# Meiji period

The **Meiji period** (明治時代, *Meiji-jidai*), also known as the **Meiji era**, was a Japanese era name (年号,, **nengō*,*; lit. "year name") after *Keiō* and before *Taishō.* This period started in September 1868 and ended in July 1912. During this time, the emperor was Meiji*-tennō* (明治天皇).

The *nengō* *Meiji* means "Enlightened Rule" or "Enlightened Government".

## Events of the *Meiji* period

The years in which Meiji was the Japanese monarch comprise this modern period or era.

* **1868** (*Meiji 1*): Meiji Restoration; the capital of Japan moved from Kyoto to Tokyo.
* **1889-1890** (*Meiji 22-23*): Constitution of the Empire of Japan
* **1894-1895** (*Meiji 27-28*): First Sino-Japanese War
* **1904-1905** (*Meiji 37-38*): Russo-Japanese War
* **30 July 1912** (*Meiji 45, 30th day of the 7th month*): Meiji died.

### Politics

* **1885** (*Meiji 18*): Ito Hirobumi became 1st Prime Minister
* **1888** (*Meiji 21*): Kuroda Kiyotaka became 2nd Prime Minister
* **1889** (*Meiji 22*): Yamagata Aritomo became 3rd Prime Minister
* **1891** (*Meiji 24*): Matsukata Masayoshi became 4th Prime Minister
* **1892** (*Meiji 25*): Ito became 5th Prime Minister
* **1896** (*Meiji 29*): Matsukata became 6th Prime Minister
* **1898** (*Meiji 31*): Ito became 7th Prime Minister
* **1898** (*Meiji 31*): Ōkuma Shigenobu became 8th Prime Minister
* **1898** (*Meiji 31*): Yamagata became 9th Prime Minister
* **1900** (*Meiji 33*): Ito became 10th Prime Minister
* **1901** (*Meiji 34*): Katsura Tarō became 11th Prime Minister
* **1906** (*Meiji 39*): Saionji Kinmochi became 12th Prime Minister
* **1908** (*Meiji 41*): Katsura became 13th Prime Minister
* **1911** (*Meiji 44*): Saionji became 14th Prime Minister

## Gallery

* The 15-year-old Emperor Meiji, moving from Kyoto to Tokyo, end of 1868, after the fall of Edo.
* Formal beginning of the Meiji Constitution, 1889. Woodblock print by Toyohara Chikanobu.
* One yen coin of 1870 (*Meiji* 3 明治三年), both sides.
* First Meiji one-yen banknote, 1871.

## Related pages

* List of emperors of Japan
* Japanese era name

## Other websites

 Media related to Meiji era at Wikimedia Commons

* National Diet Library, "The Japanese Calendar" -- historical overview plus illustrative images from library's collection

| Meiji | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | 1868 | 1869 | 1870 | 1871 | 1872 | 1873 | 1874 | 1875 | 1876 | 1877 | 1878 | 1879 | 1880 | 1881 | 1882 | 1883 | 1884 | 1885 | 1886 | 1887 |

| Meiji | 21st | 22nd | 23rd | 24th | 25th | 26th | 27th | 28th | 29th | 30th | 31th | 32th | 33th | 34th | 35th | 36th | 37th | 38th | 39th | 40th |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | 1888 | 1889 | 1890 | 1891 | 1892 | 1893 | 1894 | 1895 | 1896 | 1897 | 1898 | 1899 | 1900 | 1901 | 1902 | 1903 | 1904 | 1905 | 1906 | 1907 |

| Meiji | 41st | 42nd | 43rd | 44th | 45th |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | 1908 | 1909 | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 |

|  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Preceded by: *Keiō* | Era or *nengō*: **Meiji** | Succeeded by: *Taishō* |