Benkan of Emperor Kōmei
Benkan of Emperor Kōmei | |
---|---|
Details | |
Country | Japan |
Made | circa 1847 |
Owner | Japan's Imperial Household |
Material | Gilded copper, thin silk (ra), brocade, crystal, and glass |
Cap | Silk |
The Benkan of Emperor Kōmei (孝明天皇の冕冠) is an imperial crown in the benkan style worn by Emperor Kōmei (reigned 1846 - 1867) of Japan.
From Emperor Shōmu in the 8th century to Emperor Kōmei, the benkan, influenced by the Chinese mianguan, was used in the enthronement ceremonies of Japanese emperors. From Emperor Meiji to the present, the more Japanese style ryūei no kan (立纓冠, lit. 'crown with standing tail ornament') has been used in enthronement ceremonies.
The benkan of Emperor Kōmei is designated as an imperial treasure (御物, gyobutsu) and is not normally open to the public, but was opened to the public in 2020 to commemorate Emperor Naruhito's accession to the throne.
Origin
The benkan is a crown worn by Japanese emperors in conjunction with kon'e (袞衣, imperial robes) during enthronement ceremony. The kon'e is embroidered with twelve ornaments reserved for the emperor, and together with the kon'e it is also called the konben twelve ornaments (袞冕十二章).
In the "Imperial Costume Catalogue" (in the collection of the Imperial Household Agency, Shuryō Department), which was compiled in 1912 during a survey of costumes in the storehouse of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, this benkan is listed as "Imperial property of Emperor Kōmei," and it is thought that it was newly made for Emperor Kōmei at the time of his enthronement.
However, the diary of aristocrat Tokinari Yamashina (山科言成), Tokinari Kyō Ki, states that an "antique" crown was used for his accession to the throne, and the possibility of an earlier emperor's benkan has also been pointed out.[1]
Emperor Kōmei's grandfather, the 119th Emperor Kōkaku's nikkeikan (a crown for young emperors) and his father, the 120th Emperor Ninkō's benkan are still extant as imperial treasures, so if an antique crown was reused, it would be that of an emperor before them.
Features
The crown measures 20.5 cm in length, 19.5 cm in width, and 37.5 cm in height. The materials and manufacturing process used are copper, forging, gilding, thin silk (ra), brocade, crystal, and glass.[2]
A gilt-bronze crown called an oshikazura (押鬘) is placed around a rounded black cap called a koji (巾子). A thin band of metal fittings is attached to the lower part of the oshikazura. The material and design of the metal fittings is brocade with a check design woven into it, and on the top and bottom of the metal fittings are a series of small dots arranged in a thin line.
The upper part of the oshikazura is openwork with a floral and arabesque design. The openwork is decorated in places with three-dimensional floral ornaments of six-petaled flower with a colored glass bead in the center.
At the top of the crown is a rectangular board called a benban (冕板) with a gilt-bronze frame covered with black thin silk (ra). In the center of the benban is an ornament consisting of a flame and a crystal ball, and in front is a gilt-bronze rod with a sun-shaped ornament at the end, in which is a carved three-legged crow (Yatagarasu). Below the sun-shaped ornament is an ornament of auspicious clouds (瑞雲, zuiun). Around the four sides of the benban are tatetama (立玉, lit. 'standing jewels') ornaments of gilt-bronze stems with petals inlaid with colored beads at the tips and in the middle. The sides of the benban are divided into three sections, each section containing two gilt bronze flower ornaments with five petals stacked on top of each other.
Eighteen chains hang from one end of the benban. Nine of these chains are made of thin wire rings joined, with two colored glass beads in between, and the tips of the rings are further divided into three chains. The other nine are short chains with gilt bronze bud-shaped ornaments at the tips.[2]
These chains hang down on four sides, making a total of 72 chains. This is three times the number of chains on the Chinese emperor's mianguan, which has 12 chains on each side of the benban, for a total of 24 chains. If the chains with three separate tips are counted as three chains, each side has 36 chains, for a total of 144 chains.
The number of chains and jade beads attached to the Chinese mianguan is based on the descriptions and interpretations in Confucian scriptures such as the Rites of Zhou and the Book of Rites, but the style of the Japanese benkan is not confined by such Confucian interpretations.
The chains are not threaded onto beads as in the Chinese mianguan, but rather are made by joining rings of wire into a chain. This style of chain is probably influenced by ancient gilt-bronze crowns and the ornaments on Japanese Buddhist statues.
Comparison with other benkan
A benkan from 1654 has been handed down to Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto as a sacred treasure. The features of this crown are similar to those of Emperor Kōmei's benkan, including the sun-shaped ornament standing in front of the benban, the tate-tama arranged around the four sides of the benban, and the chain connecting the rings.[3] Therefore, it can be said that a crown similar in style to Emperor Kōmei's benkan existed in the mid-17th century.[4]
Emperor Ninkō's benkan has also been handed down as an imperial treasure in the Higashiyama Gobunko warehouse of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and its shape is almost the same as that of Emperor Kōmei's benkan.[5]
See also
References
- ^ Takeda & Tsuda 2016, p. 294.
