Ruling class of Japan during the Meiji period (1868-1912)
?kubo Toshimichi
of the Meiji oligarchy.
The
Meiji oligarchy
was the new ruling class of
Meiji period
Japan
. In Japanese, the Meiji oligarchy is called the
domain clique
(
藩閥
,
hambatsu
)
.
The members of this class were adherents of
kokugaku
and believed they were the creators of a new order as grand as that established by Japan's original founders. Two of the major figures of this group were
?kubo Toshimichi
(1832?78), son of a
Satsuma
retainer, and Satsuma
samurai
Saig? Takamori
(1827?77), who had joined forces with
Ch?sh?
,
Tosa
, and
Hizen
to overthrow the
Tokugawa shogunate
. Okubo became
minister of finance
and Saig? a field marshal; both were imperial councillors.
Kido Koin
(1833?77), a native of Ch?sh?, student of
Yoshida Sh?in
, and conspirator with ?kubo and Saig?, became minister of education and chairman of the Governors' Conference and pushed for constitutional government. Also prominent were
Iwakura Tomomi
(1825?83), a Kyoto native who had opposed the Tokugawa and was to become the first ambassador to the
United States
, and
?kuma Shigenobu
(1838?1922), of Hizen, a student of
Rangaku
,
Chinese
, and
English
, who held various ministerial portfolios, eventually becoming
prime minister
in 1898.
To accomplish the new order's goals, the Meiji oligarchy set out to abolish the
four divisions of society
through a series of economic and social reforms.
Tokugawa shogunate
revenues had depended on taxes on Tokugawa and other
daimyo lands
, loans from wealthy peasants and urban merchants, limited customs fees, and reluctantly accepted foreign loans. To provide revenue and develop a sound infrastructure, the new government financed harbor improvements, lighthouses, machinery imports, schools, overseas study for students, salaries for
foreign teachers and advisers
, modernization of the
army
and
navy
, railroads and telegraph networks, and foreign diplomatic missions, such as the
Iwakura mission
.
Difficult economic times, manifested by increasing incidents of agrarian rioting, led to calls for social reforms. In addition to the old high rents, taxes, and interest rates, the average citizen was faced with cash payments for
new taxes
, military
conscription
, and tuition charges for the newly introduced
compulsory education
. The people needed more time for productive pursuits while correcting social abuses of the past. To achieve these reforms, the old Tokugawa class system of
samurai
, farmer, artisan, and merchant was abolished by 1871, and, even though old prejudices and status consciousness continued, all were theoretically equal before the law. Actually helping to perpetuate social distinctions, the government named new social divisions: the former
daimy?
became
peerage nobility
, the
samurai
became gentry, and all others became commoners.
Daimy?
and
samurai
pensions were paid off in lump sums, and the samurai later lost their exclusive claim to military positions. Former samurai found new pursuits as bureaucrats, teachers, army officers, police officials, journalists, scholars, colonists in the northern parts of Japan, bankers, and businessmen. These occupations helped stem some of the discontent this large group felt; some profited immensely, but many were not successful and provided significant opposition in the ensuing years.
The
1873 Korean crisis
resulted in the resignation of military expedition proponents Saig? and Councillor of State
Et? Shimpei
(1834?74). Et?, the founder of various patriotic organizations, conspired with other discontented elements to start an armed insurrection against government troops in
Saga
, the capital of his native prefecture in
Ky?sh?
in 1874. Charged with suppressing the revolt, ?kubo swiftly crushed Et?, who had appealed unsuccessfully to Saig? for help. Three years later, the last major armed uprising?but the most serious challenge to the Meiji government?took shape in the
Satsuma Rebellion
, this time with Saig? playing an active role. The
Saga Rebellion
and other agrarian and
samurai
uprisings mounted in protest to the Meiji reforms had been easily put down by the army. Satsuma's former
samurai
were numerous, however, and they had a long tradition of opposition to central authority. Saig?, with some reluctance and only after more widespread dissatisfaction with the Meiji reforms, raised a rebellion in 1877. Both sides fought well, but the modern weaponry and better financing of the government forces ended the Satsuma Rebellion. Although he was defeated and committed suicide, Saig? was not branded a traitor and became a heroic figure in Japanese history. The suppression of the Satsuma Rebellion marked the end of serious threats to the Meiji regime but was sobering to the oligarchy. The fight drained the national treasury, led to serious inflation, and forced land values?and badly needed taxes?down. Most important, calls for reform were renewed.
List of leading Meiji period politicians
[
edit
]
The following were leading figures in the
Meiji Restoration
, and in the subsequent
Government of Meiji Japan
:
Iwakura Tomomi
From the
Court nobility
:
From
Satsuma Domain
:
From
Ch?sh? Domain
:
From
Tosa Domain
:
From
Hizen Domain
:
Others:
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
public domain
.
Country Studies
.
Federal Research Division
.