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Paper short abstract

The paper examines how Meiji Japan transformed the imperial chrysanthemum emblem into a modern political taboo. It analyzes the emblem’s institutionalization, legal prohibition, and symbolic sacralization, highlighting Japan’s distinctive path to modern state authority.

Paper long abstract

This paper reexamines the modern transformation of the Japanese imperial chrysanthemum emblem by focusing on its institutionalization as a political taboo during the Meiji period. While existing studies have analyzed the emblem within broader discussions of imperial pageantry, State Shinto, and national symbolism, far less attention has been paid to the emergence of legal and social prohibitions that rendered the emblem “untouchable.” Drawing on Eric Hobsbawm’s theory of invented traditions, the paper argues that the chrysanthemum taboo was neither a simple continuation of premodern customs nor a mere visual marker of the imperial household. Rather, it functioned as a modern state strategy that positioned the emperor at the sacral center of political authority.

In contrast to European monarchies—whose public visibility increased under pressures from parliamentary politics, mass media, and social movements—Meiji Japan reinforced imperial sacrality by restricting access to symbolic forms. Laws and administrative regulations prohibited unauthorized use of the emblem, censored representations deemed disrespectful, and disciplined both officials and subjects through a regime of symbolic control. These prohibitions extended beyond the Japanese archipelago into colonial schools, shrines, and administrative institutions, where the emblem served as a tool for projecting imperial authority and cultivating loyalty.

By analyzing legal documents, administrative orders, and colonial practices, the paper demonstrates how the chrysanthemum taboo shaped the cultural logic of sovereignty in modern Japan. It illuminates the mechanisms through which prohibition produced reverence, how symbolic exclusivity was embedded in everyday governance, and how Japan constructed a distinctive form of modern state authority that relied not on the public accessibility of monarchical imagery but on its regulated inaccessibility. Through this approach, the paper contributes to broader discussions on modern political symbolism, invented traditions, and the diverse trajectories of non-Western states in global modernity.