2600th Anniversary Celebrations of the Japanese Empire

The 2600th Anniversary Celebrations of the Empire of Japan (紀元二千六百年記念行事, Kigen Nisen Roppyaku-nen Kinen Gyōji) refer to a series of events held in 1940 (the 15th year of Shōwa) to celebrate the 2600th year of the Imperial Era (Kōki, or Emperor Jimmu's accession year). This article also describes commemorative projects alongside the celebratory events.

Since 1940 (Shōwa 15) marked the 2600th year since the accession of Emperor Jimmu (according to Meiji period calculations based on the Nihon Shoki, the accession date was February 11, 660 BC), the Japanese government established the "2600th Anniversary Celebration Preparatory Committee" on October 1, 1935 (Shōwa 10), with the then Prime Minister Keisuke Okada (Okada Cabinet) as its chairman.^[1] This committee planned and promoted commemorative events, including the development of Kashihara Shrine and imperial mausoleums. This preparatory committee was abolished after the establishment of the "2600th Anniversary Celebration Deliberative Council" with Yoshirō Sakata as chairman.^[2] Furthermore, Ichisuke Iinuma was appointed as the head of the "Cabinet 2600th Anniversary Celebration Office" established within the Cabinet,^[3] and later Chikakatsu Utada assumed the position.^[4]

On April 24, 1937 (Shōwa 12), the founding committee of the "2600th Anniversary Celebration Association" (奉祝会, Hōshukukai) was held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence, where its rules were decided.^[5][6] On July 1 of the same year, the "Regulations for the Establishment and Supervision of the 2600th Anniversary Celebration Association" (Cabinet Order No. 3 of 1937) were promulgated,^[7] and on July 7, the incorporated foundation "2600th Anniversary Celebration Association" was established (Patron: Prince Yasuhito of Chichibu; Acting Patron: Prince Nobuhito of Takamatsu; Vice-Patron: Prime Minister and Duke Fumimaro Konoe; President: 16th Head of the Tokugawa Main Family, Duke Iesato Tokugawa; Vice-president: Marquis Yukitada Sasaki).^[6] On April 10, 1938 (Shōwa 13), with Prince Chichibu in attendance, a ceremony to honor the Patron and a celebratory banquet for the Association were held at the Meiji Jingu Gaien Stadium.

In 1940 (Shōwa 15), events began with the radio broadcast of the first shrine visit of the year at Kashihara Shrine. On February 11, Kigensetsu (now National Foundation Day), major festivals were held at 110,000 shrines nationwide, and various commemorative events such as exhibitions and sports meets were held throughout Japan, including its external territories. The development of Kashihara Shrine involved 1.21 million people in volunteer labor, including students on school trips. Shrines in the external territories, such as Beijing Shrine (in Peiping, Republic of China), Nan'yō Shrine (in Koror Island, Nan'yō Islands), and Kenkoku Shinbyō (in Hsinking, Manchu Empire), were also established this year, promoting the overseas expansion of Shinto. Furthermore, on November 9 of the same year, the Home Ministry's Shrine Bureau was elevated to become the Institute of Divinities (神祇院, Jingiin), established as an external bureau of the Home Ministry,^[8] and in research and education, Jingū Kōgakukan was upgraded from an old-system specialized school to an old-system university.^[9]

On July 15, 1940 (Shōwa 15), amid increasing criticism from the international community over the Second Sino-Japanese War and prioritizing war expenditures and securing soldiers domestically, the Mitsumasa Yonai cabinet formally decided at a cabinet meeting to return the hosting rights for the 1940 Summer Tokyo Olympics and to postpone the 2600th Anniversary Commemorative International Exposition (the hosting rights for the 1940 Sapporo Winter Olympics had been returned on July 16, 1938).

From June 9–14, 1940 (Shōwa 15), the Shōwa Emperor made an imperial journey (行幸, gyokō) to the Kansai region to report the holding of the 2600th Anniversary Celebrations. He personally worshipped at Toyouke Daijingū, Kōtai Jingū, Emperor Jimmu's Unebiyama Northeast Mausoleum, Kashihara Shrine, Emperor Ninkō's Gotsukuri no Misasagi, Emperor Kōmei's Gotsukuri no Higashiyama Mausoleum, Empress Dowager Eishō's Gotsukuri no Northeast Mausoleum, Emperor Meiji's Fushimi Momoyama Mausoleum, and Empress Shōken's Fushimi Momoyama East Mausoleum. After returning to the capital, he worshipped at Emperor Taishō's Tama Mausoleum.

