It was MEIJI in Japan

The history of japan It is one of the most interesting of humanity, with great changes depending on the ruling dynasty at the time. Therefore, it is interesting to study the different eras that make up your story. To talk about one of the most interesting times in Japanese history, in this lesson from a Teacher we introduce you to a summary of the Meiji Era in Japan.

To start talking about the Meiji Era in Japan we must explain the call Meiji Restoration, since it was the reforming process that returned to give power to the imperial government in 1868 ending the military government known as the Shogunate.

In the last years of the Shogunate, the leaders of the Satsuma and Choshu fiefdoms united to defend the rights of the emperor to return to power, allying with the rebels who had faced the shogun for years and, thus, can totally change the Japanese feudal systems.

Boshin War: The Civil War

Although, at first the shogun, tried to reach a peace agreement to continue having power, this did not work causing, in early 1868, the shogun said that he was not going to accept the requests of the imperial supporters, attacking the imperial armies in the city of Kyoto and initiating a

civil war known as Boshin War.

In the first major battle of the war, known as the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, the imperial troops achieved a great victory against the men of the shogunate, largely because many men close to the shogun switched sides, but also because The firearms of the Imperials were far superior to the sword-wielding samurai who were on the side of the shogun.

The shogun and the rest of his troops were secluded in the city of Edo, while the men of the the emperor were approaching the city taking all those surrounding regions that were still in favor of the shogun.

Before long, the Imperials besieged the city of Edo and it wasn't long before the shogun and his men surrendered and hand over the city to Emperor Meiji. Edo was renamed as Tokyo and the capital of Japan passed from Kyoto to Tokyo, turning the Edo Palace into the new imperial palace.

Although some groups tried to go against the interests of the emperors with rebellions of northern groups or the formation of the so-called Edo Republic, they were quickly overcome by the incredible power of the men of the emperor and the call started was Meiji.

The main consequences of the Meiji Era for the society of Japan were the following:

• Samurai. The first thing the Meiji Emperor did when he came to power, which was a huge change for Japanese society at the time, was abolish the privileges of samurai, being a severe blow to all those members of this class who had supported the emperor in the civil war.
• Fair society. The situation of the new Meiji government was complex, in part, due to the tough Japanese situation in the international framework, but also due to the enormous internal social crisis of the nation, being one of the reasons why the privileges of the samurai were ended, looking for a more just society.
• Change in the territory system. The Meiji government transformed the territorial system, ending the fiefdom system and changing it for one of prefectures, being the organization that remains until today.
• Other big changes were the legalization of land ownership, the support of Shintoism as the nation's religion, the industrialization of the nation with the construction of railroads and telegraph cables, and a modernization of the army never seen before.

Within a few years, the Meiji government transformed Japan into the most industrialized Asian nation and more powerful militarily.

Satsuma (or samurai) rebellion

But not everything that happened in the Meiji government was good, since one of the best known events is the Satsuma Rebellion. In this rebellion a group of samurai took up arms against the Meiji government, many samurai being those who, because of the Japanese reforms, had had to go to Satsuma due to lack of employment. The victory of the Imperials against the samurai is regarded as the date of the end of the samurai social class.

Although many samurai perished from the rebellion, they brought something positive to the Japanese nation, as their influence made the Meiji government decide to create a representative government, creating houses of representatives and democratic elections, although without ceasing to be the emperor the person with greater power.

But the policy of the Meiji government was not only directed inward, but also had external problems, especially those related to the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars, which pitted Japan against the powers of China and Russia, achieving victories in both wars and considerably increasing the influence of Japan.

To conclude this summary of the Meiji Era in Japan, we must talk about the last years of Emperor Meiji, to know the end of one of the most reforming stages in the history of Japan.

In the later Meiji years, anarchist attacks were increasing and there were many occasions in which the royal guard had to save the emperor from different attacks.

The emperor was a very sick man, with diseases such as diabetes or gastroenteritis, the combination of so many diseases being what ended his life. Meiji was buried with all honors And, even today, he is considered one of the greatest reformers in Japanese history, turning the nation into one of the great giants of the planet.