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1873 Korean Crisis
The ''Seikanron'' ( ja, 征韓論; ko, 정한론; ) was a major political debate in Japan during 1873 regarding a punitive expedition against Korea. The ''Seikanron'' split the Meiji government and the restoration coalition that had been established against the '' bakufu'', but resulted in a decision not to send a military expedition to Korea. Historical background After the Meiji Restoration and the overthrow of the Shogunate in 1868, the newly formed Meiji government embarked on reforms to centralize and modernize Japan. The Imperial side did not pursue its objective to expel foreign interests from Japan instead adhering to the treaties signed during the bakumatsu period with the ultimate goal of revising them and building up the nation's strength by continuing with reforms begun under the shogunate. In foreign affairs, the government had taken steps to establish a foreign affairs bureau to take over Japan's external relations which was previously conducted by the bakufu. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1873 Seikanron Debate Saigo Takamori Ukiyo-e By Suzuki Toshimoto
Events January–March * January 1 ** Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar. ** The California Penal Code goes into effect. * January 17 – American Indian Wars: Modoc War: First Battle of the Stronghold – Modoc Indians defeat the United States Army. * February 11 – The Spanish Cortes deposes King Amadeus I, and proclaims the First Spanish Republic. * February 12 ** Emilio Castelar, the former foreign minister, becomes prime minister of the new Spanish Republic. ** The Coinage Act of 1873 in the United States is signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant; coming into effect on April 1, it ends bimetallism in the U.S., and places the country on the gold standard. * February 20 ** The University of California opens its first medical school in San Francisco. ** British naval officer John Moresby discovers the site of Port Moresby, and claims the land for Britain. * March 3 – Censorship: The United States Congress enacts the Comstock Law, making it ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kazoku
The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. They succeeded the feudal lords () and court nobles (), but were abolished with the 1947 constitution. Kazoku ( 華族) should not be confused with ''"kazoku ( 家族)"'', which is pronounced the same in Japanese, but with a different character reading that means "immediate family" (as in the film ''Kazoku'' above). Origins Following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the ancient court nobility of Kyoto, the , regained some of its lost status. Several members of the , such as Iwakura Tomomi and Nakayama Tadayasu, played a crucial role in the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate, and the early Meiji government nominated to head all seven of the newly established administrative departments. The Meiji oligarchs, as part of their Westernizing reforms, merged the with the former into an expanded aristocratic class on 25 July 1869, to recognize that the and former were a social class d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Itagaki Taisuke
Count was a Japanese politician. He was a leader of the "Freedom and People's Rights Movement" and founded Japan's first political party, the Liberal Party. Biography Early life Itagaki Taisuke was born into a middle-ranking ''samurai'' family in Tosa Domain, (present day Kōchi Prefecture), After studies in Kōchi and in Edo, he was appointed as ''sobayonin'' (councillor) to Tosa ''daimyō'' Yamauchi Toyoshige, and was in charge of accounts and military matters at the domain's Edo residence in 1861. He disagreed with the domain's official policy of '' kōbu gattai'' (reconciliation between the Imperial Court and the Tokugawa shogunate), and in 1867–1868, he met with Saigō Takamori of the Satsuma Domain, and agreed to pledge Tosa's forces in the effort to overthrow the ''shōgun'' in the upcoming Meiji Restoration. During the Boshin War, he emerged as the principal political figure from Tosa domain as a leader of the Jinshotai assault force, and claimed a place in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sasaki Takayuki
Marquis was a bureaucrat, government minister and court official in late Meiji period Japan. Biography Sasaki was born into a samurai class family in Agawa District, Tosa Domain (in the present-day city of Kōchi, Kōchi Prefecture). He served the Yamauchi clan in several important posts, including '' kōri-bugyō'' (country magistrate) and '' ōmetsuke'' (inspector). He also supported Sakamoto Ryōma in the ''Taisei hōkan'' movement to restore political power to the Emperor of Japan at the expense of the Tokugawa Shogunate. During the Boshin War, he commanded the ''Kaientai'', a paramilitary group of Tosa samurai youths, and occupied the Tokugawa magistrate's office at Nagasaki. After the Meiji Restoration, Sasaki served the Meiji government as ''sangi'' (councilor) and ''taifu'' (senior vice minister) of the Ministry of Justice. In 1871, Sasaki was selected to be a member of the Iwakura Mission, and traveled around the globe. On his return, he found that many of his count ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saigō Takamori
was a Japanese samurai and nobleman. He was one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history and one of the three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. Living during the late Edo and early Meiji periods, he later led the Satsuma Rebellion against the Meiji government. Historian Ivan Morris described him as "the quintessential hero of modern Japanese history". Early life Saigō Kokichi (西郷 小吉) was born in Kajiya, Kagoshima, Satsuma Domain, the eldest son of samurai squire (''koshōkumi'') Saigō Kichibē and his wife Masa. He had six siblings and his younger brother was Marshal-Admiral Marquis Saigō Jūdō. His childhood name was Kokichi and he received the given name Takamori in adulthood. He wrote poetry under the name Saigō Nanshū (西郷 南洲). Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu resigned, returning power to the Emperor in what came to be known as the Meiji Restoration. However, Saigō was one of the most vocal and vehement opponents to the negotiated ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ōkuma Shigenobu
