Grant and Conversion of Ceremonial Buildings in Modern Imperial Funerals (Part 1): From Emperor Meiji to Emperor Taishō (Before World War II)

Abstract

In modern imperial funerals, temporary buildings were built and granted to various organizations to be converted to buildings for other uses. To examine the commemorative nature of architecture from the modern emperor system's perspective, this study analyzes ceremonial buildings of four modern imperial funerals before World War II and clarifies their granting and conversion, focusing on Sōjōden, a temporary building for laying a coffin. It was found that the buildings were granted to local public bodies and charitable institutions, and the central area of grant was moved from Kyoto to Tokyo. Moreover, the granting and conversion were connected to the concept of holiness and impurity, the positioning of the institutions enshrining the Emperor and Empress Dowager, building relationships with the Imperial House, and the condition of commemoration in the converted buildings.