On November 10, 1940 (Shōwa 15), the cabinet-sponsored "2600th Anniversary Ceremony" (紀元二千六百年式典, Kigen Nisen Roppyaku-nen Shikiten) was grandly held at the Plaza in front of the Imperial Palace with the Shōwa Emperor and Empress Kōjun in attendance. Related events continued until November 14, and public celebratory mood reached its peak. Additionally, to coincide with the ceremony, five composers from Germany, Britain, Italy, France, and Hungary composed the "Celebratory Music for the 2600th Year of the Imperial Era".

However, reflecting material shortages due to the prolonged war, hospitality for official event participants was simplified. Furthermore, as indicated by the slogan "The Celebration is Over, Now Let's Work!" (祝ひ 終つた さあ働かう!, Iwai Owatta Saa Hatarakō!) written on Taisei Yokusankai posters put up all at once after the events ended, this marked a turning point towards renewed austerity, after which the wartime life of the people became increasingly harsh.

• Poster until November 14: "Celebrate! Energetically and Cheerfully"
• Poster from November 15: "The Celebration is Over, Now Let's Work!"

The cabinet-sponsored "2600th Anniversary Ceremony" was held on November 10, 1940 (Shōwa 15) at the Plaza in front of the Imperial Palace with the Shōwa Emperor and Empress Kōjun in attendance. The number of attendees was 55,000. A venue in the Shinden-zukuri style (Kōkaden^{[Note 1]}) was set up by Shimizu-gumi between the Nijūbashi and Sakashitamon. The order of proceedings was as follows:

• General attendees seated.
• Those of the Grand Order of the Chrysanthemum and above, imperial appointees and above, President of the House of Peers, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and their wives seated.
• Foreign envoys and their wives seated.
• Prime Minister and Minister of State line up at the ceremonial carriage porch.
• Imperial Family members line up at the ceremonial carriage porch.
• Emperor and Empress arrive at the ceremonial carriage porch and enter the temporary hall.
• Emperor and Empress receive Imperial Family members and ministers in the temporary hall.
• Emperor and Empress appear (all present bow deeply).
• Ceremony commencement announced (Prime Minister Konoe).
• Emperor and Empress stand (all present bow deeply).
• National Anthem sung (performed by Army and Navy military bands).
• Congratulatory address presented (Prime Minister Konoe).
• Imperial Rescript bestowed (Shōwa Emperor).
• Emperor and Empress are seated.
• "2600th Anniversary Hymn" sung in unison (performed by Army and Navy military bands, sung by students of Tokyo Music School).
• Emperor and Empress stand.
• Three cheers of "Banzai" (Prime Minister Konoe) (all present bow deeply).
• Ceremony conclusion announced (Prime Minister Konoe).
• Emperor and Empress depart.

Imperial Rescript Bestowed on the Occasion of the 2600th Anniversary Ceremony (November 10, 1940)

We deeply appreciate that on this occasion of the 2600th year of the Imperial Era, our officials and multitude of people have gathered together to hold this ceremony of celebration, intending to exalt the spirit of our nation's founding.
Now, the violent changes in the world situation truly determine the rise and fall of the national fortune.
You, Our subjects, shall faithfully embody the purport of the declarations made aforetime, manifest the divine principles of Our Great Way both at home and abroad, and strive to contribute to the welfare of humanity and the harmony of all nations.

The proceedings of the ceremony were broadcast live on radio by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) (now NHK Radio 1).^{[Note 2]} However, the broadcast was interrupted when the Emperor read the Imperial Rescript. This was to avoid the possibility of a situation arising that could be deemed disrespectful (such as listeners not adopting a proper posture while hearing the Rescript), as it would also be impossible to enforce proper behavior under the lèse-majesté law. The Emperor's actual voice (the "Jewel Voice") was first officially broadcast on radio as part of a scheduled program, and the public heard the Emperor's actual voice for the first time five years later, during the Jewel Voice Broadcast announcing the acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration on August 15, 1945 (Shōwa 20).

