When the term “imperialism” is mentioned, we most often think of Europe and the United States with their borders in Asia, Africa, and the South Pacific. However, there was one Asian nation that joined this Western personified imperialist bombshell. Japan opened up to Western influence and began to search for modernization under Western pressure and […]
Tag Archives: Meiji
The early Meiji years were a crucial time for the fragile new government, but the young government’s ambitious officials wasted no time in building the infrastructure that laid the foundation for independent (public) contributions to Meiji modernization. These public contributions were quite significant and varied. One of the most notable of these additions was the […]
In the world of pearls, Mikimoto has become one of the most recognizable names in history. Today, Mikimoto offers some of the finest cultured pearls in the world. However, the fascinating history behind Mikimoto began in the mid-19th century. Japan started trading its pearls (a priceless treasure at the time) with foreign countries before the […]
As countries of the East, the West often perceives China and Japan as two countries with similar political, economic and social norms. What many Westerners may not realize, however, beginning in the 19th century, Japan ended its traditional isolationist policies while seeking to isolate China, and this distinction strongly influenced Japan and China’s political, economic, […]
The Meiji restoration had a deep impact on Japan. The restoration, besides restoring power to the Meiji emperor (which, in reality, it just transferred power from the Tokugawa shogun to the new oligarchy of the daimyo that defeated him) changed Japanese society. “The salient characteristic of Japan’s mid-nineteenth century transitional period is the demise of […]
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The remarkable changes to Japanese life and religion instigated by Japan’s first military defeat and occupation are undeniable. After 1945, the nationalistic and militaristic trends that grew to prominence during the renewal period of the Meiji Restoration began to reverse, and a new religious landscape began to emerge in Japan reshaped by the Japanese reaction […]
The foundation of Meiji was established during the Tokugawa rule of Japan. Under the Tokugawa, Japan became unified and isolated according to the Chinese model. Tokugawa exhausted the feudal economic system by requiring samurai and daimyos to live half-time in Edo every other year. with the exception of his fees. and his hostages to remain. […]
The era of Tokugawa had ended, thrown apart by a group of young reformers from the clans of Choshu and Satsuma in the name of the emperor. The Shogun lost power after two and a half centuries of rule; and the emperor, who took the name Meiji, was restored to a position of authority. Thus […]