JIC: Japan Infomation Communication

Economy

Westernization

                                    In Meiji Period, the new government promoted "a plan for enriching the nation and building up the defenses" and "a promotion of industry policy" with the slogan, "Caught up with the European and American Great Powers, and overtook". The concrete measures were the modernization in various fields, and as a result, a wave of the modernization flocked on the life of the common people, then, the people came to take in a Western lifestyle. In a government office, a company, a school and the armed forces, they adopted a western-style lifestyle in practical use.

currency

<Paper moneys>

Dajo-kansatsu(1868)

The first national currency bill that the Meiji Restoration government published in 1868.

denomination : ryo.

Meiji tsuuhou-satsu.(1872, made in German)

Paper money of the first Western style print which the Meiji government published in order to  collected the old paper money which fired at random.

donomination : yen.

                                                                                                                                                       A national bank bill(1873)(obverse)                                                                              

(reverse)

                                                                                                                 <coin>

"The yen" was adopted to a unit for the first time by "the newly-issued currency regulations" that the Meiji government promulgated in 1871. These are the first Western style money and a one-yen silver coin for trades.

20 yen gold coin(1871)

denomination : yen.

1 yen gold coin (1872)

donomination : yen.

1 yen silver coin for trades(1871)

donomination : yen.

                     The Industrial Revolution

Company establishment booms such as a railroad or the spinning were caused from 1886 to 1889, and the Industrial Revolution to introduce machine technology into in earnest began. The Japanese Government which won for Sino-Japanese War went ahead through management from a large amount of indemnification after the war, and performed an expansion in armaments and measured the promotion that was industrial from aspects such as finance / trade.

Westernization : This information was provided by here.

currency : This information was provided by here.

The Industrial Revolution : This information was provided by here.

Posted by Miki Haruta.

The Meiji Restoration - N.T

                               The Meiji Restoration

The Meiji Restoration is also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, or Renewal.  It was a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japan's political and social structure.  It occurred in the later half of the 19th century, a period that traverses both the late Edo period and the begining of the Meiji Era. 

In 1868 the Tokugawa shôgun ("great general"), who ruled Japan in the feudal period, lost his power and the emperor was restored to the supreme position. The emperor took the name Meiji ("enlightened rule") as his reignname, and was moved from Kyoto to Tokyo which became the new capital; his imperial power was restored. The actual political power was transferred from the Tokugawa Bakufu into the hands of a small group of nobles and former samurai. 

The new government aimed to make Japan a democratic state with equality among all its people. The boundaries between the social classes of Tokugawa Japan were gradually broken down. Consequently, the samurai were the big losers of those social reforms since they lost all their privileges. The reforms also included the establishment of human rights such as religious freedom in 1873.

In order to stabilize the new government, the former feudal lords (daimyo) had to return all their lands to the emperor. This was achieved already in 1870 and followed by the restructuring of the country in prefectures.

The education system was reformed after the French and later after the German system. Among those reforms was the introduction of compulsory education.

After about one to two decades of intensive westernization, a revival of conservative and nationalistic feelings took place: principles of Confucianism and Shinto including the worship of the emperor were increasingly emphasized and taught at educational institutions.

Catching up on the military sector was, of course, a high priority for Japan in an era of European and American imperialism. Universal conscription was introduced, and a new army modelled after the Prussian force, and a navy after the British one were established.

In order to transform the agrarian economy of Tokugawa Japan into a developed industrial one, many Japanese scholars were sent abroad to study Western science and languages, while foreign experts taught in Japan. The transportation and communication networks were improved by means of large governmental investments. The government also directly supported the prospering of businesses and industries, especially the large and powerful family businesses called zaibatsu.

The large expenditures led to a financial crisis in the middle of the 1880's which was followed by a reform of the currency system and the establishment of the Bank of Japan. The textile industry grew fastest and remained the largest Japanese industry until WW2. Work conditions in the early factories were very bad, but developing socialist and liberal movements were soon suppressed by the ruling clique.

On the political sector, Japan received its first European style constitution in 1889. A parliament, the Diet was established while the emperor kept sovereignty: he stood at the top of the army, navy, executive and legislative power. The ruling clique, however, kept on holding the actual power, and the able and intelligent emperor Meiji agreed with most of their actions. Political parties did not yet gain real power due to the lack of unity among their members.

Conflicts of interests in Korea between China and Japan led to the Sino-Japanese War in 1894-95. Japan defeated China, received Taiwan, but was forced by Russia, France and Germany to return other territories. The so called Triple Intervention caused the Japanese army and navy to intensify their rearmament.

New conflicts of interests in Korea and Manchuria, this time between Russia and Japan, led to the Russo-Japanese War in 1904-05. The Japanese army also won this war gaining territory and finally some international respect. Japan further increased her influence on Korea and annexed her completely in 1910. In Japan, the war successes caused nationalism to increase even more, and other Asian nations also started to develop national self confidence.

