Text/History of Little People
Editorial/Little Man History
preface
Throughout history, the political and social status of Japan's imperial family and emperors has occurred with the times, especially from the end of the shogunate to the Meiji Restoration.
The establishment of the Restoration D'état on December 9, 1868, Keio 3rd (January 3, 1868), and the establishment of the Restoration regime after the Battle of Southwest China in 1877 (Meiji 10), marked Japan's transition from a vassal system to a centralized power.
Japan's political model, identity system, and economic system have all undergone fundamental changes in just a decade. In the process, the political status, the way of political participation, and even the way of life of the Japanese Empire changed dramatically. There are a large number of literature and research results on the emperor and the modern emperor system.
Before World War II, there were records and studies of the emperor and his assistants by Watanabe Kijiro and others in Japanese academia, and although Watanabe adhered to the position of official learning and honoring the emperor, some materials in his works can still be used critically, such as Inoue Kiyoshi, Matsupu Rei and others' reflection and criticism of the modern emperor system, providing another perspective.
In the past two years, with the "abdication of Emperor Akihito", issues such as the Tenjin family and the emperor system have once again aroused heated discussions in Japanese academia. This article argues that the imperial reform of the pre-Meiji period has been studied from the perspective of the change of political power centered on the emperor, but little results have been achieved, perhaps due to some taboos about the emperor among Japanese scholars.
Wu Yin, Li Zhuo, Yang Dongliang and other domestic scholars have published studies on the emperor system, and they have combed the historical evolution of Japan's imperial system from the perspective of Chinese scholars, discussing its nature, changes in the inheritance system, imperial power and important political changes.
Based on this, this thesis attempts to explore various specific reform measures from the retro coup d'état to the pre-Meiji period, aiming to reveal the political activities of the imperial court and public political forces led by the emperor during this period, and to replace the political forces around them, and to analyze the background of the change and evolution of their political status, so as to glimpse the reality and illusion of the "royal retro".
1. The establishment of the Emperor's political center
On December 9, the third year of Keio, the ministers of the rebel faction, together with the five domains of Sa and Chang, launched a coup d'état for the restoration of the royal government, and issued the "Retro Grand Decree", abolished the regent, sekihaku, shogunate, etc., and established the three posts of provisional council, council, and political participation.
He also proposed that "at the beginning of the restoration of the Shinbu, regardless of the distinction between nobles, samurai, upper and lower halls, the people should be the foundation", this announcement announced that the original political system and political model began to disintegrate, the power of the samurai was withdrawn by the emperor's court, and the new "three-position system" replaced the original court system.
But if you read this notice carefully, and combine the situation at the time and the intention of the old-style coup, you will find that its content is ambiguous. Literally speaking, Wang Zheng retro is to restore the ancient imperial system before the rise of the martial arts, and the announcement says to return to the political pattern at the beginning of the founding of Shenwu, but at the beginning of the founding of the Shenwu Empire, there was no clear historical record, so there was a lot of room for reform.
From the point of view of the official system, the "three-post system" is more like a simple personnel appointment, such as listening to public opinion, breaking the hierarchy, more reflecting the strong will of the backers, more of a political slogan, but there is still a clear theme, that is, to answer the "royal government", at the beginning of the establishment of the restoration government, in the system and external political propaganda, the emperor's rule was emphasized.
On January 15, 1868, the fourth year of Keio (February 8, 1868), the "Imperial Retro" informed the envoys of France, Britain, and the United States, and wrote in a letter from the French envoy: "Although the previous treaty was in the name of the monarch, from now on, it will be changed to the emperor, and the responsibility of each country will be handled by the emperor".
Immediately afterwards, on April 6, 1868, Emperor Muhito read the "Five Oaths" at the Purple Palace, and repeatedly emphasized in official documents that "ten thousand opportunities are personally judged", which is a clear declaration to the emperor, that is, to declare that the new government is centered on the emperor.
During the Shogunate Restoration, the emperor became a target for contention. The rebels referred to the emperor as "jade" and used it as the legitimacy of the rebels and the banner of winning the hearts and minds of the people, and the restoration regime was established in a coup d'état, and in times of political turmoil, the emperor was the source of the legitimacy and authority of the new regime.
However, there are few sources of historical data from the end of the shogunate to the abolition of the prefecture, and there are few sources that can reflect the political activities of the emperor's subjectivity, and Iwakura Tomomi, Okubo Litsu, and Kido Takayoshi are all powerful supporters of the anti-shogunate reform.
Although no individual initiative was shown in the process, under the slogan of "retro", the emperor and the imperial family became the center of the entire country and the new political system, and the leading role of power represented by the emperor was strengthened.
The emperor became the center of political reform by proclaiming the return of government to the imperial court, the emperor's dictatorship, and issuing decrees in the form of edicts, and with the reorganization of the system, the traditional secretarial power around the emperor was gradually replaced by the backlashing forces.
Second, the capital was moved to Daxing'anyi
During the Edo period, emperors were rarely involved in military activities and rarely traveled outside Kyoto, but after the Restoration, the Japanese government began to carry out reforms.
