1927 Japan Emperor Taisho Funeral Gagaku Court Musicians Flutes Torch Postcard

Title

1927 Japan Emperor Taisho Funeral Gagaku Court Musicians Flutes Torch Night Tama Postcard

Front Description

A beautifully composed Japanese commemorative postcard, No. 4 in the numbered series issued for the state funeral of Emperor Taisho (Yoshihito), who died on 25 December 1926. The illustration shows a section of the night-time funeral cortege proceeding to the Tama Imperial Mausoleum (Tama Goryo) at Asakawa, near Hachioji, west of Tokyo.

This card features the imperial court musicians who accompanied the procession with solemn gagaku funeral music. A large group of musicians in dark brown and black court robes with wide trousers and black caps walks in close ranks across the left and centre of the scene, most of them playing transverse flutes and small reed pipes held to their lips with both hands. Among them, others carry tall dark wooden instruments or ceremonial implements on their shoulders, and evergreen wreaths can be seen above the group. In the centre foreground, an attendant in pale grey-green robes walks carrying a long flaming torch, its flames streaming towards an iron fire basket (kagaribi) on a straw-bound stand with white paper shide streamers in the lower left.

At the right, a separate group of bearers in grey-green robes, black caps and straw-bound leggings carries tall pole standards with metal finials hung with grey banners. In the centre background, a large brazier on a wooden tripod bound with straw rope and shide sends a long plume of orange flame across the sky. The ceremonial enclosure behind is formed of pink, white and grey striped curtains hung with tall yellow and green patterned banners and swags of blue and white bunting, with three glowing globe lamps on ornamental standards beneath a dark cloudy night sky.

Printed caption along the lower margin in English: “No. 4 Funeral Procession of the Late Emperor Taisho toward the Asakawa Mousoleum.” (with the original spelling “Mousoleum”), followed by Japanese text read right to left: 淺川多摩御陵葱華輦葬列鹵簿全圖 (Asakawa Tama Goryo Sōkaren Sōretsu Roba Zenzu – “Complete view of the funeral procession and imperial cortege of the Sōkaren palanquin to the Tama Imperial Mausoleum, Asakawa”) and in brackets (大正天皇御大喪儀) (Taisho Tenno Go-Taisogi – “The State Funeral of Emperor Taisho”).

Condition: Strong colour and good detail. Small chips and light surface scuffing along the top edge, wear along the left edge, corner wear, and light toning to the caption margin, all consistent with age. No major creases noted.

Back Description

Divided-back postcard, unused and unposted, with no handwriting, stamps or postmarks. All printing in orange ink.

Printed text:
“POST CARD” across the top centre.
“MADE IN JAPAN” printed vertically along the central dividing line.
Stamp box at upper right containing a triangular star-shaped publisher’s logo, with “TOKYO” and “JAPAN” printed around it.
Japanese text printed vertically at right: 郵便はかき (Yūbin Hakaki / Yūbin Hagaki – “Postcard”), written in the pre-1933 style without the dakuten voicing mark.

Condition: Light overall toning, a faint orange smudge to the left of the stamp box, a few tiny blue ink specks, scattered minor foxing, and edge and corner wear, particularly at the lower left. Clean with no writing.

Estimated Era

This postcard dates to early 1927 (Showa 2). It depicts the funeral procession of Emperor Taisho, held on 7–8 February 1927, as the cortege travelled to the newly built Tama Imperial Mausoleum at Asakawa, and it belongs to the same numbered commemorative set as Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8, completing the run from No. 1 to No. 8. The reverse carries the identical Tokyo publisher’s star-and-triangle logo and the heading 郵便はかき without the dakuten, a style used before the official change to 郵便はがき in 1933. The divided back, “MADE IN JAPAN” imprint, colour printing technique and card stock are all consistent with the late 1920s.

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