(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Role of The Emperor in Meiji Japan

             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.


Essays Related to Role of The Emperor in Meiji Japan

1. Role Of Emperor In Meiji Restoration

However, the role played by Mutsuhito in the redevelopment of Japan was not one of making reforms that would assist Japan in this. ... Though Mutsuhito was the emperor, the real brains behind the actions were a small group of samurai, known as the Meiji Oligarchs who wished to revolutionize Japan. ... These situations are similar in that the public saw Emperor Meiji as a descendant from their God. According to Shintoism the current Emperor is "the direct descendent of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, who formed the islands of Japan out of the Ocean in ancient times. - In a speech delivered by Profes...

  • Word Count: 828
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Has Bibliography

2. Causes of the Meiji Restoratio

The two most important players in the Meiji restoration were Meiji's father, Emperor Komei, because of his stubbornness in maintaining tradition and his conservatism; and Iwakura Tomomi, an important nobleman, for his schemes against the court and, ultimately, his role in the death of Emperor Komei. ... It is clear that the spirit of military reform that would mark the Meiji period and lead to victories in the Russo-Japanese and Sino-Japanese wars was directly influenced by the influence of foreign ships on Japan. ... Southern domains of Japan, especially the Satsuma and Choshu, played...

  • Word Count: 1630
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Democracy in 1920's Japan

As well as these official barriers to the role of the Diet's lower house, there also existed the informal Genro, a small cadre of elder statesmen whose role was also to advise the emperor on political matters. ... The Meiji Constitution dictated that the military answer only to the emperor, and so any issue concerning military action was out of the hands of the lower house. Finally, the role of the emperor himself as the ultimate source of Japanese authority meant that any action on the part of government could be overruled by recourse to an imperial prerogative. ... It appears that the ...

  • Word Count: 2458
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Grade Level: Graduate

4. Japanese Monarchy

The Japanese people believed this since no Emperor had ever been overthrown; however his position is mostly symbolic and he portrays a figurehead status. ... As a result of World War II defeat, the Emperor declared his humanity and thus in the Japanese constitution the Emperors position is one of state symbol not divinity. Today's Emperor Heisei (Akihito) is the 125th Emperor and was crowned on November 12th, 1990. ... SHINTOISM: The other sources of information about early Japanese history are two Japanese sources of ancient history; "Kojiki" in 712, and the "Nihon Shoki" in 720, ...

  • Word Count: 3562
  • Approx Pages: 14
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. Japanese Militarism

The forces that aided in this transformation were the failed promises of the Meiji Restoration that were represented in the stagnation of the Japanese economy, the perceived capitulation of the Japanese parliamentary leaders to the western powers, a compliant public, and an independent military. Beginning in the 1890's the public education system indoctrinated students in the ideas of nationalism, loyalty to the emperor and traditionalist ideas of self-sacrifice and obedience. These values taught obedience not to a democratic but to the emperor; so the fact that the militaristic governmen...

  • Word Count: 1437
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

6. Hirohito; Leader or Bystander

Despite the appearance of holding power, leader's often are undermined by their own subjects as the case of Emperor Hirohito of Japan. It is true that during his reign Japan has seen a territorial expansion in Asia not unlike that of Genghis Khan's Mongolia or Julius Caesar's Rome but the question remains whether Hirohito played an active role in that expansion. ... On Christmas day 1926, Emperor Taisho succumbed to lung cancer and Hirohito ascended to the throne to become the 124th God Emperor of Japan. ... Wakatsuki ultimately failed in the attempt to carry out his emperor&...

  • Word Count: 5382
  • Approx Pages: 22
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Comfort Women of World War II

(Greenfield) Also, as Japan plays more and more an important role in international society, due to its economic power, many worry that this might cause the international society to overlook an incidence of gross violation of human rights. ... (Greenfield) In 1868, after the Meiji Restoration, the Meiji government introduced "the Great Japanese Imperial Constitution" and provided the emperor with the legal basis for an absolute power over the sovereignty of Japan. All Japanese were regarded as servants to the emperor and had to promise loyalty. ... The emperor-centered Japanese government le...

  • Word Count: 4553
  • Approx Pages: 18
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. Japan

The educational system in Japan has not always been the way it is today. ... The Meiji government was the first imperial government and it came into power in 1868. ... This document had three themes: that the foundation of the nation is Confucian Values, that the role of education is perfecting "moral powers", and that the duty of the subjects is to respect the national polity headed by the emperor. ... The classes are overflowing just as they do in Japan. There is one thing that Japan really does have working for them though. ...

  • Word Count: 1826
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography

Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question