| First
Industrial Fair
The new Japanese navy band, resplendent in western
uniforms, played at the inaugural ceremony of Japan's first industrial
fair. The Emperor and Empress arrived in their royal coaches to
open the exposition. The year was 1877, the tenth year of the reign
of the Meiji Emperor. The fair was located at Ueno, notable as the
site of the Kanenji Buddhist temple. It illustrated the remarkable
progress made in the nine years since the reformation of the central
government. The Japanese government had participated in the international
fairs of Vienna in 1873 and of Philadelphia in 1876 and had felt
the need of a trade show of their own. The emphasis was on industry,
for the promoters of the fair hoped to show that Japan's craftsmen
and industrial designers could produce western-type goods as well
as traditional Japanese items. The fair lasted for 102 days and
was a great success. Six more such industrial expositions were held
during the Meiji period.
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