- ^ a b Kyoto National Museum 2020, p. 214.
- ^ "八坂神社の神宝、近くで感じて 普段は非公開" [Feel the divine treasures of Yasaka Shrine up close, usually closed to the public]. Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). Sankei Shimbun Co., Ltd. 2023-11-07. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ Takeda & Tsuda 2016, pp. 296–297.
- ^ Matsudaira 2006, p. 13.
Bibliography
- Matsudaira, Norimasa (2006). 図説宮中柳営の秘宝 [Illustrated: Treasures of the Imperial Family and the Shoguns] (in Japanese). Kawade Shobō Shinsha. ISBN 978-4309760810.
- Takeda, Sachiko; Tsuda, Daisuke (2016-08-20). 礼服―天皇即位儀礼や元旦の儀の花の装い― [Ceremonial Dress: floral attire for the emperor's accession ceremony and New Year's Day ceremony] (in Japanese). Osaka University Press. ISBN 978-4872595512.
- Kyoto National Museum, ed. (October 2020). 御即位記念 特別展 皇室の名宝 [The Enthronement Special Exhibition: Imperial Treasures] (in Japanese). The Yomiuri Shimbun.
- v
- t
- e
- Helmet of Skanderbeg (Vienna)
- Archducal hat of Austria (Klosterneuburg)
- Imperial Crown of Austria (Vienna)
- Brilliant Crown of Empress Elisabeth (de) (missing)
- Archducal hat of Tyrol (Mariastein)
- Ducal hat of Styria (Graz)
- Archducal hat of Joseph II (Vienna)
- Crown of Saint Wenceslas (Prague)
- Crown of the Środa Treasure (Środa Śląska)
- Crown of Pedro I (Petrópolis)
- Imperial Crown of Brazil (Petrópolis)
- Coronet of the Imperial Prince of Brazil
- Coronet of Laurels of Princess Isabel
- Crown of Princess Blanche (Munich)
- Crown of Margaret of York (Aachen)
- Crown of Scotland (Edinburgh)
- St Edward's Crown (London)
- State Crown of Mary of Modena (London)
- Tudor Crown (destroyed)
- State Crown of George I (London)
- Coronet of Frederick, Prince of Wales (London)
- Coronation Crown of George IV (London)
- Diamond Diadem
- Crown of Queen Adelaide (London)
- Imperial State Crown (London)
- Small Diamond Crown of Queen Victoria (London)
- Crown of Queen Alexandra (London)
- Coronet of George, Prince of Wales (London)
- Crown of Queen Mary (London)
- Imperial Crown of India (London)
- Crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (London)
- Coronet of Charles, Prince of Wales (London)
- Diamond Crown of Bulgaria (missing)
- Futou
- Yishanguan
- Tongtianguan
- Mianguan
- Crown of Zvonimir (missing)
- Crown of Christian IV (Copenhagen)
- Crown of Christian V (Copenhagen)
- Crown of the Queen (Copenhagen)
- Crown of Charlemagne (destroyed)
- Crown of Saint Louis (destroyed)
- Crown of Henry IV (destroyed)
- Crown of Louis XV (Paris)
- Crown of Napoleon I (Paris)
- Crown of Napoleon III (destroyed)
- Crown of Empress Eugénie (Paris)
- German State Crown (heraldic)
- Baden:
- Grand Ducal Crown of Baden (Karlsruhe)
- Bavaria:
- Royal Crown of Bavaria (Munich)
- Crown of the Queen of Bavaria (de) (Munich)
- Crown of Queen Therese of Bavaria (Munich)
- Brandenburg:
- Electoral Hat of Brandenburg (Berlin)
- Brunswick-Lüneburg:
- Ducal Crown of Brunswick-Lüneburg
- Hanover:
- Royal Crown of Hanover
- Mecklenburg:
- Wendish Crown (heraldic)
- Prussia:
- Crown of Frederick I (Berlin)
- Crown of Sophia Charlotte of Hanover (Berlin)
- Crown of Wilhelm I (missing)
- Crown of Queen Augusta (missing)
- Crown of Wilhelm II (Hohenzollern Castle)
- Saxony:
- Electoral Hat of Saxony (Dresden)
- Crown of Augustus II the Strong (Dresden)
- Funeral Crown of Augustus II the Strong (Dresden)
- Württemberg:
- Royal Crown of Württemberg (Stuttgart)
- Crown of Greece (Athens)
- Crown of King Kalākaua (Honolulu)
- Crown of Queen Kapiʻolani (Honolulu)
Empire
- Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire (Vienna)
- Iron Crown (Monza)
- Crown of Rudolf II (Vienna)
- Imperial Crowns of Charles VII (Munich)
- Essen Crown (Essen)
- Reliquary Crown of John the Baptist (Aachen)
- Reliquary Crown of Charlemagne (Aachen)
- Crown of Empress Cunigunde (de) (Munich)
- Lily Crown of Empress Cunigunde (Munich)
- Reliquary Crown of Henry II (Munich)
- Salian Funeral Crowns of Spires (Speyer)
- Reliquary Crown of Otto II (Halle (Saale))
- Papal tiaras
- Papier-mâché Tiara (Vatican City)
- Napoleon Tiara (Vatican City)
- Tiara of Pope Pius IX (1846) (Vatican City)
- Spanish Tiara (Vatican City)
- Tiara of Pope Pius IX (Notre Dame, Indiana)
- Palatine Tiara (Vatican City)
- Tiara of Pope John XXIII (Bergamo)
- Tiara of Pope Paul VI (Washington, D.C.)
