is a gallery commemorating the "imperial virtues" of Japan's

Meiji Emperor , also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figure ...

, installed on his funeral site in the '' Gaien'' or outer precinct of

Meiji Shrine , is a Shinto shrine in Shibuya, Tokyo, that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken. The shrine does not contain the emperor's grave, which is located at Fushimi-momoyama, south of Kyoto. History Af ...

Tōkyō Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. The gallery is one of the earliest

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

buildings in Japan and itself an Important Cultural Property. On display in the gallery are eighty large paintings, forty in "Japanese style" (''

Nihonga ''Nihonga'' (, "Japanese-style paintings") are Japanese paintings from about 1900 onwards that have been made in accordance with traditional Japanese artistic conventions, techniques and materials. While based on traditions over a thousand years ...

'') and forty in "Western style" (''

Yōga is a style of artistic painting in Japan, typically of Japanese subjects, themes, or landscapes, but using Western (European) artistic conventions, techniques, and materials. The term was coined in the Meiji period (1868–1912) to distingu ...

''), that depict, in chronological order, scenes from the Emperor's life and times. The gallery opened to the public in 1926, with the final paintings completed and installed ten years later. The selection and investigation of suitable topics for the paintings was overseen by

Kaneko Kentarō was a statesman, diplomat, and legal scholar in Meiji period Japan. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he drew on his connections in the American legal community over the course of his long career in Japanese government, particularly in his role ...

, who also served as head of the editorial boards of '' Dai-Nihon Ishin Shiryō'' and ', major contemporary historiographic undertakings respectively to document the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

(in 4,215 volumes) and the

and his

era An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

(in 260 volumes); as such, the gallery and its paintings may be viewed as a highly-visible historiographic project in its own right.

Background

In his brief survey of pre-Meiji Japanese

imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...

portraiture, surviving exemplars of which are known at least from the

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

Donald Keene Donald Lawrence Keene (June 18, 1922 – February 24, 2019) was an American-born Japanese scholar, historian, teacher, writer and translator of Japanese literature. Keene was University Professor emeritus and Shincho Professor Emeritus of Japan ...

writes that these "reveal very little individuality", eschewing

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

"instead to convey

courtly Courtesy (from the word ''courteis'', from the 12th century) is gentle politeness and courtly manners. In the Middle Ages in Europe, the behaviour expected of the nobility was compiled in courtesy books. History The apex of European courtly c ...

elegance or

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

consecration". A trend that lasted "well into" the nineteenth century, this was in part also an artefact of the artist typically not knowing what the emperor looked like. The earliest, extant though unpublished, photograph of the

was taken late in 1871 at the Yokosuka Naval Yard. The next photographs were taken the following year, in response to a request by the

Iwakura Mission The Iwakura Mission or Iwakura Embassy (, ''Iwakura Shisetsudan'') was a Japanese diplomatic voyage to the United States and Europe conducted between 1871 and 1873 by leading statesmen and scholars of the Meiji period. It was not the only such m ...

, delegates having observed Western diplomats exchanging portraits of their respective heads of state. When

Itō Hirobumi was a Japanese politician and statesman who served as the first Prime Minister of Japan. He was also a leading member of the ''genrō'', a group of senior statesmen that dictated Japanese policy during the Meiji era. A London-educated samur ...

and

Ōkubo Toshimichi was a Japanese statesman and one of the Three Great Nobles regarded as the main founders of modern Japan. Ōkubo was a ''samurai'' of the Satsuma Domain and joined the movement to overthrow the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate during the ''Bak ...

briefly returned to

, they were instructed to return with an official portrait; though they did not take the 1872 photographs, of the young Emperor in court dress, with them when they set off again for the US, the following year two new photographs, this time of the

Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his positio ...

in Western dress, were taken and sent on to the Mission with the earlier pair (selected from the seventy-two taken at the first session). The final official photographs of the Emperor were taken later in 1873 after the return of the Mission, with the Emperor, his top-knot now cut off, in the Western military uniform that was to become his customary attire. These photographs were not widely distributed: when in 1874 someone in Tōkyō began selling unauthorized copies, after debate in government about the propriety of selling such, such sale was prohibited. Continuing to circulate nevertheless, the 16 April 1878 edition of the

Yomiuri Shimbun The (lit. ''Reading-selling Newspaper'' or ''Selling by Reading Newspaper'') is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five major newspapers in Japan; the other four are t ...

featured a reported sighting of one hanging in a house of ill-repute in the

Yoshiwara was a famous (red-light district) in Edo, present-day Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1617, Yoshiwara was one of three licensed and well-known red-light districts created during the early 17th century by the Tokugawa shogunate, alongside Shima ...

district, and it was not until 1898 that the official ban was lifted. In the meantime, commissioned by

Hijikata Hisamoto Count was a Japanese politician and cabinet minister of the Meiji period. Biography Hijikata was a samurai in Tosa Domain (modern-day Kōchi Prefecture). He was sent by the domain to Edo for studies, where he became involved in the ''sonn ...

