الامبراطور مـِيْ‌جي

الامبراطور مـِيْ‌جي 明治天皇
پورتريه رسم أوتشيدا كوي‌تشي، 1873.
امبراطور اليابان
العهد	30 يناير 1867 – 30 يوليو 1912
اليابان	13 فبراير 1867
سبقه	كومـِيْ‌
تبعه	تاي‌شو
شوگون	تكوگاوا يوشي‌نوبو (1866–1868)
داي‌جو-داي‌جين	سان‌جو سانى‌تومي (1871–1885)
وُلِد	موتسوهيتو، الأمير ساتشي (祐宮睦仁親王) (1852-11-03)3 نوفمبر 1852 حديقة كيتو گيوين الوطنية، كيوتو، ياماشيرو، شـُگونية تـُكوگاوا
توفي	30 يوليو 1912(1912-07-30) (aged 59) قصر مـِيْ‌جي، طوكيو، محافظة طوكيو، اليابان
الدفن	13 سبتمبر 1912 Fushimi Momoyama no Misasagi (伏見桃山陵)، كيوتو، محافظة كيوتو، اليابان
الزوج	ماساكو إيتشي‌جو ​ (m. Error)​
الأنجال بالإضافة لآخرين...	يوشي‌هيتو، الامبراطور تاي‌شو ماساكو، امبراطورة تاكدا فوساكو، امبراطورة كيتاشيراكتا نوبوكو، امبراطورة أساكا توشيكو، امبراطورة هيگاشيكوني
العهد والتواريخ كى‌يو: 1 مايو 1865 – 23 أكتوبر 1868 مـِيْ‌جي: 23 أكتوبر 1868 – 30 يوليو 1912 الاسم بعد الممات التسوي‌گو: الامبراطور مـِيْ‌جي (明治天皇)
البيت	العائلة الامبراطورية اليابانية
الأب	الامبراطور كومـِيْ‌
الأم	ناكاياما يوشيكو
الديانة	الشنتو
التوقيع

موتسوهيتو (و. 3 نوفمبر 1852 - ت. 30 يوليو 1912)، كُرم بعد وفاته باسم الامبراطور مـِيْ‌جي، (Emperor Meiji)، هو امبراطور اليابان رقم 122 بحسب الترتيب التقليدي للخلافة، حكم من عام 1867 حتى 1912. يرتبط حكمه باستعراش مـِيْ‌جي عام 1868، والذي أنهى حكم شـُگونية تـُكوگاوا وبدأ تغييرات سريعة حولت اليابان من دولة انعزالية إقطاعية إلى قوة صناعية عظمى عالمية. كان الامبراطور مـِيْ‌جي أول عاهل لامبراطورية اليابان، وترأس عهد مـِيْ‌جي.

في وقت ميلاد موتسوهيتو، كانت اليابان دولة إقطاعية وما قبل صناعية تهيمن عليها شـُگونية تـُكوگاوا الانعزالية و"الداي‌ميو" الخاضعين لها، الذين حكموا الـ 270 منطقة اللامركزية في اليابان. أدى انفتاح اليابان على الغرب منذ عام 1854 إلى تأجيج المطالب المحلية بالتحديث، وعندما أصبح موتسوهيتو امبراطوراً بعد وفاة والده الامبراطور كومـِيْ‌ عام 1867، أشعل ذلك حرب بوشين، والتي هزم فيها الساموراي (معظمهم من منطقتي تشوتشو وساتسوما) الشـُگونية واستعادوا السلطة باسمه. تشمل الوثائق الصادرة خلال فترة حكمه قسم الميثاق لعام 1868، ودستور مـِيْ‌جي لعام 1889، والمرسوم الامبراطوري للجنود والبحارة لعام 1882، والمرسوم الامبراطوري بشأن التعليم لعام 1890، والذي نصحه فيه مجموعة من الأوليگارك المعروفة باسم الگن‌رو. تشمل الأحداث الكبرى الأخرى تأسيس مجلس الوزراء عام 1885، ومجلس الخاصة عام 1888، والدايت الامبراطوري عام 1890، والانتصارات العسكرية على الصين في الحرب اليابانية الصينية الأولى وعلى روسيا في الحرب الروسية اليابانية. تم ضم تايوان وكوريا في عامي 1895 و1910 على التوالي. توفي الامبراطور مـِيْ‌جي عام 1912، وخلفه نجله الأكبر، يوشي‌هيتو.

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 خلفية

الامبراطور كومـِيْ‌ (والد الامبراطور مـِيْ‌جي)

ناكاياما يوشي‌كو (والدة الامبراطور مـِيْ‌جي)

تأسست شـُگونية تـُكوگاوا في أوائل القرن السابع عشر. تحت حكمها، حكم الشوگون اليابان. حكم حوالي 180 لورداً، يُعرفون بالداي‌ميو، ممالك مستقلة تحت حكم الشوگون، وفي بعض الأحيان كان الشوگون يطلب من الداي‌ميو الهدايا لكنه لم يفرض عليهم الضرائب. كان الشوگون يتحكم في الداي‌ميو بطرق أخرى أيضاً؛ كان الشوگون وحده هو الذي يمكنه الموافقة على زواج الداي‌ميو، وكان الشوگون قادراً على تجريد الداي‌ميو من أراضيه.

