Meiji Restoration
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The Meiji Restoration is a term of history of Japan. In Japanese language, Meiji-ishin is the term for Meiji Restoration. The term describes a number of events that took place in the politics and society of Japan. These events changed the shape of Japan’s political and social system. These changes took place mainly during three years - from 1866 to 1869.
At that time (1866), Tokugawa Shogunate was ruling Japan. In the year 1866, two leaders came together under an alliance. The name of this alliance was the Sat-cho Alliance. The name of the first leader was Saigo Takamori. He was the leader of the Satsuma Province. The second leader was Kido Takayoshi, the leader of the Choshu. A person named Sakamoto Ryoma brought the two leaders together. These two leaders supported the Emperor of Japan. At that time, Japan’s emperor was not having much power. With their support of these two leaders, the emperor could regain much of his powers. Tokugawa Shogunate’s rule ended on 9th November 1867. Still, some authority remained with them. In 1868, an army of forces from Satsuma Province and Choshu defeated the forces of Tokugawa Shogunate. With this, the power of Tokugawa Shogunate ended completed.
The leaders of the Meiji Restoration acted in the name of Japan’s emperor and to restore (that is, to return) emperor’s powers. But, the leaders also kept to themselves a number of powers. In fact, even after Meiji Restoration, an oligarchy had the real power. The oligarchy ruled in the name of the emperor. In plain words, an oligarchy means a group of persons who has the real powers.
After the Meiji Restoration, Japan’s progress was very fast. Its industry developed rapidly. Within next three to four decades (by 1905), Japan had become a military power, comparable to any other powerful country of that time.
[edit] Leaders
- Okubo Toshimichi (1830-1878)
- Kido Takayoshi (1833-1877)
- Saigo Takamori (1827-1877)
- Iwakura Tomomi (1825-1883)
- Ito Hirobumi (1841-1909)
- Kuroda Kiyotaka (1840-1900)
- Matsukata Masayoshi (1835-1924)
- Oyama Iwao (1842-1916)
- Saigo Tsugumichi (1843-1902)
- Yamagata Aritomo (1838-1922)
- Inoue Kaoru (1835-1915)
- Saionji Kinmochi (1849-1940)
