The period between
1868 and
1912 in
Japan's history. During this time, the total isolation of the
Edo period was finally broken, and Japan was transformed from a
feudal state into the modern industrial nation it is today. This transformation was initiated by Western fleets which, using their technological advantage, forced Japan to open its harbors.
Many samurai who had never accepted the centralist Tokugawa shogunate, saw this as a chance to restore power to the emperor, and after a brief civil war, the Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu had to step down and leave the government to Saigo Takamori, Okubo Toshimichi,
Kido Takayoshi and other restoration leaders. In 1869, Edo was renamed Tokyo and the emperor moved there. But the real changes had only begun: a quick and radical industrialization took place, and large number of Western experts were brought in to modernize nearly every facet of the country's economy, education and society. Ironically, among the things that were abolished were also most of the samurai's privileges.
While the achievements of this feat are amazing, the quick change was really only possible because of extremely authoritarian leaders, and the people's willingness to follow them - eventually, this also caused the disastrous imperialist tendencies that culminated in World War II.
Edo period | Taisho Period