كان التـُكوگاوا إيـِى‌ياسو، الذي تقاعد رسمياً من منصبه بحلول عام 1605، أول شوگونات تـُكوگاوا. بعد التقاعد، أصدر التـُكوگاوا إيـِى‌ياسو ونجله التـُكوگاوا هيدى‌تاتا، الشوگون الفخري، قانون السلوك للنبلاء عام 1605. بموجب القانون، كان الامبراطور ملزماً بتخصيص وقته للعلم والفنون. يبدو أن الأباطرة في عهد الشـُگونية قد التزموا بهذا القانون عن كثب من خلال دراسة الكلاسيكيات الكونفوشيوسية وتخصيص الوقت للشعر والخط. لم يتعلم الأباطرة سوى أساسيات التاريخ والجغرافيا اليابانية والصينية. لم يكن الشوگون يطلب موافقة أو نصيحة الامبراطور فيما يتعلق بأفعاله.

نادراً ما كان الأباطرة يغادرون قصرهم، أو الگوشو في كيوتو، إلا بعد تقاعد الامبراطور أو للاحتماء في معبد إذا اشتعلت النيران في القصر. عاش عدد قليل من الأباطرة فترة كافية للتقاعد؛ فمن بين أسلاف الامبراطور مـِيْ‌جي الخمسة، لم يعش سوى جده وجده الأكبر بعد سن الأربعين. عانت العائلة الإمبراطورية من معدلات عالية جداً من وفيات الرضع؛ حيث مات جميع إخوة وأخوات الامبراطور الخمسة وهم رضع، ولم يصل سوى خمسة من أنجاله الخمسة عشر إلى سن الرشد.

بعد فترة وجيزة من توليهم السلطة في أوائل القرن السابع عشر، أنهى مسؤولو الشـُگونية (المعروفون عمومًا باسم باكوفو) جميع التجارة الغربية تقريباً مع اليابان، ومنعوا المبشرين المسيحيين من دخول الجزر بموجب مرسوم ساكوكو 1635. بالإضافة إلى التجارة الصينية الكبيرة، استمر الهولنديون فقط في التجارة مع اليابان، مع الحفاظ على موقع على جزيرة دى‌جيما بالقرب من ناگاساكي. ومع ذلك، بحلول أوائل القرن التاسع عشر، ظهرت السفن الأوروپية والأمريكية في المياه المحيطة باليابان بوتيرة متزايدة.

 السنوات المبكرة

وُلِد الأمير موتسوهيتو في 3 نوفمبر 1852 في منزل صغير على ملكية جده لأمه في الطرف الشمالي من گوشو. في ذلك الوقت، كان يُعتقد ثقافيًا أن الولادة مصدر تلوث، لذلك لم يولد الأمير الامبراطوري في القصر. بدلاً من ذلك، كان من الشائع أن يولد أفراد العائلة الامبراطورية في مبنى، غالبًا ما يكون مؤقتًا، بالقرب من منزل والد المرأة الحامل. كانت والدة الأمير موتسوهيتو، ناكاياما يوشي‌كو، محظية (يابانية: 権の典侍, romanized: gon no tenji) لوالده الامبراطور مـِيْ‌، وكانت نجله المستشار الرئيسي بالنيابة، ناكاياما تاداياسو. مُنح الأمير الشاب لقب ساتشي-نو-ميا، أو الأمير ساتشي.

وُلِد الأمير الشاب في عصر شهدت فيه اليابان تغيراً كبيراً. وقد تجسد هذا التغير بشكل درامي في يوليو 1853 عندما أبحر الكومودور ماثيو پري وسربه البحري الأمريكي (الذي أطلق عليه اليابانيون "السفن السوداء") إلى الميناء في إدو (المعروفة منذ عام 1868 باسم طوكيو). سعى پري إلى فتح اليابان للتجارة الدولية وعرض المدافع الحديثة التي جهزها أسطوله البحري. ولأول مرة منذ 250 عاماً على الأقل، اتخذت الشـُگونية خطوة غير عادية للغاية بالتشاور مع البلاط الامبراطوري بسبب الأزمة التي أحدثها وصول پري. أشار مسؤولو الامبراطور كومـِيْ‌ إلى أنهم شعروا أنه يتعين عليهم الموافقة على التجارة مع الأمريكيين وطلبوا إبلاغهم مسبقًا بأي خطوات ستُتخد عند عودة پري. قررت الحكومة اليابانية أن جيشها لا يستطيع أن يضاهي الجيش الأمريكي وبالتالي سمحت بالتجارة وخضعت لما أطلقت عليه "المعاهدات غير المتكافئة". "المعاهدات غير المتكافئة" تعني التخلي عن سلطة التعريفة الجمركية والحق في محاكمة الأجانب في محاكمهم الخاصة. كانت رغبة الشـُگونية في التشاور مع البلاط قصيرة الأجل: عام 1858، وصلت أنباء عن معاهدة مع رسالة تفيد بأنه بسبب ضيق الوقت، لم يكن من الممكن التشاور. كان الامبراطور كومـِيْ‌ غاضبًا للغاية لدرجة أنه هدد بالتنازل عن العرش - على الرغم من أن هذا الإجراء كان يتطلب موافقة الشوگون.

