Bulletin > Volume 13 The Funerals of the Japanese Emperors

Macé, François

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Emperor Hirohito of the Shōwa era (1926-1989) died on January 7, 1989, after a prolonged illness and a reign of unprecedented length. The state funeral took place on February 24, the 49th day after death, as prescribed by Buddhist funerary ritual. However，the last rites were performed according to so-called “traditional Shinto ritual’’ — at least in part, since political considerations made some compromise with state ritual, not connected with any religion, necessary. The kunaichō (Imperial Household Agency) did not permit a close scrutiny and study of the obsequies performed for Emperor Shōwa, so that we may count ourselves lucky to have this study by the foremost French specialist on the subject and the author of La mort et les funérailles dans le Japon ancien (Paris: Publications orientalistes de France, 1986). The author examines the historical background and the modern significance of the curious mixture of rites that were observed for the preceding Emperors Meiji and Taishō. His conclusion may take us by surprise: These strangely archaic rituals are not so “traditional” after all, but rather rituals “revived,” i.e. fabricated, in the Meiji period as part of the move back to “pure Japanese tradition.” We wish to express our sincere thanks to the École Française d’Extrême-Orient, Section de Kyoto, for their gracious permission to publish here in translation this article which originally appeared in their journal, Cahiers d’Extrême-Asie, Vol.4 (1988), pp. 157-65.