In 1912 emperor Meiji died, and the era of the ruling clique of elder statesmen (genro) was about to end.

This information was provided by: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2130.html 

Also the photo was downloaded from: http://patrickmccoy.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/10/30/meiji_emperor.jpg 

                                                                                   Posted by Naoki TAKAHASHI

society

Society

In 1867/68, the Tokugawa era found an end in the Meiji Restoration. The emperor Meiji was moved from Kyouto to Tokyo which became the new capital; his imperial power was restored. The actual political power was transferred from the Tokugawa Bakufu into the hands of a small group of nobles and former samurai.

Like other subjugated Asian nations, the Japanese were forced to sign unequal treaties with Western powers. These treaties granted the Westerners one-sided economical and legal advantages in Japan. In order to regain independence from the Europeans and Americans and establish herself as a respected nation in the world, Meiji Japan was determined to close the gap to the Western powers economically and militarily. Drastic reforms were carried out in practically all areas.

The new government aimed to make Japan a democratic state with equality among all its people. The boundaries between the social classes of Tokugawa Japan were gradually broken down. Consequently, the samurai were the big losers of those social reforms since they lost all their privileges. The reforms also included the establishment of human rights such as religious freedom in 1873.  

After about one to two decades of intensive westernization, a revival of conservative and nationalistic feelings took place: principles of Confucianism and Shinto including the worship of the emperor were increasingly emphasized and taught at educational institutions.

Catching up on the military sector was, of course, a high priority for Japan in an era of European and American imperialism. Universal conscription was introduced, and a new army modelled after the Prussian force, and a navy after the British one were established.

In order to transform the agrarian economy of Tokugawa Japan into a developed industrial one, many Japanese scholars were sent abroad to study Western science and languages, while foreign experts taught in Japan. The transportation and communication networks were improved by means of large governmental investments. The government also directly supported the prospering of businesses and industries, especially the large and powerful family businesses called zaibatsu.

References

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2130.html

posted by Emi Kuriki

Famous people

         ~Famous people~ 

These people whom I am going to introduce are the most famous and illustrious of Meiji period.  They made effects on the politics or economy.  I would be preased you to enjoy seeing these great people.

Ito Hi robumi(1841-1909)

Ito was one of the Meji era's most famous statesmen, and was Japan's first prime minister and served a record four times. 

~Life time~

    Ito Hirobumi was born in the feudal province of Choshu.  In 1863, in gained the title of samurai, and left the same year for England to study sciences.  He returned one year later with Inoue Kaoru and warned the Choshu samurai not to go to war with the Western powers over the right of passage through the Straits of Shimonoseki.  He became convinced of the recessity of adopting Western ways, and was one of the leader of the Choshu and Satsuma rebellion eventually leading to the Meiji restoration.

     Ito travelled to Europe again in 1882 to study foreign government systems.  Back to Japan, he established a cabinet and civil service in 1885, and became the country's first prime minister. 

     He supported the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95, then became the leader of Japan's first political party, the Seiyukai. 

Saigo T akamori(1828-77)

Saigo was one of the most illustrious sons of Kagoshima, and was one of Satsuma samurai supporting the Meiji Restoration.

~Describing~

     Saigo was an early opponent to the Tokugawa regime.  He was exiled from 1859 to 1864, then returned to train Satsuma warriors.  He became an advisor to the new Meiji emperor and rejected the Westernization of Japan. 

     In 1873, while many senior statesmen like Ito, Okubo or Kido were abroad on the Iwakuma Mission, Saigo pressed the government to invade Korea, so as to punish it for not opening relations with the new Meiji government.  When the Iwakuma Mission returned to Japan in September 1873, Saigo's plan was overturned. 

Sakamoto Ryoma(1835-67)

   　

Sakamoto Ryoma was a leader of the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa bakufu during the Bakumatsu period in Japan.

~Life time~

      Sakamoto Ryoma, born in Kochi in 1835, made a great contribution to Japan's rapid modernization which marked the end of 700 years of feudal government. The modernized nation he pictured had laws, a parliamentary system and a diplomatic office. The impact he had on the country was such that the people fondly refer to him only by his first name, Ryoma. Henceforth, we will refer to him as such in this brochure.
　In his time, it was not permitted to leave one's home clan without official permission. Japan's central government, called the bakufu, was losing its power in ruling all the clans. Instead, some clans were getting stronger than others and trying to overthrow the shogunate. Ryoma fled Tosa, the old name for Kochi, without official Tosa travel　permission at the age of 28. Ryoma, as a man outside the control of his home fief authorities, worked energetically all over Japan to reform the national political and economic system.
　Real national unity, Ryoma thought, would require the cooperation of the two strongest anti-bakufu clans at the time, the Satsuma and Choshu clans, which are now parts of Kagoshima and Yamaguchi prefectures. In 1866, he succeeded in forming an alliance between these two traditional enemies. In 1867, he formulated an "Eight-Point Program" for the modernization of Japan, a political guideline for the new government and cabinet. In October of this year, with the help of other Tosa youths like Goto Shojiro, Fukuoka Takachika and Nagaoka Kenkichi, he finally realized "Taiseihokan" (returning power to the throne). The bakufu turned over its power to the emperor. It was a bloodless revolution.
　Only one month later, in November 15, 1867, Ryoma was assassinated in Kyoto at the age of 33. He had lived long enough to see only one month of Japan's drastic change. "The Meiji Restoration" was near at hand, but he never saw the modern Japan he had struggled to build.

