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- The Imperial Line
As legend has it, the first emperor of Japan was Jimmu Tenno, who ascended to power on the Yamato Plain in 660 bc. The tradition of accession has been maintained to the current Em�peror Heisei (considered the 125th ruler of Japan). Thus from 660 bc to the present the imperial line has continued unbroken.
However, in the late 12th century the emperor's political power was usurped by a powerful military family called the Minamoto clan. This marked the beginning of seven centuries of feudal rule by a succession of military leaders called shogun. The imperial family remained in Kyoto and were allowed to retain their titles, but were reduced to mere figureheads. They wielded no political power until the Meiji Restoration in 1868.
Restoration of Imperial Rule
The final shogunate dictatorship was the Tokugawa which lasted from 1603 to 1868. During this period, in 1639, a drastic isolationist policy was put into effect. Thus Japan was virtually closed off from the rest of the world, save for some contact with Dutch and Chinese maritime traders. This policy continued for more than two centuries until Commodore Matthew C. Perry of the United States forcibly sailed into Tokyo Bay in 1853 with four awe-inspiring vessels known as the famed "black ships." The following year he returned, compelling the Japanese to sign a trade treaty with the United States. This ended Japan's centuries-long policy of national seclusion. Other European
introduction
countries quickly followed suit, forcing Japan to grant them special trading privileges. This resulted in a series of inequitable treaties that left the Japanese at a disadvantage.
The impact of the early contacts with Western powers caused great turmoil and stress on the social and political structure of Japan. In 1867 the last Tokugawa shogun Yoshinobu (1837-1913) resigned. In 1868 after some bloodshed, full sovereignty was restored to the emperor by the powerful Satsuma and Choshu samurai. The leaders of the Restoration movement were com�paratively young and full of innovative ideas. These young men worked hard to shape the new Japan by amalgamating eastern and western ideas. With little experience and a trial and error approach, they began work on restructuring Japan's social and political institutions. The emperor generally remained in the background, offering only cautious advice. However, he would ultimately become the symbol for the modernization of Japan.
The young emperor came to the throne at the age of fourteen in January 1867. Initially, due to his inexperience he was easily manipulated. In 1868 his reign became known as Meiji, meaning "enlightened rule." His new national government was referred to as the Meiji Restoration. The imperial capital was relocated from Kyoto to Edo. Edo was then renamed Tokyo, meaning Eastern Capital. Emperor Meiji's rule, which lasted from 1868 until 1912, represents one of the most extraordinary periods in the history of the modern world.
Despite the fact that subtle changes had occurred in Japan through its contacts with Western science, medicine and chemis�MEIJI
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