Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress visited the Palaceside Building on Saturday, April 14 (photo above). The purpose was to view “The Last Emperor’s Lineage in Calligraphy and Painting: Works by the Aisin-Gioro Family” (organized by J. F. Oberlin Gakuen; backed by The Mainichi Newspapers and the Mainichi Calligraphy Association; ended on the 15th) at Art Salon Mainichi on the first floor. The Mainichi reported on page 1 of the evening edition of the 14th and on the social-affairs page of the morning edition of the 15th. The photo at the end is the morning edition of the 15th
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They arrived a little after 9:30 a.m. and walked slowly from the elevator hall toward the salon as Mainichi staff and exhibition people watched from a slight distance (photo at right). Guided by calligrapher Seigo Takahashi, professor emeritus at J. F. Oberlin University, they viewed calligraphy and landscape paintings with keen interest.
According to the Mainichi, “Their Majesties, from their years as Crown Prince and Crown Princess, had ties with Pujie, younger brother of the last Qing emperor Puyi, and looking at Pujie’s calligraphy on display they remarked that the characters were ‘open and soft.’”
An official visit to the Palaceside Building by the Emperor is the first in half a century since Emperor Showa toured The Mainichi Newspapers in November 1967, the year after opening. The present Emperor, as Crown
Prince, visited several times for exhibitions and the like. On leaving, after exiting the parking garage, they noticed citizens seeing them off in front of the west entrance, opened the window and waved (photo at left). It is a silhouette in backlight, but beyond the Empress in the foreground the Emperor could be clearly seen leaning out and raising his hand.
The exhibition marked the 40th anniversary of the Japan–China Treaty of Peace and Friendship and showed about 40 works, including calligraphy by Pujie, younger brother of the last Qing emperor Puyi.
