The city of Kyoto had been the capital of Japan from 794 to 1868; the first two enthronements of the 20th century, in 1915 and 1928, were both held at the old imperial palace. This bird’s-eye view shows the palace in the center of Kyoto, laid out on a north-south axis, with the mountains that surround the city on three sides rising in the distance. The mounted guards on the street outside wear modern uniforms, but everyone inside the palace is dressed in the courtly finery of centuries past. The only clue that this is a modern scene is the presence of the lightning rods installed to help to protect the wooden buildings from the danger of fire.

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