Musashi Imperial Graveyard
Coordinates: 35°39′0.85″N 139°16′48.16″E / 35.6502361°N 139.2800444°E
Musashi Imperial Graveyard (武蔵陵墓地 Musashi ryōbochi) is a mausoleum complex of the Japanese emperors in Nagabusa-machi, Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan. Located within a forest in the western suburbs of Tokyo and named for the ancient Musashi Province, the site contains the mausolea of the Taishō and the Emperor Shōwa, as well as those of their wives, the Empress Teimei and the Empress Kōjun.[1]
History
The Taishō Emperor was the first Emperor of Japan to be buried in Tokyo. He has been called the first "Tokyo Emperor" because he was the first to live his entire life in or near Tokyo. His father, Emperor Meiji, was born and reared in Kyoto; and although he later lived and died in Tokyo, his mausoleum is located on the outskirts of Kyoto, near the tombs of his Imperial forebears.[2]
Design
The imperial graveyard in Hachiōji is designed as a semi-natural planted space which mainly consists of woodland, rocks and trees. In addition to the stone-topped imperial mausolea, it also contains smaller monuments and religious structures, like Torii.
The approach to the Musashi Imperial Graveyard from the Kōshū Kaidō is lined with zelkova and the mausolea planted with cryptomeria.[1]
Tombs
| Name | Year of death | Mausoleum name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taishō Emperor (Yoshihito) | 1926 | Tama no Misasagi (多摩陵)[3] |  |
| Empress Teimei | 1951 | Tama no Higashi no Misasagi (多摩東陵)[1] |  |
| Shōwa Emperor (Hirohito) | 1989 | Musashino no Misasagi (武藏野陵)[4][5][6] |  |
| Empress Kōjun | 2000 | Musashino no Higashi no Misasagi (武藏野東陵)[1][7] |  |
Future
In 2012 and 2013, the Imperial Household Agency confirmed press reports that Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko do not plan to be buried like their immediate predecessors, but to be cremated, for which cremation facilities will be added to the Musashi Imperial Graveyard. Their ashes will then be interred in individual mausoleums, to be built side by side in an integrated fashion, on the west side of the tomb of Emperor Taishō (see plan). This adaptation of the imperial funeral rites will mark a historic change from some 350 years in which in-ground burials were the norm for monarchs and their spouses. The Imperial Household Agency plans that the two new mausoleums will have an area of some 3,500 square metres, about 80 percent of the 4,300 square metres of the tomb of the Emperor’s parents, Emperor Shōwa and Empress Kōjun.[8][9][10][11][12]
See also
- Death and funeral of Emperor Shōwa
- Musashi Province
- Meiji no Mori Takao Quasi-National Park
- Takao Station (Tokyo)
References
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- 1 2 3 4 "武蔵陵墓地". Hachiōji City. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
- ↑ Seidensticker, Edward. (1990). Tokyo Rising, p. 20.
- ↑ "大正天皇多摩陵". Imperial Household Agency. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
- ↑ "昭和天皇武藏野陵". Imperial Household Agency. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
- ↑ "Emperor Showa and Empress Kojun". Imperial Household Agency. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
- ↑ Chira, Susan (24 February 1989). "With pomp and on a global stage, Japanese bury Emperor Hirohito". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
- ↑ "Mourners attend Empress Dowager's funeral". The Japan Times. 26 July 2000. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
- ↑ Emperor, Empress plan to be cremated (online) Retrieved 9 October 2015.
- ↑ Government makes plans to honor Emperor Akihito’s cremation request (online) Retrieved 9 October 2015.
- ↑ Royal Passage: Imperial Couple Considers Cremation (online) Retrieved 9 October 2015.
- ↑ Mausoleum, cremation plans revealed for emperor, empress (online) Retrieved 9 October 2015.
- ↑ Japanese Emperor and Empress choose cremation (online) Retrieved 9 October 2015.