Abstract
Emperor Hirohito is a controversial figure in the narrative of World War II. Depictions of his role as monarch have ranged from the deified leader of a militaristic nation to a tragically powerless figurehead. My research examines depictions of Emperor Hirohito in Japan today through the multimedia and multipurpose modes of museum exhibits. The three Japanese war-related museums examined were selected for their variance in management and educational purpose. This paper aims to investigate the variety of ways in which Japanese war-related museums utilize or omit Emperor Hirohito and how the emperor’s portrayal contributes to the agenda of each museum.
Highlights
Emperor Hirohito is a controversial figure in the narrative of World War II
Ohnuki-Tierney has written a volume that compiles the contents of five such journals,4 and the Yushukan museum has on display a great deal of similar records, though their respective selection criteria account for great differences in their content
I spent an average of five six-hour days at each of these museums over the course of three weeks. This allowed me sufficient time to spend one day getting a feel for each museum by viewing it in its entirety. This step involved marking a map with the locations of information relevant to Emperor Hirohito or the imperial system
Summary
Emperor Hirohito is a controversial figure in the narrative of World War II. Depictions of his role as monarch have ranged from the deified leader of a militaristic nation to a tragically powerless figurehead. The Meiji constitution, issued in 1889, ascribed the emperor a number of vague qualities and rights, among which were his situation in an eternal line of emperors (Article 1); sovereignty through divinity and inviolability, which placed the emperor above the law (Article 3); and command of the army and navy (Article 11) These qualities— the emperor’s divinity and military role—would later be enforced by the Imperial Rescript on Education and Imperial Rescript on Soldiers, both of which emphasized service to one’s family and nation through service to (and, as was increasingly emphasized, death for) the emperor.. The Rescript on Education became compulsory material for schools and was read to students in assemblies across the nation on a regular basis, usually with the accompaniment of a portrait of the emperor in Western military attire, to which students and teachers were required to bow.. Whether or not the writers seemed to take the idea of death for the emperor to heart, the recurrence of this theme certainly speaks to the prevalence of the ideology
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