The Meiji Emperor
A photographic portrait of the Meiji Emperor, in whose name Japan was transformed between 1868 and 1912.
The Meiji Restoration returned formal authority to the emperor and used that authority to dismantle the order that had produced it. Domains became prefectures, the samurai lost their stipends and their swords, conscription replaced hereditary warriors, and a country that had restricted foreign contact for two centuries built railways, a navy and a modern legal code within a generation. Read the full story in our article on The Meiji Restoration: Revolution and the Fall of Japan’s Samurai Class.
Public domain — source (Wikimedia Commons). Free to reuse under the stated licence.