لا يُعرف الكثير عن طفولته إلا من خلال الروايات اللاحقة، والتي يشير كاتب سيرته دونالد كين إلى أنها غالبًا ما تكون متناقضة. وصف أحد المعاصرين موتسوهيتو بأنه كان يتمتع بصحة جيدة وقويًا، ومتنمرًا إلى حد ما، وموهوبًا بشكل استثنائي في رياضة السومو. ويذكر آخر أن الأمير كان حساسًا ومريضًا في كثير من الأحيان. ويذكر بعض كتاب السير أنه أغمي عليه عندما سمع إطلاق النار لأول مرة، بينما ينكر آخرون هذه الرواية. في 16 أغسطس 1860، أُعلن ساتشي‌نوميا أميرًا للدم ووريثًا للعرش وتم تبنيه رسميًا من قبل زوجة والده. وفي وقت لاحق من ذلك العام في 11 نوفمبر، أُعلن وليًا للعهد وأُطلق عليه اسم موتسوهيتو. بدأ الأمير تعليمه في سن السابعة. أثبت الأمير أنه طالب غير مبالي، وفي وقت لاحق من حياته كتب قصائد يندم فيها على عدم تكريس نفسه أكثر لممارسة الكتابة.

 Reign

 Unrest and accession

المقالة الرئيسية: Meiji era, Meiji Restoration, Government of Meiji Japan, and Meiji Constitution

Silver coin: 1 Japanese Trade Dollar, Meiji 9 – 1876

By the early 1860s, the shogunate was under several threats. Representatives of foreign powers sought to increase their influence in Japan. Many daimyōs were increasingly dissatisfied with bakufu handling foreign affairs. Large numbers of young samurai, known as shishi or "men of high purpose", began to meet and speak against the shogunate. The shishi revered Emperor Kōmei and favoured direct violent action to cure societal ills. While they initially desired the death or expulsion of all foreigners, the shishi would later begin to advocate the modernisation of the country. The bakufu enacted several measures to appease the various groups in an effort to drive a wedge between the shishi and daimyōs.

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  Emperor Meiji wearing the sokutai, 1872.

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  Emperor Meiji wearing konoshi (小直衣) ,1872

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  Emperor Meiji in western cloth ,1872.

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  Emperor Meiji on horseback 1872

Kyoto was a major centre for the shishi and the shishi had influence over the Emperor Kōmei. In 1863, the shishi persuaded him to issue an "Order to expel barbarians". The Order placed the shogunate in a difficult position since they had no intention of enforcing the order because they did not have the power to carry it out. Several attacks were made on foreigners or their ships, and foreign forces retaliated. Bakufu forces were able to drive most of the shishi out of Kyoto, and an attempt by them to return in 1864 was driven back. Nevertheless, unrest continued throughout Japan.

The prince's awareness of the political turmoil is uncertain. During this time, he studied waka poetry, first with his father, then with the court poets. In 1866, a new shōgun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, took office as the prince continued his classical education. Tokugawa Yoshinobu was a reformer who desired to transform Japan into a Western-style state. Yoshinobu was the final shōgun and met with resistance from among the bakufu, even as unrest and military actions continued. In mid-1866, a bakufu army set forth to punish rebels in southern Japan. The army was defeated.

Emperor Kōmei fell seriously ill at the age of 36 and died on 30 January 1867. British diplomat Sir Ernest Satow wrote, "it is impossible to deny that [Emperor Kōmei's] disappearance from the political scene, leaving as his successor a boy of fifteen or sixteen [actually fourteen], was most opportune".

In a brief ceremony in Kyoto, the crown prince formally ascended to the throne on 13 February 1867. The new emperor continued his classical education, which did not include matters of politics. In the meantime, the shōgun, Yoshinobu, struggled to maintain power. He repeatedly asked for the emperor's confirmation of his actions, which he eventually received, but there is no indication that the young emperor was himself involved in the decisions. The shishi and other rebels continued to shape their vision of the new Japan, and although they revered the emperor, they had no thought of having him play an active part in the political process.

The political struggle reached its climax in late 1867. An agreement was reached by which Yoshinobu would maintain his title and some of his power, but the lawmaking power would be vested in a bicameral legislature based on the British model. The agreement fell apart and on 9 November 1867, Yoshinobu officially tendered his resignation to the emperor and formally stepped down ten days later. The following month, the rebels marched on Kyoto, taking control of the Imperial Palace. On 4 January 1868, the emperor ceremoniously read out a document before the court proclaiming the "restoration" of Imperial rule, and the following month, documents were sent to foreign powers:

The Emperor of Japan announces to the sovereigns of all foreign countries and to their subjects that permission has been granted to the shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu to return the governing power in accordance with his own request. We shall henceforward exercise supreme authority in all the internal and external affairs of the country. Consequently, the title of Emperor must be substituted for that of Tycoon, in which the treaties have been made. Officers are being appointed by us to the conduct of foreign affairs. It is desirable that the representatives of the treaty powers recognize this announcement.

— Mutsuhito

On 23 October 1868 the era was changed from Keiō to Meiji ('enlightened rule'), which was later used for the emperor's posthumous name. This marked the beginning of the custom of posthumously naming the emperor after the era during which he ruled.

In a conflict known as the Boshin War, Yoshinobu's followers briefly resisted and bakufu holdouts were finally defeated in late 1869.

 Consolidation of power

المقالة الرئيسية: Meiji Restoration

Emperor Meiji receives Dutch Minister-Resident Dirk de Graeff van Polsbroek in 1868.

