Mianguan



Benkan (冕冠) is a Crown worn by Emperors of China, Emperors of Japan and kings in the East Asian cultural sphere countries of East Asia.

Overview
Benkan is a type of crown originally from China, which was worn by Emperor to the rank of lord or above in China. In Japan, it has been used as a crown for emperors since ancient times, but the details of its origin are unknown. It is also used in Vietnam and the monarchs of the Korean Peninsula also use Benkans.

Benkan
The Benkan is a type of ceremonial crown in Japan, also known as the Emperor's ceremonial crown, and was once used together with Mianfu (imperial robes) in ceremonies such as accession to the throne and morning prayers. In Kojidan, it is said that "the crown at the time of the Imperial Festival is that of Emperor Ōjin" and that the crown of Emperor Ōjin was used at the Imperial Festival until the Heian and Kamakura periods, but it has not been handed down to the present.

Among the Shōsōin treasures, there is a Benkan worn by Emperor Shōmu that has been damaged and is called "Onkamuri Zanketsu". The crown does not retain its original form, but there are metal openwork pieces with phoenix, clouds and arabesque patterns, as well as pearls, coral and glass beads threaded through the crown.

The Benkan worn by Japanese emperors is often referred to as a "Tang-style crown", but it is actually quite different from the Benkan worn in China. The Benkan worn by the emperor in the Edo period consists of a metal frame placed on top of an openwork gilt-bronze base called the "heavenly crown", with forty-eight jewels hanging from the edge of the frame, twelve on each side.

The painting Silken Painting of Emperor Go-Daigo prominently displays the Benkan of Emperor Go-Daigo which is said to be the crown of Jimmu

The crown differs greatly from the Chinese crown in that there is a bright vermillion sun decoration protruding from the front of the crown.. The crown has twelve tassels spread across all sides rather than merely two as in the Chinese form (six strands as only two sides of the crown are shown in the image), indicating that this is the crown used by the emperor when he is dressed in formal attire..

The Benkan worn by Emperor Go-Sai and his successors during the coronation ceremony is preserved in the Imperial Collection of the Kyoto Imperial Palace.

The Benkan was used until the coronation of Emperor Kōmei, but since Emperor Meiji, the Benkan has been replaced by a Kanmuri, as the government reformed the coronation to be more Shinto based rather than Chinese inspired

Hokan crown (Empress)


The crown of an Empress is called a Hokan (宝冠). Whether it can be considered as a type of Benkan or a different type of crown is a matter of opinion.

The Hokan does not have a crown board or similar metal frame on top of the crown, and there is no hair hanging from the crown board. The other difference between the Hokan and the Benkan is the phoenix attached to the front of the Hokan. There are ornaments hanging from both ears and the beak of the phoenix, which are decorated with flowers. However, the top of the head is decorated with the same sun emblem as the Benkan and the same design of Yatagarasu and Zuiun. The Hokan is accompanied by a hairpin, a foreign object and a small bow.

The Order of the Precious Crown, established in 1888 (the 21st year of the Meiji) to be awarded to women, is a reference to this, and the center of the insignia is decorated with the image of a precious Hokan.

Mian guan (China)
In China, the Benkan is worn by the emperor and the court nobles and above. A rectangular wooden board called the Benkan board is placed on top of the Benkan, with fulls hanging from the front and back of the Benkan board. The number of tassels depends on the status of the wearer, and the Benkan of the emperor has 12 tassels at the front and back, for a total of 24 tassels.

In addition there is the Nine-tasselled Crown. Worn by dukes and crown prince's servants.

Eight-tasselled Crown. Worn by princes and dukes. Qiliu mian (七旒冕): Seven-tasselled Crown. Worn by ministers. Wuiu mian (五旒冕): Five-tasselled Crown. Worn by viscounts and barons.

The material is made of tung board, and the clothes are made of silk, with a rounded front and a square back. One foot two inches wide, two feet four inches long.

A Kanzashi called a Tamakougai is pointed from the side of the crown and a braided cord called a tail is attached at the bottom. A red band called Tianhe band is also attached to the center of the crown.

The basic shape of the Benkan in China remains the same from ancient times to the Ming Dynasty. However, the crown was abolished by First Emperor of Qin (although the crown is often worn in paintings, this is later speculation), and it was not used in Former Han. Emperor Ming of Han, the second emperor of the Later Han Dynasty, revived the crown based on the literature, and since then, it has been used in rituals and important ceremonies in various dynasties. However, there are mutual contradictions in the descriptions of the documents and their ancient notes, and each dynasty often revised them. The crown worn by the Ming Dynasty's Wanli Emperor has been excavated from the Dingling Mausoleum, while the Yan Liben, "Illustrated Scrolls of the Emperors of the Dynasties", depicts the emperors from the Former Han Dynasty to the Sui Dynasty this crown is almost the same shape as the crown depicted



Many of the non-Han dynasties that ruled China also adopted the Benkan. (Liao, which did not adopt the ritual system of the Han dynasty, and Yuan, which is considered to have a strong Mongolian flavor, also adopted the Benkan.) However, the Benkan is no longer used in China since the Qing dynasty, which was founded by the Manchu people. Instead, a unique Manchu crown called the morning crown (mahala in Manchu) is used. The Manchu crown was shaped like an umbrella, and the top of the crown was decorated with a special pearl-encrusted ornament called the morning pearl.

Structure

 * 1) Extension
 * 2) Tianhe Belt
 * 3) Cap and roll
 * 4) Tassels
 * 5) Ears
 * 6) tail
 * 7) Wu (武)
 * 8) jade hairpin

Related items
Since China is a crown-wearing culture, there were many crowns for different ranks, positions, and times.


 * Feng Guan - a crown worn by an empress (e.g. Phoenix Crown - crowns of Empress Xiao Danxian and Empress Dowager Xiao Jing excavated from the Dingling site, 2 each)

Miện quan (Vietnam)
The Chinese-style Benkan was also used in Vietnam.