Today in Japan - The Meiji Restoration and Ryōma’s Quiet Shadow
Today in Japanese history, January 3 marks the formal beginning of the Meiji Restoration.
In 1868, on this day, the new imperial government proclaimed the “restoration” of imperial rule, effectively ending Tokugawa authority and inaugurating one of the most dramatic political resets in world history. Feudal domains would soon be dismantled, the samurai class dissolved, and Japan would remake itself with astonishing speed into a modern nation-state.
It wasn’t as easy as I made it sound there, but it did go incredibly smoothly. It was a revolution, but a surprisingly peaceful one. Interestingly enough, the head of the Tokugawa shogunate quickly surrendered, not because he thought they would lose, but because he partly agreed with the revolutionaries and also he wanted to avoid bloodshed. Unfortunately news traveled slowly in those days, and many of his followers kept fighting even after his surrender. But even then, it ended quickly and the samurai government that had led Japan for centuries changed to a modern one.
But January 3 carries a quieter irony.
It is also traditionally given as the birth date of Sakamoto Ryōma, the man whose behind-the-scenes vision and political brokerage helped make that restoration possible, yet who did not live to see it.
Ryōma was assassinated in 1867, just months before the new order was proclaimed. He left no official post, no title, no role in the Meiji government itself. And yet his fingerprints are everywhere: the Satsuma–Chōshū alliance which led the revolution, the idea of abolishing the shogunate without plunging Japan into endless civil war, and even early notions of constitutional government.
History remembers January 3 for the proclamation. But nthe proclamation often overshadows the man who helped clear the path for it never walked into the new era at all.
In that sense, today marks both an ending and Japan’s rebirth, and the quiet shadow of the man who made it thinkable.
By the way, if you read my post yesterday, you might be thinking what animal/element year was 1868. It was an Earth Dragon (戊辰). And it was a very dragon year! Rupture, renewel, and unleashed energy — all very dragon symbols.
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David is an American teacher and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Bluesky. |
So it was nothing like Hollywood with Tom Cruise make it out to be? Tell me it isn't so.
It does amaze me though that the caste system was given up so easily.
The Last Samurai was actually later. It was the Satsuma Rebellion which was in 1877. The Ken Watanabe character in the movie was based on Saigo Takamori. Saigo was part of the Meiji Restoration, but he quickly grew disillusioned as the Chōshū part of that alliance pushed for things that he thought destroyed the moral fabric of Japan, so he rebelled. And yes, it wasn't at all like The Last Samurai shows. And no white guys who suddenly overnight converted to the cause, helped lead the cause, and became a samurai. 😃
I think the main reason is the caste system was already broken. Merchants — the bottom class — had long since taken control and became the riches class. There were endless attempts by the government to fix that, but none of them worked. As time went on, the samurai — the top class — became more and more and more indebted to the merchants. By the end of the Edo period, it was broken beyond repair. So then when the Meiji shift happened, the samurai were more than happy to simply shift into the role of bureaucrats and actually be paid in money instead of rice.
WOW, you are a book of knowledge. Thanks for the education my friend.
https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryAnecdotes/comments/1q2uju0/japan_the_meiji_restoration_and_ryomas_quiet/
https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/1q3sob6/yesterday_in_japan_tthe_meiji_restoration_and/
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Happy new year my friend
An ironic end for Sakamoto Ryōma to never see what you work so hard to achieve. In the end it modernized Japan, so the revolution worked at eliminating the unneeded societal structures of the past. Thanks for sharing, very interesting!