"During the Battle of Bo, the Curtain faction began to reform the court. Okubo Litsu's first proposal was Okubo's 'Osaka relocation', and Okubo's founding policy repeatedly emphasized that the mistake of 'reviving the building of weapons' should not be repeated, and that the Lord should take the opportunity of moving the capital to fulfill his 'parental responsibilities', and Okubo's purpose was to take the emperor away from Kyoto. ”
Okubo Litsu pointed out in his previous book that the emperor could not allow anyone to enter the palace, which violated his responsibility as the father of the people, and Okubo believed that moving the capital was "a new opportunity, a simple and convenient path, eradicating many evils", but the strong opposition of Nakayama Tadanō and other ministers ultimately failed to move the capital to Osaka.
Despite the failure of the capital move, Ishikura still thought that Okubo's proposal was a great theory, so he proposed a visit to Osaka.
The trip to Osaka from March to April of the fourth year of Keio (April-June 1868) was the beginning of Emperor Muhito's mission outside Kyoto, and another important measure for him to announce his Emperor's majesty.
In April of the fourth year of Keio (June 1868), after Osaka's visit, the governor of the Eastern Crusade, Eto Shinpei, proposed to Iwakura to pacify the people and requested the emperor to go to Edo as soon as possible.
In June of the same year (August 1868), Ōgi Joren and Kido Takayoshi formally made the request of the emperor in Edo. This proposal was strongly opposed by most ministers, and after that, they all debated to varying degrees on the departure time of Higashiyuki, the itinerary, the personal safety of the emperor, and the health of the emperor, and even pro-backlash officials such as Nakayama Tadanō and Ohara Shigenori expressed strong protests.
Okubo sighed with emotion: "This time, the corrupt and fools in the Kyoshi are all talking about this matter, and some people even want to stop this matter." Ohara Shigentoku went to Otsu and asked the Emperor to return to Kyoto. Although there were many twists and turns, with the efforts of Okubo, Iwakura, Kido and others, the Japanese emperor finally succeeded.
Emperor Toyuki also freed the emperor from the encirclement of the old ministers. In the first year of Meiji, when the 16-year-old Emperor Muhito was in Tokyo, the way of education was greatly changed compared to the Kyoto period, and some new educational contents were added. In addition, since Tokyo has a harbor, the emperor can watch the navy firing and test drives.
In addition, the Emperor of Japan met with ambassadors and diplomats from Britain, France, the Netherlands and other countries, and held talks in Tokyo. In Kyoto, this was difficult to do, and even the ministers of the rebels protested strongly.
"Throughout the ages, people outside Beijing have gone hunting and made pilgrimages. In the early Meiji period, the provinces performed rituals so that their subjects could live and work in peace. "Fortunately the ministries and agencies to strengthen the internal identity of the new government.
This mansion is also in recognition of their merits. In the arrangement of Yuki, the new government carefully maintained the treatment of important officials such as Saddam Hussein, such as Okubo and Kidofu.
Through this grand celebration, the emperor in the mysterious imperial palace can travel to every corner of Japan and penetrate deep among the people, forming an image of the emperor who symbolizes the entire country and the entire nation.
In addition, the move of the capital and rejoicing also brought the emperor into contact with politicians. In previous trips, Iwakura, Okubo, Saigo, Kido, etc. were all escorted in turn, and there was a lot of direct communication with the emperor along the way.
Due to space limitations, here is only the earliest example of Yukitoki Osaka.
Okubo first made suggestions to the emperor during his visit to Osaka. At that time, he did not go with the emperor, but on April 9, 4th year of Keio (May 1, 1868), he went to Osaka to pay tribute to the emperor and report to Kyoto and Kanto.
"This is my first visit, and I am honored and grateful to you. His Majesty the Emperor, the traditional political space that only officials and clan kings can visit will collapse. During the Osaka trip, Okubo, Kido Takayoshi, and Goto Shojiro were all questioned by the emperor and spoke to the emperor. Analyzing the situation, Fukuwa Mijing discussed the "Ancient Records" and the story of the Han people before leaving.
On April 17, Takayo Kido of Nagato and Goto Shojiro of Tosa Domain were summoned to Higashi Honganji Temple as a temporary residence for the Emperor's consultation. "Goto sent a US ship to Ka Yong Lu to analyze the international situation on the situation in the world since Zhong'an Zhengpen was imprisoned, the change of Wan Yan, Yuanzhi, and the forbidden gate of Jiazi, the raising of troops by Changfan, King Qin, and Wang Zheng restored, and Goto also played the state affairs he was familiar with and analyzed the situation abroad."
These measures broke through the long-established system of class identity, strengthened the dependence between the emperor and the rebellion forces, and at the same time broadened the emperor's vision and deepened his understanding of the current situation.
3. Improvement of the etiquette system
The formation of extreme emperor worship in modern Japan can be said to have begun with the propaganda of the emperor in the early days of reform, and the reform of the rebels urgently needs to solve the problem of the legitimacy and rationality of their actions.
