Meiji Restoration Begins: Japan Goes from Samurai to Superpower
The Tokugawa shogunate had ruled Japan for 265 years. Commodore Perry's black ships changed that. Young samurai from Satsuma and Chōshū domains seized the imperial palace in Kyoto. They declared they were 'restoring' the emperor's power. The 15-year-old Emperor Meiji probably had no idea what was happening.
January 3, 1868
158 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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