, Chiossone's 1888 ''(pictured above)'' had come to be widely distributed in the form of reproductions, not least, though initially only upon request, to

schools A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsor ...

across the country, where it helped foster "patriotism and loyalty to the emperor". Around a dozen incidents have been catalogued, between the mid-1890s and 1947, of teachers risking their lives to save this portrait from

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explo ...

, fire, earthquake, air raid, even theft. Such respect and reticence might be understood in the light of the

Meiji Constitution The Constitution of the Empire of Japan (Kyūjitai: ; Shinjitai: , ), known informally as the Meiji Constitution (, ''Meiji Kenpō''), was the constitution of the Empire of Japan which was proclaimed on February 11, 1889, and remained in for ...

, according to Article 3 of which "The Emperor is sacred and inviolable", as well as

's ''Commentaries'' on the Constitution, in which he observes that the ''

Tennō The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his position is derived from "the wi ...

'' should not be the subject of common talk.

The gallery

Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery - plan by Kobayashi Masatsugu

The '' Naien'' or inner precinct of

Meiji Jingū , is a Shinto shrine in Shibuya, Tokyo, that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken. The shrine does not contain the emperor's grave, which is located at Fushimi-ku, Kyoto#Sights, Fushimi-momoyama, sout ...

was constructed between 1912 and 1920, supported by central government funds. In 1915, the Meiji Shrine Support Committee was established to raise funds for and plan the

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...

's '' Gaien'', or outer precinct. After a public

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...

in 1918, Kobayashi Masatsugu's design was the following year selected from the one hundred and fifty-six submissions received,

Furuichi Kōi Baron was a civil engineer, president of '' Kōka Daigaku'', the present college of engineering of the University of Tokyo, and founding president of the Tokyo Underground Railway(東京地下鉄道), "the first underground railway in the Ori ...

and

Itō Chūta was a Japanese architect, architectural historian, and critic. He is recognized as the leading architect and architectural theorist of early 20th-century Imperial Japan. Biography Second son of a doctor in Yonezawa, present-day Yamagata Prefectu ...

numbering amongst the judges. With some amendment by the shrine's building department, construction began in 1919 and ran until 1926, Ōkura Doboku, a legacy firm of what is now

Taisei Corporation is a Japanese corporation founded in 1873. Its main areas of business are building construction, civil engineering, and real estate development. Taisei's headquarters are located at Shinjuku Center Building in Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Ta ...

, starting their work in 1921. This was temporarily suspended due to the

Great Kantō earthquake Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

, after which the scaffolding was taken down and temporary barracks built to shelter victims, some 6,400 of whom were accommodated on the site. Construction resumed in May 1924. Internal finishing works began in 1925 and the building phase was completed late the following year. While Ōkura Doboku were responsible for most of the construction work and finishing, the materials were supplied by the government.

Gravel Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gravel is classifi ...

was sourced from a government-owned direct collection site along the

Sagami River The is a river in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanagawa and Yamanashi Prefecture, Yamanashi Prefectures on the island of Honshū, Japan. The upper reaches of the river in Yamanashi prefecture are also sometimes known as the , and the portion near the ...

, Asano Cement, a legacy firm of today's Taiheiyō Cement, provided the

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mix ...

, and

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

was brought at a heavily discounted rate from the government-owned

Yahata Steel Works The is a steel mill in Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Imperial Steel Works was established in 1896 to meet increasing demand from the nation's burgeoning shipbuilding, railway, construction, and armaments industries. The site chosen w ...

, the connecting railways and steamships carrying the loads at half the usual freight rate as their contribution to this important national project. Of

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...

, the gallery extends some from east to west and from north to south, rising to a height of at the apex of the central

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

, its two wings standing some high. The outer walls are faced with from

Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,906,464 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefectur ...

, copper sheeting covering much of the roof. The interior takes the form of a spacious central hall, beneath the dome, clad in domestically-sourced marble (56% from Mino-Akasaka in

Gifu Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,991,390 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture to the northwest, F ...

, the remainder from

Ehime is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,342,011 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Tokush ...

Fukushima may refer to: Japan * Fukushima Prefecture, Japanese prefecture ** Fukushima, Fukushima, capital city of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan ***Fukushima University, national university in Japan *** Fukushima Station (Fukushima) in Fukushima, Fukushim ...

Gunma is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,362 km2 (2,456 sq mi). Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fukushima P ...

Okayama is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The city was founded on June 1, 1889. , the city has an estimated population of 720,841 and a population density of 910 persons per km2. The total area is . The city is ...

