History UsefulNotes / MeijiRestoration

In 1854 that began to change when Commodore Matthew Perry ''[[note]]([[{{WebOriginal/CrashCourse}} no, not]] [[{{Series/Friends}} that]] [[{{Creator/MatthewPerry}} Matthew Perry]])[[/note]]'' of the U.S. Navy pulled into a harbor in Shimoda and used GunboatDiplomacy to open Japan into trading with the outside world. This opened up all kinds of turmoil within the various clans. In 1866, the Satsuma and Choshu domains (nursing a 250-year old grudge over their defeats against UsefulNotes/TokugawaIeyasu) allied and built the foundation of the Meiji restoration, challenging the Tokugawa clan to restore power to the emperor. The previous Emperor passed away in 1867, allowing Meiji (Mutsuhito) to take the throne.

In 1854 that began to change when Commodore Matthew Perry ''[[note]](no, not that [[{{Series/Friends}} Matthew Perry]])[[/note]]'' of the U.S. Navy pulled into a harbor in Shimoda and used GunboatDiplomacy to open Japan into trading with the outside world. This opened up all kinds of turmoil within the various clans. In 1866, the Satsuma and Choshu domains (nursing a 250-year old grudge over their defeats against UsefulNotes/TokugawaIeyasu) allied and built the foundation of the Meiji restoration, challenging the Tokugawa clan to restore power to the emperor. The previous Emperor passed away in 1867, allowing Meiji (Mutsuhito) to take the throne.

The Meiji restoration officially began when the Shogun resigned and handed duties and prerogatives over to The Emperor. It was not a peaceful transition, as the Shogunate's supporters and those of the Emperor struggled for dominance. The infamous [[TheShinsengumi Shinsengumi]] were formed by the Shogunate during this time. The Boshin War began in 1868, when TheRemnant of the Shogunate (including the last remaining members of the aforementioned Shinsengumi) made a last ditch effort to create a republic in modern-day Hokkaido and fought with the Emperor's forces as a result. With the final defeat of the Shogunate forces, Japan was reunited under Imperial rule.

** To give a few examples, KidAppealCharacter Yahiko and his [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend friend]] Tsubame struggle with chains to the past early on (Yahiko tries to act like a traditional samurai, while Tsubame initially serves the descendent of a samurai family her own family served for generations). In addition, Saito Hajime (formerly of TheShinsengumi) views the police force he now works with as successors to his fallen comrades due to the Shinsengumi's original job of protecting the peace and so is [[BerserkButton some]][[TranquilFury what]] displeased when someone goes around gleefully slaughtering them.

** ''Shinsengumi!'' (新撰組!, 2004), an ensemble story about [[TheShinsengumi the leaders of the titular organization]]

* While most of ''Manga/{{Ooku}}:The Inner Chambers'' takes place in the JidaiGeki, Volume 13 starts to slide into the early parts of the Meiji Restoration, namely, Commodore Perry appears to force open the ports.

For roughly equivalent time periods, see TheGildedAge (United States), UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany, VictorianBritain (Great Britain, first three quarters), and TheEdwardianEra (Great Britain, last quarter)

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Film]]

* The ''Rurouni Kenshin'' [[Film/RurouniKenshin films of 2012]] [[Film/RurouniKenshinKyotoInferno and]] [[Film/RurouniKenshinTheLegendEnds 2014]] serve as adaptations and relatively-more realistic takes on the era than the manga and anime.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

** '' Ryōmaden'' (龍馬伝, 2010), an updated, modernized retelling of the story of Sakamoto Ryōma, with the impoverished ronin-turned-Mitsubishi founder [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iwasaki_Yatar%C5%8D Iwasaki Yataro]] serving as {{Deuteragonist}}.[[note]]The series can arguably serve as a ''prequel'' of sorts to the ''RurouniKenshin'' films, having been produced by the same director.[[/note]]

* ''Manga/DontenNiWarau'' is set during this era, however the focus is less on politics and more on the supernatural.

