Illustration of the Issuing of the State Constitution in the State Chamber of the New Imperial Palace

March 14, 1889

Not on view

This triptych captures the ceremony for Japan’s first constitution, held at the imperial palace in Tokyo on February 11, 1889. At center, a minister presents the document to the Meiji emperor, who stands on a high dais decorated with sumptuous European and European-style fabrics. He is flanked by high ministers with a group of foreign diplomats to his left and the empress, seated on a low dais before members of her court, to his right. Based largely on Prussian models, the Meiji Constitution established Japan as a constitutional monarchy centered on a powerful emperor.

Artwork Details

安達吟光画　「新皇居於テ正殿憲法発布式之図」
Title: Illustration of the Issuing of the State Constitution in the State Chamber of the New Imperial Palace
Artist: Adachi Ginkō (Japanese, 1853–1902)
Period: Meiji period (1868–1912)
Date: March 14, 1889
Culture: Japan
Medium: Triptych of woodblock prints (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions: Image: 14 5/8 × 10 in. (37.1 × 25.4 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of Lincoln Kirstein, 1959
Object Number: JP3233
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

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View of the Issuance of the State Constitution in the State Chamber of the New Imperial Palace, Adachi Ginkō Japanese, One sheet of a triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper, Japan — View of the Issuance of the State Constitution in the State Chamber of the New Imperial Palace
Adachi Ginkō
March 2, 1889 (Meiji 22)

Ladies Sewing (Kijo saihō no zu), Adachi Ginkō Japanese, Triptych of woodblock prints (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper, Japan — Ladies Sewing (Kijo saihō no zu)
Adachi Ginkō
September 3rd, 1887

“Act II, Scene 5: At the Opera in Paris,” from the series The Strange Tale of the Castaways: A Western Kabuki, Adachi Ginkō Japanese, Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper; vertical ōban, Japan — “Act II, Scene 5: At the Opera in Paris,” from the series The Strange Tale of the Castaways: A Western Kabuki
Adachi Ginkō
1879

“Act II, Scene 2: Along Train Tracks in America,” from the series The Strange Tale of the Castaways: A Western Kabuki, Adachi Ginkō Japanese, Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper; vertical ōban, Japan — “Act II, Scene 2: Along Train Tracks in America,” from the series The Strange Tale of the Castaways: A Western Kabuki
Adachi Ginkō
1879

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