Japan is a society whose culture is steeped in the traditions .
Fuji, the tea ceremony, and the sacred .
objects of nature revered in Shintoism. Two of the most important .
traditions and symbols in Japan; the Emperor and Confucianism have .
endured through Shogunates, restorations of imperial rule, and up to .
present day. The leaders of the Meiji Restoration used these .
traditions to gain control 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 "Imperial Will." They also used Confucianism to maintain .
order and force the Japanese people to passively accept their rule. .
Japanese rulers historically have used the symbolism of the .
Imperial Institution to justify their rule. The symbolism of the.
Japanese Emperor is very powerful and is wrapped up in a mix of .
religion (Shintoism) and myths. According to Shintoism the current .
Emperor is the direct descendent of the Sun Goddess who formed the .
islands of Japan out of the Ocean in ancient times.Footnote1 According .
to these myths the Japanese Emperor unlike a King is a living .
descendent of the Gods and even today he is thought of as the High .
Priest of Shinto. Despite the powerful myths surrounding Japan's .
imperial institution the Emperor has enjoyed only figure head status .
from 1176 on. At some points during this time the Emperor was reduced .
to selling calligraphy on the streets of Kyoto to support the imperial .
household, but usually the Emperor received money based on the .
kindness of the Shogunate.Footnote2 But 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 .
Imperial rule.Footnote3 .
Within this historical context the Meiji leaders realized .
that they needed to harness the concept of the Imperial Will in.