Marquess was a Japanese statesman and a prominent member of the Meiji oligarchy. He served as Prime Minister of the Empire of Japan in 1898 and from 1914 to 1916. Ōkuma was also an early advocate of Western science and culture in Japan, and founder of Waseda University. He is considered a centrist. Early life Ōkuma was born Hachitarō on March 11, 1838, in Saga, Hizen Province (modern day Saga Prefecture). He was the first son of a samurai-class artillery officer of the Saga Domain. During his early years, his education consisted mainly of the study of Confucian literature and ''Hagakure'', which was written by a countryman samurai. However, he left school in 1853 to move to a Dutch studies institution.Borton, p. 91. The Dutch school was merged with the provincial school in 1861, and Ōkuma took up a lecturing position there shortly afterward. Ōkuma sympathized with the ''sonnō jōi'' movement, which aimed at expelling the Europeans who had started to arrive in Japan. H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kido Koin
, also known as , was a Japanese statesman, samurai and '' shishi'' who is considered one of the three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. Early life Born Wada Kogorō in Hagi, Chōshū Domain (present-day Yamaguchi Prefecture) as the son of a samurai physician and his second wife . In 1840, due to his brother-in-law already being the head of the Wada family, he was later adopted into the Katsura family at age seven and was known as . The Katsura family's stipend was originally 150 ''koku'', but due to the late nature of his adoption which took place as his adoptive father was already on his deathbed, who died ten days later, it was reduced to 90 ''koku''. Katsura Kogorō thus became the head of the Katsura family. A year later in 1841, his adoptive mother also died, months later he was returned to his old home. In 1848, he lost his mother and elder half-sister Yaeko to illnesses. Katsura was educated at Meirinkan, in which he later became increasingly unhappy wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ōkubo Toshimichi
was a Japanese statesman and one of the Three Great Nobles regarded as the main founders of modern Japan. Ōkubo was a ''samurai'' of the Satsuma Domain and joined the movement to overthrow the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate during the ''Bakumatsu'' period. Upon the founding of the new Empire of Japan, Ōkubo became a leading member of the Meiji Restoration and a prominent member of the Meiji oligarchy. Following his return from the Iwakura Mission in 1873, he became Lord of Home Affairs and used his office's authority to rapidly expand his influence within the Restoration government. By the beginning of 1874, he had firmly established himself as the country's ''de facto'' dictator. In this capacity, he enacted numerous structural reforms, pacified disputes within the Meiji regime at the Osaka Conference of 1875, and suppressed several rebellions threatening the survival of the empire. As a result of his oppressive leadership, Ōkubo became the focus of deep animosity within J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nabeshima Naomasa
was the 10th and final ''daimyō'' of Saga Domain in Hizen Province, Kyūshū, Japan. His honorary title was '' Hizen-no-Kami'', and he was occasionally referred to as “Prince Hizen” in western accounts during the Bakumatsu period. Biography Naomasa was born the 17th son of Nabeshima Narinao, the 9th ''daimyō'' of Saga Domain. His mother was a daughter of Ikeda Harumichi. His wife was the 18th daughter of ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Ienari, and one of his concubines was the 19th daughter of Tokugawa Narimasa. On the retirement of his father in 1830, Naomasa was appointed 10th ''daimyō'' of Saga at the age of 17. In celebration of his new role and to reinforce the close relations between Saga domain and the shogunate, his father-in-law Shōgun Tokugawa Ienari allowed him the use of one character from his name. Thus, "Narimasa" was written (斉正) until the end of the Edo period. Naomasa inherited a domain on the verge or bankruptcy, due to high expenses associated with its ro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tokudaiji Sanenori
''With information translated from the Japanese Wikipedia article'' Duke was a Japanese statesman and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan in the Meiji era. Life Tokydaiji Sanetsune was born to a branch of the Fujiwara court nobility in Kyoto. His father was Tokudaiji Kin'ito, and his brother was Saionji Kinmochi, later Prime Minister of Japan. Joining the ''sonnō jōi'' ("Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarian") faction in Court against westernization and the Tokugawa shogunate, he was forced to flee Kyoto during the coup d'état by the moderate ''samurai'' of the Aizu and Satsuma domains on 18 August 1863. He returned after the Meiji Restoration and served in a number of posts in the new government. He became a '' Dainagon'' in 1869. In 1884, he was given the title of ''koshaku'' (marquis) under the new ''kazoku'' nobility rankings, and was subsequently elevated to ''koshaku'' (prince). In 1891 he became Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan a post he held until E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iwakura Tomomi
was a Japanese statesman during the Bakumatsu and Meiji period. He was one of the leading figures of the Meiji Restoration, which saw Japan's transition from feudalism to modernity. Born to a noble family, he was adopted by the influential Iwakura family. By 1858 he was an advisor to Emperor Kōmei, but was exiled from the royal court from 1862 to 1867 for his moderation. After release, he became the liaison between the court and the anti-Tokugawa movement. He played a central role in the new Meiji government after 1868. He successfully opposed aggressive policies in Korea in the crisis of 1873, and was nearly assassinated by his enemies. He led the 50-member Iwakura Mission for 18 months in Europe and America, studying modern institutions, technology, and diplomacy. The Mission promoted many key reforms that quickly modernized Japan. He promoted a strong imperial system along Western lines, and played a central role in creating financial institutions for the nation. The 5 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
