Tag: Meiji

The View From Below

November 4, 2024 justin-david-hebert Meiji, Season 13 0 Comments

As the new Meiji government continued to develop and expand, so did the participation of Japanese commoners in the political process. The 1870s witnessed the Iwakura Mission and the birth of Japan’s first newspapers which were quickly followed by censorship laws.

The Meiji Revolution

October 31, 2024 justin-david-hebert Meiji, Season 13 0 Comments
Season 13, Episode 2: The Meiji Revolution
A photograph of Emperor Meiji in traditional dress. 1872. Source: Public Domain
A photograph of Emperor Meiji in a military uniform, 1872. Source: Public Domain
A photograph of Emperor Meiji (center, in white court dress) surrounded by various advisors and attendants at the official inauguration of the Yokosuka arsenal in 1872. Source: Public Domain
A map featuring Japan’s Prefectures, which were created in 1871 to replace the abolished feudal domains. Colors indicate regions: gray is Kyushu, light purple is Shikoku, orange is Chugoku, purple is Kansai, teal is Chubu, green is Kanto, yellow is Tohoku, red is Hokkaido. Source: Public Domain
A 50 Sen coin which was issued in 1870. 100 Sen was equivalent to 1 Yen. Source: As6673, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A 5 Yen coin issued in 1870. Although today the Yen is relatively low in individual value (worth about one single US penny), its value was initially high enough to require two subdivision coins – the sen(1/100) and the rin (1/1,000). Source: As6673, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Bakufu’s Last Gasp

October 28, 2024 justin-david-hebert Meiji, Season 13 0 Comments
Season 13, Episode 1: The Bakufu’s Last Gasp
The official capital building of the Republic of Ezo. This was a repurposed government office in Hakodate. Source: Public Domain
A photograph of the political leaders of the Republic of Ezo. Enomoto Takeaki is seated on the viewer’s right. Source: Public Domain
A photograph of Enomoto Takeaki, the president-elect of the short-lived Republic of Ezo. Source: Public Domain
A diagram of the Goryokaku Star Fort at Hakodate, which the former shogunate forces defended from imperial assault, only to be eventually overrun. Source: Public Domain
The Goryokaku Star Fort as it exists today in modern-day Hakodate. As you can see, it has been transformed into a beautiful public park. Source: 京浜にけ at Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A contemporary etching representing the Battle of Hakodate Bay, a naval engagement in which Ezo Republic forces were driven out of the port. Source: Public Domain
The Japanese text of the Charter Oath, which was declared by the fledgling Meiji government during the Boshin War as a way of establishing their legitimacy and giving some idea of the direction in which they would steer the nation. Source: Public Domain

The Boshin War

June 6, 2024 justin-david-hebert Later Edo, Season 12 Comments Off on The Boshin War

Tensions between the Bakufu and the freshly-energized Loyalists came to a head when a shogunate army was refused entry to Kyoto – then promptly fired upon. The ensuing Boshin War was largely one-sided, with Loyalists gaining repeated victories due to superior arms, tactics, and numbers.

Bakumatsu, Part 3: The Last Shogun

June 3, 2024 justin-david-hebert Later Edo, Season 12 Comments Off on Bakumatsu, Part 3: The Last Shogun

Things appeared grim for Choshu Domain after their defeat to western forces at the Battle of Shimonoseki. In a few short years, however, their fortunes would be completely reversed and the Bakufu would find itself politically besieged.