Home > Catalogue > Annali di Ca’ Foscari. Serie orientale > Supplemento 59 | 2023 > Nation-Building Through Imperial Images

Annali di Ca’ Foscari. Serie orientale | Vol. 59 | October 2023

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Research Article

Nation-Building Through Imperial Images

Fragility and Charisma of Emperor Meiji’s Public Persona

Maria Cărbune    Ruprecht-Karls University Heidelberg, Deutschland    

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abstract

This article explores the complex construction of Emperor Meiji’s public image, from a calculated fragility that promoted national unity to the projection of modern imperial charisma. It examines the extensive Meiji period regime of censorship of imperial representations in various forms, such as portraits, photographs, statues, and currency. The fact that the Emperor was forbidden to compose love poetry and the highly selective publication of his poems during his lifetime likewise emphasises the state’s control over the imperial persona and paints a vivid picture of the multifaceted image-crafting efforts surrounding Emperor Meiji.

Published
Dec. 1, 2023
Accepted
May 9, 2023
Submitted
Nov. 24, 2022
Language
EN

Keywords: Fragility • Theatre of power • Public sympathy • Imperial taboo • Meiji Restoration

permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/AnnOr/2385-3042/2023/02/006

Copyright: © 2023 Maria Cărbune. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.