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113-526: Born to Emperor Meiji and his concubine Yanagiwara Naruko , Yoshihito was proclaimed crown prince and heir apparent in 1888, his two older siblings having died in infancy. He suffered various health problems as a child, including meningitis soon after his birth. In 1900, he married Sadako Kujō , a member of the Kujō family of the Fujiwara clan ; the couple had four sons. In 1912, Yoshihito became emperor upon

226-529: A concubine with the official title of gon-no-tenji (imperial concubine). As was common practice at the time, Emperor Meiji's consort, Empress Shōken , was officially regarded as his mother. He received the personal name of Yoshihito Shinnō and the title Haru-no-miya from the Emperor on 6 September 1879. His two older siblings had died in infancy, and he too was born sickly. Prince Yoshihito contracted cerebral meningitis within three weeks of his birth. As

339-438: A rescript was issued in the emperor's name (but most likely written by court officials). It indicated his intent to be involved in government affairs. And indeed he attended cabinet meetings and innumerable other government functions, though rarely speaking, almost until the day of his death. The successful revolutionaries organized themselves into a Council of State, and subsequently into a system where three main ministers led

452-450: A highly individualistic and forthright person who was no puppet to any group in his government, and although progressive, not 'liberal' or 'democratic'. Yet another group of historians contend he was never a full dictator, but remain divided on whether his personal power was "far closer to the absolutist end". or he merely played a mediating role in the Genrō's decision making. He composed

565-524: A matter of common knowledge. The two-party political system that had been developing in Japan since the turn of the century came of age after World War I , giving rise to the nickname for the period, " Taishō Democracy ", prompting a shift in political power to the Imperial Diet of Japan and the democratic parties . After 1918, the emperor no longer was able to attend Army or Navy maneuvers, appear at

678-473: A new world power. The Emperor, who was born on 3 November 1852, succeeded to the throne on 3 February 1867, on the suppression of the Shogun dynasty, which had for generations wielded the power which the imperial family held only in name. Mutsuhito has proved the most practical of modern monarchs, for in less than forty years he has brought his country from semi-barbarism to the status of a first class power. Near

791-469: A port city, it remains Japan's fourth-busiest container port . Companies headquartered in Kobe include ASICS , Kawasaki Heavy Industries , and Kobe Steel , while over 100 international corporations have their Asian or Japanese headquarters in the city, including Eli Lilly and Company , Procter & Gamble , Boehringer Ingelheim , and Nestlé . The city is the point of origin and namesake of Kobe beef ,

904-552: A reclaimed island south of Port Island , also offers mostly domestic and charter flights, while Kansai International Airport in Osaka mainly serves international flights in the area. The JR West Sanyō Shinkansen stops at Shin-Kobe Station . Sannomiya Station is the main commuter hub in Kobe, serving as the transfer point for major intercity rail services: the JR Kobe Line connects Kobe to Osaka and Himeji , while both

1017-595: Is also home to 17 Japanese language schools for international students, including the international training group Lexis Japan. International schools serve both long-term foreign residents and expatriates living in Kobe and the Kansai region. The schools offer instruction in English, German , Chinese , and Korean . There are three English-language international schools: Canadian Academy , Marist Brothers International School , and St. Michael's International School. Kobe

1130-527: Is impossible to deny that [Emperor Kōmei's] disappearance from the political scene, leaving as his successor a boy of fifteen or sixteen [actually fourteen], was most opportune". In a brief ceremony in Kyoto, the crown prince formally ascended to the throne on 13 February 1867. The new emperor continued his classical education, which did not include matters of politics. In the meantime, the shōgun , Yoshinobu, struggled to maintain power. He repeatedly asked for

1243-512: Is located in the Kansai region , which makes up the southern side of the main island of Honshū , on the north shore of Osaka Bay . It is part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kyoto . The Kobe city centre is located about 35 km (22 mi) west of Osaka and 70 km (43 mi) southwest of Kyoto. The earliest written records regarding the region come from

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1356-655: Is most famous for its Kobe beef (which is raised in the surrounding Hyōgo Prefecture) and Arima Onsen (hot springs). Notable buildings include the Ikuta Shrine as well as the Kobe Port Tower . Nearby mountains such as Mount Rokkō and Mount Maya overlook the city. The city is widely associated with cosmopolitanism and fashion, encapsulated in the Japanese saying, "If you can't go to Paris, go to Kobe." The biannual fashion event Kobe Fashion Week, featuring

1469-440: Is not traditionally listed. Kobe Kobe ( / ˈ k oʊ b eɪ / KOH -bay ; Japanese : 神戸 , romanized :  Kōbe , pronounced [koꜜːbe] ), officially Kobe City ( 神戸市 , Kōbe-shi ) , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture , Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan 's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama . It

1582-611: Is significantly higher in summer than in winter, though on the whole lower than most parts of Honshū, and there is no significant snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kobe is 17.0 °C (62.6 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,277.8 mm (50.31 in) with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 28.6 °C (83.5 °F), and lowest in January, at around 6.2 °C (43.2 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Kobe

1695-565: Is the site of Japan's first golf course, Kobe Golf Club , established by Arthur Hesketh Groom in 1903, and Japan's first mosque , Kobe Mosque , built in 1935. The city hosts the Kobe Regatta & Athletic Club , founded in 1870 by Alexander Cameron Sim , and a prominent foreign cemetery . A number of Western-style residences – ijinkan ( 異人館 ) – from the 19th century still stand in Kitano and elsewhere in Kobe. Museums include