The Meiji period covers the entire reign of Emperor Meiji from the Restoration in 1867 to 1912, when Meiji was succeeded by his son Taishō (Yoshihito). The Meiji period saw Japan's adoption of a Western-style constitutional monarchy, modeled primarily on that of ImperialGermany. Nominally, the Emperor had a great deal of authority, but in reality power lay with the ''genro'', a group of aristocrats who ran the ministries and had brought about the Restoration in the first place. The ''genro'' established a Western-style title system, merging the Japanese nobility, which had previously been bifurcated into Imperial Court nobles (''kuge'') and feudal lords (''daimyō''), into a single class (''kazoku''), whose members sat as the upper house of the new Imperial Diet, the House of Peers. The lower house, the House of Representatives, had rather stringent age and property requirements for voting during the Meiji era, and its powers were limited. The Imperial Prime Minister and Government were theoretically appointed by the Emperor, but Emperor Meiji seems to have decided that for his own sake it would be better to allow the ''genro'' to decide who would take office when (a wise choice, seeing what happened to Wilhelm II in Germany).

The period saw rapid industrialization in Japan, with urbanization (and its problems) to match. Most of the ''[[MegaCorp zaibatsu]]'' were founded during this time (although two of the largest, Mitsui and Sumitomo, dated back to the 17th century, and the actual term was not widely used until after WorldWarI), with both the long-suppressed merchant class and noble and ex-samurai families trying their hands at commerce and building industrial empires.

Japan's political empire has its origin here, as well: the new Japanese industries, hungry for resources and markets, saw the government snapping up Pacific islands such as Okinawa and Formosa and, by winning the UsefulNotes/FirstSinoJapaneseWar and the UsefulNotes/RussoJapaneseWar, carving out spheres of influence in nearby China. Japan's first large-scale colony was established when Korea became a Japanese "protectorate" in 1905, becoming annexed in 1910.

More significantly, although all bills had to get the assent of both houses of the Diet, they could not originate in the Diet (the Government had to propose them), and they also had to have the assent of the Emperor. All in all, it's not clear how much influence Emperor Meiji had; he was a very private man and seems to have been a rather gentle-tempered sort of fellow (one of the few glimpses into his personality is a short poem that seems to mark him as, if not a pacifist, then certainly someone who disliked fighting and war), and he certainly never used his powers directly without his advisors' say-so. Still, it's entirely possible that he exerted subtler influence on policy; this is, after all, Japan, where deals done quietly in a back room are the norm.

** '' Ryōmaden'' (龍馬伝, 2010), an updated, modernized retelling of the story of Sakamoto Ryōma, with the impoverished ronin-turned-Mitsubishi founder [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iwasaki_Yatar%C5%8D Iwasaki Yataro]] serving as {{Deuteragonist}}.[[note]]The series can arguably serve as a ''prequel'' of sorts to the ''RurouniKenshin'' films, having been produced by the same diretor.[[/note]]

** ''Ryōma ga Yuku'' (竜馬がゆく, 1968), one of the first about the foremost Restoration revolutionary [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakamoto_Ry%C5%8Dma Sakamoto Ryōma]]

** ''Tobu ga Gotoku'' (翔ぶが如く, 1990), about the ill-fated [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saig%C5%8D_Takamori Saig%C5%8D Takamori]], Meiji statesman and leader of the Satsuma Rebellion
** ''Tokugawa Yoshinobu (徳川慶喜, 1998), about [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokugawa_Yoshinobu the last Tokugawa Shogun]], who was deposed by the Restoration

** '' Ryōmaden'' (龍馬伝, 2010), an updated, modernized retelling of the story Sakamoto Ryōma, with the impoverished ronin-turned-Mitsubishi founder [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iwasaki_Yatar%C5%8D Iwasaki Yataro]] serving as {{Deuteragonist}}.[[note]]The series can arguably serve as a ''prequel'' of sorts to the ''RurouniKenshin'' films, having been produced by the same diretor.[[/note]]

** ''Atsuhime'' (篤姫, 2008), about the Lady [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tensh%C5%8Din Tensh%C5%8Din]], a Satsuma princess who married into the Tokugawa Shogunate, and had to traverse her ConflictingLoyalty between her family and her domain.
** '' Ryōmaden'' (龍馬伝, 2010), an updated, modernized retelling of the story Sakamoto Ryōma, with the impoverished ronin-turned-Mitsubishi founder [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iwasaki_Yatar%C5%8D]] serving as {{Deuteragonist}}.[[note]]The series can arguably serve as a ''prequel'' of sorts to the ''RurouniKenshin'' films, having been produced by the same diretor.[[/note]]

** ''Hana Moyu'' (花燃ゆ, 2015), about [[https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%A5%AB%E5%8F%96%E7%BE%8E%E5%92%8C%E5%AD%90 Sugi Fumi]], the younger sister of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshida_Sh%C5%8Din Yoshida Sh%C5%8Din]], the initial intellectual genius of the Restoration.

