＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・「三種の神器引継ぎ」や「大嘗祭」等の神話に基づく儀式は皇室内だけで行うべき
I have long had doubts about the continuation of the “Three Sacred Treasures” legend, based on the “Descent of the Heavenly Grandson” myth found in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, and the ongoing imperial ceremonies such as the “Daijosai” (Great Thanksgiving Festival).
While it’s not something to get overly concerned about, I find it strange. In particular, regarding the fact that “imperial ceremonies based on Shinto, such as the Daijosai, are paid for with public funds,” Prince Akishino, a member of the imperial family, also objected, stating that “they should not be paid for with public funds, but rather covered by the imperial family’s private budget.” The Imperial Household Agency ignored this opinion, and ultimately the government followed the established custom and paid for them with public funds.
Prince Akishino’s opinion was controversial, but I believe it is a valid point.
Itsuo Sonobe, a former Supreme Court justice and expert on the Imperial system, also commented, “While I don’t think it’s a pleasant thing for members of the Imperial family to express their opinions on decisions made by the Cabinet at press conferences, I can understand their desperate desire to let people know that even within the Imperial family, there are such opinions, especially since speaking to the Imperial Household Agency won’t change anything.”
1. What is the Descent of the Heavenly Grandson?
“Tenson Kōrin” (the Descent of the Heavenly Grandson) is a myth in which, at the command of Amaterasu Ōmikami, Ninigi-no-Mikoto, the grandson of Amaterasu Ōmikami, descended from Takamagahara (the High Plain of Heaven) to Takachiho-no-Mine in Hyūga Province to rule Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni (Japan).
At that time, Amaterasu Ōmikami bestowed upon him the “Divine Edict of Eternal Prosperity” and the “Three Sacred Treasures,” and accompanied him with five gods, including Amenokoyane-no-Mikoto.
This is a fictional story (myth) created with the intention of absolute deification of the imperial family in order to legitimize the rule of the emperor.
The “Divine Edict of Eternal Prosperity” was considered the “foundation of Japan’s national identity” until the defeat in 1945. It’s similar to the European concept of the “divine right of kings.”
2. What are the Three Sacred Treasures?
The “Three Sacred Treasures” refer to the three treasures passed down through generations of emperors as symbols of the imperial throne. Specifically, these are the “Yata no Kagami” (Eight-Handed Mirror), the “Kusanagi no Tsurugi” (Grass-Cutting Sword), and the “Yasakani no Magatama” (Eight-Foot Curved Jewel). The Kusanagi no Tsurugi is also known as the “Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi” (Heavenly Gathering-Gathering Sword).
The mirror is said to have been enshrined on the banks of the Isuzu River in Ise Province during the reign of Emperor Suinin (the origin of Ise Grand Shrine), and the sword was enshrined in Owari Province by Yamato Takeru no Mikoto on his return from his eastern expedition (the origin of Atsuta Shrine). Therefore, the mirror and sword passed down through generations of the imperial family are replicas, or “katashiro” (figureheads).
The mirror was enshrined in the Imperial Palace’s Kashikodokoro (Imperial Sanctuary), and the sword sank into the sea with Emperor Antoku during the Battle of Dan-no-ura (1185), but the jewel remains as it was originally.
The unification of the Northern and Southern Courts also had the exchange of the Imperial Regalia as its primary condition.
As an aside, in the early stages of the high economic growth of the late 1950s, electrical appliances (black and white televisions, washing machines, and refrigerators) advertised as essential items for the new era were called the “Three Sacred Treasures.” This was around the time of the “Jinmu Boom” (1954-1957), when the 1956 “Economic White Paper” declared that “the postwar period is over.” Furthermore, during the “Izanagi Boom” (1965-1970), which followed the “Iwato Boom” (1958-1961), the three items “car,” “cooler,” and “color TV” were touted as the “New Three Sacred Treasures.”
3. Imperial ceremonies based on Shinto should be funded by the Imperial Household’s budget.
Imperial ceremonies held in conjunction with the enthronement include the “Daijosai” (Great Thanksgiving Festival), the “Succession Ceremony of the Imperial Regalia,” the “First Audience Ceremony after the Enthronement,” the “Enthronement Ceremony at the Imperial Palace,” the “Celebratory Procession,” and the “Banquet Ceremony.”
The total budget for the ceremonies related to the succession of the throne in connection with the Emperor’s abdication amounted to approximately 16.6 billion yen.
(1) Acts of State
The following five events were designated as “acts of state” and were funded by public funds: ① the ceremony of succession of the Imperial Regalia, ② the ceremony of the first audience after the enthronement, ③ the enthronement ceremony at the Imperial Palace, ④ the celebratory procession, and ⑤ the banquet.
However, I believe that ①, ②, and ③ could be considered “religious ceremonies” based on Imperial Shinto.
(2) Imperial Family Events
The Daijōsai, the first Niiname-sai (harvest festival) after the new emperor’s enthronement, is particularly religious in nature and therefore could not be classified as a “state act,” but rather as an “imperial event,” funded by public funds. Specifically, the Daijōsai is “a ceremony in which the year’s new harvest is offered to Amaterasu Ōmikami and the gods of heaven and earth, and the emperor himself partakes of it.”
As a complete non-believer, I find the chanting of Shinto priests and Buddhist monks at shrines and temples amusing, thinking, “They’re probably just doing it to make money.”
2019 saw the abdication of the Emperor, the enthronement of a new Emperor, and the change of era to Reiwa. While ceremonies such as the Daijosai (Great Thanksgiving Festival), the Succession Ceremony of the Imperial Regalia, and the Enthronement Ceremony were conducted with great fanfare and solemnity, from the perspective of the principles of separation of church and state (Article 20) and popular sovereignty (Article 1) of the Japanese Constitution, these events seem contradictory and anachronistic.
Incidentally, the public expenditure for this year’s Daijosai was approximately 2.7 billion yen.
While there would be no problem if it were conducted as a “private event” quietly within the Imperial family to preserve the traditions of the Imperial family, it is questionable whether conducting it lavishly with public funds as an “Imperial event” or “act of state” truly reflects the “will of the people.”
Before the next succession, it is hoped that the “future of the Imperial family” will be considered as one of the issues for discussion, and that a calm debate will be held, returning to the fundamentals without being bound by conventional customs.