Events from the year 1868 in Japan. It corresponds to

Keiō was a after '' Genji'' and before '' Meiji''. The period spanned the years from May 1865 to October 1868. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * May 1, 1865 (''Genji 2/Keiō 1, 7th day of the 4th month'') : The new era name of ''K ...

4 and Meiji 1 in the

Japanese calendar Japanese calendar types have included a range of official and unofficial systems. At present, Japan uses the Gregorian calendar together with year designations stating the year of the reign of the current Emperor. The written form starts with t ...

. In the

history of Japan The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millennium BC when new inven ...

, it marks the beginning of the

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

on October 23 under the reign of

Emperor Meiji , also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...

Incumbents

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Events

*January 6 (''Keiō 3, 10th day of the 12th month'') – The restoration of the Imperial government was announced to the ''

kuge The was a Japanese aristocratic class that dominated the Japanese Imperial Court in Kyoto. The ''kuge'' were important from the establishment of Kyoto as the capital during the Heian period in the late 8th century until the rise of the Kamakur ...

''. The year 1868 began as Keio 3, and did not become Meiji 1 until the 8th day of the 9th month of Keio 4, i.e., October 23; although retrospectively, it was quoted as the first year of the new era from 25 January onwards. *January 27–31 –

Battle of Toba–Fushimi The occurred between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan. The battle started on 27 January 1868 (or fourth year of Keiō, first month, 3rd day, according to the lunar calendar), when the forces of the shog ...

*January 28 –

Battle of Awa The occurred on 28 January 1868 during the Boshin War in Japan, in the area of Awa Bay near Osaka. Involving ships of the Tokugawa shogunate and Satsuma vessels loyal to the imperial court in Kyoto, the battle was the second naval battle in Ja ...

*February 2 – Fall of Osaka castle *March 29 –

Battle of Kōshū-Katsunuma The was a battle between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan. The battle followed the Battle of Toba–Fushimi on 29 March 1868 (Gregorian calendar). Prelude After defeating the forces of the Tokugawa sho ...

and

Battle of Hokuetsu The was a battle of the Boshin War of the Meiji Restoration, which occurred in 1868 in the northwestern part of Japan, in the area of modern Niigata Prefecture. Background The Boshin War erupted in 1868 between troops favourable to the resto ...

*May 10–14 –

Battle of Utsunomiya Castle The was a battle between pro-imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan in May 1868. It occurred as the troops of the Tokugawa shogunate were retreating north towards Nikkō and Aizu. Background In early spring 1868 ...

*July 4 –

Battle of Ueno The was a battle of the Boshin War, which occurred on July 4, 1868 (''Meiji 1, 15th day of the 5th month''), between the troops of the Shōgitai under Shibusawa Seiichirō and Amano Hachirō, and Imperial "Kangun" troops. Prelude Though the S ...

*September 3 (''Keiō 4, 17th day of the 7th month'') – Emperor Meiji announces that the name of the city of Edo was being changed to

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, or "eastern capital". *October 6 – Battle of Bonari Pass *October–November –

Battle of Aizu The Battle of Aizu (Japanese: 会津戦争, "War of Aizu") was fought in northern Japan from October to November in autumn 1868, and was part of the Boshin War. History Aizu was known for its martial skill, and maintained at any given time a s ...

*October 23 (''Keiō 4/Meiji 1, 8th day of the 9th month'') **The

Japanese era name The , also known as , is the first of the two elements that identify years in the Japanese era calendar scheme. The second element is a number which indicates the year number within the era (with the first year being ""), followed by the literal ...

(nengō) is formally changed from Keiō to Meiji; and a general amnesty is granted. The adoption of the Meiji nengō was done retroactively to January 25, 1868 (''Keiō 4/Meiji 1, 1st day of the 1st month''). **Emperor Meiji travels to Tokyo and

Edo castle is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan in Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. In modern times it is part of the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Tokyo and is therefore also known as . Tokugawa Ieyasu established the ...

became an imperial palace. *November 7 –

Battle of Noheji The was a minor battle of the Boshin War of the Meiji Restoration in Japan on November 7, 1868. It is considered a part of the larger Aizu campaign. Background On September 20, 1868 the pro-Shōgunate Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei was proclaimed at ...

Births

*January 10 – Ozaki Kōyō, author and writer (d. 1903) *January 11 –

Shimizu Shikin Shimizu Shikin ( ja, 清水紫琴; 1868–1933), pen name of Shimizu Toyoko, was a Japanese novelist and women's rights activist of the Meiji period in Japan. A lecturer on equality and social issues, she was forced to turn to writing when the law ...

, novelist and women's rights activist (d. 1933) *January 18 –

Suzuki Kantarō is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal com ...

, admiral, 42nd

Prime Minister of Japan The prime minister of Japan (Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of Stat ...

