The Emperor’s Role in Meiji Japan

japan is a society whose culture is steeped in the traditions and symbols of the past Mt. Fuji, the tea ceremony, and the sacred objects of nature revered in Shintoisticism. Two of the most important traditions and symbols in lacquer the emperor moth and Confucianism have endured through Shogunates, restorations of imperial rule, and up to present day. The leadership of the Meiji Restoration used these traditions to gain witness over japan and further their goals of modernization.The Meiji leaders used the symbolism of the emperor to add legitimacy to their government, by claiming that they were ruling under the regal forget. They besides used Confucianism to maintain order and force the Nipponese plenty to passively accept their rule. Japanese rulers historically have used the symbolism of the imperial beard Institution to justify their rule. The symbolism of the Japanese emperor is in truth powerful and is wrapped up in a mix of religion (Shintoism) and myths. jibe to S hintoism the current emperor is the direct descendent of the Sun Goddess who formed the islands of Japan out of the Ocean in ancient times. Foot none1 According to these myths the Japanese emperor un desire a King is a living descendent of the Gods and even straightaway he is thought of as the High Priest of Shinto. Despite the powerful myths surrounding Japans imperial introduction the Emperor has enjoyed only figure head status from 1176 on.At some points during this time the Emperor was cut to selling calligraphy on the streets of Kyoto to support the imperial household, only usually the Emperor received funds based on the kindness of the Shogunate. Foot none2 plainly despite this obvious power imbalance even the Tokugawa Shogun was at least symbolically below the Emperor in status and he claimed to rule so he could carry out the Within this historical context the Meiji leaders realized hat they needed to take on the concept of the imperial lead in order to govern effe ctively.In the years leading up to 1868 members of the Satsuma and Choshu ranks were part of the imperialistic op locate. This opposition claimed that the only way that Japan could snuff it the encroachment of the foreigners was to loosen nigh the Emperor. Footnote4 The Imperialists, claimed that the Tokugawa Shogunate had lost its imperial mandate to carry out the Imperial Will because it had capitulated to occidental powers by allowing them to open up Japan to trade.During this time the conceptions of the imperialists ained increasing support among Japanese citizens and intellectuals who taught at pertly established schools and wrote revisionist history books that claimed that historically the Emperor had been the ruler of Japan. Footnote5 The fact that the Tokugawas governing body of opening up Japan to the western world ran counter to the beliefs of the Emperor and was unpopular with the populace made the Tokugawa vulner adequate to attack from the imperialists.The im perialists press their attack both militarily and from within the Court of Kyoto. The great military regime of Edo which until lately had been all owerful was floundering not because of military weakness, or because the machinery of government had broken except quite because the Japanese public and the Shoguns supporters felt they had lost the The end of the Tokugawa regime shows the power of the symbolism and myths surrounding the imperial creation.The head of the Tokugawa clan died in 1867 and was replaced by the son of a lord who was a champion of Japanese historical studies and who concur with the imperialists claims about restoring the Emperor. Footnote7 So in 1868 the modernistic shogun handed over all his power to the Emperor in Kyoto. Shortly after handing over power to the Emperor, the Emperor Komeo died and was replaced by his son who became the Meiji Emperor. Footnote8 Because the Meiji Emperor was only 15 all the power of the new restored Emperor fell not in his pa ss but instead in the hands of his close advisors.These advisers such as Prince Saionji, Prince Konroe, and members of the Satsuma and Choshu clans who had been members of the imperialist movement eventually harm up involving into the Meiji Bureaucracy and Genro of the Meiji Era. Footnote9 Once in control of the government the Meiji Leaders and advisors to the Emperor reversed their policy of hostility to Foreigners. Footnote10 They did this because after Emperor Komeo (who was strongly opposed to receive with the west) died in 1867 the Meiji Emperors advisors were no longer qualify by his Imperial Will.Being anti-western in like manner no longer served the purposes of the Meiji advisors. Originally it was a stopcock of the imperialist movement that was used to show that the Shogun was not playing out the Imperial Will. Now that the Shogun and Komeo Emperor were doomed there was no longer a reason to The choice of the imperial thrown by the imperialists as a point for Japan to rally around could not have been more wise. Although the imperial institution had no real power it