20 Facts About Meiji period

1.

The Meiji period era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization by Western powers to the new paradigm of a modern, industrialized nation state and emergent great power, influenced by Western scientific, technological, philosophical, political, legal, and aesthetic ideas.

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2.

Rapid modernization during the Meiji period era was not without its opponents, as the rapid changes to society caused many disaffected traditionalists from the former samurai class to rebel against the Meiji period government during the 1870s, most famously Saigo Takamori who led the Satsuma Rebellion.

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3.

Meiji period government assured the foreign powers that it would follow the old treaties negotiated by the bakufu and announced that it would act in accordance with international law.

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4.

Meiji period started a school and a movement aimed at establishing a constitutional monarchy and a legislative assembly.

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5.

Meiji period called for elections to be held by 1882 and for a national assembly to be convened by 1883; in doing so, he precipitated a political crisis that ended with an 1881 imperial rescript declaring the establishment of a national assembly in 1890 and dismissing Okuma.

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6.

Meiji period led a constitutional study mission abroad in 1882, spending most of his time in Germany.

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7.

Meiji period rejected the United States Constitution as "too liberal", and the British system as too unwieldy, and having a parliament with too much control over the monarchy; the French and Spanish models were rejected as tending toward despotism.

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8.

The Meiji period Constitution lasted as the fundamental law until 1947.

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9.

Meiji period era saw a flowering of public discourse on the direction of Japan.

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10.

Elite class of the Meiji period era adapted many aspects of Victorian taste, as seen in the construction of Western-style pavilions and reception rooms called yokan or yoma in their homes.

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11.

In 1885, the Meiji period government sponsored a telegraph system, throughout Japan, situating the telegraphs in all major Japanese cities at the time.

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12.

Undeterred by opposition, the Meiji period leaders continued to modernize the nation through government-sponsored telegraph cable links to all major Japanese cities and the Asian mainland and construction of railroads, shipyards, munitions factories, mines, textile manufacturing facilities, factories, and experimental agriculture stations.

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13.

For Japan to emerge from the feudal Meiji period, it had to avoid the colonial fate of other Asian countries by establishing genuine national independence and equality.

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14.

From that time, most of the excellent works of Meiji period Art were bought by foreign collectors and only a few of them remained in Japan, but because he bought back many works from foreign countries and opened the Kiyomizu Sannenzaka Museum, the study and reevaluation of Meiji period Art rapidly advanced in Japan after the 21st century.

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15.

Gold- or silver-decorated lacquerwares had been popular in the Edo Meiji period, but fell out of favor in the early nineteenth-century due to economic hardship.

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16.

The Meiji period era saw a renewed interest in lacquer as artists developed new designs and experimented with new textures and finishes.

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17.

Meiji period placed lacquer panels in frames, imitating Western oil paintings.

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18.

Meiji period was passionate about preserving traditional influences, but adopted new technologies from the West.

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19.

Meiji period was an entrepreneur as well as an artist, organizing a workshop with many artisans and actively promoting his work at international exhibitions, travelling extensively in Europe.

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20.

Interaction of Western and Japanese music in Meiji period era is foremost linked to the military, religious and educational fields.

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