On the following day, November 11, at the same venue and similarly with the Shōwa Emperor and Empress in attendance, the cabinet-sponsored "2600th Anniversary Celebration Association" event was held. It included the presentation of congratulatory addresses by Prince Nobuhito of Takamatsu (Acting Patron of the Celebration Association; the Patron, Prince Chichibu, was absent from the series of events due to tuberculosis treatment) and Joseph Grew (the 13th Ambassador of the United States to Japan), a performance of the Nara-period style celebratory dance "Eternal" (悠久, Eikyū) composed by Tadatomō Ōno, head of the Imperial Household Ministry Music Department, with four musicians from the department on stage, and three cheers for the Emperor's long life led by Prince Takamatsu.

The main event of the Celebration Association gathering was the "Feast" (食饌, Shinsen), where 50,000 attendees shared a meal with the Emperor at the same venue. The menu served at the feast included: sake, sea bream, kamaboko, canned goods containing a mixture of soybeans, kelp, dried gourd shavings, and bamboo shoots, portable cooked rice, instant miso soup, mochi, nutritional drinks "Aviation Genki-shu" and "Aviation Ryou-shoku Budō-shu" (Aviation Energy Sake and Aviation Provision Wine), hardtack, and as snacks, sausage, dried and flattened squid, dried cod, and shelled chestnuts. For sweets, "Kōa Kenkoku Pan" (興亜建国パン, Asia Revival Nation-Building Bread) and mandarin oranges were also served, but overall it was a very modest meal.^[10] Nevertheless, preparing a feast for 50,000 people during wartime was a tremendous task. The day before, it took 4 hours, 60 large trucks, and 600 staff members to transport the food to the venue. On the day of the event, 1,000 staff members served the meal continuously from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Additionally, the 2600th Anniversary Commemorative Medal was established (Imperial Ordinance No. 488 July 27, 1940, "2600th Anniversary Commemorative Medal Ordinance" Article 1) and awarded to those invited to the Kigensetsu or the 2600th Anniversary Ceremony (Article 3, Items 1 & 2) and those involved in the affairs and essential duties of the ceremony (Article 3, Item 3).

On the occasion of the 2600th Anniversary Celebration, congratulatory telegrams were received from King of Thailand Rama VIII, King of Romania Michael I, Yugoslav Regent Prince Paul, King of Italy Victor Emmanuel III, and German Chancellor Adolf Hitler. Replies were sent from the Shōwa Emperor.^[11][a]

Furthermore, preceding the celebrations, from June 26 to July 10, 1940 (Shōwa 15), the Emperor of Manchukuo, Puyi, visited Japan aboard the battleship Hyūga to celebrate the 2600th Anniversary. He was welcomed by Prince Takamatsu at Yokohama Port's Osanbashi Pier and by the Shōwa Emperor at Tokyo Station. During his stay, he visited Meiji Shrine, Yasukuni Shrine, Yūshūkan War Museum, Tama Mausoleum, Tokyo Imperial Museum, Tokyo First Army Hospital, Ise Grand Shrine, Unebiyama Northeast Mausoleum, Kashihara Shrine, Fushimi Momoyama Mausoleum, and Fushimi Momoyama East Mausoleum.

