noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru'
reply to the throne; answer to the emperor
Formal, historical term for a reply or answer given to the emperor or imperial court. Used in contexts involving the imperial household.
勅語に対して奉答する。
To reply to the imperial rescript.
奉答文を読み上げる。
To read aloud the reply to the throne.
Standard kanji spelling for this formal term.
返答 is a general term for a reply or answer, while 奉答 is specifically a formal reply to the emperor or imperial court.
Compound of 奉 (ほう, 'to offer respectfully') and 答 (とう, 'answer'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with a respectful reply to the throne.