User:Tsukuba Tower/Hōren

Hōren (鳳輦, “phoenix palanquin”) originally referred to an imperial palanquin with a phoenix ornament on its roof that was used to carry the emperor. In addition to its traditional usage, the term now also refers to portable shrines (mikoshi) featuring phoenix ornaments used in festivals and other events at Shinto shrines.

Appearance
Portable shrines (mikoshi) are constructed to resemble miniature versions of main shrine buildings. In contrast, hōren are comprised of a platform with four supports and a roof, reflecting the hōren 's original purpose of transporting people.

Meaning
The character for ren ("palanquin") (輦) uses an upper radical of two laborers side-by-side and a lower radical of the character for “vehicle” (車). It can mean a vehicle propelled by human labor, a cart, or a palanquin for the emperor. Used alone, ren may refer to human-powered vehicles in general or to imperial palanquins in general. The compound hōren (鳳輦) is formed by adding “phoenix” in front of ren and refers to a “palanquin for the emperor adorned with a phoenix” as well as “palanquins for Daoist immortals.”

History
Hōren were allegedly used for official imperial outings while another type of palanquin, called a sōkaren (“onion flower palanquin”) with an ornament of a Welsh onion (negi) flower head on its roof, was used for private imperial outings. However, the use of hōren is thought to originally have been limited to the emperor’s enthronement ceremony.

In July 1868, the newly-formed Meiji government changed the name of the capital from Edo to Tokyo and established Tokyo Metropolitan Prefecture (Tōkyō-fu). In March 1869, the emperor rode in a hōren on an imperial visit to Tokyo. The phoenix ornament from this hōren is in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum.

In 1891, the Imperial Guard of the Japanese Imperial Army was reorganized into the Imperial Guard Divisions, who were called “hōren convoys” (hōren gubu) in reference to their duties guarding the emperor and imperial palace.