Emperor Meiji was the second son of Emperor Komei. He was born on September 22, 1852. His mother was Keiko, the daughter of Dainagon Nakayama Tadano. The emperor was named Yunomiya when he was young, and he was established as crown prince in 1860. Empress Eitera was adopted as his adoptive mother, and he was given the name Mutsuhito. In December 1866, Emperor Komei died. In the first month of the following year, the 16-year-old Prince Mutsuhito became the 122nd Emperor Meiji. Because the emperor was young, Nijo Saikei was initially appointed as regent to manage the affairs of the court.
At this time, the political struggle at the end of Japan's shogunate era has entered a white-hot state, and the forces that overthrow the shogunate and the shogunate are engaged in a final decisive battle. In this contest, both sides have to compete for the emperor's banner. Whoever controls the emperor will be the "official army", otherwise he will become the "thief army". As a result of the contest, the Tokugawa shogunate was sinking like the red sun, and its decline was irreversible. The shogun Tokugawa Yingxi had no choice but to return the government to the throne on October 14, 1867. On the same day, Iwakura Tomoshi and others who held the real power of the imperial court, together with Kazuo, a patriot of the overthrow faction, issued a secret edict in the name of the emperor, saying that Tokugawa Keiki "had the power of many generations and relied on the strength of the whole family to wantonly kill loyal and good people. Du abandoned the king's order, followed the emperor's edict without fear, and trapped all the people in the ravine without paying attention. The sin of China will be overthrown." The secret edict called on the overthrow faction to "kill the traitors and ministers to celebrate, and to quickly return to heaven with great achievements." The overthrow faction became more powerful and powerful after receiving this secret decree.
On December 9, the imperial court issued the "Grand Order for the Restoration of Royal Government", which abolished the shogunate and the shogunate, and established the three positions of president, agreement and participation. That day and night, a meeting was held in the small imperial palace in the palace to discuss how to deal with Tokugawa Qingxi and other matters. The emperor attended the meeting in person, and the two factions advocating severe punishment and those advocating forgiveness had their own opinions and were at loggerheads. The Lord of the Tosa Domain, who advocated forgiveness, said that the other party was "taking advantage of the young emperor to use his power for personal gain." However, the leniency faction finally gave in under the pressure of the severe punishment faction, and the meeting decided to order Tokugawa Keki to resign and take up his position. It can be seen that the emperor at this time was still the tool of the overthrow faction. It is said that the emperor at that time advocated that the Tokugawa family's credit should not be completely submerged when dealing with Tokugawa Keiki, but this idea of ??the emperor had no impact on the actions of the overthrow faction.
On March 14, 1868, the emperor led the ministers and princes to worship the gods and earth in the Zichen Hall, and issued the "Guangxing Conference, all opportunities depend on public opinion", "old and bad habits", "seeking knowledge in the world" The "Five Oaths" will serve as the basic national policy for Japan's future development. The emperor's imperial letter published at the same time also expressed the determination of the emperor and the newly established Meiji government to "manage the four directions, appease billions of people, open up thousands of miles of waves, and declare the national prestige in the four seas." The Meiji Restoration, known as one of the three major turning points in Japanese history, began. On leap April 21st, the government formulated the "Government Book" and established the emperor system's governing institution to restore the imperial system. Although the emperor is at the center of this ruling body, "all power belongs to the Taishōkan", which is controlled by Sanjo Sanimi, Iwakura Tomoshi and others. Later, middle and lower-level samurai who made contributions in the Meiji Restoration gradually joined the core of the regime and replaced He became the prince and minister and took control of the power of the country. In order to show that the new government is the seat of national sovereignty, the emperor was specially invited to meet with the envoys of various countries stationed in Japan in February and March. During the meeting, the emperor painted his eyebrows in a completely Heian-era attire, which was an eye-opener for the envoys of various countries. In July, Edo was renamed Tokyo. In August, the enthronement ceremony was held at the Zichen Hall. In September, the name was changed to "Meiji" (the era name of "Meiji" is taken from the Zhouyi sentence "The sage faces south and listens to the world, and governs toward the bright"). It was stipulated that one generation should be one yuan, and the capital was moved to Tokyo. In March 1869, the emperor settled in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
While reorganizing and improving the governing institutions, the Meiji government vigorously promoted Japan as a divine country and deified the emperor. In November 1871, the Daiso Festival was held. The government also designated the Emperor Jimmu Festival and the Ekigen Festival as national memorial days. Eight shrines were built in the palace, Buddhas were destroyed and abandoned everywhere, Shinto was made the national religion, and the government took charge of shrines across the country. Because the Emperor is a god, even depicting the Emperor is disrespectful to the Emperor, and the appearance of the Emperor in historical dramas is prohibited. The government arranged for the emperor to tour various parts of the country several times to enhance the emperor's prestige in the hearts of the people. The government also imprisoned 4,000 Christian believers and tortured them severely, forcing them to change their beliefs, believe in Shinto, and worship the emperor.