• 2600th Anniversary Special Naval Review (October 11, off Yokohama Port)
• National Christian Believers Convention for the Celebration of the 2600th Imperial Year (October 17, Aoyama Gakuin)
• 2600th Anniversary Special Army Review (October 21, Yoyogi Drill Ground)
• 2600th Anniversary Celebration Overseas Compatriots Tokyo Convention (November, Nihonbashi Takashimaya)
• 2600th Anniversary Celebration Art Exhibition (April, November, December, Tokyo Prefectural Art Museum)
• 2600th Anniversary Celebration Commissioned Music Performance (December 7–8, Kabukiza Theater; December 26–27, Osaka Kabukiza Theater. Program: Richard Strauss "Festival Music for the 2600th Year of the Japanese Imperial Era, Op. 84" (conducted by Helmut Fellmer), Ildebrando Pizzetti "Celebratory Symphony in A major" (conducted by Gaetano Comelli), Jacques Ibert "Celebratory Festival Overture" (conducted by Kōsaku Yamada), Sándor Veress "Celebratory Symphony No. 1" (conducted by Kunihiko Hashimoto))
• 2600th Anniversary Celebration Imperial Viewing Martial Arts Tournament (June 18–20, Saineikan Hall)
• 2600th Anniversary Celebration Children's Chorus Competition
• Premiere of the Grand March "Great Japan" (April 20, Hibiya Park Grand Music Hall, performed by the Navy Band, composed by Ushimatsu Saitō)
• 1st All Japan Band Competition and 2600th Anniversary Celebration Mass Music Parade and Grand Competition^[12] (November 23, Kashihara Shrine, Asahi Hall, Nakanoshima Park, Midosuji Boulevard, etc.)
• Publication of the Celebration Association Song "2600th Anniversary Hymn" (lyrics by Tokyo Music School, music by Kiyoshi Nobutoki) (April 10, 1938)
• Publication of the Celebration National Song "2600th Anniversary" (lyrics by Kōsei Masuda, music by Yoshihachirō Mori) (December 20, 1939)
• Expansion and improvement of the Kashihara Shrine precincts and the approach to the Unebiyama Northeast Mausoleum (construction of the inner worship hall, outer worship hall, current station building of Kashiharajingū-mae Station, etc.)
• Expansion and improvement of the Miyazaki Shrine precincts (construction of the "Pillar of the Universe" (八紘之基柱, Ame-no-mihashira), "Birthplace of the Imperial Army" monument, etc.)
• Survey, preservation, and commemoration of sites associated with Emperor Jimmu (stone monuments at 19 locations, including the "Karasu-no-machi Commemorative Monument" and "O-no-mizu-to Commemorative Monument")
• Development of the Outer Garden of the Imperial Palace (January 1940 – July 1943, planting of black pine trees, construction of Wadakurabashi Bridge, Iwatabashi Bridge, etc.)
• Improvement of access roads to Imperial mausoleums (43 mausoleums, including Emperor Annei's Unebiyama Southwest Mineiin Mausoleum)
• Formulation of a large green space creation plan (as part of the Tokyo Green Space Plan) by the Tokyo Prefecture 2600th Anniversary Commemorative Project Deliberative Council
• 2600th Anniversary Support Exhibitions (held巡回 in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Nagoya, Sapporo, Hiroshima, Keijō (Seoul), Hsinking, Fengtian, Dairen)
• 2600th Anniversary Celebration Exhibitions (held simultaneously at various department stores in Tokyo (Shinjuku Isetan, Nihonbashi Takashimaya, Matsuzakaya Ginza, Ueno Matsuzakaya, Ginza Matsuzakaya, Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi, Shirokiya) and Osaka (Shinsaibashi Sogo, Nipponbashi Matsuzakaya, Takashimaya Osaka Store, Kōraibashi Mitsukoshi))
• 2600th Anniversary Commemorative Shōsōin Treasures Special Exhibition (November 6–24, Tokyo Imperial Museum, approx. 414,300 visitors during the exhibition period)
• Amnesty and restoration of rights on the occasion of the 2600th Anniversary (February 11)
• Establishment of Nan'yō Shrine (on Koror Island, Nan'yō Islands)
• Construction of the "National History Hall" (provisional name, Tokyo City, Tokyo Prefecture) ※ Later removed from the commemorative projects list.
• Compilation and publication of 'Comprehensive View of Japanese Culture' (planned 6 volumes: History Part 1 & 2, Current Situation Part, Illustrations Part 1, 2 & 3; Editorial Committee Chairman Shunsaku Kawahara; only "Volume 1: History Part 1" published in December 1942)

The Japanese government also planned to hold international events in this year, seen as an opportunity to enhance national prestige and display national strength to the outside world. This involved bidding for and hosting the "Olympics" and "International Exposition" in Japan, and the hosting of these large-scale events had been formally decided.

• 12th Summer Olympic Games Tokyo
• 5th Winter Olympic Games Sapporo
• 2600th Anniversary Commemorative Japan World Exposition

However, due to the prolongation of the Second Sino-Japanese War which began in 1937 (Shōwa 12), the Tokyo Olympics were formally decided to be cancelled at the cabinet meeting on July 15, 1940 (Shōwa 15), and the World Expo was postponed.^[13] However, some events held and facilities built in conjunction with this major event did exist, such as the East Asian Games, Tokyo's Kachidoki Bridge, Daiichi Hotel, Horse Park (Baji Kōen), Olympic Roads (current Nozawa-dōri and Ryūunji-dōri; Kōnosu Bridge over the cut-through in Higashiyama 1-chome, Meguro Ward, was built in 1938), and Saitama's Toda Rowing Course.

