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What was the Boshin War (1868-1869)?

Introduction The Boshin War (戊辰戦争, Boshin Sensō, lit. “War of the Year of the Yang Earth Dragon”), sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War, was a civil war in Japan, fought from 27 January 1868 to 27 June 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political… Read More

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What is a Samurai?

Introduction Samurai (侍, /ˈsæmʊraɪ/) were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the 12th century to their abolition in the 1870s. They were the well-paid retainers of the daimyo (the great feudal landholders). They had high prestige and special privileges such as wearing two swords. They cultivated the bushido… Read More

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What was the Meiji Restoration?

Introduction The Meiji Restoration (Japanese: 明治維新, Hepburn: Meiji Ishin), referred to at the time as the Honorable Restoration (御一新, Goisshin), and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Reform, or Renewal, was an event that restored practical imperial rule to the Empire of Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ruling Emperors before… Read More

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What is a Daimyo?

Introduction Daimyo (大名, Daimyō, Japanese pronunciation: [daimʲoː]) were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shōgun and nominally to the emperor and the kuge. In the term,… Read More

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What was the Satsuma Rebellion?

Introduction The Satsuma Rebellion, also known as the Seinan War (Japanese: 西南戦争, Hepburn: Seinan Sensō, lit. “Southwestern War”) was a revolt of disaffected samurai against the new imperial government, nine years into the Meiji Era. Its name comes from the Satsuma Domain, which had been influential in the Restoration and became home to unemployed samurai… Read More