had universal appeal to the Japanese public. It was both a mythic and spectral idea in their minds.Footnote11 It provided the Japanese in this time of chaos after coming in contact with foreigners a belief in stability (according to Japanese myth the imperial line is a continuous lineage handed down since time immortal), and it provided a belief in the natural superiority of Japanese culture. Footnote12 The symbolism of the Emperor helped ensure the success of the restorationists because it undercut the legitimacy of the Shogunates rule, and it treng whenceed the Meiji rulers who claimed to act for the Emperor.What is a great riddle about the Imperialists claims to restore the power of the Emperor is that the Meiji rulers did not restore the Emperor to power except symbolically because he was both too young and his advisors to power hungry. Footnote13 By 1869 the relationship bet ween the Emperor and his Meiji bureaucracy and the Emperor and the Tokugawa Shogun before the restoration were very similar. Both the Meiji Bureaucrats and the Shogun ruled under the authority of the Emperor but did not let the Emperor sterilize any finales. In Japan the Emperor reigned but did not rule.This was useful for the new Meiji bureaucrats, it kept the Emperor a mythic The traditions and symbols of Confucianism and the Imperial Institution were already late ingrained in the psyche of the Japanese but the new Meiji rulers through both an caravaning governance, and the body structure of the Japanese government were able to effectively inculcate these traditions into a new genearned run averagetion of Japanese. The education face the Meiji Oligarchy founded varyed itself into a system that indoctrinated students in the ideas of Confucianism and reverence for the Emperor.Footnote15 After the death of Okubo in 1878 Ito, Okuma, and Iwakura emerged as the tierce most po werful figures among the young bureaucrats that were running the government in the name of the Meiji Emperor. Iwakura one of the only figures in the ancient nobility to gain prominence among the Meiji oligarchy allied with Ito who feared Okumas progressive ideas would destroy Japans culture. Footnote16 Iwakura it is thought was able rig the young Emperor to grow concerned about the need to strengthen traditional morals.Thus in 1882 the Emperor issued the Yogaku Koyo, the forerunner of the Imperial parliamentary procedure on Education. Footnote17 This papers put the emphasis of the Japanese education system on a moral education from 1882 onward. Previous to 1880 the Japanese education system was modeled on that of the French education system. After 1880 the Japanese briefly modeled their education system on the American system. Footnote18 However, starting with the Yogaku Koyo in 1882 and ending with the 1885 reorganization of the department of Education along Prussian lines the American model was abolished.The new education minister Mori Arinori after returning from Europe in 1885 with Ito was convinced that the Japanese education system had to have a spiritual oundation to it. Footnote19 In Prussia Arinori saw that foundation to be Christianity and he decreed that in Japan the Education system was to be based on reverence for the Imperial Institution. A picture of the Emperor was placed in every classroom, children read about the myths surrounding the Emperor in school, and they learned that the Emperor was the head of the giant family of Japan.Footnote20 By the time the Imperial Rescript on Education was decreed by the Emperor in 1889 the Japanese education system had already begun to transform itself into a system that did not teach how to think but instead what o think. The Imperial Rescript on Education in 1889 was according to Japanese scholars such as Hugh Borton , the nerve axis of the new order. Footnote21 Burton believes that the Imperial Rescrip t on Education signaled the rise of contentistic elements in Japan. The Imperial Rescript on Education was the culmination of this whole movement to the right.The Rescript emphasized loyalty and filial piety, honor for the fundamental integrity and readiness to serve the government. It in like manner exalted the Emperor as the coeval between heaven The piece of music of 1889 like the changes in the education ystem helped strengthen reverence for the Imperial Institution. The 1889 constitution was really the second document of its kind passed in Japan the first being the Imperial Oath of 1868 in which the Emperor dictated out the structure and who was to head the new Meiji government.Footnote23 This Imperial Oath was refereed to as a constitution at the time but it only very vaguely laid out the structure of government. The constitution promulgated by the Emperor in 1889 did much more then lay out the structure of Japanese government it also affirmed that the Emperor was the s upreme sovereign over Japan. Footnote24 The signing ceremony itself was an fortunate event on the way to it Mori Arinori one of the moderate leaders of the Meiji government was attacked and killed by a half-crazed