The were an array of new policies introduced in 1864 to 1867 by the
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868.
The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...
of Japan.
The reforms were created in reaction to the rising violence on the part of
Satsuma domain as well as other domains. The initial steps taken during this period became a key part of the reforms and changes made during the rule of
Emperor Meiji
, posthumously honored as , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the List of emperors of Japan, traditional order of succession, reigning from 1867 until his death in 1912. His reign is associated with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which ...
.
When the ''
shōgun'' and
Emperor
The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
happened to both die at the same time, the ''bakufu'' (shogunate government) created the Keiō Reform to keep Japan from falling into disunity or disarray. It Westernized many aspects of the system of bureaucracy, the military, and the economy, focusing on governmental promotions by merit (not by birth) and trade policies with other nations.
The ''bakufu'' hoped that these Reforms would somehow end the Rebellions of
Satsuma and
Chōshū – which did not happen. The rebels did not wish to see the ''bakufu'' profit from these changes which were so close to the core of what the rebels had been fighting against all along.
This reform period was preceded by three others during the Edo period: the
Kyōhō reforms (1722–1730), the
Kansei reforms (1787–1793) and the
Tenpō reforms (1841–1843).
Chronology
The shogunate's interventions had only limited success. In addition to the death of the
''shōgun'' Iemochi and the death of
Emperor Kōmei
Osahito (22 July 1831 – 30 January 1867), posthumously honored as Emperor Kōmei, was the 121st emperor of Japan, according to the List of Emperors of Japan, traditional order of succession.Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')孝明天皇 ...
, intervening factors exacerbated some of the conditions which the shogun intended to ameliorate.
* September 28, 1866 (''Keiō 2, 20th day of the 8th month''): Shogun Iemochi died at Osaka; and the bakufu petitioned that
Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu should be appointed as his successor.
[Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1956). ''Kyoto: The Old Capital of Japan, 794–1869'', p. 326.]
* January 10, 1867 (''Keiō 2, 5th day of the 12th month''): Yoshinobu was appointed shogun.
* January 30, 1867 (''Keiō 2, 25th day of the 12th month''): Emperor Komei died.
Notes
References
* McDougall, Walter (1993). "Let the Sea Make a Noise: Four Hundred Years of Cataclysm, Conquest, War and Folly in the North Pacific". New York: Avon Books.
*
Ponsonby-Fane, Richard A. B. (1956). ''Kyoto: The Old Capital of Japan, 794–1869''. Kyoto: The Ponsonby Memorial Society.
* Traugott, Mark. (1995). ''Repertoires and Cycles of Collective Action''. Durham, North Carolina:
Duke University Press
Duke University Press is an academic publisher and university press affiliated with Duke University. It was founded in 1921 by William T. Laprade as The Trinity College Press. (Duke University was initially called Trinity College). In 1926 ...
. ;
OCLC 243809107
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keio Reform
Meiji Restoration
1866 in Japan