1808-707: Is the site of a number of research institutes, such as the RIKEN Kobe Institute Center for developmental biology and medical imaging techniques, and Center for Computational Science (R-CCS, home of the Fugaku supercomputer ), the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) Advanced ICT Research Institute, the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention, and

1921-579: The Nihon Shoki , which describes the founding of the Ikuta Shrine by Empress Jingū in AD 201. For most of its history, the area was never a single political entity, even during the Tokugawa period , when the port was controlled directly by the Tokugawa shogunate . Kobe did not exist in its current form until its founding in 1889. Its name comes from Kanbe ( 神戸 , an archaic title for supporters of

2034-580: The burakumin ended. However, these classes continue to suffer discrimination in Japan to the present time. The 1889 constitution created a new parliament , although it had no real power. Power had passed from the Tokugawa into the hands of those daimyōs and other samurai who had led the Restoration. Japan was thus controlled by the Genrō , an oligarchy which comprised the most powerful men of

2147-674: The Akasaka Palace ; Emperor Meiji gave Prince Takehito responsibility for taking care of Prince Yoshihito, and the two princes became friends. From 1898, largely at the insistence of Itō Hirobumi , the Prince began to attend sessions of the House of Peers of the Diet of Japan as a way of learning about the political and military concerns of the country. In the same year, he gave his first official receptions to foreign diplomats, with whom he

2260-605: The Boshin War , in which samurai (mostly from the Chōshū and Satsuma Domains ) defeated the shogunate and restored power in his name. Documents issued during his reign include the Charter Oath of 1868, Meiji Constitution of 1889, Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors of 1882, and Imperial Rescript on Education of 1890, in which he was advised by a group of oligarchs known as the genrō . Other major events include

2373-774: The Chūgoku Expressway (Osaka – Yamaguchi). The Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway runs from Kobe to Naruto via Awaji Island and includes the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge , the longest suspension bridge in the world. The Port of Kobe is one of Japan's busiest container ports. Sub Area Activity Hanshin of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces provides monitoring across Osaka Bay and Harima Sea . The city of Kobe directly administers 169 elementary and 81 middle schools, with enrollments of approximately 80,200 and 36,000 students, respectively. If

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2486-740: The Hankyū Kobe Line and the Hanshin Main Line run from Kobe to Umeda Station in Osaka. Sanyō Electric Railway trains from Himeji reach Sannomiya via the Kōbe Rapid Transit Railway . Kōbe Electric Railway runs north to Sanda and Arima Onsen . Kobe Municipal Subway provides connections to Shin-Osaka and Sannomiya stations from Kobe's western and eastern suburbs. Additionally, Kobe New Transit runs two lines serving Kobe Airport and Rokko Island . Over Mount Rokkō ,

2599-603: The Hanshin Industrial Region . Kobe is the busiest container port in the region, surpassing even Osaka , and the fourth-busiest in Japan. As of 2004 , the city's total real GDP was ¥6.3 trillion, which amounts to thirty-four percent of the GDP for Hyōgo Prefecture and approximately eight percent for the whole Kansai region . Per capita income for the year was approximately ¥2.7 million. Broken down by sector , about one percent of those employed work in

2712-556: The Hayama Imperial Villa at Hayama , on Sagami Bay south of Tokyo (in Kanagawa Prefecture ). He was 47 years old and succeeded by his eldest son, Hirohito , Emperor Shōwa. The funeral was held at night (February 7 to February 8, 1927) and consisted of a 4-mile-long procession in which 20,000 mourners followed a herd of sacred bulls and an ox-drawn cart containing the imperial coffin. The funeral route

2825-533: The Humanity Declaration as support for the imposed changes in Japanese government following World War II. For the first time since early childhood, he left the Imperial precincts in Kyoto in mid-May to take command of the forces pursuing the remnants of the bakufu armies. Traveling in slow stages due to through roads being lined with crowds, he took three days to travel from Kyoto to Osaka. There

2938-474: The Kobe City Museum and Museum of Literature . The city headquarters the professional wrestling promotion Dragongate , established in 2004 as an offshoot of Último Dragón 's original Toryumon system. The dialect spoken in Kobe is called Kobe-ben , a sub-dialect of Kansai dialect . Kobe hosted the 1985 Summer Universiade as well as the 1991 Men's Asian Basketball Championship , which

3051-511: The Kobe Collection , is held in Kobe. The jazz festival "Kobe Jazz Street" has been held every October at jazz clubs and hotels since 1981. It also hosts both a Festival, as well as a statue of Elvis Presley , the unveiling of which was heralded by the presence of former Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi . Kobe is well known in Japan as being a city for the affluent, as many high-end stores and mansions line its streets. Kobe

3164-528: The Meiji era . At the time of Mutsuhito's birth, Japan was a feudal and pre-industrial country dominated by the isolationist Tokugawa shogunate and the daimyō subject to it, who ruled over Japan's 270 decentralized domains . The opening of Japan to the West from 1854 fueled domestic demands for modernization, and when Mutsuhito became emperor after the death of his father Emperor Kōmei in 1867, it triggered

3277-515: The Mitsubishi shipyards in Nagasaki ). On 10 May 1900, Crown Prince Yoshihito married the then 15-year-old Kujō Sadako , daughter of Prince Kujō Michitaka , the head of the five senior branches of the Fujiwara clan . She had been carefully selected by Emperor Meiji for her intelligence, articulation, and pleasant disposition and dignity – to complement Prince Yoshihito in the areas where he

