Benkan of Emperor Kōmei

The Benkan of Emperor Kōmei (孝明天皇の冕冠) is an imperial crown in the benkan style worn by Emperor Kōmei (reigned 1846 - 1867) of Japan.

From Emperor Shōmu in the 8th century to Emperor Kōmei, the benkan, influenced by the Chinese mianguan, was used in the enthronement ceremonies of Japanese emperors. From Emperor Meiji to the present, the more Japanese style ryūei no kan (立纓冠) has been used in enthronement ceremonies.

The benkan of Emperor Kōmei is designated as an imperial treasure (御物) and is not normally open to the public, but was opened to the public in 2020 to commemorate Emperor Naruhito's accession to the throne.

Origin
The benkan is a crown worn by Japanese emperors in conjunction with kon'e (袞衣, imperial robes) during enthronement ceremony. The kon'e is embroidered with twelve ornaments reserved for the emperor, and together with the kon'e it is also called the konben twelve ornaments (袞冕十二章).

In the "Imperial Costume Catalogue" (in the collection of the Imperial Household Agency, Shuryō Department), which was compiled in 1912 during a survey of costumes in the storehouse of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, this benkan is listed as "Imperial property of Emperor Kōmei," and it is thought that it was newly made for Emperor Kōmei at the time of his enthronement.

However, the diary of aristocrat Tokinari Yamashina (山科言成), Tokinari Kyō Ki, states that an "antique" crown was used for his accession to the throne, and the possibility of an earlier emperor's benkan has also been pointed out.

Emperor Kōmei's grandfather, the 119th Emperor Kōkaku's nikkeikan (a crown for young emperors) and his father, the 120th Emperor Ninkō's benkan are still extant as imperial treasures, so if an antique crown was reused, it would be that of an emperor before them.

Features
The crown measures 20.5 cm in length, 19.5 cm in width, and 37.5 cm in height. The materials and manufacturing process used are copper, forging, gilding, thin silk (ra), brocade, crystal, and glass.

A gilt-bronze crown called an oshikazura (押鬘) is placed around a rounded black cap called a koji (巾子). A thin band of metal fittings is attached to the lower part of the oshikazura. The material and design of the metal fittings is brocade with a check design woven into it, and on the top and bottom of the metal fittings are a series of small dots arranged in a thin line.

The upper part of the oshikazura is openwork with a floral and arabesque design. The openwork is decorated in places with three-dimensional floral ornaments of six-petaled flower with a colored glass bead in the center.

At the top of the crown is a rectangular board called a benban (冕板) with a gilt-bronze frame covered with black thin silk (ra). In the center of the benban is an ornament consisting of a flame and a crystal ball, and in front is a gilt-bronze rod with a sun-shaped ornament at the end, in which is a carved three-legged crow (Yatagarasu). Below the sun-shaped ornament is an ornament of auspicious clouds (瑞雲). Around the four sides of the benban are tatetama (立玉) ornaments of gilt-bronze stems with petals inlaid with colored beads at the tips and in the middle. The sides of the benban are divided into three sections, each section containing two gilt bronze flower ornaments with five petals stacked on top of each other.

Eighteen chains hang from one end of the benban. Nine of these chains are made of thin wire rings joined, with two colored glass beads in between, and the tips of the rings are further divided into three chains. The other nine are short chains with gilt bronze bud-shaped ornaments at the tips.

These chains hang down on four sides, making a total of 72 chains. This is three times the number of chains on the Chinese emperor's mianguan, which has 12 chains on each side of the benban, for a total of 24 chains. If the chains with three separate tips are counted as three chains, each side has 36 chains, for a total of 144 chains.

The number of chains and jade beads attached to the Chinese mianguan is based on the descriptions and interpretations in Confucian scriptures such as the Rites of Zhou and the Book of Rites, but the style of the Japanese benkan is not confined by such Confucian interpretations.

The chains are not threaded onto beads as in the Chinese mianguan, but rather are made by joining rings of wire into a chain. This style of chain is probably influenced by ancient gilt-bronze crowns and the ornaments on Japanese Buddhist statues.

Comparison with other benkan
A benkan from 1654 has been handed down to Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto as a sacred treasure. The features of this crown are similar to those of Emperor Kōmei's benkan, including the sun-shaped ornament standing in front of the benban, the tate-tama arranged around the four sides of the benban, and the chain connecting the rings. Therefore, it can be said that a crown similar in style to Emperor Kōmei's benkan existed in the mid-17th century.

Emperor Ninkō's benkan has also been handed down as an imperial treasure in the Higashiyama Gobunko warehouse of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and its shape is almost the same as that of Emperor Kōmei's benkan.