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Emperor Hirohito's Children: Children


Figure 1.--We do not have a great deal of information about how Emperor Hirohito's children were dressed as children. In this 1936 portrait, at a pivotal point in Japanese history, we note all the children wearing traditional outdits, but the Emperor and Emperess wearing Western clothes. This gave the impression that traditional dress was acceptable for children as a knid of nostalgic event, but that stabdard clothing for modern Japanese adults was Western dress. Notice that the Emperess even has a Western hair style.

We do not have a great deal of information about how Emperor Hirohito's children were dressed as children. The few images we have suggest a clear preference for Western clothing. I am not sure if the Emperor every wrotte about this or discussed it publically, but is clearly exhibited in the photographic record. Yhis is interesting as Emperor Hirohito's first two decades as emperor were a period of rising nationalist fervor and hostility with the the West, especially Britain and America. Nor do we know to what extent the Emperess' own personal views were involved. The image we have is of dutiful wife meekly sumitting to her Emperor and husbnd. We notice photographs of the children wearing western clothes. The boys wore sailor suits and button-on short pants outfits. The girls did not wear sailor dresses, at least when younger. We see them wearing prim dresses like their mother. The children did wear traditional outfits for special occassions. In one portrait we note all the children wearing traditional outfits, but the Emperor and Emperess wearing Western clothes (figure 1). This gave the impression that traditional dress was acceptable for children as a knid of nostalgic event, but that stabdard clothing for modern Jpanese adults was Western dress.







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Created: 4:01 AM 5/24/2009
Last updated: 4:01 AM 5/24/2009