Despite the ouster of the bakufu, no effective central government had been put in place by the rebels. On March 23 the Dutch Minister-Resident Dirk de Graeff van Polsbroek and the French Minister-Resident Léon Roches were the first European envoys ever to receive a personal audience with the new Emperor Meiji in Edo (Tokyo). This audience laid the foundation for (modern) Dutch diplomacy in Japan. Subsequently, De Graeff van Polsbroek assisted the emperor and the government in their negotiations with representatives of the major European powers. On 7 April 1868, the emperor was presented with the Charter Oath, a five-point statement of the nature of the new government. The statement was designed to win over those who had not yet committed themselves to the new regime. This document, which the emperor then formally promoted, abolished feudalism and proclaimed a modern democratic government for Japan. The Charter Oath would later be cited by Emperor Shōwa in the Humanity Declaration as support for the imposed changes in Japanese government following World War II. For the first time since early childhood, he left the Imperial precincts in Kyoto in mid-May to take command of the forces pursuing the remnants of the bakufu armies. Traveling in slow stages due to through roads being lined with crowds, he took three days to travel from Kyoto to Osaka. There was no conflict in Osaka; the new leaders wanted the emperor to be more visible to his people and to foreign envoys. At the end of May, after two weeks in Osaka (in a much less formal atmosphere than in Kyoto), the emperor returned to his home. Shortly after his return, it was announced that the emperor would begin to preside over all state business, reserving further literary study for his leisure time. Only from 1871 onward did the emperor's studies include materials on contemporary affairs.

The sixteen-year-old emperor, traveling from Kyoto to Tokyo at the end of 1868

On 19 September 1868, the emperor announced the name of the city of Edo was to be changed to Tokyo, meaning "eastern capital". He was formally crowned in Kyoto on 15 October (a ceremony which had been postponed from the previous year due to the civil unrest). Shortly before the coronation, he announced that the new era, or nengō, would be called Meiji or "enlightened rule". Heretofore the nengō had often been changed multiple times in an emperor's reign; from now on, it was announced, there would only be one nengō per reign.

Soon after his coronation, the emperor journeyed to Tokyo by road, visiting it for the first time. He arrived in late November and began an extended stay by distributing sake among the population. The population of Tokyo was eager for an Imperial visit. Tokyo had been the site of the shōgun's court and the city's population feared that with the abolition of the shogunate, the city might fall into decline. It would not be until 1889 that a final decision was made to move the capital to Tokyo. While in Tokyo, the emperor boarded a Japanese naval vessel for the first time, and the following day gave instructions for studies to see how Japan's navy could be strengthened. Soon after his return to Kyoto, a rescript was issued in the emperor's name (but most likely written by court officials). It indicated his intent to be involved in government affairs. And indeed he attended cabinet meetings and innumerable other government functions, though rarely speaking, almost until the day of his death.

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 Political reform

First-ever photograph of Emperor Meiji at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal by Baron Raimund von Stillfried on 1 January 1872

The successful revolutionaries organized themselves into a Council of State, and subsequently into a system where three main ministers led the government. This structure would last until the establishment of a prime minister, who would lead a cabinet in a western fashion, in 1885. Initially, not even the retention of the emperor was certain; revolutionary leader Gotō Shōjirō later stated that some officials "were afraid the extremists might go further and abolish the Mikado". Japan's new leaders sought to reform the patchwork system of domains governed by the daimyōs. In 1869, several of the daimyōs who had supported the revolution gave their land property to the emperor and were reappointed as governors, with considerable salaries. By the following year, all other daimyōs had followed suit.

In 1871, as Japan was organized into 72 prefectures the emperor announced that domains were entirely abolished. The daimyōs were compensated with annual salaries equal to ten percent of their former revenues (from which they now did not have to deduct the cost of governing), but were required to move to the new capital, Tokyo. Most daimyōs retired from politics.

Illustration of Emperor Meiji by The Illustrated London News, published in the New-York Tribune (1905)

The new administration gradually abolished most privileges of the samurai, including their right to a stipend from the government. However, unlike the daimyōs, many samurai suffered financially from this change. Most other class-based distinctions were abolished. Legalized discrimination against the burakumin ended. However, these classes continue to suffer discrimination in Japan to the present time.

The 1889 constitution created a new parliament, although it had no real power. Power had passed from the Tokugawa into the hands of those daimyōs and other samurai who had led the Restoration. Japan was thus controlled by the Genrō, an oligarchy which comprised the most powerful men of the military, political and economic spheres. The emperor showed greater political longevity than his recent predecessors, as he was the first Japanese monarch to remain on the throne past the age of 50 since Emperor Ōgimachi's abdication from the throne in 1586.

The Japanese take pride in the Meiji Restoration, as it and the accompanying industrialization allowed Japan to become the preeminent power in the Pacific and a major player in the world within a generation. Yet, Emperor Meiji's role in the Restoration, as well as the amount of personal authority and influence he wielded during his reign, remains debatable. He kept no diary, wrote almost no letters (unlike his father) and left "no more than three or four" photographs. The accounts of people who had met or were close to him usually contain little substantial information or are mutually contradictory.

Due to the lack of reliable sources of the period, mysteries surrounding Emperor Meiji's personality and role in the Restoration remain a matter of historical dispute. James C. Baxter argues that the emperor was a figurehead without real power who rarely interfered with what had been agreed upon in advance by the Meiji oligarchy. Conversely, Herbert Bix describes Meiji as a powerful autocrat whom the Genrō struggled to restrain while accommodating his anti-democratic inclinations. R.Starr characterizes Meiji as a highly individualistic and forthright person who was no puppet to any group in his government, and although progressive, not 'liberal' or 'democratic'. Yet another group of historians contend he was never a full dictator, but remain divided on whether his personal power was "far closer to the absolutist end". or he merely played a mediating role in the Genrō's decision making.

