Emperor Meiji
Emperor Meiji (1852–1912) was the Japanese emperor who presided over Japan's transformation from feudal isolation to modern industrial power.
His reign, the Meiji era, saw the end of samurai rule, rapid Western-style modernization, and Japan's emergence as a military force.
The term Meiji means "enlightened rule." References to Emperor Meiji typically invoke this dramatic national reinvention: Meiji-era reforms, the Meiji Restoration.
Ruling samurai dynasty, 1600s-1800s
- shogunateMilitary dictatorship in Japan
- TokyoJapan's capital city
- samuraiFeudal Japanese military caste
- daimyoJapanese feudal landowner
feudalism · abolition · domains · prefectures
Returning something to condition
- constitutionInherent physical or structural makeup
- oligarchsWealthy few who govern
- privy councilSovereign's official consultants
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
Adopting Euro-American practices
- industrializationTransition to factory-based economy
- railwaysFixed-track transport systems
- telegraphElectrical message system
- YokohamaJapanese port city
factories · Mitsubishi · banking · shipbuilding · textiles · infrastructure · Ginza · gaslight
Personal name, either position
- extraterritorialityLegal reach beyond borders
- Russo-Japanese War1904-1905 imperial conflict
- KoreaEast Asian divided peninsula
- ManchuriaNortheastern Chinese region
Tokugawa
Ruling samurai dynasty, 1600s-1800s
- shogunateMilitary dictatorship in Japan
- TokyoJapan's capital city
- samuraiFeudal Japanese military caste
daimyo · feudalism · abolition · domains · prefectures
restoration
Returning something to condition
- constitutionInherent physical or structural makeup
- oligarchsWealthy few who govern
- privy councilSovereign's official consultants
westernization
Adopting Euro-American practices
- industrializationTransition to factory-based economy
- railwaysFixed-track transport systems
- telegraphElectrical message system
Yokohama · factories · Mitsubishi · banking · shipbuilding · textiles · infrastructure · Ginza · gaslight · postal system
Perry
Personal name, either position
- extraterritorialityLegal reach beyond borders
- Russo-Japanese War1904-1905 imperial conflict
- KoreaEast Asian divided peninsula