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The Emperor carried two of the [[Imperial Regalia]] - the sword [[Kusanagi no tsurugi]] and the jewel [[Yasakani no magatama]] - on his person during these tours, and in fact is said to have carried the sword whenever leaving the Palace throughout the pre-war period. His entourage also carried Imperial [[chrysanthemum]] flags and other physical symbols on the tours, and were received in many towns by the display of [[Japanese flag|national flags]], lanterns and the like bearing the ''hinomaru'' "rising sun" emblem or other national or Imperial symbols; in this way, the tours also served to spread and fix popular awareness of national and Imperial symbols.
The Emperor carried two of the [[Imperial Regalia]] - the sword [[Kusanagi no tsurugi]] and the jewel [[Yasakani no magatama]] - on his person during these tours, and in fact is said to have carried the sword whenever leaving the Palace throughout the pre-war period. His entourage also carried Imperial [[chrysanthemum]] flags and other physical symbols on the tours, and were received in many towns by the display of [[Japanese flag|national flags]], lanterns and the like bearing the ''hinomaru'' "rising sun" emblem or other national or Imperial symbols; in this way, the tours also served to spread and fix popular awareness of national and Imperial symbols.
Some have argued that the Imperial Tours were engineered chiefly as a response to the [[Freedom and People's Rights Movement]], in order to gain popular support for the monarchy, and for the state, and to combat the popularity of the movement. However, as historian [[Takashi Fujitani]] points out, the imperial court was considered to be one "in motion" as early as [[1868]], the first of the greatest of the Imperial Tours took place in [[1872]], before the Popular Rights Movement had gotten off the ground, and the Tours visited many places where the Movement was quite weak (esp. in Tôhoku), and skipped over some places, such as [[Shikoku]], where the Movement was quite strong.<ref>Fujitani, 83.</ref>
The Tours included:
*[[1872]]/5/23 to 7/12: A tour of the [[Chugoku region|Chûgoku]] and [[Saikoku region]]s.
*[[1872]]/5/23 to 7/12: A tour of the [[Chugoku region|Chûgoku]] and [[Saikoku region]]s.
*[[1876]] June 2 to July 21: A tour of the [[Tohoku region|Tôhoku region]].
*[[1876]] June 2 to July 21: A tour of the [[Tohoku region|Tôhoku region]].
