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- الامبراطور ميجي العظيم
·
Emperor Meiji
(1852–1912), Emperor of Japan
The Emperor Meiji (
明治天皇
,
Meiji-tennō
?
) (
3 November 1852
– 30 July 1912) or Meiji the Great (
明治大帝
,
Meiji-taitei
?
) was the 122nd
emperor of Japan
according to the
traditional order of succession
, reigning from
3 February 1867 until his death
. He presided over a time of rapid change in Japan, as the nation rose from a feudal shogunate to become a world power.
His personal name was Mutsuhito (
睦仁
?
), and although outside of Japan he is sometimes called by this name or
Emperor Mutsuhito
, in Japan deceased emperors are referred to only by their
posthumous names
.
At the time of his birth in 1852, Japan was an isolated,
pre-industrial
,
feudal
country dominated by the
Tokugawa Shogunate
and the
daimyo
, who ruled over the country's more than 250 decentralized
domains
. By the time of his death in 1912, Japan had undergone a political, social, and industrial revolution at home (See
Meiji Restoration
) and emerged as one of the
great powers
on the world stage.
A detailed account of the state funeral in the
New York Times
concluded with an observation: "The contrast between that which preceded the funeral car and that which followed it was striking indeed. Before it went old Japan; after it came new Japan."
[1]
Background
The
Tokugawa Shogunate
had established itself in the early 17th century.
[2]
Under its rule, the
shogun
governed Japan. About 180 lords, known as
daimyo
, ruled
autonomous realms
under the shogun, who occasionally called upon the
daimyo
for gifts, but did not tax them. The shogun controlled the
daimyo
in other ways; only the shogun could approve their marriages, and the shogun could divest a
daimyo
of his lands.
[3]
In 1615, the first Tokugawa shogun,
Tokugawa Ieyasu
, who had officially retired from his position, and his son
Tokugawa Hidetada
, the titular shogun, issued a code of behavior for the nobility. Under it, the emperor was required to devote his time to scholarship and the arts.
[4]
The emperors under the shogunate appear to have closely adhered to this code, studying Confucian classics and devoting time to poetry and calligraphy.
[5]
They were only taught the rudiments of Japanese and Chinese history and geography.
[5]
The shogun did not seek the consent or advice of the emperor for his actions.
[6]
Emperors almost never left their palace compound, or
Gosho
in
Kyoto
, except after an emperor retired or to take shelter in a temple if the palace caught on fire.
[7]
Few emperors lived long enough to retire; of the Emperor Meiji's five predecessors, only his grandfather lived into his forties, and died aged forty-six.
[6]
The imperial family suffered very high rates of infant mortality; all five of the emperor's brothers and sisters died as infants, and only five of fifteen of his own children would reach adulthood.
[6]
Soon after taking control in the early seventeenth century, shogunate officials (known generically as
bakufu
) ended much Western trade with Japan, and barred missionaries from the islands. Only the Dutch continued trade with Japan, maintaining a post on the island of
Dejima
by
Nagasaki
.
[8]
However, by the early 19th century, European and American vessels appeared in the waters around Japan with increasing frequency.
[9]
Boyhood
Mutsuhito was born on 3 November 1852 in a small house on his maternal grandfather's property at the north end of the
Gosho
. At the time, a birth was believed to be polluting, and so imperial princes were not born in the Palace, but usually in a structure, often temporary, near the pregnant woman's father's house.
The boy's mother,
Nakayama Yoshiko
was a concubine (
gon no tenji
) to the
Emperor Kōmei
and the daughter of the acting major counselor, Nakayama Tadayasu
. The young prince was given the name Sachinomiya, or Prince Sachi.
[11]
The young prince was born at a time of change for Japan. This change was symbolized dramatically when Commodore
Matthew Perry
and his squadron of what the Japanese dubbed "the
Black Ships
", sailed into
the harbor
at
Edo
(known since 1868 as Tokyo) in July 1853. Perry sought to open Japan to trade, and warned the Japanese of military consequences if they did not agree. During the crisis brought on by Perry's arrival, the
bakufu
took the highly unusual step of consulting with the Imperial Court, and the Emperor Kōmei's officials advised that they felt the Americans should be allowed to trade and asked that they be informed in advance of any steps to be taken upon Perry's return. This request was initially honored by the
bakufu
, and for the first time in at least 250 years, they consulted with the Imperial Court before making a decision. Feeling that it could not win a war, the Japanese government allowed trade and submitted to what it dubbed the "
Unequal Treaties
", giving up tariff authority and the right to try foreigners in its own courts. The
bakufu
willingness to consult with the Court was short-lived: in 1858, word of
a treaty
arrived with a letter stating that due to shortness of time, it had not been possible to consult. The Emperor Kōmei was so incensed that he threatened to abdicate—though even this action would have required the consent of the Shogun.
[14]
Much of the Emperor's boyhood is known only through later accounts, which his biographer, Donald Keene points out are often contradictory. One contemporary described the young prince as healthy and strong, somewhat of a bully and exceptionally talented at
sumo
. Another states that the prince was delicate and often ill. Some biographers state that he fainted when he first heard gunfire, while others deny this account.
[15]
On 16 August 1860, Sachinomiya was proclaimed as prince of the blood and heir to the throne, and was formally adopted by
his father's consort
.
Later that year on 11 November, he was proclaimed as the crown prince and given an adult name, Mutsuhito. The prince began his education at the age of seven.