3390-480: The Russo-Japanese War , and also starred Tatsuya Nakadai (as General Nogi Maresuke ), and Tetsurō Tamba (as General Kodama Gentarō ). Emperor Meiji also appears in the 2003 film The Last Samurai , played by Nakamura Shichinosuke II . In the film, the emperor is portrayed as a weak, inexperienced leader under the firm control of his councilors, who intend to have him sign a treaty that would give

3503-525: The Sakoku Edict of 1635 . In addition to the substantial Chinese trade, only the Dutch continued trade with Japan, maintaining a post on the island of Dejima by Nagasaki . However, by the early 19th century, European and American vessels appeared in the waters around Japan with increasing frequency. Prince Mutsuhito was born on 3 November 1852 in a small house on his maternal grandfather's property at

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3616-762: The Taira fortress in Hyōgo-ku and the nearby Ikuta Shrine became the sites of the Genpei War battle of Ichi-no-Tani between the Taira and Minamoto clans . The Minamoto prevailed, pushing the Taira further. As the port grew during the Kamakura period , it became an important hub for trade with China and other countries. In the 13th century, the city came to be known by the name Hyōgo Port ( 兵庫津 , Hyōgo-tsu ) . During this time, Hyōgo Port, along with northern Osaka, composed

3729-559: The abolition of the han system in 1871 and the establishment of the current prefecture system that the area became politically distinct. Hyōgo Port was opened to foreign trade by the Shogunal government at the same time as Osaka on January 1, 1868, just before the advent of the Boshin War and the Meiji Restoration . At the time of the opening of the city for foreign trade, the area saw intense fighting resulting from

3842-695: The confectionery manufacturers Konigs-Krone and Morozoff Ltd. , Sun Television Japan and UCC Ueshima Coffee Co. There are over 100 international corporations that have their East Asian or Japanese headquarters in Kobe. Of these, twenty-four are from China, eighteen from the United States, and nine from Switzerland. Some prominent corporations include Eli Lilly and Company , Nestlé , Procter & Gamble , Tempur-Pedic , Boehringer-Ingelheim , and Toys "R" Us . In 2018, April, Swift Engineering USA, an American aerospace engineering firm established their joint venture in Kobe called Swift Xi Inc. Kobe

3955-506: The daimyōs . In 1869, several of the daimyōs who had supported the revolution gave their land property to the emperor and were reappointed as governors, with considerable salaries. By the following year, all other daimyōs had followed suit. In 1871, as Japan was organized into 72 prefectures the emperor announced that domains were entirely abolished . The daimyōs were compensated with annual salaries equal to ten percent of their former revenues (from which they now did not have to deduct

4068-422: The nengō had often been changed multiple times in an emperor's reign; from now on, it was announced, there would only be one nengō per reign. Soon after his coronation, the emperor journeyed to Tokyo by road , visiting it for the first time. He arrived in late November and began an extended stay by distributing sake among the population. The population of Tokyo was eager for an Imperial visit. Tokyo had been

4181-603: The primary sector (agriculture, fishing and mining), twenty-one percent work in the secondary sector (manufacturing and industry), and seventy-eight percent work in the service sector . The value of manufactured goods produced and exported from Kobe for 2004 was ¥2.5 trillion. The four largest sectors in terms of value of goods produced are small appliances, food products, transportation equipment, and communication equipment making up over fifty percent of Kobe's manufactured goods. In terms of numbers of employees, food products, small appliances, and transportation equipment make up

4294-421: The shishi out of Kyoto, and an attempt by them to return in 1864 was driven back. Nevertheless, unrest continued throughout Japan. The prince's awareness of the political turmoil is uncertain. During this time, he studied waka poetry, first with his father, then with the court poets. In 1866, a new shōgun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu , took office as the prince continued his classical education. Tokugawa Yoshinobu

4407-769: The Asian Disaster Reduction Center. International organizations include the WHO Centre for Health Development , an intergovernmental agency forming part of the World Health Organization . The Consulate-General of Panama in Kobe is located on the eighth floor of the Moriyama Building in Chūō-ku, Kobe . Itami Airport , in nearby Itami , serves primarily domestic flights throughout Japan, Kobe Airport , built on

4520-497: The Hyogo Prefectural Board of Education. In addition, twenty-five high schools are run privately within the city. The total enrollment for high schools in 2006 was 43,400. Kobe is home to eighteen public and private universities, including Kobe University , Kobe Institute of Computing and Konan University , and eight junior colleges . Students enrolled for 2006 reached 67,000 and 4,100, respectively. Kobe

4633-518: The Imperial villas at Hayama and Numazu , both of which are located at the sea. Although the prince showed skill in some areas, such as horse riding, he proved to be poor in areas requiring higher-level thought. He was finally withdrawn from Gakushuin before finishing the middle school course in 1894. However, he did appear to have an aptitude for languages and continued to receive extensive tutoring in French , Chinese , and history from private tutors at

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4746-532: The Pacific and a major player in the world within a generation . Yet, Emperor Meiji's role in the Restoration, as well as the amount of personal authority and influence he wielded during his reign, remains debatable. He kept no diary, wrote almost no letters (unlike his father) and left "no more than three or four" photographs. The accounts of people who had met or were close to him usually contain little substantial information or are mutually contradictory. Due to

