Foreign Influence and Imperial Restoration
– In 1853, Commodore Matthew C. Perry arrived in Japan and threatened warships to open up Japanese ports for trade.
– The Convention of Kanagawa was signed in 1854, opening up trade between the United States and Japan.
– Japan reluctantly expanded trade deals to France, Britain, Netherlands, and Russia due to American pressure.
– These treaties signed with Western powers became known as Unequal Treaties, as Japan lost control over tariffs and Western powers gained control over Japanese lands.
– In 1858, Townsend Harris concluded a treaty opening Japanese ports to trade.
– The Meiji Restoration was founded on the 1866 Satsuma-Chōshū Alliance between Saigō Takamori and Kido Takayoshi.
– The alliance aimed to challenge the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and restore the Emperor to power.
– Emperor Meiji ascended the throne in February 1867, marking the change from a feudal society to a centralized nation.
– The koban currency was discontinued in the same year.
– The Meiji Restoration left a lingering influence of modernity on Japan.
– The Tokugawa government was founded in the 17th century and focused on reestablishing order after a century of warfare.
– Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the 15th shōgun, put his prerogatives at the Emperor’s disposal in 1867 and officially ended the Tokugawa shogunate.
– The restoration of imperial rule occurred in January 1868, when the Emperor stripped Yoshinobu of all power.
– The Boshin War began in January 1868, resulting in the defeat of the shōgun’s army and the seizure of Tokugawa lands.
– The daimyōs of various domains returned their lands to the Emperor, creating a centralized government in Japan.
Military and Economic Reforms
– Emperor Meiji’s 1868 Charter Oath called for the strengthening of imperial rule through the pursuit of knowledge.
– The Meiji Six Society was formed in 1873 to promote civilization and enlightenment.
– Political power shifted from the Tokugawa shogunate to an oligarchy consisting of leaders from Satsuma and Chōshū Provinces.
– The Meiji oligarchy introduced measures to consolidate their power against the remnants of the Edo period government, daimyōs, and the samurai class.
– The Tokyo Koishikawa Arsenal played a significant role in military reform during the Meiji period.
– The Unequal Treaties opened up trade between Japan and Western powers.
– Japan lost control over tariffs, leading to economic control by Western powers.
– The Meiji government implemented economic reforms to modernize Japan’s industry and infrastructure.
– The establishment of urban and rural prefectures and the conversion of domains into prefectures contributed to centralized governance.
– Former samurai faced financial difficulties due to the loss of stipends and heavy taxation.
Social and Cultural Changes
– Samurai numbered 1.9 million in Japan.
– Samurai stipends were taxed and converted into government bonds.
– Samurai were no longer allowed to bear arms.
– Saigō Takamori led a major samurai rebellion, which was swiftly put down.
– Many samurai found employment in the government bureaucracy and other professions.
– The tenancy system was legitimized, disrupting the class system.
– Villagers began leasing land to other farmers, leading to their wealth.
– The bakufu’s efforts to freeze the class system were disrupted.
– Land reforms contributed to the downfall of the bakufu.
– The majority of samurai were content despite the abolition of their status.
– Nationwide conscription was instituted, mandating military service for all males.
– Every male in Japan was granted the right to bear arms.
– Samurai were no longer allowed to display their status through weapons.
– The Satsuma Rebellion, led by Saigō Takamori, was swiftly put down by the Imperial Japanese Army.
– The samurai class joined the new society, while the ideal of samurai military spirit lived on.
– The government established a dominant national dialect, called standard language.
– The national dialect replaced local and regional dialects.
– The Meiji Restoration influenced Japanese self-identity with respect to its Asian neighbors.
– Japan became the first Asian state to modernize based on the Western model.
– The government established a national system of public schools, increasing skilled workers.
– Hiroshima Castle was repurposed as barracks and parade grounds.
– Hikone Castle was saved from destruction by orders from the emperor.
– Nagoya Castle and Nijo Castle became official imperial detached palaces.
– Himeji Castle survived by luck.
– Some cultural heritage sites were saved by interventions from politicians, government and military officials, experts, historians, and locals.
– The Meiji government put down revolts by samurai angry about the revocation of burakumin’s untouchable status.
– The Dampatsurei Edict of 1871 forced men of the samurai classes to cut their hair short, abandoning the chonmage hairstyle.
– Buddhist religious idols and temples were destroyed during the Meiji restorations.
– Traditional Shinto shrines were closed and shut down in the Shrine Consolidation Policy.
– Cremation and Buddhism were condemned, but the attempted ban on cremation was lifted in 1875.
– German diplomat Philipp Franz von Siebold served as a diplomatic advisor.
– Foreign specialists like Hendrik Hardes, François Léonce Verny, and Richard Henry Brunton were hired for various projects.
– Most foreign specialists returned to their countries after their contracts ended.
– The Japanese government did not encourage permanent settlement of foreign specialists.
– Some foreign specialists, like Josiah Conder and W. K. Burton, stayed in Japan.
Causes, Key Figures, and Events of the Meiji Restoration
– Economic challenges and decline of the Tokugawa shogunate
– Arrival of Western powers and pressure to open Japan to trade
– Influence of Western ideas and Source URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiji_Restoration