Yosano Akiko(1868-1942)

  Akiko Yosano was the pen-name of a Japanese author, poet, pioneering feminist, pacifist, and social reformer, active in late Meiji period, Taisho period and early Showa period Japan. Her real name was Yosano Shiyo. She is one of the most famous, and most controversial, post-classical woman poets of Japan.

~Describing~

This woman of modern ideas, a counterpart of Mary Wollstonecraft, a "bluestocking", was born near Osaka, Japan in 1868 just as the country restored the emperor to power. The times, along with the ideas, were changing rapidly and Akiko was in the center of change.

      Born into a prosperous family of confectioners, she graduated from the Sakai School for Women where she was the foremost poet, evolving into a social critic. She fell in love and openly lived with Yosano Tekkan, a married man and publisher of Myojo, a publication featuring new concepts: the new 31 syllable waka poetry, as well as traditional forms. Akiko was not a woman to restrain her emotions or her voice. She openly criticized the government for entrance into the Russo-Japanese war and, with her colorful vocabulary, condemned them in her writing. Here are two verses of a longer poem, O my Brother, You Must not Die:

O my young brother, I cry for you
Don't you understand you must not die!
You who were born the last of all
Command a special store of parents' love
Would parents place a blade in children's hands
Teaching them to murder other men
Teaching them to kill and then to die?
Have you so learned and grown to twenty-four?

O my brother, you must not die!
Could it be the Emperor His Grace
Exposeth not to jeopardy of war
But urgeth men to spilling human blood
And dying in the way of wild beasts,
Calling such death the path to glory?
If His Grace possesseth noble heart
What must be the thoughts that linger there?

      Despite much criticism, she influenced many women to become more open in their views. Akiko was the queen of Myojo the publication, using it as a platform to criticize the government and to foster social changes and rights for women. Many of her poems were unabashedly lusty.

      She ultimately married Tekkan and together they had, it is said, a dozen children. In 1912 she went to Paris along with her husband and brought more ideas to plague the government. Although others were put in jail, Akiko was not touched. Akiko continued to write her views concerning politics, economics and women's rights until her death just after the beginning of World War II. Her children were all successful, including doctors and lawyers. Her son, Shigeru, was organizational head of the 1964 Olympics held in Tokyo.

・This information was provided by :

　　(Ito Hirobumi)

　　(Saigo Takamori)

　　(Sakamoto Ryoma) http://www.kochi-bunkazaidan.or.jp/~ryoma/english1.htm

　　(Yosano Akiko) http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/biographies/yosano.html

・These pictures was downloaded from :

　　(Ito Hirobumi)

　　(Saigo Takamori)

　　(Sakamoto Ryoma) http://wiki.samurai-archives.com/index.php?title=Sakamoto_Ryoma

　　(Yosano Akiko)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akiko_Yosano

Posted by Naoki TAKAHASHI

Japanese Foreign Relations in Meiji period

Treaty of Portsmouth

Portsmouth, Treaty of, 1905, treaty ending the Russo-Japanese War. It was signed at the Portsmouth Naval Base, New Hampshire, on Sept. 5, 1905. Negotiations leading up to the treaty began in the spring of 1905 when Russia had suffered severe defeats and Japan was in financial difficulties. Therefore, both nations indicated a desire for peace. Germany, the United States, and Great Britain were instrumental in forcing conciliation between the belligerents. However, the United States and Britain exacted certain concessions from Japan before smoothing the way for the treaty. President Theodore Roosevelt demanded that Japan follow the Ooen Door policy in Manchuria and return the region to Chinese administration. In the Taft-Katsura agreement of July, 1905, Roosevelt agreed to Japanese dominance in Korea in return for American freedom of action in the Philippines. Great Britain had the Anglo-Japanese treaty extended to cover all of E Asia and in return also gave Japan a free hand in Korea. Under the terms of the Portsmouth agreement, Russia was compelled to recognize Korea's independence and the “paramount political, military, and economic interests” of Japan in Korea. Russia also agreed to place Manchuria again under the sovereignty of China, and all foreign troops were to be removed. The railway lines in S Manchuria, constructed by Russia, were ceded to Japan without payment. The disputed Liaodong peninsula (see Liaoning), containing the ports of Dalian and Port Arthur (see Lushun, was turned over to Japan, as was the southern part of the island of Sakhalin. Japan also obtained fishing rights in the waters adjacent to the Russian Far East. The Treaty of Portsmouth marked the temporary decline of Russian power in East Asia and the emergence of Japan as the strongest power in the area.

