The Meiji Constitution
As pressure mounted from grass roots organizations like the Freedom Party, the Meiji government decided to finally draft a constitution. The process which brought it about, and the language which it e...
21 Nov 202428min
Clans, Corporations, and Capital
The early years of the Meiji period saw an explosion of economic growth as Edo Period merchant houses transformed into conglomerates called Zaibatsu. Support the show My latest novel, "Califia's Crus...
18 Nov 202426min
Counter-Revolution
The Meiji Revolution very rapidly changed nearly every aspect of public life in Japan. Such rapid progress led, inevitably, to counter-revolutions among various groups who felt discarded by the march ...
14 Nov 202429min
The Meiji Reformation
The Buddhist temples throughout Japan had worked hand-in-hand with the Shogunate to help prevent the spread of Christianity in Japan. Now that the Shogunate was gone, anti-Buddhist sentiment in the co...
11 Nov 202426min
The New Frontier
As the Meiji leaders continued to consolidate power and enact radical reforms, they also sought to expand Japan's sovereignty over the northern island of Ezo and the Ryukyu islands to their south. Sup...
7 Nov 202429min
The View From Below
As the new Meiji government continued to develop and expand, so did the participation of Japanese commoners in the political process. The 1870s witnessed the Iwakura Mission and the birth of Japan's f...
4 Nov 202428min
The Meiji Revolution
Now firmly established in Tokyo, the Meiji leaders launched a series of measures aimed at bringing feudal Japan into the modern age. However, upon their inception, these reforms often met with violent...
31 Okt 202428min
The Bakufu's Last Gasp
In the closing days of the Boshin War, the remnant of the Bakufu's forces attempted to establish a semi-independent state on the northern island of Hokkaido. The fledgling Meiji government, however, h...
28 Okt 202429min
