Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/05/01/new-emperor-of-japan-enthroned.html
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Oh hey, it’s the boxes supposedly containing the Imperial Regalia!
Some people have conjectured that some or all of the artifacts have been lost or destroyed over time, but since the only people allowed to set eyes on them are the Emperor and certain Shinto priests, no-one knows for sure!
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Are they like Schroedinger’s Imperial Garb? They both exist and don’t exist until observed?
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i’m definitely going to need a play-by-play of this. how wild.
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皇帝を長生きさせる
Kōtei o nagaiki sa seru
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You know what?
I’m just going to give them a nod and a pass at this, like religious artifacts from the Catholic church or other religions. I’m sure that there are jewels, a mirror, and a sword in those boxes. The history of them may or may not be exactly as described; but it really doesn’t matter to me. In a lot of ways, it’s the belief that is what is important to them, and as a kind non-participant (but as one who recognizes the Emperor’s legitimacy) I would not wish to cast doubt upon their beliefs which are harmless to me.
They claim to still have their Excalibur. I am happy for them that they still believe in this link to their past and their culture.
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I’m assuming the silence comes from the fact that that in the rules of japanese honorific language you’re never supposed to address the emperor directly?
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Did you turn on the captions?
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Wow. Reminds me so much of this
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You put this sequence of actions in a video game and everyone would believe it is broken.
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Such interesting details! Nearly everyone is wearing identical white tie - i.e. extremely, you might say anachronistically formal western attire, not traditional Japanese. Some of them are wearing pocket squares, including the new emperor, which seems to indicate the pocket squares signal status? No one appears to be wearing military uniforms - a similar ceremony in, say, the UK would be filled with men in dress military uniforms. I wonder how martial this ceremony was before Japan’s pacification following WWII. Two women seem to be present, one wearing a nondescript western dress and the other appears to be wearing a kimono or something similar (can’t quite see her and not an expert on Japanese attire) - is one the new emperor’s wife? Finally, I find wordless ceremonies can be the most powerful - the silent march in honor of Remembrance Day in Amsterdam was quite moving to witness.
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You’d be wrong then, since the mirror wasn’t brought to the ceremony, but remained in Ise Shrine.
And I was by no means intending to mock or denigrate the Japanese succession traditions, merely to bring to wider attention something I considered to be an interesting piece of historical/cultural trivia.
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Google Translate: I’m enthroned right now!
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Wordless, I though Japanese always yelled out their secret ninja moves?
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My favorite object of state is the Holy Crown of Hungary. The power of state legally flows from the crown itself. However, due to some comical incompetence in the 17th century the cross on top was damaged and because the piece was so important nobody has tried to fix it. Instead they put the damaged crown right on their flag.
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Am I correct in thinking that the abdication of a Japanese Emporer is pretty much unkown? I find the Japanese fascinating, but, let just say, inscrutable. They can produce some of the most extreme porn yet by law the genitals must be masked or pixilated in some way. Breasts and anuses are just dandy tho. Also, penis festivals, with giant penises on parade are just fine, but build a vagina canoe and get arrested.This be odd.
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No rarer than the abdication of a Pope, for instance.
Also, no weirder than saying a vagina is worse than explicitly disemboweling and dismembering someone on screen…and a lot less creepy.
I guess that answers my first question. But I am having a tough time trying to figure out what you are trying to say in the second part. Vaginas and penises are better to be masked than explicit disemboweling and dismemberment? Can you clarify that?