This information come from

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0839843.html

Treaty of Shimonoseki

Shimonoseki, Treaty of, Apr. 17, 1895, ending the First Sino-Japanese War. It was negotiated and signed by Ito Hirobumi for Japan and Li Hung-chang for China. Harsh terms were imposed on a badly defeated China. The treaty provided for the end of Chinese suzerainty over Korea, giving Korea independence, and for the cession to Japan of Taiwan, the Pescadores islands, and Port Arthur and the Liaodong peninsula. Japan also imposed a large indemnity and forced China to open five new treaty ports. A week after the treaty was signed, however, Russia, France, and Germany together—in the so-called Triple Intervention—demanded that Japan renounce claims to Port Arthur and the Liaodong peninsula. Japan reluctantly agreed (Nov., 1895), but China was forced to pay an additional indemnity.

Anglo-Japanese Alliance

Anglo-Japanese Alliance of 1902, which was to run for five years before being renewed, was primarily directed against the potential shared menace posed, it was believed, by France and (most probably) Russia in the Far East.  The alliance obligated either power to remain neutral if one or other found itself at war.  However, should either power be obliged to fight a war against two or more powers, the other signatory was obliged to provide military aid.

The alliance was renewed in 1905 to take into account Japan's recent successful war against Russia.

This information come from

http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/anglojapanesealliance1902.htm

westernization

westernization was that Japan took in western culuture in Meiji. Because of this, Japanese style was very changed. For example, clothes, hair styles, idea, food and so on. Below sentences explain more detalis about  westernization.

Emperor of Meiji is foremost and his wife, Empress Haruko, were continuously on representational duties. The emperor had been brought up with the awareness that his duty was to serve his country. He and the empress played the role of a modern Western family leading the country on its way to 'civilization and enlightenment'. One of the major concerns of the emperor was general education. During his rule an obligatory school system was introduced.

Influenced by others, Japan is like many other nations in the world. While many were opposed to anything that was foreign, the country was eventually westernized. Even though the constitution had been veiwed as a fully Japanese document, it was influenced by the west.  Westernization was consciously acquired in the last half of the nineteenth century. after warships of Western powers had demonstrated to the Japanese the superior military might of the West. Westernization that included industrialization, advocated by Japan's oligarchy of Elder Statesmen, who had wanted to make Japan as powerful as any of the Western powers.

In the late 1800's, Japan's upper class wanted to join the community of powerful nations, so they modified their culture.

• created a constitutional government
• created western legal and political institutions
• segregated men and woman in public bath houses
• they tried to imitate western social customs and even some things that shouldn't be copied
• people of higher class held dances with western diplomats and their families every sunday evening
• some people even tried to marry with western people to improve the Japanese biologically

• after a while the Japanese felt equal to the rest of the world
• the Japanese still felt a strong connection to old laws and customs
• the Japanese still felt strongly about family ties
• people in jobs looked up to their boss like he is a father
• the boss views the workers as his children who he provides for

• with modernization there was a tremendous increase in the need for education
• the Japanese were introduced to many different cultural additions such as Hollywood movies, new sports, radios and phonographs

This information come from

http://www.tqnyc.org/NYC052087/western.html

  An unequal treaty

  Those days,Japan concluded an unequal treaty with many country. British was one of this.

One day,It happened trouble which Japanese girl who she was 13 years old was raped by The British.

But, Japanese could not  have judged the British because of the unequal treaty. After all, the British judged the criminal and penalty was not so heavy.

Throughg this happning, Japanese maneged to revice unequal treaty. This might have lead westernization.

References

http://db.gakken.co.jp/jiten/ma/606940.htm

posted by Katsuhiro Sato 05132048

 

Rurouni kenshin

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story is a manga series written and illustrated by Japanese manga artist Nobuhiro Watuki with an anime adaptation.The story is set during the early Meiji period in Japan.

story

From the end of the XVIII century, Japan had to solve serious problems of foreign and inner politics: on one side, the pressure of foreign powers, in particular from America, obliged the emperorto break off with his isolationist attitude and to open to the western world; on the other, numerous popular putsches started on a revolutionary process that took to the end of the shogun of Tokugawa. In this period of conflicts and bloody fights, a man distinguished himself for his pitiless violence, the samurai Battosai Himura. He was nicknamed the killer samurai because his reprisal consisted in cutting in two whoever met on it's way. It was his blood-soaked sword to inaugurate the new Meiji age. With the end of the revolt, Battosai disappeared from the circulation, but it's name remained in the legend like example of limitless force.
Now Himura has decided to abandon the Battosai name and he is called Kenshin. He's in continuous wandering for the entire Japan, and he always carries with him a reverse-blade sword, that if used as a normal sword it cannot cut anything. His wondering takes him to Tokyo, and it's here in the capital that the Battosai will newly make talk about him...

