It refers to the period of political evolution that transitioned from the old samurai era to a new government aimed at promoting modernization to catch up with Western countries.

There were several stages with key events: the arrival of Perry, the opening of the ports, Sonnou-joi (“Revere the emperor, expel the barbarians”), the return of political power to the imperial family, the Boshin War, and the enforcement of “Fukoku kyohei,” policies aimed at enriching the country.

The Arrival of Perry and the Opening of the Port

In 1853, Perry, the commander of the East India Fleet, entered Uraga Port with four battleships. He handed a national document written by the president to the Shogunate, requesting the opening of the port. The Shogunate debated whether to open the port, but finally, the government was forced by Perry, who returned, to sign the “Japan-U.S. Treaty of Peace and Amity” to open the port. After this treaty, the government made treaties with Russia, Britain, and the Netherlands.

Sonnō-Jōi Movement

“Reverence for the emperor and expulsion of the foreigners” was a fervent belief that drove many people to extreme actions, even to the point of killing those who opposed it. However, they realized it was impossible to resist the foreign powers, and they shifted their focus to attacking and overthrowing the Tokugawa Shogunate.

The leading figures with the notion of “reverence for the emperor and the opening of the ports” came from the Choshu Domain, today’s Yamaguchi Prefecture, and the Satsuma Domain, today’s Kagoshima Prefecture. Despite past conflicts, these two domains agreed to fight together against the Shogunate. These two domains became overwhelming powers that the Shogunate could not resist.

The Return of Political Power to the Imperial Family

The Shogunate thought that it couldn’t maintain national sovereignty anymore, considering the chaotic situation, and the last Tokugawa Shogun, Yoshinobu, decided to pass authority to the imperial court. In 1866, he enacted the “Restoration of Imperial Rule,” putting an end to the samurai government.

This declaration was made, but the situation under Samurai government rule did not change. Anti-Shogunate people from the Choshu and Satsuma domains were not satisfied. Finally, a domestic war began. With the aid of the Tosa and Hizen domains, they won the war against the domains opposing the new government. One of the distinctive events during the war was when Takamori Saigo of the Satsuma domain succeeded in capturing Edo Castle without any fighting. After winning the war, the new government began to move toward the modernization of the country.

Fukoku Kyohei

The new government moved the capital city from Kyoto to Tokyo, former Edo, and began to implement the new policies to make the country rich (Fukoku kyohei) to catch up with the developed Western countries. The main reforms included school system reform, land tax reform, conscription ordinance, adoption of solar calendar, judicial system reform, haircut order and others. Especially, the sword prohibition order put an end to the samurai ages.