The End of Meiji Period

1. The End of Meiji Period By Lea Marie L. Labagala Emperor Mutsuhito

2. Emperor Mutsuhito died of diabetes on 30 July 1912. On the day of his funeral, 13 September, General NogiMaresuke (1849–1912) even committed ritual disembowelment, in the idealized samurai tradition of junshi (following one's lord in death). His wife, Shizuko (1858–1912) also killed herself, following her own lord.

3. General NogiMaresuke (1849–1912)

4. Neither Emperor Meiji nor the achievements of Meiji Japan had been unreservedly admired by all. It was very rare – and a treasonable offense punishable by death – to criticize the emperor personally, but this had happened from time to time.

5. Most criticism, however, was not aimed at Emperor Meiji personally but rather took the form of reservations about what exactly had been achieved in his name. Self-parodying of Japan's westernized modernization was not uncommon. A number of popular songs of the day also contained negative sentiment.

6. Summary of the Meiji Period

7. Japan entered the Meiji period in a state of considerable uncertainty. It was not clear whether the imperial restoration would succeed, or even whether foreigners would try to take over the country. Their aim was to build up a strong nation that could match and even perhaps eventually outdo the west.

8. It was not just a question of learning from the west, however, for in some cases these modern nation-builders appear to have been mindful of useful policies from Japan's own past. Early reforms undertaken by the new government included the relocation of the imperial capital with a view to centralizing power, and to the same end the nationalization of feudal domains to replace them with prefectures.

9. To win recognition by the western powers it was particularly important to follow a number of potentially risky paths. These included being receptive to Christianity, adopting western economic and political institutions, and demonstrating military might.

10. Political westernization proved more difficult, and had to be pursued with great caution. Reforms were made with an impressive outward show of democracy, especially the establishing of a new constitution and a parliament, but these were invariably counter-balanced by curbs and checks.

11. Militarily, Japan learned fast how to fight western-style with modern weapons and a conscript army. After a fortunate opportunity to practice against its own discontented samurai in the Satsuma Rebellion, it was able to defeat a weakened China and then an inconvenienced Russia. Territories gained directly or indirectly by these victories, especially Korea, were milestones on the road to empire-building.

12. Japan's modernization had not always been smooth. There had been more unplanned developments, more trial and error, and a greater role for chance than the nation's leaders would have liked. They borrowed, improvised, studied, and planned as best they could, and were helped by good fortune and sheer determination to succeed.

15. The Meiji period has also revealed many values and practices of great relevance to present-day Japan, usually at the same time showing a continuity with Japan's past. These are summarized in Table 4.2, in what is a rather long list. In a mere half-century Japan had gone from being virtually dismissed by the west as an obscure and rather backward country to be being recognizedas a major world power. It was arguably the most remarkable achievement of any nation in world history over such a short period.

16. Sources: henshall-k-2004-a-history-of-japan.pdf