Description

When Emperor Meiji began his rule in 1867 Japan was a splintered empire dominated by the shogun and the daimyos cut off from the outside world staunchly antiforeign and committed to the traditions of the past Before long the shogun surrendered to the emperor a new constitution was adopted and Japan emerged as a modern industrialized state

Little has been written about the strangely obscured figure of Meiji himself the first emperor ever to meet a European But now Donald Keene sifts the available evidence to present a rich portrait not only of Meiji but also of rapid and sometimes violent change during this pivotal period in Japans history

In this vivid and engrossing biography we move with the emperor through his early traditional education join in the formal processions that acquainted the young emperor with his country and its people observe his behavior in court his marriage and his relationships with various consorts and follow his maturation into a Confucian sovereign dedicated to simplicity frugality and hard work We witness Meijis struggle to reconcile his personal commitment to peace and his nations increasingly militarized experience of modernization Emperor of Japan conveys in sparkling prose the complexity of the man and offers an unrivaled portrait of Japan in a period of unique interest