- Holy Crown of Hungary (Budapest)
- Crown of Stephen Bocskai (Vienna)
- Sasanian crowns
- Empress's Crown (Tehran)
- Kiani Crown (Tehran)
- Pahlavi Crown (Tehran)
- Iron Crown (Monza)
- Royal Crown of Savoy (it) (Turin)
- Crown of Theodelinda (it) (Monza)
- Grand Ducal Crown of Tuscany (missing)
- Crown of Constance of Sicily (Palermo)
- Benkan
- Emperor Kōmei Variant
- Kanmuri
- Raikan
- Imperial Crown of Empress Go-Sakuramachi
- Crown of Baekje (Gongju)
- Crown of Gaya (Yongin)
- Crowns of Silla
- Gold Crown of Geumgwanchong (Gyeongju)
- Gold Crown of Cheonmachong (Gyeongju)
- Gold Crown of Hwangnamdaechong (Seoul)
- Gold Crown of Geumnyeongchong Tumulus (Seoul)
- Gold Crown of Seobongchong Tumulus (Gyeongju)
- Silver Crown (Gyeongju)
- Ducal hat of Liechtenstein (missing; replica: Vaduz)
- Gediminas' Cap (missing)
- Crown of Madagascar
- Crown of Ranavalona III
- Norwegian Crown Prince's Coronet (Trondheim)
- Crown of Norway (Trondheim)
- Crown of the Queen of Norway (Trondheim)
- Crown of Bolesław I the Brave (destroyed; replica: Stará Ľubovňa)
- Swedish Crown (destroyed)
- Muscovy Crown (destroyed)
- Hungarian Crown (destroyed)
- Homagial Crown (destroyed)
- Funeral Crown (missing)
- Queen's Crown (destroyed)
- Crown of Augustus II (Dresden)
- Funeral Crown of Augustus II (Dresden)
- Crown of Augustus III (Warsaw)
- Crown of Maria Josepha (Warsaw)
- Płock Diadem (Płock)
- Crown of João VI (Lisbon)
- Diadem of the Stars (Lisbon)
- Crown of Elisabeta (Bucharest)
- Crown of Maria (Bucharest)
- Steel Crown of Romania (Bucharest)
- "Cap of Monomakh"
- Crown of Kazan Tzardom
- Crown of Tsar Michael Fyodorovich
- Cap of Monomakh of the second set
- Diamond Crown of Tsar Peter I
- Diamond Crown of Tsar Ivan V
- Altabas crown of the third set
- Crown of Empress Catherine I
- Crown of Empress Anna Ivanovna
- Great Imperial Crown
- Maltese Crown
- Small Imperial Crown
- Karađorđević Crown (Belgrade)
- Nemanjić Crowns
- Crown of Stefan Uroš III (Cetinje)
- Crown of Stephen Bocskai (Vienna)
- Royal Crown of Spain (heraldic)
- Royal Crown of Spain (Tumular Crown) (Madrid)
- Crown of Sancho IV (Toledo)
- Crown of Isabella I of Castile (Granada)
- Crown of the Crowned Virgin of the Kings (Seville)
- Crown of the Virgin of the Tabernacle of Toledo (Toledo)
- Crown of Eric XIV (Stockholm)
- Crown of the Queen (Stockholm)
- Crown of Queen Christina (Stockholm)
- Crown of the Heir Apparent (Stockholm)
- Crown of Tahiti (Punaauia)
- Crown of Tonga (Nukuʻalofa)
- Crown of Rus (missing)
- Crowns of Egypt
- Silver Crown of Emperor Tewodros (Ethiopia)
- Raven Crown (Bhutan)
- Shripech (Nepal)
- Crown of Sri Vikrama Rajasinha of Sri Lanka
- Great Crown of Victory (Thailand)