For those who disobeyed, the men were sent to hard labor in the mines, and the women were sent to brothels where they were tortured and tortured. Even Yokoi Konan, one of the heroes of the restoration, was suspected of being a Christian because he admired Western democracy and advocated democracy and politics. As a result, he was assassinated by the pro-independence group. This policy of the Meiji government originated from the proposition of Iwakura Tomoshi and others that the realization of dictatorship should be based on the religion of worshiping the emperor.
The people in power in the Meiji government also paid great attention to the training of the Meiji Emperor, and successively appointed Hirata Tetsuin, Kato Hiroyuki, Motoda Eifu, Nishimura Shigeki, Nishu, Fukuba Mizuki, Ichiji Masaharu, Soejima Well-known contemporary scholars such as Taneomi served as "Shishou" and carefully raised the emperor. Among the courses taught, there are not only the Chinese classics "The Book of Songs", "Historical Records", "Zi Zhi Tong Jian", "Zhenguan Zhengji", as well as the Japanese historical book "The Legend of the God Emperor", etc., in addition to new knowledge about the Western world. , "Saiguo Lishi", "French Political Code" and other named works became teaching materials for lectures, and he also taught the emperor to learn German. After such careful education, Emperor Meiji grew from an ignorant boy into a monarch who respected tradition and had an open spirit.
In order to gain a deeper understanding of the situation in Western countries and learn from useful experiences, the Meiji government sent high-level missions to major European and American capitalist countries in the autumn of 1871 for a year and 10 months of inspection. Through this inspection, the Meiji government determined the overall goal it pursued, which was to use Western capitalist countries (mainly Britain and Germany) as examples to vigorously support and develop capitalism and build Japan into a capitalist country with a prosperous country and a strong military. Thereby getting rid of the crisis of semi-colonialization and expanding overseas. To this end, the Meiji government proposed three major policies: "enriching the country and strengthening the army", "colonizing industry and developing industry", and "civilizing and enlightening", and carried out a series of reforms in all aspects of politics, economy, and culture.
In terms of politics, the Meiji government first decisively decided that the feudal vassals would "return" their territories and people to the central government. On this basis, it further abolished the vassal system, established prefectures and counties in various places, and the chief executive was appointed by the central government. , eliminated feudal separatism and unified the country. The government also deprived the old warrior class of its feudal privileges and severely suppressed the armed rebellion of those under fifty. At the same time, the Meiji government continued to adjust and reorganize state power institutions to adapt to the needs of the new situation. In 1868, the "Taishōkan", the agency for the prime minister's state affairs, was established. By 1875, the Senate (legislation), the Grand Council (judiciary) and the Taizōgō (administration) were formed. The separation of powers was established, and the imperial bureaucratic rule system was basically established. . In order to prepare for the implementation of a Japanese-style constitutional monarchy, the Meiji government changed the Taisheng official system to a cabinet system in December 1885. At the same time, it established and gradually improved the modern civil service system.
In terms of military affairs, the Meiji government issued the "Conscription Order" in early 1873, establishing the principle that "everyone must perform military service" for all citizens, and at the same time established a dual system of military administration and military orders in the army. The top leaders of the military departments such as the General Staff Headquarters have the power to report to the emperor directly and influence the cabinet on military and political matters. The Meiji government also issued the "Military Instructions" and the "Military Edict" successively, using the spirit of feudal bushido to imprison the minds of soldiers and turning soldiers into tools for the reactionary imperial militarism.
In terms of the legal system, the formulation of a constitution is the most important reform. After years of preparation, the Meiji government promulgated the "Constitution of the Empire of Japan" based on the German Constitution in 1889, which stipulated that "the Empire of Japan is ruled by the emperor of the eternal line" and "the emperor is the head of the country and has overall governing power." . The Council of Elders and the Privy Council are important advisory bodies to the Emperor, while the Cabinet is the highest administrative body responsible only to the Emperor. Parliament consists of the House of Lords and the House of Representatives. Both houses have the same power, and the House of Representatives has a limited role. Although the people received some rights, they were subject to great restrictions. This constitution is very conservative, but it is the first bourgeois constitution in the East. A parliamentary system was established in 1890, and other legal systems were also enacted. By the end of the 1990s, Japan had become a semi-feudal bourgeois constitutional monarchy with a generally complete legal system.
