Emperor+Meiji

Emperor Meiji, or Meiji the Great, was the 122nd emperor of Japan reining from February 3, 1867 to his death on July 30, 1912. It is thought that he was born in Kyoto, though there are no documented records of his birthplace.

He started his reining around the time he was 15 years old. His original name was Mutsuhito, in Japan deceased emperors are referred to only by their posthumous names. On September 19, 1868, Meiji announced that the name of the city of Edo was being changed to Tokyo, or "eastern capital". He was formally crowned in Kyoto on October 15, which had been postponed a year due to the city's unrest. Shortly before the coronation, he announced that the new era would be called //Meiji// or enlightened rule era. Before this, there were many name changes to the era, but from then on they decided only one name change would be allowed per era.

The people of Tokyo were excited for a royal visit from Emperor Meiji. It had been the site of the Shogun's court and the people had feared that with the banning of the shogunate, the city might fall into a rapid decline. It was not until 1889 that the final decision was made to move the capital to Tokyo instead of Kyoto. While in Tokyo, the Emperor boarded a Japanese naval vessel for the first time, and the next day gave instructions for officials to see how Japan's navy could become almost indestructible. Soon after his return to Kyoto, a demand was issued in the Emperor's name, though it was most likely written by court officials. It indicated his intent to be involved in government affairs, and obviously he attended cabinet meetings and numerous other government functions almost until the day of his death.

Emperor Meiji, suffering from diabetes, nephritis, and gastroenteritis, died of uremia. He died on July 30, 1912. In his life time, Emperor Meiji impacted mainly Tokyo by making it the capital of Japan in 1889. The government was ordered to build railways, shipping lines, telegraphs, and telephone systems.