4859-608: The United States special trading rights that would enrich them, but also cement foreign domination of Japan. The emperor's determination is only shown at the end of the movie, when he is inspired by a visit from Capt. Nathan Algren (played by Tom Cruise ), who fought alongside the rebel samurai, to reject the treaty and dismiss his advisors, declaring that Japan will modernize, but not at the cost of its traditions and history. Unless otherwise noted (as BC), years are in CE  / AD   Imperial Consort and Regent Empress Jingū

4972-555: The afternoons on sports, but progress was slow due to his poor health and frequent fevers. From 1886, he was taught together with 15–20 selected classmates from the ōke and higher ranking kazoku peerage at a special school, the Gogakumonsho , within the Aoyama Palace. Yoshihito was officially declared heir on 31 August 1887, and had his formal investiture as crown prince on 3 November 1888. While crown prince, he

5085-416: The age of 40. The Imperial Family suffered very high rates of infant mortality; all five of the emperor's brothers and sisters died as infants, and only five of his own 15 children reached adulthood. Soon after taking control in the early seventeenth century, shogunate officials (known generically as bakufu ) ended almost all Western trade with Japan, and barred Christian missionaries from the islands under

5198-492: The age of seven. He proved an indifferent student, and later in life wrote poems regretting that he had not applied himself more in writing practice. By the early 1860s, the shogunate was under several threats. Representatives of foreign powers sought to increase their influence in Japan. Many daimyōs were increasingly dissatisfied with bakufu handling foreign affairs. Large numbers of young samurai , known as shishi or "men of high purpose", began to meet and speak against

5311-599: The city from east to west. The main transport hub is Sannomiya Station , with the eponymous Kobe Station located to the west and the Shinkansen Shin-Kobe Station to the north. Mount Rokkō overlooks Kobe at an elevation of 931 m (3,054 ft). During autumn, it is famous for the rich change in colors of its forests . Kobe has nine wards ( ku ): per km2 Kobe has a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfa ) with hot summers and cool to cold winters. Precipitation

5424-605: The city has two funicular lines and three aerial lifts as well, namely Maya Cablecar , Rokkō Cable Line , Rokkō Arima Ropeway , Maya Ropeway , and Shin-Kobe Ropeway . Kobe is a transportation hub for a number of expressways , including the Meishin Expressway ( Nagoya – Kobe) and the Hanshin Expressway (Osaka – Kobe). Other expressways include the Sanyō Expressway (Kobe – Yamaguchi ) and

5537-566: The city is closely tied to that of the Ikuta Shrine, and the name "Kobe" derives from kamube ( 神戸 , later kanbe ) , an archaic name for those who supported the shrine. During World War II , Kobe was lightly bombed in the Doolittle Raid on April 18, 1942, along with Tokyo and a few other cities. Eventually, it was bombed again with incendiary bombs by B-29 Superfortress bombers on March 16 and 17, 1945 , causing

5650-617: The city were destroyed. The earthquake destroyed portions of the Hanshin Expressway , an elevated freeway that dramatically toppled over. In Japan, this earthquake is known as the Great Hanshin earthquake (or the Hanshin-Awaji earthquake). To commemorate Kobe's recovery from it, the city holds an event every December called the Luminarie , where the city center is decorated with illuminated metal archways. The Port of Kobe

5763-455: The city's Ikuta Shrine ) . Kobe became one of Japan's designated cities in 1956. Kobe was one of the cities to open for trade with the West following the 1853 end of the policy of seclusion and has retained its cosmopolitan character ever since with a rich architectural heritage dating back to the Meiji era . While the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake diminished some of Kobe's prominence as

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5876-411: The city's four private elementary schools and fourteen private middle schools are included, these figures jump to a total 82,000 elementary school students and 42,300 junior high students enrolled for the 2006 school year. Kobe also directly controls six of the city's twenty-five full-time public high schools including Fukiai High School and Rokkō Island High School. The remainder are administered by

5989-524: The civil war in progress. Shortly after the opening of Kobe to trade, the Kobe Incident occurred, where several western soldiers sustained wounds from gunfire by troops from Bizen. The region has since been identified with the West and many foreign residences from the period remain in Kobe's Kitano area . Kobe, as it is known today, was founded on April 1, 1889, and was designated on September 1, 1956 by government ordinance. The history of

6102-416: The cost of governing), but were required to move to the new capital, Tokyo. Most daimyōs retired from politics. The new administration gradually abolished most privileges of the samurai, including their right to a stipend from the government. However, unlike the daimyōs , many samurai suffered financially from this change. Most other class-based distinctions were abolished. Legalized discrimination against

6215-644: The death of 8,841 residents and the destruction of 21% of Kobe's urban area . This incident inspired the well-known Studio Ghibli film Grave of the Fireflies and the book by Akiyuki Nosaka on which the film was based. It also features in the motion picture A Boy Called H . Following continuous pressure from citizens, on March 18, 1975, the Kobe City Council passed an ordinance banning vessels carrying nuclear weapons from Kobe Port. This effectively prevented any U.S. warships from entering

6328-562: The death of his father, but as he suffered from neurological issues for much of his life, he played only a limited role in politics and undertook no official duties from 1919. His declining health led to appointment of his eldest son, Crown Prince Hirohito , as regent in 1921, and Hirohito succeeded him as emperor when he died in 1926. Prince Yoshihito was born at the Tōgū Palace in Akasaka, Tokyo to Emperor Meiji and Yanagiwara Naruko ,