In terms of economy, the Meiji government attached great importance to relying on state power and capital to support the development of capitalism, and state-owned industrial and mining enterprises with the military industry as the core drove the development of private enterprises.
The government accumulated funds by reforming local taxes, abolishing the salaries of feudal warriors, and plundering foreign countries. From the early 1970s, the government vigorously promoted the policy of "propagating industry and promoting industry" and established modern enterprises. At the same time, it transplanted and introduced capitalist management systems and production technologies, and restricted Monopoly, encourage competition, reward domestic production, strive to promote the development of private enterprises, and transfer most state-owned enterprises except military and industrial enterprises to private capital at extremely low prices when necessary. As a result, Japan's capitalist economy developed rapidly, but agricultural development was slow. A large number of feudal tenancy relationships remained in the countryside, and industrial and agricultural development remained unbalanced for a long time.
In terms of culture and education, the Meiji government promulgated the "School System" in 1872 and began to implement educational reforms nationwide with the goal of "every household in the city is educated and everyone in the family is educated". First, the country was divided into school districts, schools were set up at all levels, and compulsory primary education was gradually popularized. The Meiji government also tried its best to increase education funding through various channels. In 1879 and 1886, the government adjusted its education policy twice, changing the "one size fits all" approach and making it more in line with Japan's national conditions. In the process of educational reform, the government has increasingly attached importance to national history education that advocates the idea of ??"one emperor for all eternity" and instills feudal loyalty to the emperor. In 1890, the "Education Rescript" was promulgated, advocating the feudal moral standard of "subduing loyalty and subduing filial piety", which became the fundamental guideline for militaristic education under the emperor's system.
In the process of this reform, the growing Emperor Meiji gradually participated in the national political power. Especially in 1877 and 1878, the three heroes of the Restoration, Kido Takayoshi, died of illness, Saigo Takamori committed suicide in defeat, and Okubo Toshimichi was assassinated. When the second generation leader of the Meiji government, Ito Hirobumi and others, gained power, the Meiji Emperor also began to participate. In state affairs, he often visits the cabinet in person to implement personal administration. Especially after the Privy Council began to review the draft constitution in 1888, Japan held 90 meetings. Emperor Meiji personally attended these meetings, listened carefully to the speeches of the participants, and showed great concern and attention to the constitutional issue. , on February 11, 1889, Emperor Meiji presided over the promulgation ceremony of the constitution, and also announced legal documents such as the "Election Law for Members of the House of Representatives", the "Order of the House of Nobles" and the "Imperial Model". This is an important milestone in Japan's modern development history and a symbol of the formation of Japan's modern imperial state, a semi-feudal bourgeois state. Under this constitutional monarchy system, "the emperor is sacrosanct and inviolable," and the country's legal, administrative, military and other powers are vested in the emperor alone. The emperor's legislative power is "assisted" by the Diet, his executive power is "assisted" by the cabinet, and his military power is "exerted" by the military ministry. The power of the emperor at this time was not only fundamentally different from the power of the emperor and the shogunate in the feudal era, but also fundamentally different from the power of the emperor after the "restoration of imperial government" in the early Meiji Restoration. The emperor's class attributes had changed at this time, from a feudal monarch to a large landowner and capitalist, becoming the highest manifestation of Japan's feudal and bourgeois nature in the Meiji era (the land occupied by the imperial family had changed from the early Meiji era to The approximately 600 machibu expanded to 3,654,500 machibu in 1890. In 1887, the total imperial property was 7,885,840 yen, and in 1899 it reached 22,645,000 yen).
In November 1890, the first session opened. Emperor Meiji attended the meeting in person and read out the edict convening the parliament. Japan became a semi-feudal bourgeois constitutional monarchy and took the first step towards enriching the country and strengthening its military. In the name of the Emperor, the Japanese government was controlled by those who actively advocated foreign aggression and expansion. After the internal affairs reform was generally completed and the national strength was basically enriched, they were eager to expand their power abroad. To this end, huge military budgets have been compiled in successive years in order to accelerate the expansion of armaments. However, during parliamentary deliberation, the government's budget for armament expansion encountered fierce opposition from the opposition parties. The government had no choice but to use the emperor's authority to force it to submit. At the Fourth Diet in February 1893, Emperor Meiji issued an edict hoping that the government and parliament would "coordinate the economy." The emperor decided to allocate 300,000 yen from imperial funds every year for six years to supplement construction. Due to the shortage of warship expenses, officials at all levels were forced to reduce their salaries by 1/10 to make up for the shortage of military expenses.
