Meiji Revolution

The 19th century was a time of great change throughout the world. Many powerful empires began to crumble and a few even disappeared. At the same time many nations began to expand and grow in power. Countries became more interconnected, and large trade treaties were formed. Wars, such as the Napoleonic, lead to nations consuming large amounts of land and power. Ideals were also changing. Slavery was greatly reduced in the world, even being abolished in countries such as Russia and America. Up to this point in time, nations such as China and Japan kept pretty much to themselves. China seemed content with what they had, finding no real need for mass trade. Japan was much the same. However, during this period, each nation began to modify their relationship with the rest of the world. The Meiji "Revolution" or "Restoration" is one of the most important events that happened to Japan in the 19th century, if not in all history. With the last years of the Tokugawa Shogunate about, Japan began to feel the winds of change. The "Revolution" changed the nature of the nation, creating one that was ready to stand among the rest of the world as equals.

During the Tokugawa Shogunate, Japan stayed in isolation from the rest of the world, fearing that foreigners would threaten the power of the samurai and shogun. This period of isolationism lasted for almost three hundred years. In the year 1853, an American Commodore, Matthew Perry, arrived with a fleet of ships at Edo bay. Edo was the name of what is today called Tokyo. Shortly after arriving, Perry was met by representatives of the Tokugawa Shogunate and told to proceed to Nagasaki. Nagasaki was the site from which Japan had allowed very limited trading for the last century. Perry refused to leave, demanding permission to present a letter from the president. Since Japan had rejected modern technology for many years, they would stand no match against Perry's "Black Ships" if he used force. Many people were angered that the shogun had allowed these "Barbarians" into their country.

Especially angered of the Shogun's indecisiveness and allowing the barbarians within the gate were the shishi, or the "men of spirit." These "angry young men" were a segment of the samurai within the clan domains. They were aggressive and more than willing to use force as a means toward their objectives. 1

As opposition to the shogun continued to grow people began to formerly band together. In 1866 the Satcho Alliance was formed between Saigo Takamori and Kido Takayoshi, the leaders of the Satsuma and Choshu domains. Some historians say that this alliance marks the beginning of the actual Meiji Revolution or Restoration. Both groups opposed the current Shogunate and supported the emperor. As they amassed their militaries, they began to modernize, a common trend in the Meiji era.

In January 1868, Japan experienced a coup d'Ð"©tat as the opposition to the Shogunate finally won. As people in China used the Mandate of Heaven to legitimize takeovers, this coup was legitimized by the term "Meiji Restoration." It meant that the country was being restored from the rule of the Shogunate back to the emperor. After legitimizing the revolution and eliminating the remaining Meiji opposition, the Restoration was fully underway. Will all this done, the new Emperor Mutsuhito, only sixteen years of age, took control of the nation.

It is said by some that once the Emperor stood unopposed as the ruler of Japan that the "Meiji Restoration" was over. However to truly understand this restoration, one must continue to look ahead in Japan's history. Significant changes were made to Japan by this Revolution, many involving the culture and economics. Even social status was overhauled. The west's attempts for free unfair trade into Japan were thwarted swiftly; making it known that Japan was to be recognized as a world power. Most importantly was the slogan that the nation was under, "National Wealth and Military Strength".

So what were some of these changes that came soon after? One of the first and most important was the reconstruction of the class system. The Meiji oligarchy that made up the government wanted people to know that the time of the samurai, shogun, and daimyo was over. There were a series of steps taken to accomplish this task.

First, in 1868 the Emperor took all land from the Tokugawa and put it under his own control. The daimyo's that were closest to the emperor, those being the daimyo's of the Satsuma and Choshu domains, were convinced to also forfeit their land. In 1871 the Emperor summoned all the daimyo's before him. In this meeting, the Emperor declared that all domains were now to be return to him. In order to keep control of all these domains, the government merged these 300 so domains into about 75 prefectures, each run by a state appointed representative. The daimyo themselves became a sort of new nobility, living off of a pension made from 1/10 of their land value.

At the same time the government was taking away the daimyo's land, it was also working on reducing the samurai power and social status. The samurai had been very important figures in Japan's past. There numbers were great, totaling something around 1.8 million at the time of the Restoration. Samurai held a position similar to a lord, however they also worked. The oligarchy slowly began to tax the money samurai made for their work. In