Emperor Meiji in later life. Emperor Meiji grew a large beard in his later years, which is his well-known image.

He composed the following poem in waka form:

よもの海

みなはらからと思ふ世に

など波風のたちさわぐらむ

Yomo no umi

mina harakara to

omofu yo ni

nado namikaze no

tachi sawaguramu

The seas of the four directions—

all are born of one womb:

why, then, do the wind and waves rise in discord?

This poem was later recited by his grandson, Emperor Shōwa in an Imperial Conference in September 1941 before the attack on Pearl Harbor to tell that he wanted to avoid the war.

The Illustrated London News published an article with a cover illustration of Emperor Meiji in the New-York Tribune on 19 March 1905. The description text said:

The victorious Emperor of Japan - beloved ruler of a new world power. The Emperor, who was born on 3 November 1852, succeeded to the throne on 3 February 1867, on the suppression of the Shogun dynasty, which had for generations wielded the power which the imperial family held only in name. Mutsuhito has proved the most practical of modern monarchs, for in less than forty years he has brought his country from semi-barbarism to the status of a first class power.

 Senior life and death

Funeral of Emperor Meiji, 1912

Near the end of his life several leftists, including Shūsui Kōtoku, were executed (1911) on charges of having conspired to murder the sovereign. This conspiracy was known as the High Treason Incident (1910).

Emperor Meiji, suffering from diabetes, nephritis, and gastroenteritis, died of uremia. Although the official announcement said he died at 00:42 on 30 July 1912, the actual death was at 22:40 on 29 July. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Emperor Taishō.

By 1912, Japan had gone through a political, economic, and social revolution and emerged as one of the great powers in the world. The New York Times summed up this transformation at the emperor's funeral in 1912 as: "the contrast between that which preceded the funeral car and that which followed it was striking indeed. Before it went old Japan; after it came new Japan."

After the emperor's death in 1912, the Japanese Diet passed a resolution to commemorate his role in the Meiji Restoration. An iris garden in an area of Tokyo where Emperor Meiji and the Empress had been known to visit was chosen as the building's location for the Shinto shrine Meiji Jingū. The shrine does not contain the emperor's grave, which is at Fushimi-Momoyama Castle south of Kyoto.

 Family and issue

Soon after Meiji's ascension, the emperor's officials presented Ichijō Haruko to him as a possible bride. The future Empress was the daughter of an Imperial official, and was three years older than the groom, who would have to wait to wed until after his genpuku (manhood ceremony). The two married on 11 January 1869. Known posthumously as Empress Dowager Shōken, she was the first Imperial Consort to receive the title of kōgō (literally, the emperor's wife, translated as Empress Consort), in several hundred years. Although she was the first Japanese Empress Consort to play a public role, she bore no children. However, the Meiji Emperor had fifteen children by five official ladies-in-waiting. Only five of his children, a prince born to Lady Naruko (1855–1943), the daughter of Yanagiwara Mitsunaru, and four princesses born to Lady Sachiko (1867–1947), the eldest daughter of Count Sono Motosachi, lived to adulthood. Although Meiji was the last emperor to have concubines, this function was not officially abolished until 1924.

 Spouse

Image	Position	Name	Birth	Death	Father	Issue
	Empress	Ichijō Masako (一条美子) later Empress Dowager Shōken (昭憲皇太后)	9 May 1849	9 April 1914	Tadaka Ichijō	None

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 Concubines

Image	Name	Birth	Death	Father	Issue
N/A	Hamuro Mitsuko (葉室光子)	3 February 1853	22 September 1873	Gon-Dainagon: Hamuro Nagamasa	• First Prince: Wakamitsuteru-hiko no Mikoto
	Hashimoto Natsuko (橋本夏子)	19 March 1856	14 November 1873	• Shōnagon: Higashibojo Natsunaga  • Dainagon: Hashimoto Saneakira (maternal grandfather and foster father)	• First Princess: Wakatakayori-hime no Mikoto
	Yanagiwara Naruko (柳原愛子)	26 June 1859	16 October 1943	Gon-Chunagon: Yanagihara Mitsunaru	• Second Princess: Imperial Princess Ume-no-Miya Shigeko  • Second Prince: Imperial Prince Take-no-Miya Yukihito  • Third Prince: Imperial Prince Haru-no-Miya Yoshihito (later Emperor Taisho)
N/A	Chigusa Kotoko (千種任子)	19 July 1855	1 February 1944	Sakon'e gon no shōshō : Chigusa Aritō	• Third Princess: Imperial Princess Shige-no-Miya Akiko  • Fourth Princess: Imperial Princess Masu-no-Miya Fumiko
	Sono Sachiko (園祥子)	23 December 1867	7 July 1947	Ukon'e no gon no chūjō: Sono Motosachi	• Fifth Princess: Imperial Princess Hisa-no-Miya Shizuko  • Fourth Prince: Imperial Prince Aki-no-Miya Michihito  • Sixth Princess: Imperial Princess Tsune-no-miya Masako  • Seventh Princess: Imperial Princess Kane-no-miya Fusako  • Eighth Princess: Imperial Princess Fumi-no-miya Nobuko  • Fifth Prince: Imperial Prince Mitsu-no-miya Teruhito  • Ninth Princess: Imperial Princess Yasu-no-miya Toshiko  • Tenth Princess: Imperial Princess Sada-no-miya Tokiko

 Issue

Emperor Meiji had fifteen children (five of them were sons and ten were daughters), five of them (a son and four daughters) reached adulthood.

