木戶孝允
The foundation of the Meiji Restoration was the 1866 Satsuma-Chōshū Alliance between Saigō Takamori and Kido Takayoshi, leaders of the reformist elements in the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain. These two leaders supported the Emperor Kōmei (Emperor Meiji's father) and were brought together by Sakamoto Ryōma for the purpose of challenging the ruling Tokugawa shogunate ("bakufu") and restoring the Emperor to power. After Kōmei's death on January 30, 1867, Meiji ascended the throne on February3. This period also saw Japan change from being a feudal society to having a market economy and left the Japanese with a lingering influence of Modernity.