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*''Japanese'': 明治天皇 ''(Meiji tennou)''
*''Japanese'': 明治天皇 ''(Meiji tennou)''
The Meiji Emperor was the great-grandfather of the current [[Emperor]] of Japan. Following the fall of the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] in [[1868]], he was the first Emperor since [[Emperor Kemmu]] in the 1330s to rule the country in the absence of a [[shogunate]]; he was also the last Emperor to reign in [[Kyoto]].
The Meiji Emperor was the great-grandfather of the current [[Emperor]] of Japan. Following the fall of the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] in [[1868]], he was the first Emperor since [[Emperor Kemmu]] in the 1330s to rule the country in the absence of a [[shogunate]]; he was also the last Emperor to reign in [[Kyoto]], doing so briefly before the move to [[Tokyo]].
==Life & Reign==
==Life & Reign==
His reign, known as the [[Meiji period]] ([[1867]]-[[1912]]), was marked by dramatic, rapid modernization and Westernization, as the country industrialized, militarized, began colonial/imperial expansion, instituted a system of rule based around a constitutional/parliamentary monarchy, nationwide public education, and a myriad of other reforms and developments.
His reign, known as the [[Meiji period]] ([[1867]]-[[1912]]), was marked by dramatic, rapid modernization and Westernization, as the country industrialized, militarized, began colonial/imperial expansion, instituted a system of rule based around a constitutional/parliamentary monarchy, nationwide public education, and a myriad of other reforms and developments.
Among the many other significant events of his reign, the emperor received numerous foreign heads of state, royals, and other dignitaries who came to Japan on formal and informal visits, including US President [[Ulysses S. Grant]], King [[Kalakaua]] of Hawaii, Tsarevitch [[Nicholas II]] of Russia, and a number of British royals, among others. The emperor never learned to speak any English, and is said to have never been able to relax in conversation with foreigners, showing little personality and instead playing the part of Imperial host.<ref>[[Sir Hugh Cortazzi]], "Royal Visits to Japan in the Meiji Period, 1868-1912," in ''Collected Writings of Sir Hugh Cortazzi'', Edition Synapse (2000), 111.</ref>
Emperor Meiji died in 1912, and was succeeded by his son, the [[Emperor Taisho|Taishô Emperor]]. He was entombed at the former site of [[Fushimi castle]], a short distance from the grave of [[Emperor Kammu]]; thus, the first and last emperors to reign in [[Heian-kyo|Heian-kyô]] (Kyoto) are buried nearby one another.
Emperor Meiji died in 1912, and was succeeded by his son, the [[Emperor Taisho|Taishô Emperor]]. He was entombed at the former site of [[Fushimi castle]], a short distance from the grave of [[Emperor Kammu]]; thus, the first and last emperors to reign in [[Heian-kyo|Heian-kyô]] (Kyoto) are buried nearby one another.
==References==
==References==
*"Chronology of the Japanese Emperors since the Mid-Nineteenth Century." in ''Handbook of Oriental Studies''. Boston: Brill Academic Publishers, 2008. pp335-336.
*"Chronology of the Japanese Emperors since the Mid-Nineteenth Century." in ''Handbook of Oriental Studies''. Boston: Brill Academic Publishers, 2008. pp335-336.
<references/>
[[Category:Meiji Period]]
[[Category:Meiji Period]]
[[Category:Emperors|Meiji]]
[[Category:Emperors|Meiji]]
