews the Combined Fleet in Yokohama Bay on 23 October 1905, with Commander-in-Chief Tōgō Heihachirō to his left and the future Taishō Emperor to his right, flanked in turn by Navy Minister Yamamoto Gonnohyōe and Chief of the Navy General Staff Itō Sukeyuki; over 160 vessels took part in the 1905 Triumphal Grand Review that celebrated the navy's contribution to victory in the Russo-Japanese War | ||||
| 74 | The Triumphal Grand Army Review Gaisen kanbei shiki | Kobayashi Mango | the Emperor reviews the troops at the Aoyama Parade Grounds, with Ōyama Iwao riding behind | ||||
| 75 | Demarcation of the Sakhalin Frontier Karafuto kokkyō kakutei | Yasuda Minoru | Japanese and Russian representatives designate the boundary marker on the 50th parallel, after the Treaty of Portsmouth | ||||
| 76 | The Chrysanthemum Garden Party Kangikukai | Nakazawa Hiromitsu | the Emperor and Empress attend the party at the Akasaka Palace for the first time | ||||
| 77 | The Union of Korea and Japan Nikkan gappō | Tsuji Hisashi | depicted is the Namdaemun at the time of annexation | ' | |||
| 78 | The Emperor at Tokyo Imperial University Tōkyō Teikoku Daigaku gyōkō | Fujishima Takeji | the arrival of the Emperor for the graduation ceremonies | ||||
| 79 | The Emperor's Final Illness Fuyo | Tanabe Itaru | as the Emperor's condition worsened, people gather outside the Tokyo Imperial Palace to pray for his recovery | ' | |||
| 80 | The Imperial Funeral Taisō | Wada Sanzō | after a ceremony at the Aoyama Funeral Pavilion in Tōkyō on 13 September, the Emperor's coffin was taken by train to Kyōto, before being conveyed to Fushimi Momoyama no Misasagi |