, Yamaguchi, ''&c'') and with a marble and mosaic tiled floor; the two painting galleries open off to the sides, each with forty paintings, to the right the first forty ''

nihonga ''Nihonga'' (, "Japanese-style paintings") are Japanese paintings from about 1900 onwards that have been made in accordance with traditional Japanese artistic conventions, techniques and materials. While based on traditions over a thousand years ...

'', to the left the forty ''

yōga is a style of artistic painting in Japan, typically of Japanese subjects, themes, or landscapes, but using Western (European) artistic conventions, techniques, and materials. The term was coined in the Meiji period (1868–1912) to distingu ...

''. One of the earliest

buildings in the country, the

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

, in which straight lines are emphasized, is "memorable, solid, and stately", and in June 2011 the gallery was

designated Designation (from Latin ''designatio'') is the process of determining an incumbent's successor. A candidate that won an election for example, is the ''designated'' holder of the office the candidate has been elected to, up until the candidate's i ...

an Important Cultural Property, for its "excellence of design" and "superior construction techniques", in particular those used in the

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard ou ...

dome and for the

lighting Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylig ...

the painting galleries, which are

naturally lit Naturally may refer to: ;Albums * ''Naturally!'', an album by Nat Adderley * ''Naturally'' (Houston Person album) * ''Naturally'' (J. J. Cale album) * ''Naturally'' (John Pizzarelli album) * ''Naturally'' (Sharon Jones album) * ''Naturally'' ...

from above.「記念性の高い重厚な外観意匠」「重文指定基準１：(一）意匠的に優秀なもの」「重文指定基準２：(二）技術的に優秀なもの」 Completed on 22 October 1926, the Gallery specially opened to the public for one day the following day, although at this point only five paintings had been dedicated, one ''

'', four ''

''. The same year also saw the dedication of the ''Gaien'' or Meiji Shrine's outer gardens, covering some . From 1 October 1927 the Gallery was open on weekends and public holidays only. 21 April 1936 saw a special commemorative ceremony on the completion of the paintings and exactly one year later the Gallery opened to the public on a full-time basis. In December 1944 the Gallery closed due to the war situation. With the US Occupation, the Gallery was requisitioned by occupying forces (''cf.'', the

Bayreuth Festspielhaus The ''Bayreuth Festspielhaus'' or Bayreuth Festival Theatre (german: link=no, Bayreuther Festspielhaus, ) is an opera house north of Bayreuth, Germany, built by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner and dedicated solely to the performa ...

), a state of affairs that continued until 1952. More recently, in 2005 2,200

glass plate Photographic plates preceded photographic film as a capture medium in photography, and were still used in some communities up until the late 20th century. The light-sensitive emulsion of silver salts was coated on a glass plate, typically thin ...

s from the time of construction were found in a gallery storeroom.

Painting topics

Discussion of which topics should be selected for the paintings began at committee level at the beginning of 1916 and, two years later, eighty-five possible subjects were selected, those rejected including Commodore Perry's Arrival at Uruga. Later in 1918 a panel of five began their research trips across Japan, to confirm suitability, document locations, and draft explanatory texts, amongst them , who prepared "provisional paintings". In 1921 the final eighty were proposed, and these were approved the following year. A recent analysis of the subject matter of the paintings has highlighted their range of topic (11 showing palace scenes, 10 grand politics, 11 diplomacy, 18 military, 8 economy, 4 education, 3 health, 3 religion, 1 transport, 5 "love for the people", the remainder cultural pursuits and/or visits to prominent figures), geographic setting (15 in

Kyōto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

, 37 in

, also

Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

, Tōhoku, Kantō,

Kinki The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropolitan ...

, Chūgoku,

Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

, also

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

Manchuria Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer Manc ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

Karafuto Karafuto Prefecture ( ja, 樺太庁, ''Karafuto-chō''; russian: Префектура Карафуто, Prefektura Karafuto), commonly known as South Sakhalin, was a prefecture of Japan located in Sakhalin from 1907 to 1949. Karafuto became t ...

, and the US, as well as domestic waters and the high seas), and how neither Emperor nor Empress appear in a quarter of the paintings, the Emperor hidden in a further thirteen (the remainder: 15 Emperor standing (including 1 with the Empress), 12 sitting (including 2 with the Empress), 5 riding, 1 in a carriage, 8 the Empress (standing), 1 the Empress (hidden)).

The paintings

While there are eighty paintings, there are not quite eighty different artists, Kondō Shōsen and responsible for two, and Kobori Tomoto for three. The pictures each measure approximately by to ; as such together they run almost and, at this scale, are sometimes described as . Tosa

washi is traditional Japanese paper. The term is used to describe paper that uses local fiber, processed by hand and made in the traditional manner. ''Washi'' is made using fibers from the inner bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub (''Ed ...

was selected as the official

support Support may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Supporting character Business and finance * Support (technical analysis) * Child support * Customer support * Income Support Construction * Support (structure), or lateral support, a ...

for the paintings, although not all artists chose to use it.

