Hirohito and MacArthur negotiating Japanese Surrender, 1945
[D]
Hirohito Signing the Post-War Constitution, 1946 [E]
Emperor Hirohito Visiting Ogaki, 1946 [F]
Questions for Analysis:
Focusing on the photos of Hirohito from different periods in his life, notice the changes in his clothing. How did his dress shift? What does this shift reveal about Hirohito and his relationship with his people? Why may Hirohito have chosen to change how he dressed before and after the war?
Look at the backdrops of the photos. Why did Hirohito and the Japanese government choose not to include a background for his photos as an absolute leader? Focusing on the last image which includes civillians of Japan, why did Hirohito choose to include where he was, and more specifically, who he was with?
Notice Hirohito's posture. How does his posture change between when he was an absolute versus symbolic leader? Think about how he was portrayed in these two periods of his life, and why he might have chosen to change his image after the war.
Sources:
[A] Prince Hirohito of Japan at Rally. 1902. Photograph. Accessed November 17, 2016. http://ww2db.com/photo.php?source=color=all&list=search&foreigntype=P&foreigntype_id=107.
[B] Showa Emperor at His Coronation. December 31, 1927. Photograph. Imperial Household Agency, Tokyo, Japan.
[C] Hirohito as a Young Man. 1940. Photograph. Accessed November 18, 2016. http://www.prisonersofeternity.co.uk/hirohito-the-emperors-new-clothes/.
[D] Emperor Hirohito and General MacArthur. 1945. Photograph. Accessed November 17, 2016. https://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/when-macarthur-met-the-emperor/.
[E] Hirohito Signing Japan's Post-War Constitution. November 3, 1946. Photograph. Accessed December 5, 2016. http://www.atomicheritage.org/profile/ emperor-hirohito.