Although the young Emperor Muhito supported the rebels, he accused them of "bullying the small with the big."
"The supreme power of the emperor has been made public, but this obviously does not fit the image of a fifteen-year-old young man, the power of the emperor cannot be reflected in a person's leadership ability, then, he can only find its basis from the traditional deification power, so the emperor's divine power must be obtained from Amaterasu's sacred inheritance and sacrifice, in order to highlight the majesty of the emperor's divine power, and the head of the restoration government, the reason why those scholars and Shinto who could only be regarded as marginalized in the late shogunate, The religious policy of the early Meiji period was advanced because they discovered the absolute authority of the emperor, which was exactly what they needed. ”
In the early Meiji period, the descendants of Hirata (Atsushi) and the disciples of the great power Takasa from the Tsuwano Domain cultivated great power in the fields of Shinto and education. The beautiful scenery of Fukuwa, who was told to the emperor in the aforementioned Kojiki, came from the Tsuwano Domain and was an apprentice of Ota Takamasa.
Fukuha established the system of waiters in 1877, and later served as a cabinet attendant, becoming an important member of the dictatorship of the emperor in the Meiji 10s. The Tsuwano Domain was a close neighbor of the Choshu Domain and was a revival faction of the royal government from the beginning. After the Meiji Restoration, most of the important positions in Japan's Shinto Ministry were held by members of the clan.
In the Edo shogunate era, the power of the emperor was mainly reflected in the sacrifice, throne, surname, etc., and changing the yuan and issuing the calendar was also an important right of the emperor, and after the establishment of the new regime, Japan began to implement the "unity of sacrifice and government", emphasizing the unity of the emperor's sacrifice and ruling power,
While the national concept of "unity of sacrifice and government" centered on the sacrifice of Amaterasu, the emperor (Emperor Emperor Sect), and also included private sacrifices, the new government believed that the restoration and expansion of the Shinto sacrifice system was an important way to enhance the majesty and appeal of the emperor, and it was also a kind of integration.
During the Restoration period, through the large-scale reorganization of the sacrificial system, on the one hand, the "imperial power" of the "Ten Thousand Worlds" was promoted, and on the other hand, it was to maintain the stability of the country and promote the restoration of social order. According to the intelligence at the time, all this was led by Iwakura, and the real promoters and executors were no longer the previous big men and high priests, but were replaced by Tsukano and others from the Downfall faction.
IV. Conclusion
Combined with the above article, the author analyzes that the coup d'état of the restoration of the royal government is essentially a military coup, and in addition to relying on the human, material, and financial resources of the Sa and Chang clans, the fallen party is the most important bargaining chip.
Moreover, after the promulgation of the "retro manifesto", the power of the zofaction has not yet collapsed, and many neutral clans are watching from the sidelines. Under such circumstances, launching a military coup, overthrowing the rule of the samurai, and co-opting other factions to join the rebellion was crucial to the survival of the Restoration regime.
In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to make the rule of the samurai public in the name of the royal government, and since the samurai are incompetent, then the emperor must deprive them of their power, so that the coup has a justified reason, and those shogunates who use force against the emperor can also be said to be "Korean enemies".
At the same time, the reform is also a drastic change, at the beginning of the establishment of the new government, various systems are not perfect, the ability to control the whole country is poor, due to the lack of national strength caused by the decentralization of power in the shogunate era, coupled with the social consensus of "national unanimity", the new government began to explore the establishment of a centralized system, but due to political turmoil, the implementation of the new system and policy must have a certain degree of effectiveness and authority, and the change of regime must also go through the recognition of all levels of the country.
Therefore, the problem that the new government must face is how to maintain the stability of the country and realize the unity of the country.
Against this backdrop, the emperor also became the authority and unity of the new government. In addition, the cause of the reform was the alliance between the rebel ministers and powerful vassals such as Sa and Chang, and the restoration of the imperial family had always been the political goal of the rebels.
During the Restoration period, these officials had great power and a great deal of say in the system, and strengthening imperial power was their main purpose in formulating the system. Under these circumstances, with the strong support of Ishikura and other important ministers, from the restoration of the royal government to the early Meiji period, the Japanese government adopted various measures to form political, cultural, and social influences centered on the emperor.
These measures included: instructions from the court to establish an official system centered on the emperor's rule; Tokyo moved the capital and held a grand celebration of the emperor; Advocate "unity of sacrifice and government", improve the sacrificial system and equipment in the imperial palace, and highlight the status of the emperor's personal sacrifice and the supreme chief priest; The court system was reformed and the emperor's education was introduced with a modern twist.
Although there was great resistance in the implementation process, under the strong political influence of Iwakura Tomomi and others, they were able to implement it under the social consensus of "one way out of government".
Bibliography:
Watanabe Kijiro: "Emperor Meiji's Shotoku Shigetoku"
Tokunaga Hiroshi: "The Faces of Modern Japan: The Light and Shadow of the Great Japanese Empire"
Yukio Ito: 《Emperor Meiji》
Okubo Toshiken: "The Collected Works of Okubo Toshiken (1) The Political Process of the Meiji Restoration"