Emperor Meiji Dies and the Taishō Succession Begins

Emperor Meiji’s death was announced on July 30, 1912. Crown Prince Yoshihito succeeded him, beginning the Taishō era. Household and government offices conducted the succession while preparing mourning and burial.

A state funeral bureau was established that day. Court business was suspended for five days, and mourning rules specified black seals and ruled paper. The funeral date and burial place were settled on August 6, followed by the designation of Fushimi Momoyama as the mausoleum.

The funeral ceremony took place on September 13 at the Aoyama military parade ground in Tokyo. The coffin traveled by train to the Kyoto area and was buried at Fushimi Momoyama on September 15, joining a ceremony in the national capital to burial near the older court center.

Ministries, the Diet and the armed forces continued under the new sovereign. The immediate work fell to officials arranging approvals, transport and burial; the succession and funeral proceeded through these existing institutions.