He had eighteen grandchildren (eleven grandsons and seven granddaughters).

Image	Status	Name	Birth	Death	Mother	Marriage		Issue
N/A	01 First Prince	Wakamitsuteru-hiko no Mikoto (稚瑞照彦尊) (Stillbirth)	18 September 1873	18 September 1873	Hamuro Mitsuko	N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	01 First Princess	Wakatakayori-hime no Mikoto (稚高依姫尊) (Stillbirth)	13 November 1873	13 November 1873	Hashimoto Natsuko	N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	02 Second Princess	Ume-no-Miya Shigeko (梅宮薫子内親王)	25 January 1875	8 June 1876	Yanagiwara Naruko	N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	02 Second Prince	Take-no-Miya Yukihito (建宮敬仁親王)	23 September 1877	26 July 1878	Yanagiwara Naruko	N/A	N/A	N/A
	03 Third Prince	Haru-no-Miya Yoshihito (明宮嘉仁親王) (later Emperor Taishō)	31 August 1879	25 December 1926	Yanagiwara Naruko	10 May 1900	Sadako Kujō	• Hirohito, Emperor Shōwa  • Yasuhito, Prince Chichibu  • Nobuhito, Prince Takamatsu  • Takahito, Prince Mikasa
N/A	03 Third Princess	Shige-no-Miya Akiko (滋宮韶子内親王)	3 August 1881	6 September 1883	Chigusa Kotoko	N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	04 Fourth Princess	Masu-no-Miya Fumiko (増宮章子内親王)	26 January 1883	8 September 1883	Chigusa Kotoko	N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	05 Fifth Princess	Hisa-no-Miya Shizuko (久宮静子内親王)	10 February 1886	4 April 1887	Sono Sachiko	N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	04 Fourth Prince	Aki-no-Miya Michihito (昭宮猷仁親王)	22 August 1887	12 November 1888	Sono Sachiko	N/A	N/A	N/A
	06 Sixth Princess	Tsune-no-miya Masako (常宮昌子内親王)	30 September 1888	8 March 1940	Sono Sachiko	30 April 1908	Prince Tsunehisa Takeda	• Prince Tsuneyoshi Takeda  • Princess Ayako Takeda
	07 Seventh Princess	Kane-no-miya Fusako (周宮房子内親王)	28 January 1890	11 August 1974	Sono Sachiko	29 April 1909	Prince Naruhisa Kitashirakawa	• Prince Nagahisa Kitashirakawa  • Princess Mineko Kitashirakawa  • Princess Sawako Kitashirakawa  • Princess Taeko Kitashirakawa
	08 Eighth Princess	Fumi-no-miya Nobuko (富美宮允子内親王)	7 August 1891	3 November 1933	Sono Sachiko	6 May 1909	Prince Yasuhiko Asaka	• Princess Kikuko Asaka  • Princess Takahiko Asaka  • Prince Tadahito Asaka  • Princess Kiyoko Asaka
N/A	05 Fifth Prince	Mitsu-no-miya Teruhito (満宮輝仁親王)	30 November 1893	17 August 1894	Sono Sachiko	N/A	N/A	N/A
	09 Ninth Princess	Yasu-no-miya Toshiko (泰宮聡子内親王)	11 May 1896	5 March 1978	Sono Sachiko	18 May 1915	Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni	• Prince Morihiro Higashikuni  • Prince Moromasa Higashikuni  • Prince Akitsune Higashikuni  • Prince Toshihiko Higashikuni
N/A	10 Tenth Princess	Sada-no-miya Tokiko (貞宮多喜子内親王)	24 September 1897	11 January 1899	Sono Sachiko	N/A	N/A	N/A

 Honours

A bronze statue of Meiji Emperor

 National honours

• Founder and Sovereign of the Order of the Rising Sun, 10 April 1875
• Founder and Sovereign of the Order of the Chrysanthemum, 27 December 1876
• Founder and Sovereign of the Order of Meiji, 4 January 1888
• Founder and Sovereign of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers, 4 January 1888
• Founder and Sovereign of the Order of the Precious Crown, 4 January 1888
• Founder and Sovereign of the Order of the Golden Kite, 12 February 1890

 Foreign honours

He received the following orders and decorations:

• Austria-Hungary: Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, 16 May 1881
• بلجيكا: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold, 20 November 1880
• الدنمارك: Knight of the Order of the Elephant, 18 May 1887
• الجمهورية الفرنسية الثالثة: Grand Cross of the National Order of the Legion of Honour, 20 March 1883
• الإمبراطورية الألمانية: Knight of the Order of the Black Eagle, 29 May 1879; with Collar, 10 June 1895
  • باڤاريا: Knight of the Royal Order of St. Hubert, 1894
  • برونزويك: Grand Cross of the Order of Henry the Lion, 18 June 1907
  • قالب:Country data Saxe-Coburg and Gotha قالب:Country data Saxe-Altenburg قالب:Country data Saxe-Meiningen Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order, 1873
  • Mecklenburg: Grand Cross of the House Order of the Wendish Crown, with Crown in Ore and Collar, 2 February 1885
  • قالب:Country data Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach: Grand Cross of the Order of the White Falcon, 27 December 1882
  • ڤورتمبرگ: Grand Cross of the Order of the Württemberg Crown, 23 December 1896
• Kingdom of Greece: Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer, 13 May 1891
• قالب:Country data Kingdom of Hawaii: Grand Cross of the Order of Kamehameha I, with Collar, 15 March 1881
• مملكة إيطاليا:
  • Knight of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation, 26 July 1879
  • Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, 26 July 1879
  • Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy, 26 July 1879
• Korean Empire: Collar of the Order of the Golden Ruler, 5 September 1900
• Principality of Montenegro: Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Danilo I, 18 February 1885
• هولندا: Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion, 26 July 1881
• الدولة العثمانية: Order of Distinction, 13 June 1890
• مملكة الپرتغال: Grand Cross of the Sash of the Three Orders, 16 April 1904
• أسرة تشينگ: Order of the Double Dragon, Grade I Class I, 20 December 1898
• الإمبراطورية الروسية: Knight of the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle the First-called, 5 September 1879
• إسپانيا الاسترداد: Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece, 14 November 1883
• Siam: Knight of the Order of the Royal House of Chakri, 22 December 1887
• Sweden-Norway: Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim, 11 December 1881
• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland: Stranger Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, 15 May 1906