rightist.Footnote25 The ceremony itself evoked both the past and present and was symbolic of the Meiji governments shift toward the right and the governments use of the Emperor as supreme ruler. Before signing the document Emperor Meiji prayed at the palace sanctuary to incite the name of his imperial ancestors he then signed the constitution which affirmed the sanctity of the Emperors title (Tenno Taiken), and his ight to make or abrogate any law. Footnote26 The constitution also set up a bicameral legislature.Footnote27 The constitution codified the power of the Emperor and helped the Meiji oligarchy justify their rule because they could point to the constitution and say that they were carrying out the willing of the Emperor. The Meiji Emperor even after the spirit o f 1889 enjoyed little real power. The Meiji Emperor did not even strike to cabinet meetings because his advisors told him if the cabinet made a decision that was different then the one he cherished then that would create dissension and would destroy the idea of theImperial Institution. So even after the Meiji Constitution the Emperor was still predominantly a symbol. Footnote28 The Constitution ingrained in Japanese society the idea that the government was being run by uplifteder forces who new better then the Japanese people, it also broadened the base of support of the Meiji Rulers who now had a document too prove they were acting on Imperial Will and their decisions were imperial decisions not those of mere mortals.Footnote29 The symbolism of the Emperor and use of Confucianism allowed the Meiji rulers to achieve their goals. One of their goals was the bolishment of the system of fiefs and return of all land to the Emperor. At first the new Meiji Rulers allied themselves with the Daimyo clans in opposition to the Tokugawa Shogun. But once the Meiji leaders had gained a control they saw that they would need to abolish the fief system and centre power in the hands of a central government.The Meiji rulers achieved their goals by having the Choshu, Satsuma, Tosa, and Hizen clans give up their lands, granting the Daimyos large pensions if they gave up their clans, and by having the Emperor issue two decrees in July 1869, and August 1871. Footnote30 The role and symbolism of the Emperor although not the sole factor in influencing the Daimyo to give up their fiefs, was vital. The Meiji Oligarchs said that not turning in the fiefs to the Emperor would be disloyal and pointed to the historical record which Meiji scholars claimed showed that historically all fiefs were the property of the Emperor.Footnote31 They showed this by claiming that the Shogun would switch the rulers of fiefs and this proved that the Daimyos did not control the title to their land but me rely held it for the Emperor. Imperial decrees and slogans of loyalty to the Emperor also ccompanied the abolishment of the Samurai system. Footnote32 In the abolishment of both these feudal systems the symbolism of the Emperor as both the theater director of the initiative and recipient of the authority afterwards played a vital role in ensuring there success.Footnote33 The abolishment of fiefs and the samurai class were essential for the stability and industrialization of Japan. Footnote34 Without the concentration of land and power in the hands of the Meiji oligarchs and the Emperor the Meiji oligarchs feared they would receive opposition from powerful Daimyos and never gain control and uthority over all of Japan. historical examples bear out the fears of the Meiji Oligarchy in 1467 the Ashikaga Shogun failed to control many of the fiefs and because of this a civil war raged in Japan.Footnote35 The centralization of power allowed the Meiji government to have taxing authority o ver all of Japan and pursue national projects. Footnote36 The unity of Japan also allowed the Meiji Oligarchs to focus on national and not local issues. The use of Confucianism and the Emperor also brought a degree of stability to Japan during the tumultuous Meiji years. The Emperors ere presence on a enlighten or in western clothes were enough to convince the public of the safety or faithfulness of the Meiji oligarchys industrial policy.In one famous instance the Japanese Emperor appeared in a train car and after that riding trains became a common place activity in Japan. The behavior of the Imperial family was also critical to adoption of western cultural practices. Before 1873 most Japanese women of a high social position would shave their eyebrows and blacken their teeth to appear beautiful. But on March third 1873 the Empress appeared in public wearing her own eyebrows and with unblackened teeth. Following that day most women in Tokyo and around Japan stopped shaving their ey ebrows and blackening their teeth.Footnote37 The Imperial institution provided both a key tool to change Japanese culture and feelings about industrialization and it provided stability to Japan which was critical to allowing industrialists to invest in factories and increase exports and The symbols and the traditions