* The NHK drama ''Saka no Ue no Kumo'' (Clouds over the Slope) covers the lives of the Akiyama brothers from 1868 to the end of the UsefulNotes/RussoJapaneseWar.

For roughly equivalent time periods, see TheGildedAge (United States), VictorianBritain (Great Britain, first three quarters), UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany, and TheEdwardianEra (Great Britain, last quarter)

For roughly equivalent time periods, see TheGildedAge (United States), VictorianBritain (Great Britain, first three quarters), and TheEdwardianEra (Great Britain, last quarter)

The Meiji restoration officially began when the shogunate resigned and handed duties and prerogatives over to The Emperor. The Boshin War began in 1868, when TheRemnant of the Shogunate made a last ditch effort to create a republic in modern-day Hokkaido and fought with the Emperor's forces as a result.

The Meiji period covers the entire reign of Emperor Meiji from the Restoration in 1867 to 1912, when Meiji was succeeded by his son Taishō (Yoshihito). The Meiji period saw Japan's adoption of a Western-style constitutional monarchy, modeled primarily on that of ImperialGermany. Nominally, the Emperor had a great deal of authority, but in reality power lay with the ''genro'', a group of aristocrats who ran the ministries and had brought about the Restoration in the first place. The ''genro'' established a Western-style title system, merging the Japanese nobility, which had previously been bifurcated into Imperial Court nobles (''kuge'') and feudal lords (''daimyō''), into a single class (''kazoku''), whose members sat as the upper house of the new Imperial Diet, the House of Peers. The lower house, the House of Representatives, had rather stringent age and property requirements for voting during the Meiji era, and its powers were limited. The Imperial Prime Minister and Government were theoretically appointed by the Emperor, but Emperor Meiji seems to have decided that for his own sake it would be better to allow the ''genro'' to decide who would take office when (a wise choice, seeing what happened to Wilhelm II in Germany). More significantly, although all bills had to get the assent of both houses of the Diet, they could not originate in the Diet (the Government had to propose them), and they also had to have the assent of the Emperor. All in all, it's not clear how much influence Emperor Meiji had; he was a very private man and seems to have been a rather gentle-tempered sort of fellow (one of the few glimpses into his personality is a short poem that seems to mark him as, if not a pacifist, then certainly someone who disliked fighting and war), and he certainly never used his powers directly without his advisors' say-so. Still, it's entirely possible that he exerted subtler influence on policy; this is, after all, Japan, where deals done quietly in a back room are the norm.

* The [[ComicBook/Die Abrafaxe Abrafaxe]] spend the arc from ''Mosaik'' No. 323 to 343 in Japan in the year 1872. There they meet the Prussian engineer Heinrich von Himmelgut (on a mission to help build Japanese railways), who falls in love with Toshiko, the daughter of a former samurai.

In 1854 that began to change when Commodore Matthew Perry ''[[note]](no, not that [[{{Series/Friends}} Matthew Perry]])[[/note]]'' of the U.S. Navy pulled into a harbor in Shimoda and used GunboatDiplomacy to open Japan into trading with the outside world. This opened up all kinds of turmoil within the various clans. In 1866, the Satsuma and Choshu domains (nursing a 250-year old grudge over their defeats against UsefulNotes/TokugawaIeyasu in the UsefulNotes/SengokuJidai) allied and built the foundation of the Meiji restoration, challenging the Tokugawa clan to restore power to the emperor. The previous Emperor passed away in 1867, allowing Meiji (Mutsuhito) to take the throne.

In 1854 that began to change when Commodore Matthew Perry ''[[note]](no, not that [[{{Series/Friends}} Matthew Perry]])[[/note]]'' of the U.S. Navy pulled into a harbor in Shimoda and used GunboatDiplomacy to open Japan into trading with the outside world. This opened up all kinds of turmoil within the various clans. In 1866, the Satsuma and Choshu domains (nursing a 250-year old grudge over their defeats against TokugawaIeyasu in the Sengoku Period) allied and built the foundation of the Meiji restoration, challenging the Tokugawa clan to restore power to the emperor. The previous Emperor passed away in 1867, allowing Meiji (Mutsuhito) to take the throne.

* ''[[VideoGame/VictoriaAnEmpireUnderTheSun Victoria 2]]'' covers the time period during which the Meiji Restoration took place. Japan can choose to enact a political decision that models the Meiji Restoration, allowing the nation to adopt Western policies more quickly. The Boshin War is not specifically modeled by the game, but general uprisings can occur among more conservative populations if the Meiji Restoration occurs too soon.