Imperial Lineage

A print presenting a chart or listing of the Japanese imperial lineage — the genealogical record of the imperial family that the Meiji government worked assiduously to document, celebrate, and publicize as part of its program of establishing imperial legitimacy. The imperial lineage's claimed continuity over more than a thousand years was central to Meiji ideology, and genealogical prints served both educational and propagandistic functions, presenting the dynasty's unbroken succession as evidence of Japan's unique national character.