the Meiji leaders inculcated Japanese society with helped the Meiji government maintain stability and pursue its economic policies but it also had severe limitations that limited the revolutionary scope of the Japanese government and elped bring about the precipitation of the Meiji era.The use of Confucianism and the Emperor to bolster the Imperial restoration laid the foundation for a paradox of cite affairs. The system that sought to strengthen Japan through the use of modern technology and modern organization methods was using traditional value to further its goals. Footnote39 This caused some to turn toward the west for the enlightenment the Meiji era promised thi s was the reference with Okuma who was eventually forced out of the increasing nationalist Genro. Footnote40 For others it lead them to severe nationalism rejecting all that was western.This was such the case of Saigo who believed till his death on his own sword that the Meiji leaders were hypocritical and were violating the Imperial Will by negotiating and trading with the west. Footnote41 The Meiji government used the same symbols and traditions that the Tokugawa used and like the Tokugawa gave the Emperor no decision making power. The Meiji Emperor although he had supreme power as accorded in the constitution never very made decisions but was instead a pawn of the Meiji Genro who claimed to carry out his Imperial Will.This Imperial Will they decided for themselves. Like the Shogunate the Meiji governments claim to rule for the Emperor was fraught with problems. The Imperial Will was a fluid idea that could be adopted by different parties under changing circumstances. And just l ike the Meiji rulers were able to topple the Shogun by claiming success liberaly that they were the true administrators of the Imperial Will the militarist elements in the 1930s were able to topple the democratic elements of Japan partially by claiming the mantle of ruling for the Emperor.Footnote42 From this perspective the Meiji Oligarchs building up of the Imperial Myth was a fatal flaw in he government. The constitution which says in member I, The empire of Japan shall be governed over by a line of Emperors unbroken for ages eternal gave to whoever was acting on the Imperial Will absolute The symbols of the Emperor and the tradition of Confucianism did not end with the end of the Meiji era or world war two.Today the idea of filial piety is still strong, multiple generations of a family still usually live together even in cramped Japanese housing. The religion of Shinto that the Meiji leaders rejuvenated during their rule in order to help foster the imperial cult is still palmy as he thousands of Tori gates and Shrines around Japan attest. Footnote44 But the most striking symbol to survive is that of the Emperor stripped after world war two of all power the Emperor of Japan is still revered.During the illness of Emperor Showa in 1989 every national give-and-takepaper and television show was full of reports related to the Emperors health. During the six months the Showa Emperor was sick before he died all parades and public events were canceled in respect for the Emperor. Outside the gates of the Imperial palace in Tokyo long tables were set up where people lined up to sign cards to wish he Emperor a speedy recovery. The news media even kept the type of illness the emperor had a secret in deference to the Emperor.At his death after months of illness it was as if the Imperial Cult of the Meiji era had returned. Everything in Japan closed in(p) down , private television stations went as far as to not air any commercials on the day of his death. And now alm ost six years after his death more then four hundred and fifty thousand people trek annually to the isolated grave web site of Emperor Showa. Footnote45 The traditions and symbolism of Confucianism and the Emperor ere critical to the Meiji oligarchs gaining control of power and goals of industrialization.The oligarchy inculcated the Japanese public with these traditional values through an education system that stressed moral learning, and through a constitution that established the law of Japan to be that of the Imperial Will. The values of Confucianism and symbol of the Emperor allowed the Meiji government to peaceful gain control of Japan by appealing to history and the restoration of the Emperor. But the Meiji oligarchs never restored the Emperor to a position of real political power.Instead he was used as tool by the oligarchs to achieve their modernization plans in Japan such as the abolishment of fiefs, the end of the samurai, the propagation of new cultural practices, and pu bic acceptance of the Meiji oligarchs industrialization policies. The symbols and traditions of Japans past are an enduring legacy that have manifested themselves in the Meiji Restoration and straightaway in Japans continued reverence for Hidejiro Nagata, A Simplified Treatise on The Imperial House of Japan Takatsu Kuwasaburo, The register of The Empire of Japan (Tokyo Dai Nippon Tosho Kabushiki Kwaisha, 1893) 206.