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Learn about Emperor Meiji, the 122nd emperor of Japan who reigned from 1867 to 1912 and presided over the Meiji Restoration. Find out his biography, achievements, family, and legacy in this comprehensive article.
Jul 26, 2024 · Meiji (1852-1912) was the emperor of Japan who led the Meiji Restoration and transformed Japan into a modern nation. He supported Westernization, abolished feudalism, adopted a constitution, and fought wars with China and Russia.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Overview
- Reform and rebellion
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•The abolition of the feudal system and all feudal class privileges
•The enacting of a constitution and formalization of a parliamentary system of government
•The formation of a national army
•The adoption of universal education
•The construction of transport and communication systems
Read more below: Accomplishments of the Meiji Restoration
The leaders of the restoration were mostly young samurai from feudal domains (hans) historically hostile to Tokugawa authority, notably Chōshū, in far western Honshu, and Satsuma, in southern Kyushu. Those men were motivated by growing domestic problems and by the threat of foreign encroachment. The latter concern had its origins in the efforts by Western powers to “open” Japan, beginning in the 1850s after more than two centuries of near isolation, and the fear that Japan could be subjected to the same imperialist pressures that they observed happening in nearby China. They believed that the West depended on constitutionalism for national unity, on industrialization for material strength, and on a well-trained military for national security. Adopting the slogan “Enrich the country, strengthen the army” (“Fukoku kyōhei”), they sought to create a nation-state capable of standing equal among Western powers. Knowledge was to be sought in the West, the goodwill of which was essential for revising the unequal treaties that had been enacted and granted foreign countries judicial and economic privileges in Japan through extraterritoriality.
The early goals of the new government were expressed in the Charter Oath (April 1868), which committed the government to establishing “deliberative assemblies” and “public discussion,” to a worldwide search for knowledge, to the abrogation of past customs, and to the pursuit by all Japanese of their individual callings. The first action, taken in 1868 while the country was still unsettled, was to relocate the imperial capital from Kyōto to the shogunal capital of Edo, which was renamed Tokyo (“Eastern Capital”). That was followed, after the end of the fighting, by the dismantling of the old feudal regime. The administrative reorganization had been largely accomplished by 1871, when the domains were officially abolished and replaced by a prefecture system that has remained in place to the present day. All feudal class privileges were abolished as well. Also in 1871 a national army was formed, which was further strengthened two years later by a universal conscription law. In addition, the new government carried out policies to unify the monetary and tax systems, with the agricultural tax reform of 1873 providing its primary source of revenue. Another reform was in the area of education. Japan’s first Ministry of Education was established in 1871 to develop a national system of education; it led to the promulgation of the Gakusei, or Education System Order, in 1872 and to the introduction of universal education in the country, which initially put emphasis on Western learning.
The revolutionary changes carried out by restoration leaders, who acted in the name of the emperor, faced increasing opposition by the mid-1870s. Disgruntled samurai participated in several rebellions against the government, the most famous being led by the former restoration hero Saigō Takamori of Satsuma. Those uprisings were repressed only with great difficulty by the newly formed army. Peasants, distrustful of the new regime and dissatisfied with its agrarian policies, also took part in revolts that reached their peak in the 1880s.
At the same time, a growing popular rights movement, encouraged by the introduction of liberal Western ideas, called for the creation of a constitutional government and wider participation through deliberative assemblies. Responding to those pressures, the government issued a statement in 1881 promising a constitution by 1890. In 1885 a cabinet system was formed, and in 1886 work on the constitution began. Finally, in 1889, the Meiji Constitution was officially promulgated. It was presented as a gift from the emperor to the people, and it could be amended only upon imperial initiative. Largely the handiwork of the genro (elder statesman) Itō Hirobumi, the constitution established a bicameral parliament, called the Diet—in full Imperial Diet (Teikoku Gikai)—that was to be elected through a limited voting franchise. The first Diet was convened the following year, in 1890. A privy council composed of the Meiji genro, created prior to the constitution, advised the emperor and wielded actual power.
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Learn about the Meiji Restoration, the 1868 coup that ended the Tokugawa shogunate and brought the emperor Meiji to power. Explore the reforms, challenges, and legacy of the Meiji period that modernized Japan.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Oct 20, 2022 · Learn about the Meiji Period, the era of Japanese history from 1868 to 1912 when the Meiji Emperor reigned and Japan modernised and industrialised. Find out how Japan overthrew the Tokugawa shogunate, adopted a new political system, and fought wars with China and Russia.
- Graham Squires
Learn about the life and reign of Emperor Meiji, who presided over the Westernization of Japan from 1867 to 1912. Find out how he abolished the feudal system, reformed education, and adopted a constitutional monarchy.
Oct 29, 2022 · Learn about the political event that overthrew the Tokugawa shogunate and restored imperial rule in Japan in 1868. Find out the causes, consequences, and legacy of the Meiji Restoration and its impact on modern Japan.
Learn about the cultural and social changes in Japan after the Meiji Restoration of 1868, when the emperor regained political power and opened the country to foreign influence. Explore the art forms and styles that emerged from this period, such as yōga, nihonga, porcelain, and architecture.
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