“The Emperor’s Entrance”, Tokyo Central Station, Tokyo, c. 1920.

“Emperor’s entrance”, Tokyo Central Station, Tokyo, c. 1920.

“The middle part of the Central Station is reserved for the use of the Imperial Family and distinguished foreigners who may from time to time visit this country as guests of the State.

“… The steps at the entrance lead into a large octagonal hall, on either side of which are elegantly furnished waiting-rooms. Just below the dome of the hall are a series of paintings by Mr. Wada, a well-known Japanese artist, illustrating various phases of industrial activity. One of these is a scene of board ship in Kobe harbour, showing men at the winches working cargo. Other scenes are of the Tokyo fish-market, rice-threshing, a study of life on a country roadside, on the bridge of a Japanese liner, a stoker ‘firing up’ on a locomotive, a pottery works, and so on.

“The two rooms on either side of this hall will be used the Imperial Princes and Princesses; the apartment reserved for His Majesty is reached by crossing a corridor paved with beautiful polished marble.

“Perhaps the most striking feature of this room is the circular over-mantel, in which is inserted a study of the seascape in cloisonne work, with the rising sun tipping the waves with gray light. It is, I am told, the largest specimen of cloisonne work in the world.”

– The Japan Weekly Chronicle, December 24, 1914

Aerial view, Tokyo Station, c. 1940. The “Emperor’s entrance”, for HIJM’s exclusive use, was sited in the middle of the terminal. To its right was the entrance to Tokyo Station Hotel.