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Everything about Meiji Emperor totally explained

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The (November 3, 1852 — July 30, 1912) was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from February 3, 1867 until his death.
   Like all his predecessors, since his death he's been referred to by a posthumous name. Upon his death a new tradition of giving the late emperor the name of the era coinciding with his reign was established. Having ruled during the Meiji era (Enlightened rule), he's now known as Emperor Meiji. As this isn't a personal name, more accurately he should be referred to as "the Meiji emperor".
   His personal name was, and although outside of Japan he's sometimes called by this name or Emperor Mutsuhito, in Japan emperors are referred to only by their posthumous names. Use of an emperor's personal name would be considered too familiar, or even derogatory.
   At the time of his birth in 1852, Japan was an isolated, pre-industrial, feudal country dominated by the Tokugawa Shogunate and the daimyo, who ruled over the country's more than 250 decentralized domains. By the time of his death in 1912, Japan had undergone a political, social, and industrial revolution at home (See Meiji Restoration) and emerged as one of the great powers on the world stage.
   A detailed account of the State Funeral in the New York Times concluded with an observation: "The contrast between that which preceded the funeral car and that which followed it was striking indeed. Before it went old Japan; after it came new Japan."

Events of the Meiji emperor's life

The Meiji emperor was the surviving son of Emperor Kōmei by the lady-in-waiting Nakayama Yoshiko(中山慶子, 1834–1907), the daughter of Lord Nakayama Tadayasu, sometime minister of the left (sadaijin) and a scion of the Fujiwara. He was born eight months before the arrival of Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry and the United States squadron of "Black Ships" in Edo Bay and two years before the first of the unequal treaties which the Tokugawa shogunate signed with Perry. Originally titled Sachi no miya (Prince Sachi), the future emperor spent most of his childhood at the Nakayama household in Kyoto, as it was customary to entrust the upbringing of imperial children to prominent court members.
   He was formally adopted by Asako Nyōgō (later Empress Dowager Eishō), the principal consort of Emperor Kōmei, on 11 July 1860. He also received the personal name Mutsuhito, the rank of Shinnō (Imperial Prince, and thus a potential successor to the throne) and the title of Kōtaishi (Crown Prince) on the same day. Crown Prince Mutsuhito acceded to the throne on 3 February, 1867 at the age of fourteen. In the ninth month of the following year, the era was changed to Meiji, or “enlightened rule”, which was later used for the emperor's posthumous name. This marked the beginning of the custom of an era coinciding with an emperor's reign, and posthumously naming the emperor after the era during which he ruled.
   On 2 September 1867, the Meiji emperor married Masako (later renamed Haruko) (28 May 1849–19 April 1914), the third daughter of Lord Ichijō Tadaka, sometime minister of the left (sadaijin). Known posthumously as Empress Shōken, she was the first Imperial Consort to receive the title of kōgō (literally, the Emperor's wife, translated as Empress Consort), in several hundred years. Although she was the first Japanese Empress Consort to play a public role, she bore no children. However, the Meiji emperor had fifteen children by five official ladies-in-waiting. Only five of his children, a prince born to Lady Naruko (1855–1943), the daughter of Yanagiwara Mitsunaru, and four princesses born to Lady Sachiko (1867–1947), the eldest daughter of Count Sono Motosachi, lived to adulthood. They were:

Meiji Restoration


The Meiji emperor was the symbolic leader of the Meiji Restoration, in which the Tokugawa shogunate was abolished by Imperial forces following the Boshin War. The Charter Oath, a five-point statement of the nature of the new government, abolished feudalism and proclaimed a modern democratic government for Japan. Although a parliament was formed, it had no real power, and neither did the emperor. Power had passed from the Tokugawa into the hands of those Daimyo and other samurai who had led the Restoration. Japan was thus controlled by the Genro, an oligarchy, which comprised the most powerful men of the military, political, and economic spheres. The emperor, if nothing else, showed greater political longevity than his recent predecessors, as he was the first Japanese monarch to remain on the throne past the age of 50 since the abdication of Emperor Ōgimachi in 1586.
   The Meiji Restoration is a source of pride for the Japanese, as it and the accompanying industrialization allowed Japan to become the preeminent power in the Pacific and a major player in the world within a generation. Yet, the Meiji emperor's role in the Restoration is debatable. He certainly didn't control Japan, but how much influence he wielded is unknown. It is unlikely it'll ever be clear whether he supported the Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895) or the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905). One of the few windows we've into the Emperor's own feelings is his poetry, which seems to indicate a pacifist streak, or at least a man who wished war could be avoided.
   Near the end of his life several anarchists, including Kotoku Shusui, were executed on charges of having conspired to murder the sovereign. This conspiracy was known as the High Treason Incident.

