什么是明治维新

1868年推翻德川幕府，还政给明治天皇的政治革命。在19世纪，德川幕府的锁国政策受到俄国、英国和美国的挑战，使日本的封建领导人意识到在西方船坚炮利的优势下，日本显得特别脆弱。在美国海军准将伯理「造访」後，日本被迫签定了一系列不平等条约，包括给予西方列强特权，如同他们在中国一样。而年轻的武士阶级「侍」对幕府的统治一向不满，他们揭竿而起反抗政府。1868年1月他们宣布大政归还天皇，1869年5月最後几支幕府军被迫投降。革命者迫使天皇颁布五条誓文，彻底与过去的封建阶级决裂，并寻求「富国强兵」之道。明治维新後开展了明治时代，是日本一段迅速现代化和西化的时期。亦请参阅Choshu、Ii Naosuke、Okubo Toshimichi、Saigo Takamori、Satsuma、Tosa。

Meiji Restoration

Overthrow of Japan's Tokugawa shogunate and restoration to power of the Meiji emperor in 1868. In the 19th century, the Tokugawa shogunate's policy of isolation was challenged by Russia, England, and the U.S., making Japanese feudal leaders aware of Japan's vulnerability to superior Western firepower. After the visit of Commodore Matthew Perry, the country was forced to sign a series of unequal treaties, which, as in China, gave Western nations special privileges in Japan. In response, young samurai from feudal domains historically hostile to the Tokugawa regime took up arms against the government. In January 1868 they announced the restoration of the emperor to power, and in May 1869 the last Tokugawa forces surrendered. The revolutionaries had the emperor issue the Charter Oath, which promised a break with the feudal class restrictions of the past and a search for knowledge that could transform Japan into a “rich country with a strong military.” The Restoration ushered in the Meiji period, a time of rapid modernization and westernization. See also Choshu, Ii Naosuke, Okubo Toshimichi, Saigo Takamori, Satsuma, Tosa.