Related plans and period photographs

PM 109912 Souvenir de Voyage 1901.jpg, 1901 image of the

Galerie des Batailles The Galerie des Batailles (; en, "Gallery of Battles") is a gallery occupying the first floor of the Aile du Midi of the Palace of Versailles, joining onto the ''grand'' and ''petit appartement de la reine''. long and wide, it is an epigone ...

at the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...

; , artist of painting #45, included an image in a report in which he cited

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

's "triumphal appropriation" of mural painting for

nation-building Nation-building is constructing or structuring a national identity using the power of the state. Nation-building aims at the unification of the people within the state so that it remains politically stable and viable in the long run. According to ...

purposes Louvre 1929 - Histoire de Marie de Medicis.jpg, 1929 image of the Galerie des Rubens at the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

; Terasaki Takeo similarly included an image in his report, preferring this room for its spacing between the paintings and the way they are emphasized by the less ornate envelope Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery (Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun 1927).jpg, Interior of the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery in 1927, from the ''

Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.4 ...

'', with many of the paintings yet to be completed and installed Interior of Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery.jpg, Interior, in a 1932 Meiji Jingū publication Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery interior (1937).jpg, Interior, in a 1937 Meiji Jingū publication Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery - plan by Kobayashi Masatsugu.jpg, Kobayashi Masatsugu's winning design for the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery; front Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery - plan7.jpg, Rear Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery - plan2.jpg, Front and rear

elevations The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...

Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery - plan3.jpg, Cross sections Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery - plan4.jpg, Ground floor

plan A plan is typically any diagram or list of steps with details of timing and resources, used to achieve an objective to do something. It is commonly understood as a temporal set of intended actions through which one expects to achieve a goal. F ...

Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery - plan5.jpg, Basement plan Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery - plan6.jpg, Detail of

ornamentation An ornament is something used for decoration. Ornament may also refer to: Decoration *Ornament (art), any purely decorative element in architecture and the decorative arts *Biological ornament, a characteristic of animals that appear to serve on ...

Seitokukinen kaigakan03st3200.jpg, 2007 image of the central entrance as realized, showing rustication of the lower courses, dentilation,

glyphs A glyph () is any kind of purposeful mark. In typography, a glyph is "the specific shape, design, or representation of a character". It is a particular graphical representation, in a particular typeface, of an element of written language. A g ...

engaged An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

pilaster In classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the ...

s in the wings, and

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

windows GSI USA-M871-54 19480329.jpg, 1948 aerial photograph of

Gaien and its environs, with the Gallery just above the centre, and the

gingko ''Ginkgo'' is a genus of non-flowering seed plants. The scientific name is also used as the English name. The order to which it belongs, Ginkgoales, first appeared in the Permian, 270 million years ago, and is now the only living genus within ...

avenue Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery - The Koji Gaho 1926-12 a.jpg, Plan of main floor, as realized (this and the following eleven images are from the December 1926 issue of ''The Koji Gaho'', a former journal of the

Japan Society of Civil Engineers is a professional scientific nonprofit organization of the civil engineering field of Japan. It was established as an incorporated association in 1914 and its offices are located in Yotsuya, Shinjuku, Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), of ...

) Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery - The Koji Gaho 1926-12 b.jpg, Plan of the lower floor, as realized Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery - The Koji Gaho 1926-12 l.jpg, Side view, showing clearly the rustication of the lower courses Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery - The Koji Gaho 1926-12 k.jpg, Rear view, with a memorial tree in place of the structure proposed Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery - The Koji Gaho 1926-12 n.jpg, Front entrance, with bronze doors Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery - The Koji Gaho 1926-12 h.jpg, Stained glass windows, near the entrance Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery - The Koji Gaho 1926-12 m.jpg, Central hall, with marble cladding and a marble and mosaic tile floor Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery - The Koji Gaho 1926-12 d.jpg, View of the dome, above the central hall Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery - The Koji Gaho 1926-12 j.jpg, Gallery view Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery - The Koji Gaho 1926-12 i.jpg, The rest room Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery - The Koji Gaho 1926-12 g.jpg, The lower rest room Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery - The Koji Gaho 1926-12 e.jpg, The "Switching Room" Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery planned interior by Itō Kōun.jpg, Unimplemented 1935 proposal for the central hall, by Itō Kōun, artist of painting #08

Notes

References

External links

*
Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery
*

(

Gaien) *
Gallery timeline
(

Gaien) {{Authority control Art museums and galleries in Tokyo Meiji period Taishō period Buildings and structures in Shinjuku Art museums established in 1926 1926 establishments in Japan Emperor Meiji Neoclassical architecture in Japan Art Deco architecture Imperial Crown Style architecture