Meiji 11 (明治十一年)
Timeline of 1878
- 1878/8 Emperor Meiji sets out on a tour of the Tôkai and Hokuriku regions.
- 1878/5 He Ruzhang, Chinese Resident Diplomatic Minister in Tokyo, recommends to Beijing that strong measures be taken against Japan's efforts to absorb Ryûkyû.
- 1878/5 Itô Hirobumi replaces Ôkubo Toshimichi as Minister of the Interior.
- 1878/9/3 He Ruzhang meets with Japanese Foreign Minister Terajima Munenori to protest the cutting off of diplomatic relations between China and Ryûkyû.
- 1878/9/27 He Ruzhang meets with Terajima again, arguing again against Japan's interference in China-Ryûkyû relations.
- 1878/10 Peking protests Tokyo's attempts to end the tributary relationship between China and Ryûkyû.
- 1878/11 The ethnic status or identity of the Ainu is legally stripped away as they are assimilated into the Japanese nation as "kyû dojin" (former aborigines).
- 1878/12/28 Matsuda Michiyuki, Chief Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, closes the Ryukyuan resident office in Tokyo and expels all Ryukyuan official representatives from the city.
Other Events of 1878
- Ernest Fenollosa arrives in Japan.
- Mutsu Munemitsu is imprisoned for aiding in the Satsuma Rebellion; he is freed in 1883.
- Shô Ten, Crown Prince of Ryûkyû, has his coming of age ceremony and is married.
- A ban is placed on depicting the emperor in popular prints, though the ban is widely ignored by print publishers and designers.
- Takatsuki castle is torn down.
- The US Consulate in Hakodate is closed.
- Japan exhibits at the 1878 Paris World's Fair.
- Painter Yamamoto Hôsui arrives in Paris.
Births and Deaths
- 1878/5/14 Ôkubo Toshimichi is assassinated (b. 1830).
- Kaburagi Kiyokata is born (d. 1972).
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