Past Exhibitions

Elegant Processions of Emperors and Lords
January 26, 2016 - February 21, 2016

In past centuries, Imperial pilgrimages took place when the Emperor left the palace confines to travel to various destinations. They also had great political significance, serving to confirm the importance of the relationship between the Imperial household and society at large.

In 1626, when the Emperor visited Nijo Castle in Kyoto seeking to improve relations with the Tokugawa Shogunate, a magnificent production was staged to show respect for the governance of the Tokugawa clan. In 1863, Emperor Kōmei made the first Imperial pilgrimage since the early 17th century, to Kyoto's Kamo Shrine. His appearance before his subjects in this manner, for the first time in about 230 years, had great symbolic import for the then-flourishing sonnō jōi (Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians) movement.

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A Message to Museum Visitors

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