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The is a Japanese order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan, and the lowest ranking of the Japanese orders currently awarded. Originally the order had five classes, but on April 13, 1896 the sixth, seventh and eighth classes were added. This Order is conventionally reserved for female recipients; however, men have occasionally been accorded this honour. More often, men have been awarded the Order of the Rising Sun rather than the Order of the Precious Crown. In 1917, medals of the Order of the Crown were bestowed upon twenty-nine Americans who participated in the Russo-Japanese War. This unusual list of honorees was composed of ten women volunteer nurses and nineteen correspondents of American newspapers.〔 Until 2003, the Order of the Precious Crown ranked below the Order of the Rising Sun but above the Order of the Sacred Treasure, and was bestowed as a female-only version of the Order of the Rising Sun; however, men could also be appointed. In 2003 the Order of the Rising Sun, previously reserved for males, was made available to women as well, and the lowest two classes of the Order of the Precious Crown were abolished.〔Weatherhead East Asian Institute: (Miwa Kai, Barbara Ruch. )〕 The Order of the Precious Crown is now only bestowed upon female members of the Imperial Family and foreign ladies of distinction. ==Classes== The first class honour has been typically conferred to female royalty. As originally conceived, the order consisted of eight classes. Unlike its European counterparts, the order may be conferred posthumously. The ''badge'' of the order is a gold oval medallion, with floral designs at its four ends; at the centre is an ancient Japanese crown on a blue background, surrounded by a red ring. It is suspended from a smaller badge, its design varies according to class, on a ribbon in yellow with red stripes near the borders, as a sash on the right shoulder for the 1st class, as a bow on the left shoulder for the other classes. The ''star'' of the order, which is worn only by the first class, has five arms studded with pearls, with floral designs between the arms. The central disc features a ''Ho-o'' or phoenix on a blue background, surrounded by a red ring. The ''medal'' for the 6th and 7th classes are golden bronze. The face presents the crossed flags of Japan and the Emperor, both of which are surmounted by the Rising Sun. The obverse presents a conventonal monumental shaft, which is flanked by a branch of laurel and a branch of palm.〔( "Mikado Honors Americans; Order of the Crown Bestowed on Nurses and War Correspondents." ) ''New York Times.'' July 4, 1907.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Order of the Precious Crown」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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