At that time, under resource controls prioritizing military transport, the government called on the public to refrain from sightseeing travel, with slogans such as "Luxury is the Enemy", "Abolish Pleasure Travel", and "Do Not Obstruct Important Transport with Sightseeing Travel" posted at stations. However, visits to shrines deeply connected to the Imperial Family, such as Meiji Shrine, Kashihara Shrine, and Ise Grand Shrine, were exceptions and were rather encouraged, for example, through the sale of discounted rail tickets.

As the public had long refrained from travel, they eagerly visited these shrines. In 1940 (Shōwa 15), the number of visitors to Kashihara Shrine totaled 10 million, and Ise Grand Shrine 8 million. Private railway companies such as Osaka Electric Railway, Sangū Express Electric Railway, and Kansai Express Electric Railway (the predecessors of Kinki Nippon Railway (Kintetsu)) and Osaka Railway (predecessor of the current Kintetsu Minami-Osaka Line, etc.) / Nara Electric Railway (predecessor of the current Kintetsu Kyoto Line), whose lines served areas near Ise Grand Shrine and Kashihara Shrine, operated many special trains to handle this traffic, and the National Railways (JNR) also worked hard on passenger transport.

The Ministry of Communications (now Japan Post) issued commemorative stamps for the 2600th Anniversary. On Kigensetsu, February 11, 2-sen and 10-sen stamps, and on November 10, when the ceremony was held, 4-sen and 20-sen stamps of each denomination were sold. The designs of all stamps were based on themes from the Nihon Shoki: the 2-sen stamp featured the Golden Kite (金鵄, Kinshi), the 4-sen stamp featured Takachiho, the 10-sen stamp featured an Ayu fish and a ritual water jar (厳瓶, Itsube), and the 20-sen stamp featured Kashihara Shrine. Furthermore, Manchukuo also issued two types of "Japanese Imperial Era 2600th Anniversary Commemorative" postal stamps on September 18, 1940 (Kangde Year 7).^[14]

• Golden Kite
• Takachiho
• Ayu and Itsube, with the characters for "Hakkō Ichiu" (八紘一宇) on the right
• Kashihara Shrine

• Manchukuo 2-fen commemorative stamp featuring the calligraphy of Zhang Jinghui; "Japan-Manchukuo One Virtue One Heart" (日満一徳一心) written in seal script on the right.
• Manchukuo 4-fen commemorative stamp

• 佐佐木, 信綱 (1940-11-11). Nobutsuna Sasaki (ed.). 列聖珠藻 (Pearls of the Successive Emperors) (in Japanese). 2600th Anniversary Celebration Association. doi:10.11501/8799801. - Collection of poems by successive emperors.
• Zennosuke Tsuji (1940-11-11). 聖徳餘光 (The Lingering Light of Imperial Virtue) (in Japanese). 2600th Anniversary Celebration Association. doi:10.11501/3440655. - Collection of achievements of successive emperors.
• 帝国学士院 (1944-12-11). Imperial Academy (ed.). 宸翰英華 (Glorious Imperial Calligraphy) (in Japanese). Vol. 1. 2600th Anniversary Celebration Association. doi:10.11501/2586902.
• 帝国学士院 (1944-12-11). Imperial Academy (ed.). 宸翰英華 (Glorious Imperial Calligraphy) (in Japanese). Vol. 2. 2600th Anniversary Celebration Association. doi:10.11501/2586903.
• 帝国学士院 (1944-12-11). Imperial Academy (ed.). 宸翰英華 (Glorious Imperial Calligraphy) (in Japanese). 2600th Anniversary Celebration Association. doi:10.11501/2586904.

• Tenkyō Hōshō (天業奉頌, Glorifying the Divine Task) Nippon Film Company, produced 1941 (Shōwa 16), 60 minutes.
  • Included in the DVD "Continued Wartime Screen: Excavated National Policy Films" (sold by Connie Video, 2007).

• Kashihara Shrine
• Imperial Era
• Ōmi Shrine - Founded to commemorate the 2600th Anniversary.

Notes

• 'Shashin Shūhō' and the Aspects of the Shōwa Era - National Archives of Japan Japan Center for Asian Historical Records
  • 2600th Anniversary Celebrations
  • 2600th Anniversary Ceremony and the East Asian Games
• Kōbun Ruijū, Shōwa 15, Giten, Separate Volume - National Archives of Japan Digital Archive.