70 The Meiji Restoration

The Emperor Meiji was born on the 22nd day of the 9th month of the 5th year of Kaei, a date corresponding to Nov. 3, 1852 on the Western calender. Sakura Azumao, who had been praying fervently for an easy birth, was overcome and wept tears of joy, and wrote the following poem:
When I think deeply
of the prince,
of the heir of the goddess
on this day of shining sun,
my tears flow.
This prince and heir to the Japanese throne lost his father, Enperor Koumei, when he died on the 25th day of the 12th month of the 2nd year of Keiou (January 30, 1867). He succeeded to the throne on the 9th of the 1st month of Keiou 3 (February 13, 1867) as Japan's 122nd emperor at the age of fifteen.
(an omission)

The 11th of the 4th month of the 1st year of Meiji (April 23, 1868) is a date in Japanese history which be remembered. On that day, before the sun rise, the former shougun Yoshinobu left the temple of Toueizan and withdrew to Mito. Just after dawn, Edo Castle was opened and handed over to the Imperial Army. It had been the Tokugawa base for the 278 years sonce Tokugawa Ieyasu first entered it on 1st day of the 8th month of the 18th year of Tenshou (1590). It was from Edo Castle that the shougun had looked out on the realm of Japan, and on this day it was totally taken out of Tokugawa hands.
(an omission)

On the 15th day of the 1st month of the 1st year of Meiji, at the age of sixteen, Emperor Meiji had coming-of-age ceremony. On the 13th of the 3rd month, the Emperor had all the officials assembled at the Shishinden in the Imperial Palace and announced his five-article national policy and made an oath before the gods of heaven and earth. This was called the "Five-Article Oath." This is what it said:
Item: Assemblies shall be convoked widely, and all decisions made by open assembly.
Item: Whether high or low, all shall unite in carrying out affairs of state.
Item: Civil and military officials, as well as the common folk, shall be free to choose and achieve their own goals. It is important that people not lose their desires.
Item: Wicked customs of the past shall be eliminated, and all shall be based on proper morals in commom use in all places.
Item: Knowledge shall be sought from the whole world, for it is essential for the prosperity of the foundation of Our Imperial government.
(an omission)

On the 21st day of the 4th month, Minatogawa Shrine was erected by Imperial edict to enshrine the spirt of Kusunoki Masashige. This was done after the services for Wake no Kiyomaro of Emperor Koumei. Afterward, in turn likewise services were held for Nitta Yoshisada, Kikuchi Taketoki, Nawa Nagatoshi, Katabatake Chikafusa, Kitabatake Akiie, and others as precedents. Reverings loyal subjects of days long gone as kami in this fashion or else giving them posthumous court rank and precedence was something that Lafcadio Hearn (naturalized a Japanese citizen with the name Koizumi Yakumo) marveled at.
(an omission)

On the 27t day of the 8th month at the Shishinden, in sccord with ancient precedents, an enthronement ceremony was held. On the 8th of the 9th month, the era name was changed to "Meiji." Up to that point, the year had been called the 4th year of Keiou (1868), but this time everything was counted back and so this whole year was counted as 1st year of Meiji. Also, up to this point an Emperor's reign might encompass any number of eras, but now it was decided that henceforth there would be one era name per reign.

Finally, on the 20th of the 9th month, the Emperor set out from Kyouto, arriving in Toukyou (the "Eastern Capital") on the 13th day of the 10th month. Edo Castle became the Imperial residence, and was renamed "Toukyou Castle." This renaming of Edo as Toukyou and making it the Imperial capital had been decided in an Imperial edict issued on the 17th day of the 7th month. It was an extremely important thing. When thinking of the Kantou region, the heart had been Kamakura, and it then had been Edo, so for a long time, the Kantou region had been the home base of the Japanese military estate and thus it had been at odds with the Court in Kyouto. Now, making it the Imperial capital and intending to govern the nation from there at the same time as overthrowing the shogunate showed the Court's resolute will. It also gave a chnge people's heats all over Japan.
(Rest omitted)
　
70　明治維新
　
　明治天皇の御降誕は、嘉永五年の九月二十二日（後に太陽暦に換算して十一月三日） でありました。かねてより御平産を祈り奉っていました佐久良東雄は、御機嫌よく御生 誕遊ばされたと承って、
　天照らす　日嗣の皇子（みこ）の　命ぞと
　　深く思へば　涙し流る
と、泣いて御悦び申し上げたのでした。その日嗣の皇子は、今慶応二年十二月二十五日 、御父帝孝明天皇おかくれの後を承けて、翌三年正月九日御践祚、第百二十二代の天皇 とならせ給うたのであります。御年は十六歳であらせられました。
（中略）
　
　やがて四月十一日、この明治元年（慶応四年）四月十一日と云う日は記念せらるべき 日であります。その日、まだ夜の明けぬうちに前将軍慶喜は、東叡山を出て水戸に退隠 し、そして夜が明けると江戸城は官軍に明け渡されたのでした。天正十八年八月朔日、 家康の入城以来、ここに至って二百七十八年、徳川家の本拠として、天下を睥睨（へい げい）した江戸城は、この日を以て完全に徳川の手を離れたのでした。
（中略）
　
　明治天皇は、明治元年正月十五日十七歳にて御元服遊ばされ、やがて三月十四日、百 官をひきいて紫宸殿に御出ましになり、国是五箇条を立てて、天神地祇に御誓いになり ました。五箇条の御誓文と呼ばれるのは、これであります。
　一、広ク会議ヲ興シ万機公論ニ決スベシ
　一、上下（ショウカ）心ヲ一ニシテ盛ニ経綸ヲ行フベシ
　一、官武一途庶民ニ至ル迄各其志ヲ遂ゲ人心ヲシテ倦ザラシメン事ヲ要ス
　一、旧来ノ陋習ヲ破リ天地ノ公道ニ基クベシ
　一、智識ヲ世界ニ求メ大ニ皇基ヲ振起スベシ
（中略）
　
　四月の二十一日には、勅命を以て湊川神社を建て、楠木正成を祭られました。これは 先に、孝明天皇が和気清麻呂をお祭りになった後を受け、この後新田義貞、菊池武時、 名和長年、北畠親房、同顕家等を次々とお祭りになる先例となりましたもので、かよう に昔の忠臣を神として祭り、或いは官位をお贈りになる事は、やがて来朝したラフカジ オ･ハーン（Lafcadio Hearn 後に帰化して小泉八雲）の感歎したところでありました。
（中略）
　
　八月二十七日には、紫宸殿において古式に則り、御即位の式を挙げられました。そし て九月八日、年号を明治と改められました。これまでは前のままに慶応四年と称してい ましたが、今後は前に遡って、この年を明治元年と唱える事になったのです。また今ま では、天皇御一代の間にいくつもの年号がありましたが、この日の御決定により、これ からは御一代の年号は一つと云う事になりました。
　
　やがて九月二十日京都御出発、十月十三日東京へ御着きになり、江戸城を皇居とし、 名を改めて東京城と定められました。この江戸を改めて東京とし、之を帝都と定められ ます事は、七月十七日の詔ですでにきまっていたところですが、関東は鎌倉と云い、江 戸と云い、長い間にわたって武家の本拠とした所で、以て京都に対抗したきましたのが 、今や幕府をくつがえすと同時に、ここを帝都として天下に号令し給うようになりまし た事は、朝廷の断然たる御意志の表明でもあり、また全国にわたって人心を新たにする 機会を与えられたものでもあって、非常に重大な事でありました。
（以下略）
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