Meiji Emperor
Mutsuhito,Meiji Emperor (明治天皇) (3 November 1852-30 July 1912) was122nd EmperorJapan. Attimehis birth1852, Japan was an isolated, preindustrial, feudal country dominated byTokugawa Shogunate andDaimyo, who ruled overcountry's more than 250 decentralized domains. Bytimehis death1912, Japan had undergonepolitical, social,industrial revolution at homeemerged as one ofgreat powers onworld stage.
The Emperor Meiji wassurviving son ofEmperor Kōmei bylady-in-waiting Nakayama Yoshiko (1834-1907),daughterLord Nakayama Tadayasu, sometime minister ofleft (sadaijin) andscion ofFujiwara. He was born eight months beforearrivalCommodore Matthew Perry andU.S. squadron"black ships"Edo Baytwo years beforefirst ofso-called unequal treaties whichTokugawa shogunate signedPerry. Originally titled Sachi no miya (Prince Sachi),future emperor spent mostchildhood atNakayama householdKyoto, aswas customaryentrustupbringimperial childrenprominent court families. He was formally adopted by Asako Nyōgō (later Empress Dowager Eishō),principal consortEmperor Kōmei, on 11 July 1860. He also receivedpersonal name Musuhito,rankshinnō (imperial prince,thuspotential successor tothrone) andtitleKotashi (crown prince) onsame day. Crown Prince Mutsuhito ascended tothrone on 3 February 1867 atagefifteen, takingtitleMeiji, or “enlightened ruler”.
On 11 January 1867,Emperor Meiji married Lady Haruko (28 May 1849-19 April 1914,third daughterLord Ichijō Tadaka, sometime minister ofleft (sadaijin)). Known posthumously as Empress Shoken, she wasfirst imperial consortreceivetitlekogo (literally,emperor's wife, translated as empress consort),several hundred years. Although she wasfirst Japanese empressplaypublic role, she bore no children. Emperor Meiji had fifteen children by five official ladies-in-waiting. Only fivehis children,prince bornLady Naruko (1855-1943),daughterYanagiwara Mitsunaru,four princesses bornLady Sachiko (1867-1947),eldest daugtherCount Sono Motosachi, livedadulthood. They were:
- Crown Prince Yoshihito (Haru no miya Yoshihito Shinnō), 3rd son, (31 August 1879-25 December 1926) (see Emperor Taisho.
- Princess Masako (Tsune no miya Masako Naishinnō), 6th daughter, (30 September 1888-8 March 1940), titled Tsune no miya (Princess Tsune) until marriage; m. at Imperial Palace, Tokyo, 30 April 1908 Prince Takeda Tsunehisa (Takeda no miya Tsunehisa ō, 22 September 1882-23 April 1919),had issue.
- Princess Fusako (Kane no miya Fusako Naishinnō), 7th daughter, (28 January 1890-11 August 1974), titled Kane no miya (Princess Kane) until marriage; m. at Imperial Palace, Tokyo 29 April 1909 Prince Kitashirakawa Naruhisa (Kitashirakawa no miya Naruhisa ō, 1 April 1887- 2 April 1923),had issue.
- Princess Nobuko (Fami no miya Nobuko Naishinnō), 8th daughter, (7 August 1891-3 November 1933); titled Princess Fami (Fami no miya) until marriage; m. at Imperial Palace, Tokyo 6 May 1909 Prince Asaka Yasuhiko (Asaka no miya Yasuhiko ō, 2 October 1887-13 April 1981),had issue.
- Princess Toshiko (Yasu no miya Toshiko Naishinnō), 9th daughter, (11 May 1896-5 March 1978); titled Yasu no miya (Princess Yasu) until marriage; m. at Imperial Palace, Tokyo 18 May 1915 Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko (Higashikuni no miya Naruhiko ō, 3 December 1887-20 January 1990),had issue.
The Meiji Restoration issourcepride forJapanese, asandaccompanying industrialization allowed Japanbecomepreeminent power inPacific andmajor player inworld withingeneration. Onother hand,issourceshame, aswasbeginningJapan's imperialism inPacificpreparednationjoinBerlin-Rome Axis inthirties.
Meiji's role inRestorationdebatable. He certainly did not control Japan, but how much influence he wieldedunknown. Itunlikelywill ever be clear whether he supportedwars against China (1894-1895)Russia (1904-1905). One offew windows we have into Meiji's own feelingshis poetry, which seemindicatepacifist streak, or at leastman that wished war could be avoided.
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Preceded by: Komei | ListJapanese Emperors |
Succeeded by: Yoshihito,Taisho Emperor |
