Photo - Oshashin

...This refers to photographs of the emperor from the Meiji period until Japan's defeat in World War II. Officially, they were called Goshashin, but the term Goshinei was commonly used. Its origins date back to one of the important policies implemented immediately after the Meiji Restoration, with the intention of making the emperor, who had been almost unknown to the general public, visible, in other words, to make the power of the state visible.

*Some of the terminology explanations that refer to "Goshashin" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…明治以来，第2次大戦に敗れるまでの天皇の写真を言う。正式には御写真と言ったが，一般には御真影という言葉が使われた。その起源は，明治維新直後に打たれた重要な政策の一つとして，これまでほとんど民衆に知られることのなかった天皇の視覚化，言い換えるなら国家権力の可視化という意図にさかのぼれる。…

※「御写真」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報