Meiji Restoration Part 1: Barbarians at the Gate

When an American naval squadron arrives in Edo Bay on July 8th, 1853, the Japanese nation is gripped by panic. Having previously been isolated from the rest of the world, the ‘opening’ of Japan was certain to have grave political and social consequences that would be felt for decades to come.

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Bibliography:

Beasley, W. G. The Meiji Restoration. Stanford University Press, 2019.

Keene, Donald. Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World 1852-1912. Columbia University Press, 2002.

Hillsborough, Romulus. Samurai Revolution: the Dawn of Modern Japan through the Eyes of the Shogun's Last Samurai. Tuttle Publishing, 2018.

Jansen, Marius B. The Making of Modern Japan. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2000.

Ravina, Mark. The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2011. 

Sansom, George. A History of Japan 1615-1867 Stanford University Press, 1998

Cover Image: Illustration of a Military Review by Toyohara Chikanobu, 1887.

Opening Theme: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 by Antonín Dvořák.

Closing Theme: "Miyasan, Miyasan," performed by the Daiei Company Male Choir.