[
He proved an indifferent student, and later in life wrote poems regretting that he had not applied himself more in writing practice.
Unrest and accession
By the early 1860s, the shogunate was under several threats. Representatives of foreign powers sought to increase their influence in Japan. Many daimyo were increasingly dissatisfied with
bakufu
handling foreign affairs. Large numbers of young
samurai
, known as
shishi
or "men of high purpose" began to meet and speak against the shogunate. The
shishi
revered the Emperor Kōmei and favored direct violent action to cure societal ills. While they initially desired the death or expulsion of all foreigners, the
shishi
would later prove more pragmatic, and begin to advocate the modernization of the country.
[19]
The
bakufu
enacted several measures to appease the various groups, and hoped to drive a wedge between the
shishi
and
daimyo
.
[20]
Kyoto was a major center for the
shishi
, who had influence over the Emperor Kōmei. In 1863, they persuaded him to issue an "
Order to expel barbarians
". The Order placed the shogunate in a difficult position, since it knew it lacked the power to carry it out. Several attacks were made on foreigners or their ships, and foreign forces retaliated.
Bakufu
forces were able to drive most of the
shishi
out of Kyoto, and an attempt by them to return in 1864 was driven back. Neverless, unrest continued throughout Japan.
[20]
The prince's awareness of the political turmoil is uncertain.
[21]
During this time, he studied
tanka
poetry, first with his father, then with the court poets.
[22]
As the prince continued his classical education in 1866, a new shogun,
Tokugawa Yoshinobu
took office, a reformer who desired to transform Japan into a Western-style state. Yoshinobu, who would prove to be the final shogun, met with resistance from among the
bakufu
, even as unrest and military actions continued. In mid-1866, a
bakufu
army set forth to punish rebels in southern Japan. The army was defeated.
[23]
The Emperor Kōmei had always enjoyed excellent health, and was only 36 years old in January 1867. In that month, however, he fell seriously ill. Though he appeared to
make some recovery, he suddenly worsened and died on 30 January.
Many historians believe the Emperor Kōmei was poisoned, a view not unknown at the time: British diplomat Sir
Ernest Satow
wrote, "it is impossible to deny that [the Emperor Kōmei's] disappearance from the political scene, leaving as his successor a boy of fifteen or sixteen [actually fourteen], was most opportune".
[24]
The crown prince formally ascended to the throne on 3 February 1867, in a brief ceremony in Kyoto.
[25]
The new Emperor continued his classical education, which did not include matters of politics. In the meantime, the shogun, Yoshinobu, struggled to maintain power. He repeatedly asked for the Emperor's confirmation of his actions, which he eventually received, but there is no indication that the young Emperor was himself involved in the decisions. The
shishi
and other rebels continued to shape their vision of the new Japan, and while they revered the Emperor, they had no thought of having him play an active part in the political process.
[26]
The political struggle reached its climax in late 1867. In November, an agreement was reached by which Yoshinobu would maintain his title and some of his power, but the lawmaking power would be vested in a bicameral legislature on the British model. The following month, the agreement fell apart as the rebels marched on Kyoto, taking control of the Imperial Palace.
[27]
On 4 January 1868, the Emperor ceremoniously read out a document before the court proclaiming the "restoration" of Imperial rule,
[28]
and the following month, documents were sent to foreign powers:
[27]
The Emperor of Japan announces to the sovereigns of all foreign countries and to their subjects that permission has been granted to the Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu to return the governing power in accordance with his own request. We shall henceforward exercise supreme authority in all the internal and external affairs of the country. Consequently the title of Emperor must be substituted for that of
Tycoon
, in which the treaties have been made. Officers are being appointed by us to the conduct of foreign affairs. It is desirable that the representatives of the treaty powers recognize this announcement.
Mutsuhito
[29]
Yoshinobu
resisted only briefly
, but it was not until late 1869 that the final
bakufu
holdouts
were finally defeated
.
[27]
In the ninth month of the following year, the
era
was changed to Meiji, or “enlightened rule”, which was later used for the emperor's posthumous name. This marked the beginning of the custom of an era coinciding with an emperor's reign, and posthumously naming the emperor after the era during which he ruled.
Soon after his accession, the Emperor's officials presented
Ichijō Haruko
to him as a possible bride. The future Empress was the daughter of an Imperial official, and was three years older than the groom, who would have to wait to wed until after his
gembuku
(manhood ceremony). The two married on 11 January 1869.
[30]
Known posthumously as
Empress Shōken
, she was the first Imperial Consort to receive the title of
kōgō
(literally, the Emperor's wife, translated as Empress
Consort
), in several hundred years. Although she was the first Japanese Empress Consort to play a public role, she bore no children. However, the Meiji emperor had fifteen children by five official ladies-in-waiting. Only five of his children, a prince born to Lady Naruko (1855–1943), the daughter of Yanagiwara Mitsunaru, and four princesses born to Lady Sachiko (1867–1947), the eldest daughter of
Count
Sono Motosachi, lived to adulthood. They were:
ابن غير شرعي للامبراطور من عشيقته ، قام الامبراطور بتبنيه عندما كان في الثامنة . مات الامبراطور والده وعمره 15 سنه حيث تولى الجكم.
ابن غير شرغي. عاش السنوات الثامنية الاولى من عمره من غير اب. ثم مات ابوه وهو في سن السخامسة عشرة.
يتم الاب في سن الـ 15 .
رد مع الإقتباس