Meiji 21 (明治二十一年)
Timeline of 1888
- 1888/1/4 The government establishes the Order of the Chrysanthemum with Chain, now the highest order the emperor could award. The First Class Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers is also established at this time.
- 1888/4 The Privy Council is established as the highest board of government advisors.
- 1888/spring - The entire cabinet of Itô Hirobumi falls as a result of waves of bad publicity.
- 1888/7/15 Mt. Bandai erupts dramatically; its caldera collapses, transforming the surrounding topography and creating several new lakes.
Other Events of 1888
- Bunkio Matsuki arrives in the United States, traveling to Boston a week after arriving in San Francisco.
- Mutsu Munemitsu is appointed Japanese ambassador to the United States.
- Ôzu castle is demolished.
- Restrictions on the planting of sugar cane in Okinawa are lifted.
- The Pilgrim's Progress (John Bunyan, 1678) becomes the first English-language novel published in Korean hangul translation.
- Research and development efforts begin on the 'modern' waterworks system for Tokyo. Construction begins in 1892.
- A short-cropped hairstyle becomes widely enforced for men; the Western-style school uniform becomes mandatory soon afterwards.
- Yôga painter Harada Naojirô opens his painting school, the Shôbikan.
Births and Deaths
- Kanô Hôgai dies (b. 1828).
- Kuki Shûzô is born (d. 1941).
- Laurence Oliphant, secretary to the British Legation in Japan, dies (b. 1829).
- Yamaoka Tesshû dies.
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