Under the pressure of the emperor, the opposition parties had no choice but to cease their activities and compromise with the government. The government's arms expansion and war preparations have no resistance, and they are intensifying their development in the direction of militarism of aggression and expansion.
In 1894, the Japanese government first provoked the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 with the purpose of invading Korea. Emperor Meiji issued an edict declaring war and moved it to the wartime headquarters in Hiroshima, supervising military affairs and directing the war day and night. The Queen also visited the hospital to express condolences to the wounded soldiers and encourage their morale. Japan defeated the decadent Qing Empire, not only confirmed its position in Korea and seized Taiwan and Penghu, but also received a huge "reparation" of 230 million taels of silver and a large amount of interests in China. Stimulated by the war, Japanese imperialism developed rapidly, and the development of capitalism required a new and larger war. 83.6% of the huge "reparations" paid by China were used by the Japanese government to expand armaments, 5.5% was assigned to the royal family, and the rest, such as education funds, totaled only 10.9%. In 1904, Japan again went to war with Tsarist Russia, targeting Korea and Northeast China. Emperor Meiji commanded the war from the wartime headquarters set up in the palace, actively playing the role of supreme commander. Through the Russo-Japanese War, Japan's aggressive power expanded to half of Northeast China. Japan became the number one power in Asia and ranked among the top five in the world.
Before and after the Russo-Japanese War, Japan entered the stage of monopoly capitalism, that is, imperialism, and developed into a military-feudal imperialism with its own characteristics. In 1910, Japanese imperialism completely annexed Korea, further expanding its territory. All of this was praised by later generations as the great achievements of Emperor Meiji. It can be said that Emperor Meiji reigned for 46 years and his life activities were a concentrated reflection of the Meiji Era. In its early days, Japan was freed from the shackles of unequal treaties and moved towards Efforts were made to enrich the country and strengthen its military and establish a capitalist class-style constitutional monarchy. In the later period, it was inseparable from the development of Japanese militarism and its endless foreign aggression and expansion. It can even be said that Japan’s war of aggression in the late Meiji period It occupied a major part of Emperor Meiji's life activities.
In July 1912, Emperor Meiji died of illness at the age of 61. His death caused a huge shock in Japan at the time. On September 13, the Japanese government held a grand funeral ceremony for him. General Nogi Nogi Nogi, who made great contributions in the Russo-Japanese War, and his wife committed suicide on the same day to show their incomparable loyalty to Emperor Meiji. Emperor Meiji was buried in Fushimi Momoyama Mausoleum in Kyoto. The mausoleum area is vast, but the mausoleum itself is simple and unpretentious, which may reflect the frugal and diligent character of the owner of the mausoleum. Emperor Meiji paid attention to personal cultivation and was good at writing poetry. He left tens of thousands of poems with varied content and different styles throughout his life.
The Meiji era was an era of intense turmoil. Due to the implementation of various bourgeois reforms, Japan has initially achieved a rich country and a strong military; due to the implementation of imperialist aggressive policies, the Japanese nation has become a nation that oppresses other nations. It can be seen that the entire Meiji era was a process of reform first and then expansion.
The progressive significance of the Meiji Restoration lies in the fact that the Meiji Restoration was a modernization carried out by Japan's emerging bourgeoisie. It established a feudal bourgeois constitutional monarchy - the modern emperor system, which protected Japan from the disadvantages of other oriental nations. Such a fate of being oppressed and enslaved. In 1911, Japan and the United States signed a new treaty, and Japan fully established its tariff autonomy. Japan broke the world political structure in which European and American powers dominated the world, and had a considerable impact on Asian countries. However, while seeing the progressive significance of the Meiji Restoration, we must not ignore its reactionary historical role. Japan's "gifts" to its Asian neighbors through the Meiji Restoration were only stagnation, backwardness, enslavement, and slaughter. While achieving national independence, Japan itself transformed into a military feudal imperialist and extremely aggressive imperialist country. This stipulated the inevitable path for Japan to launch a larger-scale aggressive war in the future.
I recommend two books to LZ: "The Biography of the Emperor of Japan" and "The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Royal Family in EMI". Be sure to read it when you have time~ It is easy to find it in online bookstores~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~