Download or read book Splendid Monarchy written by Takashi Fujitani and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1998-02-12 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fujitani focuses on public ceremonials and the construction of ritual spaces in the Meiji Period (1868-1912). His work is based on extensive research in Japanese archives and libraries, including the archives of the Imperial Household Agency. To explore the modern transformations of what is often portrayed as the longest continuously reigning monarchy in the world, he focuses on the monarchy's location within a modern regime of power, city planning, the media, and the gendering of politics. Throughout, he presents rare photographs and woodblock prints to trace the image of the emperor from a mysterious figure secluded inside a palanquin to a grand public personage riding in an open carriage in Western military regalia.