 Timeline and gallery

Emperor Meiji reviewing the military at the Russo-Japanese War Victory Parade held on April 30, 1906, in Tokyo

The Meiji era ushered in many far-reaching changes to the ancient feudal society of Japan. A timeline of major events might include:

• 3 November 1852: Emperor Meiji (then known as the Prince Mutsuhito Sachinomiya) is born to the imperial concubine Nakayama Yoshiko and Emperor Kōmei.
• 1853: A fleet of ships headed by Commodore Matthew Perry arrives in Japan on 8 July. Death of the shōgun Tokugawa Ieyoshi; appointment of Tokugawa Iesada as shōgun.
• 1854–55: Treaties are signed with the United States by the shogunate.
• Late 1850s–1860s: The "Sonnō jōi" movement is in full force.
• 1858: The shogunate signs treaties with the Netherlands, Imperial Russia, and Great Britain. Death of the shōgun Tokugawa Iesada; appointment of Tokugawa Iemochi as shōgun.
• March 1860: The Tairō, Ii Naosuke, is assassinated in the Sakuradamon incident.
• 11 November: Sachinomiya is formally proclaimed Crown Prince and given the personal name Mutsuhito.
• 1862: Namamugi Incident.
• 1864–65: Bombardment of Shimonoseki by British, American, French, and Dutch ships; fighting ensues between the shogunate and Chōshū.
• 1866: Death of the shōgun Tokugawa Iemochi; appointment of Tokugawa Yoshinobu as shōgun.
• 31 January 1867: Death of Emperor Kōmei from hemorrhagic smallpox, unofficial accession of Mutsuhito to the throne.
• 4 January 1868: Formal restoration of imperial rule; end of 265 years of rule by the Tokugawa shogunate.
• 12 September: Formal enthronement of the emperor.
• 23 October: The era name is changed to Meiji.
• 6 November: The capital is moved from Kyoto Prefecture to Edo, renamed Tokyo.
• 5 November 1872: The emperor receives the Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia.
• Late 1860s–1881: Period of rebellion and assassination in Japan.
• 11 January 1869: Marriage of the emperor to Ichijo Haruko, thenceforth the Empress Dowager Shōken.
• 4 September: The emperor receives The Duke of Edinburgh.
• 1871: The abolition of the han system is proclaimed.
• 1873: Edo Castle is destroyed in a conflagration; the emperor moves to the Akasaka Palace. His first children are born, but die at birth.
• 1877: The Satsuma Rebellion.
• 1878: Assassination of Ōkubo Toshimichi.
• 31 August 1879: Prince Yoshihito, the future Emperor Taishō and the emperor's only surviving son, is born.
• 1881: Receives the first state visit of a foreign monarch, King Kalākaua of Hawaii.
• 1889: Meiji Constitution promulgated; Itō Hirobumi becomes first Prime Minister of Japan.
• 1894: Sino-Japanese War; Japanese victory establishes Japan as a regional power.
• 29 April 1901: Became grandfather when Emperor Taishō's first son, the Prince Hirohito Michi-no-miya, future Emperor Shōwa was born.
• 1904–1905: Russo-Japanese War; Japanese victory earns Japan the status of a great power.
• 1910: The Annexation of Korea by the Empire of Japan: Korea under Japanese rule (-1945).
• 30 July 1912: The emperor dies (aged 59).

 Gallery

• 

  Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery

• 

  The Triumphal Grand Army Review by Kobayashi Mango

• 

  Conference on Drafting a Constitution by Goseda Horyu

• 

  Visiting a Silver Mine by Gomi Seikichi

• 

  Chrysanthemum Garden Party by Nakazawa Hiromitsu

• 

  Ceremony for the Promulgation of the Constitution by Wada Eisaku

• 

  Emperor at Imperial Headquarters by Minami Kunzo

 Film depictions

Emperor Meiji is portrayed by Toshirō Mifune in the 1980 Japanese war drama film The Battle of Port Arthur (sometimes referred as 203 Kochi). Directed by Toshio Masuda, the film depicted the Siege of Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War, and also starred Tatsuya Nakadai (as General Nogi Maresuke), and Tetsurō Tamba (as General Kodama Gentarō).

Emperor Meiji also appears in the 2003 film The Last Samurai, played by Nakamura Shichinosuke II. In the film, the emperor is portrayed as a weak, inexperienced leader under the firm control of his councilors, who intend to have him sign a treaty that would give the United States special trading rights that would enrich them, but also cement foreign domination of Japan. The emperor's determination is only shown at the end of the movie, when he is inspired by a visit from Capt. Nathan Algren (played by Tom Cruise), who fought alongside the rebel samurai, to reject the treaty and dismiss his advisors, declaring that Japan will modernize, but not at the cost of its traditions and history.