(d. 1948) *January 20 –

Keisuke Okada was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, politician and Prime Minister of Japan from 1934 to 1936. Biography Early life Okada was born on 20 January 1868, in Fukui Prefecture, the son of a samurai of the Fukui Domain. He attended the 15th ...

, 20th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1952) *April 12 –

Akiyama Saneyuki was a Meiji-period career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy. He was famous as a planner of Battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese War. The Japanese general Akiyama Yoshifuru was his elder brotherDupuy, Encyclopedia of Military Biography ...

, soldier (d.

1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...

) *May 27 –

Takeo Hirose , (May 27, 1868 – March 27, 1904) was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy. He commanded the cargo vessel ''Fukui Maru'' during the Battle of Port Arthur in the Russo-Japanese War. The ship was hit by coastal artillery, and despite ...

, military personnel (d. 1904) *December 8 –

Kenjirō Tokutomi (December 8, 1868 – September 18, 1927) was a Japanese writer and philosopher. He wrote novels under the pseudonym of , and his best-known work was his 1899 novel ''The Cuckoo''. Biography Tokutomi was born on December 8, 1868 in Minamat ...

, philosopher and writer (d. 1927) *December 29 – Kitamura Tokoku, poet, essayist and writer (d. 1894)

Deaths

*January 29 –

Inoue Genzaburō was born in Hino, Tokyo. He was the captain of the sixth unit of the Shinsengumi which were a special police force for the Tokugawa regime. Inoue is the oldest unit captain of Shinsengumi. Like his older brother, Inoue Matsugoro, Inoue Genzabu ...

, captain of the sixth unit of the Shinsengumi (b. 1829) *February 6 –

Yamazaki Susumu was a Shinsengumi officer and spy, otherwise known as a . He was a ''rōnin'' (masterless samurai) from Osaka and an expert in ''Katori Ryu''. In 1863, he officially joined the Shinsengumi and in 1864, Yamazaki and Shimada Kai were assigned by ...

, Shinsengumi officer and spy (b. ca 1843) *May 17 –

Kondō Isami was a Japanese swordsman and official of the late Edo period. He was the fourth generation master of Tennen Rishin-ryū and was famed for his role as commander of the Shinsengumi. Background He was born Miyagawa Katsugorō to a farmer Miyaga ...

, samurai and

bakufu , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

official (b.

1834 Events January–March * January – The Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad is chartered in Wilmington, North Carolina. * January 1 – Zollverein (Germany): Customs charges are abolished at borders within its member states. * January 3 � ...

) *June 27 –

Hayashi Yasusada was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period. Also known by his formal name (), , A retainer of the Aizu domain, Gonsuke was an accomplished martial artist of Ichinomiya ryu iaijutsu, Naganuma ryu strategy, and gunnery. Promoted to in 1862, he ...

, samurai (b.

1806 Events January–March * January 1 ** The French Republican Calendar is abolished. ** The Kingdom of Bavaria is established by Napoleon. * January 5 – The body of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, lies in state in the Painted Hall ...

) *July 19 –

Okita Sōji was the captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi, a special police force in Kyoto during the late shogunate period. He was one of the best swordsmen of the Shinsengumi. Background He was born in 1842 or 1844 from a samurai family in the S ...

, captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi (b. 1844) *October 8 **

Shinoda Gisaburō was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period who served the Matsudaira clan of Aizu. He was the leader of a detachment of Byakkotai troops who got separated from their main unit, and arrived at the top of Iimori Hill. From Iimori Hill they thou ...

, samurai,

Byakkotai The was a group of around 305 young teenage samurai of the Aizu Domain, who fought in the Boshin War (1868–1869) on the side of the Tokugawa shogunate. History The Byakkotai was part of Aizu's four-unit military, formed in April 1868 in the ...

(b.

1852 Events January–March * January 14 – President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte proclaims a new constitution for the French Second Republic. * January 15 – Nine men representing various Jewish charitable organizations come tog ...

) ** Jinbo Kuranosuke, samurai (b.

1816 This year was known as the ''Year Without a Summer'', because of low temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere, possibly the result of the Mount Tambora volcanic eruption in Indonesia in 1815, causing severe global cooling, catastrophic in s ...

) ** Tanaka Tosa, samurai (b. 1820) *October 16 –

Nakano Takeko was a Japanese female warrior of the Aizu Domain, who fought and died during the Boshin War. During the Battle of Aizu, she fought with a naginata (a Japanese polearm) and was the leader of an ad hoc corps of female combatants who fought in ...

, female warrior (b.

1847 Events January–March * January 4 – Samuel Colt sells his first revolver pistol to the U.S. government. * January 13 – The Treaty of Cahuenga ends fighting in the Mexican–American War in California. * January 16 – John C. Frémont ...

)

References

{{Asia topic, 1868 in 1860s in Japan Years of the 19th century in Japan