Emperor Meiji
Mutsuhito[a] (3 November 1852 – 30 July 1912), posthumously honored as Emperor Meiji,[b][c] was the 122nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. His reign is associated with the Meiji Restoration, a series of rapid changes that witnessed Japan's transformation from an isolationist, feudal state to an industrialized world power.
Emperor Meiji
明治天皇
30 January 1867 – 30 July 1912
13 February 1867
Tokugawa Yoshinobu (1866–1868)
Sanjō Sanetomi (1871–1885)
Mutsuhito, Prince Sachi
(祐宮睦仁親王)
3 November 1852
Kyoto Gyoen National Garden, Kyoto, Yamashiro Province, Tokugawa shogunate
30 July 1912 (aged 59)
Meiji Palace, Tokyo City, Tokyo Prefecture, Empire of Japan
13 September 1912
At the time of Emperor Meiji's birth in 1852, Japan was a feudal pre-industrial country dominated by the isolationist Tokugawa shogunate and the daimyō subject to it, who ruled over the country's 270 decentralized domains.[4] By the time of his death, Japan had undergone an extensive political, economic, and social revolution and emerged as one of the great powers on the world stage. The New York Times summarized this transformation at the emperor's funeral in 1912: "the contrast between that which preceded the funeral car and that which followed it was striking indeed. Before it went old Japan; after it came new Japan."[5]
Early life[edit]
Prince Mutsuhito was born on 3 November 1852 in a small house on his maternal grandfather's property at the north end of the Gosho. At the time, birth was culturally believed to be a source of pollution, so the imperial prince was not born in the Palace. Instead, it was common for members of the Imperial Family to be born in a structure, often temporary, near the pregnant woman's father's house. The Prince Mutsuhito's mother, Nakayama Yoshiko, was a concubine (Japanese: 権の典侍, romanized: gon no tenji) to his father Emperor Kōmei, and she was the daughter of the acting major counselor, Nakayama Tadayasu.[14] The young prince was given the title Sachi-no-miya, or Prince Sachi.[15]
The young prince was born into an era of great change in Japan. This change was symbolised dramatically in July 1853 when Commodore Matthew Perry and his American Naval squadron (what the Japanese dubbed "the Black Ships"), sailed into the harbour at Edo (known since 1868 as Tokyo).[16] Perry sought to open Japan up to international trade and showcased the modern cannons that his naval fleet equipped.[17] For the first time in at least 250 years, the shogunate took the highly unusual step of consulting with the Imperial Court because of the crisis brought on by Perry's arrival.[18] Emperor Kōmei's officials advised that they felt they should agree to trade with the Americans and asked that they be informed in advance of any steps to be taken upon Perry's return.[19] The Japanese government decided that their military was no match for the American military and thus allowed trade and submitted to what it dubbed the "Unequal Treaties".[20] "Unequal Treaties" meant giving up tariff authority and the right to try foreigners in its own courts.[17] The shogunate's willingness to consult with the Court was short-lived: in 1858, word of a treaty arrived with a letter stating that due to shortness of time, it had not been possible to consult.[21] Emperor Kōmei was so incensed that he threatened to abdicate—though even this action would have required the consent of the shōgun.[22]
Much of the emperor's boyhood is known only through later accounts, which his biographer Donald Keene points out are often contradictory. One contemporary described Mutsuhito as healthy and strong, somewhat of a bully, and exceptionally talented at sumo. Another states that the prince was delicate and often ill. Some biographers state that he fainted when he first heard gunfire, while others deny this account.[23] On 16 August 1860, Sachinomiya was proclaimed prince of the blood and heir to the throne and was formally adopted by his father's consort. Later that year on 11 November, he was proclaimed as the crown prince and given an adult name, Mutsuhito.[24] The prince began his education at the age of seven.[25] He proved an indifferent student, and later in life wrote poems regretting that he had not applied himself more in writing practice.[26]