               supplement

                          These are the first words that exit from the pen of the great Nobuhiro Watsuki when introducing the protagonist of this fascinating manga: KENSHIN, WANDERING SAMURAI (RUROUNI KENSHIN). It is an historical manga, where the invented vicissitudes of the protagonist find as background the history and the personages of Japan of the Meiji age, with their contradictions and the difficulties of a fundamental period of the Japanese history

These information come from

http://kenshin.gamesurf.it/index.php?lan=en&pg=1&m=m1

main character

Himura Kenshin
aka "Hitokiri Battosai"
Before the end of the Tokugawa period, Kenshin was a killer for the government. He disappeared during the final battle that led to the downfall of the Tokugawa Shogunate. After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, he saw the error of his ways and wandered Japan as a ronin (masterless samurai) for ten years. Upon meeting Kaoru, his life changes and he begins to settle down and begin to care about people once again.
His school of fighting is the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, which specializes in quick sword strikes that kill instantly. He was given the name "Battosai," which means "master of sheathing a sword," because his attacks were so fast. However, at the end of the Meiji Restoration, Kenshin renounces killing and uses only a sakabatou (reversed-blade sword). He now uses his sword to protect rather than kill.

Kamiya Kaoru
Since her father was killed in the war, responsibility for running the family doujo fell to young Kaoru. She is the one who first identifies Kenshin as Hitokiri Battosai and challenges him to a fight. Her pure heart and gentleness touch Kenshin and he accepts her offer to stay at the doujo. As the story progresses, their relationship continues to grow, and Kaoru seems to be harboring feelings for Kenshin. Feelings that she won't openly admit, however. And when she gets angry, Kenshin usually bears the brunt of her age.

Myojin Yahiko
Son of a samurai, Yahiko fancies himself a samurai as well. He is a little young to truly fit the bill, but his heart is in the right place. And after being rescued by Kenshin from the thieves guild, he finds a home at the Kamiya doujo. Kaoru begins schooling him in her family's fighting techniques. Thus, Yahiko joins his surrogate family at the doujo. In this environment, he resolves to become as great a fighter as he can be. He idolizes Kenshin and wants to become as strong as he is so he can protect the ones he loves

Sagara Sanosuke
When he was young, Sanosuke was a junior member of the Sekihora squad. When the squad was betrayed by the Meiji government, he saw its leader and his idol, Sagara Souzo, beheaded. As a result, Sanosuke hates the Meiji government. To honor his fallen idol, he took the surname of Sagara. He wears the chinese character for "evil" on his back. He is incredibly strong and uses a very large sword to defeat his enemies. It took defeat at the hands of Kenshin to make him realize that he was going about things the wrong way, and he too joined the others at the Kamiya doujo

Takani Megumi
The daughter of a renowned doctor, she is the only surviving member of her family. The doctor she was working for in Tokyo was helping another to distill opium. When this doctor was killed, Megumi was forced to help in the manufacture of the opium. When she met Kenshin and Sanosuke, she managed to break free of the terrible life she was forced to lead. When she was freed, she became the local doctor for the area around the doujo. Her medical skills are exceptional and she often finds herself dressing wounds that the others sustain in battle. She is attracted to Kenshin

Saito Hajime
Saito is based on an actual historical figure. Saito was a member of the Shinsengumi, but after the Meiji Restoration, he joined the police force. His motto is "Kill whoever is evil," which is why he joined the police. He and Kenji have had past encounters and although Saito considers Kenshin an enemy, he forms an alliance with him later on in the series to defeat a greater evil.

Shinomori Aoshi
The head of the Oniwabanshuu (Ninjas), Aoshi becomes consumed with revenge against Kenshin. When they first fought, Kenshin defeated him; Aoshi wants a rematch to reclaim honor for the Oniwabanshuu. He becomes so obsessed with defeating Kenshin that he even betrays his fellow ninjas and allies himself with Shishio.

This information come from

http://www.ex.org/4.1/07-feature_ruroken_chars.html

author

Nobuhiro Watsuki

 

Self Portrait

Nobuhiro Watsuki (和月伸宏, Watsuki Nobuhiro^?, born May 26, 1970) is a Japanese mangaka, best known for his samurai-themed series Rurouni Kenshin. He once worked as an assistant for his favorite author Takeshi Obata, and is influenced by Marvel comics such as the X-Men, Spider-Man, Hulk, and Spawn when making his characters.

Biography

Nobuhiro Watsuki was born in Nagaoka, Niigata prefecture, Japan. When Watsuki was a young boy, his brother, who was three years older, drew manga. Watsuki’s older brother was his role model so he started drawing Manga as well. Watsuki was also inspired by various Manga artists of the older times. A few of them were Osamu Tezuka and Fujiko F. Fujio. Later on, his brother stopped drawing manga but, “Because Mr. Watsuki was dumb, he kept drawing it (manga) for a while.”

