1880

Meiji 13 (明治十三年)

Timeline of 1880

Ryûkyû Dispute

• 1880/3/9 Tokyo agrees to Peking's proposal to meet to negotiate a peaceful solution to the dispute over sovereignty over Ryûkyû.
• 1880/3/11 Tokyo issues a missive to foreign governments, requesting that if any were owed debts by the Kingdom of Ryûkyû, incurred after 1843, Japan would pay them. The foreign governments were given until May 30 to file their claims.
• 1880/4/17 Tokyo agrees to send its representatives to Peking, in light of China's refusal to send its representatives to Tokyo.
• 1880/8/15 Representatives of China and Japan meet in Peking to begin negotiations.
• 1880/10/21 Negotiations reach an agreement, including Japanese recognition of Chinese sovereignty over the southernmost islands - Miyako and Yaeyama - in exchange for China granting Japan Most Favored Nation status. The Chinese ratification of the treaty is delayed.
• 1880/12/20 China declares it will not sign the agreement.

Other Events of 1880

• Hokusai's Fugaku hyakkei ("One Hundred Views of Mt Fuji") is republished in London.
• Kubota castle is destroyed by fire.
• Kubota Beisen, Kôno Bairei, Mochizuki Gyokusen, and others found the Kyoto Prefectural Painting School.
• Matsudaira Katamori becomes the chief priest of Nikkô Tôshôgû.
• Ôkuma Shigenobu suggests a loan of 50 million yen be sought; Emperor Meiji issues an Imperial Rescript opposing any loans from foreign powers.
• Ueki Emori argues for Ryukyuan independence, since there were no grounds for annexation, and since doing so would place Japan in a good light, in the eyes of the world community, setting a precedent for a new form of East Asian international relations.
• Yonago castle is torn down.

Births and Deaths

• Shin hanga artist Hashiguchi Goyô is born (d. 1921).
• Artist Odake Kokkan is born (d. 1945).
• Okinawan activist Rin Seikô commits suicide in Beijing (b. 1842).

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