Today I took a trip out to the far western reaches of the Tokyo metro area to visit the Musashi Imperial Mausoleum- the burial site of Emperor Showa, Empress Kojun, Emperor Taisho, and Empress Teimei. My tour began at Takao Station, nestled in the mountains near the famous hiking spot, Mt. Takao. I had a lunch of homemade onigiri from a small local shop near the station, and a Takao potato sweet cake, which was pretty tasty.
The north entrance to Takao Station.
The mausoleum was about a mile walk from the station, along a tree-lined street, over a river, and past this lovely area of flowers.
The map of the mausoleum.
The grounds were incredibly beautiful, and a welcome break from the congestion and bustle of Tokyo life.
I first came to the mausoleum of Empress Kojun, wife of Emperor Hirohito. After viewing her grave for a few minutes a very official man in a full suit with a headset came up to me and informed me that Princess Akiko would be visiting soon, so could I please wait near the side of the walkway and put away my cell phone and camera.
I walked over to the designated area, and watched as another man raked the gravel near Emperor Showa's tomb, and placed a few ceremonial objects on a table beneath a small tent (below). At this point a formal navy blue car pulled up and the Princess emerged. She walked up to the tomb, bowing deeply before each set of stairs. I couldn't see what she did up near the base of the mausoleum, but she then walked over to Empress Kojun's tomb and did a similar ritual. She then got back into the car and pulled away, never making eye contact with me and the other three regular folks who happened to be there. Two of the other people bowed very deeply as she passed, the other refrained from doing so. Even if she isn't in line for the throne, it was pretty exciting to see royalty from about twenty feet away, especially considering that her great-grandmother was Empress Teimei, the subject of my dissertation (click here for the genealogy of the Imperial Family.
Another shot of Emperor Showa's tomb.
It was about a three minute walk over to the mausoleum of Empress Teimei.
Me in front of Teimei's tomb.
It was interesting to see the different designs and plans amongst the four tombs at the site, for example, Emperor Taisho and Empress Teimei's tombs were much more wooded and located higher on the hill than Emperor Showa and Empress Kojun. The site will likely remain the same for the foreseeable future, as Emperor Akihito has expressed his desire to be cremated.
The stone plaque marking Empress Teimei's tomb.
Emperor Taisho's tomb.
After my visit, I walked back to the station, taking in the beautiful mountain scenery along the way.
Flowers near the river.
Waiting for the train back to Tokyo at the end of the day.
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