When Watsuki was in middle school, he practiced kendo. Kendo is the art of wooden swords. He still drew Manga but also wanted to partake in sports. Watsuki admits that he was very weak. “So weak in fact,” says Watsuki, “That I was an embarrassment to my 183 centimeters of height.” (RK vol. 1) Watsuki never won a kendo match. One time, though, he was selected to be a starter. This happened because the boy who was supposed to start was suspended for causing an uproar. After a while, Watsuki got frustrated with kendo, and eventually quit. When he was challenged to come up with a new character for Rurouni Kenshin, he used his outlook on kendo for a base of Myōjin Yahiko.

Nobuhiro Watsuki has had many works in the past. In high school he won the Hop Step award for his work on his comic sleeve he called Podmark. Not much is known about Podmark because it has not been translated to English. Later on, Watsuki was an assistant in the work of Arabian Lamp-Lamp. The model for Sagara Sanosuke was based on a different version of Lamp. In 1994 a new sleeve was created and published in Shonen Jump Weekly. It seems that this was the first sleeve about Rurouni Kenshin. His most recent work, Buso Renkin (Arms Alchemy) was published on June 2003, also in Jump.

When not working on manga, Watsuki enjoys playing video games, reading other manga, and watching television. His favorite American comic book is X-Men because he likes the action. His favorite Anime (other than his own) is Neon Genesis Evangelion. He likes video games like Samurai Spirits and things of that sort. He also enjoys action movies like Die Hard and The Matrix.

Real-World Inspirations

Watsuki bases many of his characters on historical figures and characters from other anime/manga series. For example, Himura Kenshin was based on Kawakami Gensai, one of the hitokiri (assassins) during the Bakumatsu (Japanese revolution). He was the master of the sword style called shiranui-ryu. Gensai is famous for felling the famous idealist Sakuma Shozan. Four years after the revolution ended, Gensai was falsely accused of a crime and was executed. Watsuki admires Kenshin for his desire to do good in honor of those whom he had to kill so the Meiji government could exist.

In addition, Saitō Hajime was based on the historical Saito, a member of the Shinsengumi. Several other characters, most notably Sagara Sanosuke, Shinomori Aoshi, and Seta Sojiro, are also loosely based on certain figures among the Shinsengumi. Okita Soji, Okubo Toshimichi, and Katsura Kogoro were among numerous other historical figures who made appearances in the story.

Manga Works

• Crescent Moon in the Warring States (first professional work) - Indirectly set in the Rurouni Kenshin world. Tells the tale of a former Hiko Seijūrō. It is collected in Rurouni Kenshin tankōbon volume 6.
• Rurouni: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story - Two short story Rurouni Kenshin pilots that preceded the launching of the ongoing series in Shonen Jump. They are collected in Rurouni Kenshin tankōbon volumes 1 and 3 in Japan and North America.
• Rurouni Kenshin (るろうに剣心)
• Kenshin Kaden - A Rurouni Kenshin guidebook that includes a short story in full color detailing the fates of all of the Rurouni Kenshin characters.
• Yahiko no Sakabatō - Also set in the Rurouni Kenshin universe. Details the final story set in the Rurouni Kenshin universe with Myōjin Yahiko as the main character. Yahiko must save the daughter of a swordsmen teacher from an old lost follower of Shishio.
• Meteor Strike (メテオ　ストライク) - Short story done for a Shonen Jump artist competition. About a boy that got a meteor lodged in his head. He gains super-human strength from the meteor in his head and saves a city from being crushed by another meteor headed towards the nuclear reactor.
• GUN BLAZE WEST- Set in America in the 1800s, the 3 main characters look for the gunslingers paradise "Gun Blaze West". It was cancelled after 3 volumes.
• Buso Renkin (武装錬金 Busō Renkin)- finished at 10 volumes. About a boy who risked his life to save a girl from a monster called the homunculus - flesh eating monsters disguised as humans. His heart was replaced by alchemy and he uses it to call his Lance weapon to fight off these monsters.
• Embalming -DEAD BODY and BRIDE- (done for "JUMP the REVOLUTION" 2005 - Short story based on the Frankenstein idea of bringing the dead to life)
• Embalming II -DEAD BODY and LOVER- (done for "Jump the Revolution" 2006 - Another short story taking place in the Embalming universe)

These information come from

http://www.answers.com/topic/nobuhiro-watsuki

References

http://kenshin.gamesurf.it/index.php?lan=en&pg=1&m=m1

http://www.ex.org/4.1/07-feature_ruroken_chars.html

http://www.answers.com/topic/nobuhiro-watsuki

posted by Katsuhiro Sato 05132048

Chronology of Meiji Period

In Japan, we call the age of 1868 to 1912; "Meiji Period". In the era, feudal rule by the Edo Shogunate was over, and it was the time to joined in the great world powers from the modern general nation.

This is the Chronology of Meiji Period.

