The Meiji Restoration Era, 1868-1889

1. The Meiji Restoration Era, 1868-1889 Road to Industrialization

2. Change was the currency • isolated, feudalistic island state in 1850 • a powerful colonial power with the most modern of institutions by 1912 Samurai Samurai of the Satsuma clan during the Boshin War, circa 1867.

3. Sources of the Meiji Restoration • Tokugawa era (1600–1868) • stability • centralized “feudal” system • Europeans excluded • political and educational sophistication Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu

4. Late-Tokugawa Japan ripe for change • leaders interested in the ways of the West • American and European seaman began visiting Japan’s ports • Domains gaining power at the expense of the shogunate Japanese woodblock print of Perry (centre) and other high-ranking American seamen.

5. Tokugawa opens Japan to foreigners in 1854 • most tumultuous period • Westerners demand trade • new customs • Christian religion • Playing politics Commodore Perry's fleet for his second visit to Japan in 1854.

6. The Transition to Meiji, 1868–1877 • January 3, 1868, Meiji’s coup • leaders were young • policies were pragmatic • power was tenuous The Meiji Emperor,moving from Kyoto to Tokyo, end of 1868.

7. “Seat-of-the-pants” Government • “charter oath,” issued in April 1868 • government structure was reorganized repeatedly • leadership kept shifting • policies often revised Reception by the Meiji Emperor of the Second French Military Mission to Japan, 1872.

8. The Clear Direction • Centralization • Solidarity • Involvement in the broader world. • Commitment to making Japan a modern nation Emperor Meiji in his fifties

9. Internationalization • Studied Western models • yatoi • Treaty Revision The Meiji emperor receiving the Order of the Garter from Prince Arthur of Connaught in 1906, as a consequence of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance.

10. Centralization • replace the semi-feudal domains with modern prefectures • military draft • School compulsory • Crisis of 1873 • Satsuma Rebellion of 1877 Provinces of Japan in an 1855 map.

11. Creating a Modern System, 1877–1889 • hard on the traditional samurai class, and devastating for vast numbers of people • diffusion of new ideas and practices • Food • Business • Infrastructure • culture Saigo Takamori (seated, in Western uniform), surrounded by his officers, in samurai attire, during the 1877 Satsuma rebellion.

12. Drive toward creating a Constitutional System • A constant, fierce struggle between popular and official forces. • “movement for freedom and rights” • Ito Hirobumi, led a group to Europe to study political systems Prime Minister of Japan In office22 December 1885 – 30 April 1888

13. The Restoration Legacy • The rise of nationalism • rising importance of military affairs • march to modernity Itagaki Taisuke was attacked by thug in Gifu. And, he said "Itagaki may die, but liberty never!"

14. Read and Answer • What cultural beliefs and attitudes allowed Japan to industrialize so quickly? • How does this compare to Russian industrialization? • Read: • The Samurai and their use of Bushido • Bushido: The Way of the Warrior

15. Read • The Samurai and their use of Bushido • Bushido: The Way of the Warrior