Meiji 20 (明治二十年)
Timeline of 1887
- 1887/spring Itô Hirobumi holds a masked ball at his private residence in which he dresses as a Venetian doge; many misrepresent this as having taken place at the Rokumeikan.
- 1887/summer - Negotiations led by Inoue Kaoru with representatives of the Western powers over the revision of the Unequal Treaties are called off, after rumors of concessions offered by Inoue leak and are widely criticized within Japan.
- 1887/9 Inoue Kaoru resigns.
- 1887/11/8-12/17 Minister of Education Mori Arinori and Prime Minister Itô Hirobumi undertake an official inspection tour of Kyûshû and Okinawa prefecture, accompanied by Yôga painter Yamamoto Hôsui.
Other Events of 1887
- Bayonet Constitution is proclaimed in Hawaii.
- China cedes Macao to Portugal; previously under Chinese jurisdiction, the city now formally becomes a Portuguese colony.
- The Ministry of Education donates several dozen Japanese artifacts, including 25 Okinawan objects, to the Smithsonian Institution, as part of an agreement between the Smithsonian and Kuki Ryûichi, Japanese ambassador to the United States.
- The Ryûchi-kai is reorganized as the Japan Art Association (Nihon Bijutsu Kyôkai).
- Shiga Shigetaka's Nan'yôjiji ("Conditions in the South Seas") is published.
- Charles Wirgman's Japan Punch ceases publication.
- Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee is held in London, with Prince Komatsu and other members of the Japanese Imperial Family in attendance. Prince Komatsu confers the Grand Star of the Chrysanthemum upon the Prince of Wales.
- Issei (Japanese immigrants not born in Hawaii) are denied voting rights in Hawaii; this is not lifted until 1952.
- Efforts are made to convert Japanese immigrants in Hawaii to Christianity.
- The Imperial Household commissions numerous artists, textile producers, and the like, including Iida Shinshichi III of Takashimaya and Kawashima Jinbei II, to produce works for decorating the Tokyo Imperial Palace.
- Peace Preservation Law is enacted.
- Yôga painters Harada Naojirô and Yamamoto Hôsui return from studying in Europe.
Births and Deaths
- Ruth Benedict is born (d. 1948).
- Painter Hyakutake Kenkô dies (b. 1842).
- Ryukyuan painter Nishime Seiraku is born (d. 1922).
- Architect Watanabe Hitoshi is born (d. 1973).
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