Meiji Period（１８６８－１９１２）　Chronology
1868	・Boshin War
	・Five written oaths were taken out
	・The opening of the Meiji era
	・Edo was renamed in Tokyo
1869	・Capital transferred Kyoto to Tokyo
	・The end of the Boshin War
	・Return of the land and people from the feudal lords to the Emperor
	・Development of Hokkaido
1870	・A commoner got possible to give a surname
1871	・Establishment of prefectures in place of feudal domains
	・The friendship treaty between Japan and Shin(China)
1872	・Adoption of the solar calendar
	・The railroad was opened between Shinbashi and Yokohama
1873	・Issue of conscription
	・Meiji government reformed the system of land, and the farmers raised big riot
1875	・Kanghwa-do affair
1876	・The friendship treaty between Japan and Cho(China)
	・The friendship treaty between Japan and Cho(China)
	・The law of abolish the sword
1877	・Seinan war
1879	・Ryu-kyu-han renamed in Okinawa
1881	・inflation
1883	・Rokumei-kan was established in Kouji-Machi
1884	・Chichibu affair
1885	・Tenshin treaty
1887	・Tokyo art school was established by Tenshin Okakura and Ernest Francisco Fenollosa
1889	・The promulgation of the Great Japanese Imperial Constitution
1890	・Ashio-mineral-pollution affair
1894	・The treaty of commerce and navigation between Japan and Britain
	・The outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War
1895	・Japan won the war, and Shimonoseki Treaty was tied up
	・The return of Ryaoton-peninsula
1900	・The rebellion of Giwa-dan
1901	・Yawata ironworks started the operation
1902	・The first Japan and Britain alliance was concluded
1904	・The outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War
1905	・Japanese combined fleet defeated Russian Baltic fleet in Japanese sea fight
	・Portsmouth treaty was concluded
	・Souseki Natsume published his famous novel "I Am a Cat"
1906	・The nationalization method of the railroad was promulgated
1909	・Hirobumi Ito was assassinated in Harbin
1912	・The Emperor Meiji died, and the Meiji Period was over

This information was provided by : http://www.uraken.net/rekishi/japan_histry10.html

http://www.taisho.com/china.html

http://www.taisho.com/russia.html

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2164.html

http://www.jref.com/glossary/ito_hirobumi.shtml

http://www.washburn.edu/reference/bridge24/Soseki.html

Posted by Miki Haruta.

Politics Of Meiji

<politics>

(1868 – 1912) Period in Japanese history beginning with the enthronment of the Meiji emperor and ending with his death. It was a time of rapid modernization and westernization, and Drastic reforms were carried out in practically all areas.  Feudal domains were abolished and replaced with prefectures; The Japanese Emperor remained the head of the state in name however, the emperor Meiji was moved from Kyoto to Tokyo which became the new capital; his imperial power was restored.

  The actual political power was transferred from the Tokugawa Bakufu into the hands of a small group of nobles and former samurai. daimyo and samurai were relieved of their special privileges. Not all samurai were happy with the changes, and there were numerous rebellions, notably that of Saigo Takamori.

  To secure a strong central government, a national army was formed and universal conscription was enacted. A new agricultural tax was instituted to finance the new government, and a decimal currency was introduced. Eager to encourage economic growth, the government aided the textile industry, established railways and shipping lines, and founded an ironworks.

Education was also reformed, and compulsory coeducational elementary schools were introduced. By 1912 the goals of the reforming movement called the Meiji Restoration  had been largely accomplished: the unequal treaties with Western powers had been revised, the country was developing well economically, and its military power had won the respect of the West.

<Meiji Constitution>

Ito Hirobumi was put in charge of the new Bureau for Investigation of Constitutional Systems in 1884, and the Council of State was replaced in 1885 with a cabinet headed by Ito as prime minister. The positions of chancellor, minister of the left, and minister of the right, which had existed since the 7th century as advisory positions to the emperor, were all abolished.

In their place, the Privy Council was established in 1888 to evaluate the forthcoming constitution and to advise the emperor.The Supreme War Council developed a German-style general staff system with a chief of staff who had direct access to the emperor and who could operate independently of the army minister and civilian officials.

When finally granted by the emperor as a sign of his sharing his authority and giving rights and liberties to his subjects, the 1889 Constitution of the Empire of Japan (the Meiji Constitution) provided for the Imperial Diet (Teikoku Gikai), composed of a popularly elected House of Representatives with a very limited franchise of male citizens who paid 15 in national taxes, about 1 percent of the population, and the House of Peers, composed of nobility and imperial appointees; and a cabinet responsible to the emperor and independent of the legislature. The new constitution specified a form of government that was still authoritarian in character, with the emperor holding the ultimate power and only minimal concessions made to popular rights and parliamentary mechanisms. Party participation was recognized as part of the political process. The Meiji Constitution was to last as the fundamental law until 1947.

<References>

http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/distance/hist/meiji.htm

<Photo>

http://aririn7.cool.ne.jp/text/m013.htm

http://patrickmccoy.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/11/06/bginko_3.jpg

posted by Kazuko hayashi

Sino - Japanese War

Shino – Japanese War

Sino-Japanese War, First

Sino-Japanese War, First, 1894–95, conflict between China and Japan for control of Korea in the late 19th cent. The Li-lto Convention of 1885 provided for mutual troop withdrawals and advance notification of any new troop movements into Korea.