6441-490: The early 17th century. Under its rule, the shōgun governed Japan. About 180 lords, known as daimyōs , ruled autonomous realms under the shōgun , and occasionally the shōgun called upon the daimyōs for gifts but did not tax them. The shōgun controlled the daimyōs in other ways too; only the shōgun could approve daimyōs marriages, and the shōgun could divest a daimyō of his lands. Tokugawa Ieyasu , who had officially retired from his position by 1605,

6554-556: The east and Sanda and Miki to the north. The landmark of the port area is the red steel Port Tower . A ferris wheel sits in nearby Harborland , a notable tourist promenade . Two artificial islands, Port Island and Rokkō Island , have been constructed to give the city room to expand. Away from the seaside at the heart of Kobe lie the Motomachi and Sannomiya districts, as well as Kobe's Chinatown , Nankin-machi , all well-known retail areas. A multitude of train lines cross

6667-418: The eldest daughter of Count Sono Motosachi, lived to adulthood. Although Meiji was the last emperor to have concubines , this function was not officially abolished until 1924. Emperor Meiji had fifteen children (five of them were sons and ten were daughters), five of them (a son and four daughters) reached adulthood. He had eighteen grandchildren (eleven grandsons and seven granddaughters). He received

6780-464: The emperor ceremoniously read out a document before the court proclaiming the "restoration" of Imperial rule, and the following month, documents were sent to foreign powers: The Emperor of Japan announces to the sovereigns of all foreign countries and to their subjects that permission has been granted to the shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu to return the governing power in accordance with his own request. We shall henceforward exercise supreme authority in all

6893-432: The emperor's confirmation of his actions, which he eventually received, but there is no indication that the young emperor was himself involved in the decisions. The shishi and other rebels continued to shape their vision of the new Japan, and although they revered the emperor, they had no thought of having him play an active part in the political process. The political struggle reached its climax in late 1867. An agreement

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7006-599: The emperor's death in 1912, the Japanese Diet passed a resolution to commemorate his role in the Meiji Restoration . An iris garden in an area of Tokyo where Emperor Meiji and the Empress had been known to visit was chosen as the building's location for the Shinto shrine Meiji Jingū . The shrine does not contain the emperor's grave, which is at Fushimi-Momoyama Castle south of Kyoto . Soon after Meiji's ascension,

7119-423: The emperor's officials presented Ichijō Haruko to him as a possible bride. The future Empress was the daughter of an Imperial official, and was three years older than the groom, who would have to wait to wed until after his genpuku (manhood ceremony). The two married on 11 January 1869. Known posthumously as Empress Dowager Shōken , she was the first Imperial Consort to receive the title of kōgō (literally,

7232-461: The emperor's studies include materials on contemporary affairs. On 19 September 1868, the emperor announced the name of the city of Edo was to be changed to Tokyo, meaning "eastern capital". He was formally crowned in Kyoto on 15 October (a ceremony which had been postponed from the previous year due to the civil unrest). Shortly before the coronation, he announced that the new era, or nengō , would be called Meiji or "enlightened rule". Heretofore

7345-488: The emperor's wife, translated as Empress Consort ), in several hundred years. Although she was the first Japanese Empress Consort to play a public role, she bore no children. However, the Meiji Emperor had fifteen children by five official ladies-in-waiting. Only five of his children, a prince born to Lady Naruko (1855–1943), the daughter of Yanagiwara Mitsunaru, and four princesses born to Lady Sachiko (1867–1947),

7458-426: The end of his life several leftists, including Shūsui Kōtoku , were executed (1911) on charges of having conspired to murder the sovereign. This conspiracy was known as the High Treason Incident (1910). Emperor Meiji, suffering from diabetes , nephritis , and gastroenteritis , died of uremia . Although the official announcement said he died at 00:42 on 30 July 1912, the actual death was at 22:40 on 29 July. He

7571-402: The establishment of the Cabinet in 1885, Privy Council in 1888, Imperial Diet in 1890, and military victories over China in the First Sino-Japanese War and over Russia in the Russo-Japanese War . Taiwan and Korea were annexed in 1895 and 1910, respectively. Emperor Meiji died in 1912, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Yoshihito . The Tokugawa shogunate had established itself in

7684-409: The following orders and decorations: The Meiji era ushered in many far-reaching changes to the ancient feudal society of Japan. A timeline of major events might include: Emperor Meiji is portrayed by Toshirō Mifune in the 1980 Japanese war drama film The Battle of Port Arthur (sometimes referred as 203 Kochi ). Directed by Toshio Masuda , the film depicted the Siege of Port Arthur during

7797-443: The following poem in waka form: This poem was later recited by his grandson, Emperor Shōwa in an Imperial Conference in September 1941 before the attack on Pearl Harbor to tell that he wanted to avoid the war. The Illustrated London News published an article with a cover illustration of Emperor Meiji in the New-York Tribune on 19 March 1905. The description text said: The victorious Emperor of Japan - beloved ruler of

7910-426: The government. This structure would last until the establishment of a prime minister, who would lead a cabinet in a western fashion, in 1885. Initially, not even the retention of the emperor was certain; revolutionary leader Gotō Shōjirō later stated that some officials "were afraid the extremists might go further and abolish the Mikado". Japan's new leaders sought to reform the patchwork system of domains governed by

8023-511: The graduation ceremonies of the military academies, perform the annual Shinto ritual ceremonies, or even attend the official opening of sessions of the Diet of Japan. After 1919, he undertook no official duties, and Crown Prince Hirohito was named prince regent ( sesshō ) on 25 November 1921. The emperor's reclusive life was unaffected by the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918 and Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923. Fortuitously, he had moved by imperial train to Tamozawa Imperial Villa at Nikko

8136-522: The home of Kobe University , and the site of one of Japan's most famous hot spring resorts, Arima Onsen . Tools found in western Kobe demonstrate the area was populated at least from the Jōmon period . The natural geography of the area, particularly of Wada Cape in Hyōgo-ku , led to the development of a port, which would remain the economic center of the city. Some of the earliest written documents mentioning

8249-416: The internal and external affairs of the country. Consequently, the title of Emperor must be substituted for that of Tycoon , in which the treaties have been made. Officers are being appointed by us to the conduct of foreign affairs. It is desirable that the representatives of the treaty powers recognize this announcement. On 23 October 1868 the era was changed from Keiō to Meiji ('enlightened rule'), which

8362-515: The lack of reliable sources of the period, mysteries surrounding Emperor Meiji's personality and role in the Restoration remain a matter of historical dispute. James C. Baxter argues that the emperor was a figurehead without real power who rarely interfered with what had been agreed upon in advance by the Meiji oligarchy . Conversely, Herbert Bix describes Meiji as a powerful autocrat whom the Genrō struggled to restrain while accommodating his anti-democratic inclinations. R.Starr characterizes Meiji as

8475-453: The major European powers. On 7 April 1868, the emperor was presented with the Charter Oath , a five-point statement of the nature of the new government. The statement was designed to win over those who had not yet committed themselves to the new regime. This document, which the emperor then formally promoted, abolished feudalism and proclaimed a modern democratic government for Japan. The Charter Oath would later be cited by Emperor Shōwa in

8588-479: The military, political and economic spheres. The emperor showed greater political longevity than his recent predecessors, as he was the first Japanese monarch to remain on the throne past the age of 50 since Emperor Ōgimachi 's abdication from the throne in 1586. The Japanese take pride in the Meiji Restoration, as it and the accompanying industrialization allowed Japan to become the preeminent power in

8701-585: The modern cannons that his naval fleet equipped. For the first time in at least 250 years, the shogunate took the highly unusual step of consulting with the Imperial Court because of the crisis brought on by Perry's arrival. Emperor Kōmei's officials advised that they felt they should agree to trade with the Americans and asked that they be informed in advance of any steps to be taken upon Perry's return. The Japanese government decided that their military

8814-633: The north end of the Gosho . At the time, birth was culturally believed to be a source of pollution, so the imperial prince was not born in the Palace. Instead, it was common for members of the Imperial Family to be born in a structure, often temporary, near the pregnant woman's father's house. The Prince Mutsuhito's mother, Nakayama Yoshiko , was a concubine ( Japanese : 権の典侍 , romanized :  gon no tenji ) to his father Emperor Kōmei , and she

8927-403: The population are between the ages of 0 and 14, sixty-seven percent are between 15 and 64, and twenty percent are over the age of 65. Approximately 44,000 registered foreign nationals live in Kobe. The four most common nationalities are Korean (22,237), Chinese (12,516), Vietnamese (1,301), and American (1,280). The Port of Kobe is both an important port and manufacturing center within

9040-399: The port, because U.S. policy is to never disclose whether any given warship is carrying nuclear weapons. This nonproliferation policy has been termed the " Kobe formula ". On January 17, 1995, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurred at 5:46 am JST near the city. About 6,434 people in the city were killed, 212,443 were made homeless, and large parts of the port facilities and other parts of

9153-421: The prince was delicate and often ill. Some biographers state that he fainted when he first heard gunfire, while others deny this account. On 16 August 1860, Sachinomiya was proclaimed prince of the blood and heir to the throne and was formally adopted by his father's consort . Later that year on 11 November, he was proclaimed as the crown prince and given an adult name, Mutsuhito. The prince began his education at

9266-581: The province of Settsu (most of today's Kobe belonged to Settsu except Nishi Ward and Tarumi Ward , which belonged to Harima ). Later, during the Edo period , the eastern parts of present-day Kobe came under the jurisdiction of the Amagasaki Domain and the western parts under that of the Akashi Domain , while the center was controlled directly by the Tokugawa shogunate . It was not until

9379-664: The rebels. On March 23 the Dutch Minister-Resident Dirk de Graeff van Polsbroek and the French Minister-Resident Léon Roches were the first European envoys ever to receive a personal audience with the new Emperor Meiji in Edo (Tokyo). This audience laid the foundation for (modern) Dutch diplomacy in Japan. Subsequently, De Graeff van Polsbroek assisted the emperor and the government in their negotiations with representatives of

9492-616: The region include the Nihon Shoki , which describes the founding of the Ikuta Shrine by Empress Jingū in AD 201. During the Nara and Heian periods , the port was known by the name Ōwada Anchorage ( Ōwada-no-tomari ) and was one of the ports from which imperial embassies to China were dispatched. The city was briefly the capital of Japan in 1180, when Taira no Kiyomori moved his grandson Emperor Antoku to Fukuhara-kyō in present-day Hyōgo-ku. The Emperor returned to Kyoto after about five months. Shortly thereafter in 1184,

9605-556: The rudiments of Japanese and Chinese history and geography. The shōgun did not seek the consent or advice of the emperor for his actions. Emperors almost never left their palace compound, or Gosho in Kyoto , except after an emperor retired or to take shelter in a temple if the palace caught on fire. Few emperors lived long enough to retire; of the Meiji emperor's five predecessors, only his grandfather and great-grandfather lived beyond

9718-400: The shogunate. The shishi revered Emperor Kōmei and favoured direct violent action to cure societal ills. While they initially desired the death or expulsion of all foreigners, the shishi would later begin to advocate the modernisation of the country. The bakufu enacted several measures to appease the various groups in an effort to drive a wedge between the shishi and daimyōs . Kyoto

9831-501: The site of the shōgun ' s court and the city's population feared that with the abolition of the shogunate, the city might fall into decline. It would not be until 1889 that a final decision was made to move the capital to Tokyo. While in Tokyo, the emperor boarded a Japanese naval vessel for the first time, and the following day gave instructions for studies to see how Japan's navy could be strengthened. Soon after his return to Kyoto,

9944-498: The speech was rolled up properly, as his manual dexterity was also handicapped. His lack of articulation and charisma, his disabilities and his eccentricities, led to an increase in incidents of lèse majesté . As his condition deteriorated, he had less and less interest in daily political affairs, and the ability of the genrō , Keeper of the Privy Seal , and Imperial Household Minister to manipulate his decisions came to be

10057-664: The three largest sectors. The GDP in Kobe Metropolitan Employment Area (2.4 million people) is US$ 96.0 billion in 2010. Japanese companies which have their headquarters in Kobe include ASICS , a shoe manufacturer; Daiei , a department store chain; Kawasaki Heavy Industries , Kawasaki Shipbuilding Co. , Kinki Sharyo , Mitsubishi Motors , Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (ship manufacturer), Mitsubishi Electric , Kobe Steel , Sumitomo Rubber Industries , Sysmex Corporation (medical devices manufacturer) and TOA Corporation . Other companies include

10170-664: The tombs of his imperial forebears; but Emperor Taishō's grave is in Tokyo, in the Musashi Imperial Graveyard in Hachiōji . His wife and his son, the Emperor Shōwa, are buried near him. Unless otherwise noted (as BC), years are in CE  / AD   Imperial Consort and Regent Empress Jingū is not traditionally listed. Emperor Meiji Mutsuhito (3 November 1852 – 30 July 1912), posthumously honored as Emperor Meiji ,

10283-470: The week before the devastating calamity; but his son, Crown Prince Hirohito, remained at the Imperial Palace where he was at the heart of the event. Carrier pigeons kept the Emperor informed as information about the extent of the devastation became known. In early December 1926, it was announced that the emperor had pneumonia . He died of a heart attack at 1:25 a.m. on 25 December 1926 at

10396-492: Was 38.8 °C (101.8 °F) on August 5, 1994; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −7.2 °C (19.0 °F) on February 27, 1981. As of September 2007, Kobe had an estimated population of 1,530,295 making up 658,876 households . This was an increase of 1,347 persons or approximately 0.1% over the previous year. The population density was approximately 2,768 persons per square kilometre, while there are about 90.2 males to every 100 females. About thirteen percent of

10509-489: Was Japan's busiest port and one of Asia's top ports until the Great Hanshin earthquake. Kobe has since dropped to fourth in Japan and, as of 2012, was the 49th- busiest container port worldwide . Wedged between the coast and the mountains, the city of Kobe is long and narrow. To the east is the city of Ashiya , while the city of Akashi lies to its west. Other adjacent cities include Takarazuka and Nishinomiya to

10622-512: Was a major centre for the shishi and the shishi had influence over the Emperor Kōmei. In 1863, the shishi persuaded him to issue an " Order to expel barbarians ". The Order placed the shogunate in a difficult position since they had no intention of enforcing the order because they did not have the power to carry it out. Several attacks were made on foreigners or their ships, and foreign forces retaliated. Bakufu forces were able to drive most of

10735-430: Was a reformer who desired to transform Japan into a Western-style state. Yoshinobu was the final shōgun and met with resistance from among the bakufu , even as unrest and military actions continued. In mid-1866, a bakufu army set forth to punish rebels in southern Japan. The army was defeated. Emperor Kōmei fell seriously ill at the age of 36 and died on 30 January 1867. British diplomat Sir Ernest Satow wrote, "it

10848-710: Was able to shake hands and converse graciously. His infatuation with western culture and tendency to sprinkle French words into his conversations was a source of irritation for Emperor Meiji. In October 1898, the Prince also traveled from the Numazu Imperial Villa to Kobe , Hiroshima , and Etajima , visiting sites connected with the Imperial Japanese Navy . He made another tour in 1899 to Kyūshū , visiting government offices, schools and factories (such as Yawata Iron and Steel in Fukuoka and

10961-567: Was kept out of view of the public as much as possible, having suffered from various neurological problems. At the 1913 opening of the Imperial Diet of Japan , one of the rare occasions he was seen in public, he is famously reported to have rolled his prepared speech into a cylinder and stared at the assembly through it, as if through a spyglass . Although rumors attributed this to poor mental condition, others, including those who knew him well, believed that he may have been checking to make sure

11074-662: Was lacking. The Akasaka Palace was constructed from 1899 to 1909 in a lavish European rococo style, to serve as the Crown Prince's official residence. The Prince and Princess had the following children: Hirohito, Yasuhito, Nobuhito, and Takahito. In 1902, Yoshihito continued his tours to observe the customs and geography of Japan, this time of central Honshū , where he visited the Buddhist temple of Zenkō-ji in Nagano . With tensions rising between Japan and Russia , Yoshihito

