[Public Lecture]　 Nichibunken-IHJ Forum

Ornamental Diplomacy: Emperor Meiji and the Monarchs of the Modern World

While there have been no significant discussions of the Meiji emperor in diplomatic histories, Professor Breen

argues that the Meiji emperor played a pivotal role in the construction of modern Japan’s power relations with its

Western and Asian neighbors.

At the heart of the strategy which he deployed was the distribution of ornaments: the collars, cordons, medals

and ribbons of the modern Japanese honors system. This was part of an active exchange that enabled the

emperor to engage immediately with the sovereigns of Europe and Asia.

Professor Breen will note the contested nature of this emperor-centered diplomacy, and make special reference

to the ornamental dimension of Japan’s relationship with Britain, Russia and Korea. He will interrogate the role

of ritual, and the exchange of gifts, in modern Japanese diplomacy but, ultimately, seek to demonstrate simply

that the Meiji emperor was indeed a key player in the construction of modern Japan’s power relations.

【Lecturer】John Breen (Professor, Nichibunken)

【Commentator】Sven Saaler (Professor, Sophia University)

【Date】　 Friday, December 8, 2017, 6:30-8:00 pm (Doors open at 6:00 pm)

【Venue】 Lecture Hall, International House of Japan

【Admission】 Free (reservations required)

【Language】 English (without Japanese interpretation)

Co-Organized by International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken)