who launched the meiji restoration
The Meiji Restoration and Modernization. In 1868 the Tokugawa shÃ´gun (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 reign name; this event was known as the Meiji Restoration. The Reign of the Meiji Emperor.