 Bibliography

• Gordon, Andrew (2009), A Modern History of Japan: From Tokugawa Times to the Present (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-533922-2 
• Jansen, Marius (1994), Sakamoto Ryoma and the Meiji Restoration, Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0-231-10173-8 
• Jansen, Marius (1995), The Emergence of Meiji Japan, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-48405-3 
• Keene, Donald (2002), Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World, 1852–1912, Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0231123402, OCLC 46731178 
• Wilson, George M. (1992), Patriots and Redeemers: Motives in the Meiji Restoration, University of Chicago Press, ISBN 978-0226900919, OCLC 23869701 

 External links

• Meiji Shrine Archived 31 مارس 2015 at the Wayback Machine
• Meiji Emperor
•  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Mutsu Hito" . دائرة المعارف البريطانية (eleventh ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• "Mutsuhito, Emperor of Japan" . The New Student's Reference Work . 1914.
• Newspaper clippings about الامبراطور مـِيْ‌جي in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW

الامبراطور مـِيْ‌جي Imperial House of Japan وُلِد: 3 November 1852 توفي: 30 July 1912
ألقاب ملكية
سبقه Kōmei	Emperor of Japan 3 February 1867 – 30 July 1912	تبعه Taishō

		أباطرة اليابان
الأباطرة الأسطوريون
1 جيمو 神武	2 سوي‌زيْ 綏靖	3 安寧	4 懿徳	5 孝昭	6 孝安	7 孝霊	8 孝元	9 開化	10 崇神
11 垂仁	12 景行	13 成務	14 仲哀
حقبة يـَمـاتـو 大和時代 (كـُفون)، الفترة (250–538)
15 اوجين 応神	16 نين تـُكو 仁徳	17 履中	18 反正	19 允恭	20 安康	21 雄略	22 清寧	23 顕宗	24 仁賢
25 武烈	26 継体	27 安閑	28 宣化
حقبة أسـوكـا 飛鳥時代، الفترة (538–710)
29 كيم مـِيْ 欽明	30 بيداتسو 敏達	31 يومـِيْ 用明	32 سوشون 崇峻	33 سويكو 推古	34 جومـِيْ 舒明	35 كوگيوكو 皇極	36 كوتـُكو 孝徳	37 كوگيوكو 斉明	38 تنجي 天智
39 كـُبون 弘文	40 تمـّو 天武	41 جيتو 持統	42 مـُمـّو 文武	43 گـِم مـِيْ 元明
حقبة نـارا 奈良時代، الفترة (710 - 794)
44 گـِنشو 元正	45 شومو 聖武	46 كوكـِن 孝謙	47 جون نين 淳仁	48 شوتـُكو 称徳	49 كونين 光仁
حقبة هـِيْ آن 平安時代، الفترة (794 - 1185)
50 كـَمـّو 桓武	51 平城	52 嵯峨	53 淳和	54 仁明	55 文徳	56 清和	57 陽成	58 光孝	59 اودا 宇多
60 دايگو 醍醐	61 سوزاكو 朱雀	62 موراكامي 村上	63 ريْ‌زيْ 冷泉	64 إن‌يو 円融	65 كازان 花山	66 一条	67 三条	68 後一条	69 後朱雀
70 後冷泉	71 後三条	72 白河	73 堀河	74 鳥羽	75 崇徳	76 كونوئ 近衛天皇	77 گو-شيراكاوا 後白河天皇	78 二条	79 六条
80 高倉	81 أن تـُكو 安徳	82 گو توبا 後鳥羽
حقبة كـَماكورا 鎌倉時代، الفترة (1185 - 1333)
83 تسوتشي ميكادو 土御門	84 جون تـُكو 順徳	85 仲恭	86 後堀河	87 四条	88 後嵯峨	89 後深草	90 亀山	91 後宇多	92 伏見
93 後伏見	94 後二条	95 花園	96 گو دايگو 後醍醐
حقبة مورُماتشي 室町時代، الفترة (1336 - 1573)
97 گو موراكامي 後村上	98 تشو كـِيْ 長慶	99 گو كامـِياما 後亀山	100 گو كوماتسو 後小松
البلاط الشمالي 北朝 "هـُكوچو"		1 كوگـُن 光厳	2 كومـْيو 光明	3 崇光	4 後光厳	5 後円融	6 後小松
101 称光	102 後花園	103 後土御門	104 後柏原	105 後奈良	106 正親町	107 後陽成
حقبة إدو 江戸時代، الفترة (1603 – 1868)
108 گو ميزونو 後水尾	109 مـِيـْشو 明正	110 گو كوميو 後光明	111 گو ساي 後西	112 ريـْگـِن 霊元	113 هيگاشي ياما 東山	114 ناكا ميكادو 中御門	115 ساكورا ماتشي 桜町	116 موموزونو 桃園	117 گو ساكورا ماتشي 後桜町
118 گو موموزونو 後桃園	119 كوكاكو 光格	120 نين كو 仁孝	121 كومـِيْ 孝明
اليابان المعاصرة (عهد مـِيـْجي 明治時代 ف. 1868–1912)
122 ميـْجي 明治	123 تايشو 大正	124 هيروهيتو 昭和	125 أكيهيتو 今上	126 ناروهيتو 徳仁	※ ولي العهد ※ الإمبراطورات النساء (باللون الأحمر) ※