Accordingly, when a Korean revolt erupted in 1894, both countries sent troops. However, after the insurrection had been suppressed, Japan refused to withdraw its troops and induced the Korean court to abrogate its agreement with China. The fighting that ensued between Chinese and Japanese forces ended with an easy victory for the more modern Japanese army. 

The Treaty of Shimonoseki(1895) declared Korea independent and provided for the cession of Taiwan, the Pescadores, and the Liaodong peninsula by China to Japan. China also had to pay a large indemnity. Within a week of the treaty signing, however, the diplomatic intervention of Russia, France, and Germany forced Japan to return the Liaodong peninsula to China. Under a subsidiary commercial treaty (1896), China yielded to Japanese nationals the right to open factories and engage in manufacturing in the trade ports. This right was automatically extended to the Western maritime powers under the most-favored-nation clause.

                               Sino-Japanese War, Second

Sino-Japanese War, Second, 1937–45, conflict between Japanese and Chinese forces for control of the Chinese mainland. The war sapped the Nationalist government's strength while allowing the Communists to gain control over large areas through organization of guerrilla units. Thus, it was an important factor in the eventual Communist defeat of the Nationalist forces in 1949. In its early stage, the war was often called the China Incident.

References

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0845361.html

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0845362.html

Posted by Emi Kuriki

Education

<Japanese Education Meiji period>

   

(BACK GROUND)

By 1870, nearly half of the male population was literate. The Meiji leaders were all educated in the Confucian schools in late Tokugawa times. They had a Confucian respect for learning. They were thus enthusiastic for educational modernization.

(MOTIVES OF MODERNIZATION)

Technical skills and Western knowledge, which other programs of modernization needed, could not be forever borrowed from the West through the employment of foreign advisers. Development of modern education in the long run enabled Japan to acquire such skills and knowledge them self. Modernization would be useless if there were just modern institutions without modern citizens. The development of education could bring about a modern, literate citizenry.
Through education, the government could widen its popular support by the people.
On the other hand, the people, after having acquired some basic skills, could lead a better life. Education would raise the standard of living in society. From the 1880s on, however, education was used increasingly by the government to teach nationalistic ideas.
Through a nationalist education, the Meiji government attempted to strengthen national and social unity, thereby safeguarding national safety in an age of foreign imperialism.

A. Fundamental Law on Education of１８７２

a)  To establish national control over education.

• b)  To impose uniform educational standards in the country.
• c) Education for a period of 16 months was made compulsory for all children 6 years of age.
• d) Textbooks were updated. Translated materials from American or English texts were borrowed.
• e) The French and American principles of education were accepted: the purpose of education was the material and intellectual advancement of the individual.

B. Education act of 1886

In 1886, changes were again made to the educational system. Under the leadership of Mori Arinori, the Prussian model, not the American one, was used.

• a) The period of compulsory education was extended to 4 years. Schools were made more specialized.
• b) A Dual System was adopted. At the lower educational levels, a moral education based on Confucian ethics (i.e. Confucian rules of conduct) and an emperor-centred nationalism was added to the original Western practical training. At the upper levels, including the university, the greatest possible academic freedom was allowed.
• c.) The supremacy of the state at every educational level, from primary school to university, was confirmed

      These words come from http://www.thecorner.org/hist/japan/meiji2.htm

(EFFECTS OF EDUCATIONAL MODERNIZATION )

• By 1900, it was clear that education in Japan was far from liberal. Just as all teachers were civil servants under state control, university professors had to take oaths of loyalty to the government. In the long run, free thinking and a questioning mind, both of which were conditions for a successful democracy, were suppressed. Ultra-nationalism grew under such an authoritarian educational system, leading finally to the rise of militarism and expansionist aggression in Asia.

• But owing to modernized education, Meiji Japan had achieved to high degree of homogeneity (uniformity) of thought. Conflicts between social classes were therefore minimized. Brought up by the same kind of education, both government officials and citizens shared common ideas and were equally nationalistic.

• At the same time, because of the national system of education, the rate of social literacy was raised. More people knew how to read and write. In 1912, the Japanese government claimed that 95% of its population was attending school. However, literacy was in fact by no means nationwide: a survey of 22 factories in 1892 showed that about 1/3 of the workers had received no education at all. Yet there can be little doubt that there were more literate citizens.

      

<references>

http://www.thecorner.org/hist/japan/meiji2.

http://web-japan.org/factsheet/pdf/EDUCATIO.pdf#search='Fundamental Law on Education Meiji'

http://www.sg.emb-japan.go.jp/JapanAccess/edun.htm

<Photo>

http://www.tulips.tsukuba.ac.jp/exhibition/bakumatu/setumei.html

http://www.isis.ne.jp/mnn/senya/senya0592.html

Posted by Kazuko Hayashi