Banquet at the New Imperial Palace

A banquet at the new Imperial Palace — one of Chikanobu's images documenting the grandeur of Meiji imperial ceremonial life following the construction of the new palace in Tokyo after the old Edo Castle became the imperial residence. The Meiji court's elaborate formal banquets, combining traditional Japanese protocol with Western diplomatic conventions, were occasions of considerable public interest and generated significant popular imagery. Chikanobu's version would capture both the architectural grandeur of the new palace setting and the formal splendor of the assembled court.