Emperor Meiji
Mutsuhito (Japanese: 睦仁, 3 November 1852 – 30 July 1912), posthumously honored as Emperor Meiji (明治天皇, Meiji-tennō), was the 122nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. His reign is associated with the Meiji Restoration, a series of rapid changes that witnessed Japan's transformation from an isolationist, feudal state to an industrialized world power.
| Emperor Meiji 明治天皇 | |||||||||
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Portrait by Uchida Kuichi, 1873 | |||||||||
| Emperor of Japan | |||||||||
| Reign | 30 January 1867 – 30 July 1912 | ||||||||
| Enthronement | 13 February 1867 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Kōmei | ||||||||
| Successor | Taishō | ||||||||
| Shōgun | Tokugawa Yoshinobu (1866–1868) | ||||||||
| Daijō-daijin | Sanjō Sanetomi (1871–1885) | ||||||||
| Born | Mutsuhito, Prince Sachi (祐宮睦仁親王) 3 November 1852 Kyoto Gyoen National Garden, Kyoto, Yamashiro Province, Tokugawa shogunate | ||||||||
| Died | 30 July 1912 (aged 59) Meiji Palace, Tokyo City, Tokyo Prefecture, Empire of Japan | ||||||||
| Burial | 13 September 1912 | ||||||||
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| Issue among others... |
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| House | Imperial House of Japan | ||||||||
| Father | Emperor Kōmei | ||||||||
| Mother | Nakayama Yoshiko | ||||||||
| Religion | Shinto | ||||||||
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At the time of Emperor Meiji's birth in 1852, Japan was a feudal pre-industrial country dominated by the isolationist Tokugawa shogunate and the daimyō subject to it, who ruled over the country's 270 decentralized domains. By the time of his death, Japan had undergone an extensive political, economic, and social revolution and emerged as one of the great powers on the world stage. The New York Times summarized this transformation at the emperor's funeral in 1912: "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."