Timeline of Events during the Life and Reign of the Meiji Emperor

The Meiji era ushered in many far-reaching changes to the ancient feudal society of Japan. Presented here's a timeline of those major events:
  • 3 November 1852: the Meiji emperor (then known as Sachinomiya) is born to the imperial concubine Nakayama Yoshiko and Emperor Komei
  • 1853: A fleet of ships headed by Commodore Matthew Perry arrives in Japan on 8 July; considered the "Opening" of Japan. Death of the Shogun.
  • 1854–55: Treaties are signed with America by the Bakufu
  • late 1850s–1860s: The "sonno-joi" movement is in full force.
  • 1858: Treaties are signed with Holland, Imperial Russia, and Great Britain by the Bakufu.
  • March 1860: The Tairo, Ii Naosuke, is assassinated.
  • 11 November: Sachinomiya is formally proclaimed Crown Prince and given the personal name Mutsuhito.
  • 1862: Namamugi Incident
  • 1864–65: Bombardment of Shimonoseki by British, American, French, and Dutch ships; fighting ensues between the shogunate and Chōshū.
  • 1866: Death of the Shogun, Tokugawa Iemochi on 29 August; appointment of Tokugawa Yoshinobu as Shogun.
  • 31 January 1867: Death of Emperor Komei from hemorrhagic smallpox, unofficial accession of Mutsuhito to the throne.
  • 4 January 1868: Formal restoration of imperial rule; end of 265 years of rule by the Tokugawa Shogunate
  • 12 September: Formal coronation of the emperor Meiji.
  • 23 October: The nengo is changed to the first year of Meiji.
  • 6 November: The capital is moved from Kyoto to Edo, renamed Tokyo.
  • late 1860s–1881: Period of rebellion and assassination in Japan.
  • 11 January 1869: Marriage of Meiji to Ichijo Haruko, thenceforth the Empress Shoken.
  • 4 September: Meiji receives The Duke of Edinburgh.
  • 1871: The abolition of the han domains is proclaimed.
  • 1873: Edo castle is destroyed in a conflagration; the emperor moves to the Akasaka Palace. Meiji's first children are born, but die at birth.
  • 1877: The Satsuma Rebellion
  • 1878: Assassination of Okubo Toshimichi.
  • 31 August 1879: Prince Yoshihito, the future Taisho Tenno and Meiji's only surviving son, is born.
  • 1881 Receives the first state visit of a foreign monarch, King Kalakaua of Hawaii.
  • 1889: Meiji Constitution promulgated; Ito Hirobumi becomes first Prime Minister of Japan.
  • 1894: Sino-Japanese War, a Japanese victory, that solidifies the Japanese Navy.
  • 1904-1905: Russo-Japanese War, a Japanese victory, which established Japan as a prominent military power.
  • 1912:The emperor dies.

    Personal information

  • Father
  • Mother
    • Nakayama Yoshiko, a concubine of Emperor Komei,
  • Wife
  • Concubines
    • Lady Mitsuko (1853-1873), not much is known about Lady Mitsuko, however she gave birth to the Emperor's first son. She died in childbirth.
    • Lady Natsuko (1856–1873), not much is known about Lady Natsuko, however she gave birth to the Emperor's first daughter and also died in childbirth.
    • Yanagiwara Naruko (1855–1943)
    • Chigusa Kotoko (1855–1944)
    • Sono Sachiko (1867–1947)
  • Children

    Emperor Meiji in popular culture

  • Actor Shichinosuke Nakamura played Emperor Meiji in the 2003 Hollywood film The Last Samurai.Further Information

    Get more info on 'Meiji Emperor'.


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