11187-399: Was later used for the emperor's posthumous name. This marked the beginning of the custom of posthumously naming the emperor after the era during which he ruled. In a conflict known as the Boshin War , Yoshinobu's followers briefly resisted and bakufu holdouts were finally defeated in late 1869. Despite the ouster of the bakufu , no effective central government had been put in place by

11300-414: Was lit with wood fires in iron lanterns. The emperor's coffin was then transported to his mausoleum in the western suburbs of Tokyo. Emperor Taishō has been called the first Tokyo Emperor because he was the first to live his entire life in or near Tokyo. His father was born and reared in Kyoto; and although he later lived and died in Tokyo, Emperor Meiji's mausoleum is located on the outskirts of Kyoto, near

11413-487: Was no conflict in Osaka; the new leaders wanted the emperor to be more visible to his people and to foreign envoys. At the end of May, after two weeks in Osaka (in a much less formal atmosphere than in Kyoto), the emperor returned to his home. Shortly after his return, it was announced that the emperor would begin to preside over all state business, reserving further literary study for his leisure time. Only from 1871 onward did

11526-544: Was no match for the American military and thus allowed trade and submitted to what it dubbed the " Unequal Treaties ". "Unequal Treaties" meant giving up tariff authority and the right to try foreigners in its own courts. The shogunate's willingness to consult with the Court was short-lived: in 1858, word of a treaty arrived with a letter stating that due to shortness of time, it had not been possible to consult. Emperor Kōmei

11639-407: Was often referred to simply as Tōgu ( 東宮 ) ('Eastern Palace', a metonymy for heir to the throne, which originated from China's Han dynasty ). When Yoshihito became the age to enter elementary school in 1886, due to his health problems, Takehiko Yumoto was appointed as the special education officer to educate him within the Tōgū Palace . For these health reasons, he spent much of his youth at

11752-627: Was promoted in 1903 to the rank of colonel in the Imperial Japanese Army and captain in the Imperial Japanese Navy. His military duties were only ceremonial, but he traveled to inspect military facilities in Wakayama , Ehime , Kagawa and Okayama that year. In October 1907, the Crown Prince toured Korea , accompanied by Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō , General Katsura Tarō , and Prince Arisugawa Taruhito . It

11865-491: Was reached by which Yoshinobu would maintain his title and some of his power, but the lawmaking power would be vested in a bicameral legislature based on the British model. The agreement fell apart and on 9 November 1867, Yoshinobu officially tendered his resignation to the emperor and formally stepped down ten days later. The following month, the rebels marched on Kyoto, taking control of the Imperial Palace. On 4 January 1868,

11978-399: Was so incensed that he threatened to abdicate—though even this action would have required the consent of the shōgun . Much of the emperor's boyhood is known only through later accounts, which his biographer Donald Keene points out are often contradictory. One contemporary described Mutsuhito as healthy and strong, somewhat of a bully, and exceptionally talented at sumo . Another states that

12091-441: Was succeeded by his eldest son, Emperor Taishō . By 1912, Japan had gone through a political, economic, and social revolution and emerged as one of the great powers in the world. The New York Times summed up this transformation at the emperor's funeral in 1912 as: "the contrast between that which preceded the funeral car and that which followed it was striking indeed. Before it went old Japan; after it came new Japan." After

12204-481: Was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession , reigning from 1867 until his death in 1912. His reign is associated with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which ended the Tokugawa shogunate and began rapid changes that transformed Japan from an isolationist , feudal state to an industrialized world power . Emperor Meiji was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan , and presided over

12317-613: Was the daughter of the acting major counselor, Nakayama Tadayasu . The young prince was given the title Sachi-no-miya , or Prince Sachi. The young prince was born into an era of great change in Japan. This change was symbolised dramatically in July 1853 when Commodore Matthew Perry and his American Naval squadron (what the Japanese dubbed "the Black Ships "), sailed into the harbour at Edo (known since 1868 as Tokyo). Perry sought to open Japan up to international trade and showcased

12430-446: Was the first Tokugawa shōgun. Upon retirement, Tokugawa Ieyasu and his son Tokugawa Hidetada , the titular shōgun , issued a code of behavior for the nobility in 1605. Under the code, the emperor was required to devote his time to scholarship and the arts. The emperors under the shogunate appear to have adhered closely to this code by studying Confucian classics and devoting time to poetry and calligraphy. Emperors were taught only

12543-466: Was the first time an heir apparent to the throne had ever left Japan. During this period, he began studying the Korean language , although he never became proficient at it. Emperor Taishō and Empress Teimei had four sons and twelve grandchildren (five grandsons and seven granddaughters). On 30 July 1912, upon the death of his father, Emperor Meiji , Prince Yoshihito ascended the throne. The new emperor

12656-569: Was the practice at the time, Prince Yoshihito was entrusted to the care of his great-grandfather, Marquess Nakayama Tadayasu , in whose house he lived from infancy until the age of seven. Prince Nakayama had also raised Taishō's father, the Emperor Meiji, as a child. From March 1885, Prince Yoshihito moved to the Aoyama Detached Palace, where he was tutored in the mornings on reading, writing, arithmetic, and morals, and in

12769-601: Was the qualifier for the 1992 Summer Olympics Basketball Tournament . Kobe was one of the host cities of the 2002 FIFA World Cup , hosting matches at Noevir Stadium Kobe (then known as Wing Stadium Kobe), which was renovated to increase its capacity to 40,000 for the event. Kobe was one of the host cities for the official 2006 Women's Volleyball World Championship . Kobe also hosted the World Darts Federation World Cup in October 2017. The event

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