Paradox of Meiji Restoration and Modernization
Paradox of the Meiji Restoration and Modernization Japan is a society whose culture is steeped in the traditions and symbols of the past: Mount Fuji, the tea ceremony, and the sacred objects of nature revered in Shintoism. Two of the most important traditions and symbols in Japan- the Emperor and Confucianism have endured through Shogunates, restorations of imperial rule, and up to present day. It can be argued that the leaders of the Meiji Restoration used these traditions to gain control over Japan and further their goals of modernization. The Meiji leaders used the symbolism of the Emperor to add legitimacy to their government, claiming that they were ruling under "Imperial Will". They also used Confucianism to maintain order and force the Japanese people to passively accept their rule. As a result, the use of Confucianism and the Emperor to bolster the Imperial restoration laid the foundation for a paradox of state affairs. The system that sought to strengthen Japan through the use of modern technology and modern organization methods was using traditional values to further its goals. The Meiji leaders realized that they needed to harness the concept of the Imperial Will in order to govern effectively. The imperialist opp
The education system the Meiji Oligarchy founded transformed itself into a system that indoctrinated students in the ideas of Confucianism and reverence for the Emperor . However, it must be emphasized that the Meiji Emperor, even after the Constitution of 1889, enjoyed little real power. The people began to demand more political rights. Most importantly, the symbolism of the Emperor indirectly fueled the engines of modernization of Japan by the Meiji rulers, thus setting the stage for the paradoxical state of affairs in Japan. The Emperor could give orders outside the scope of the Constitution, and the Emperor was "sacred and inviolable" and above the Constitution. As a result, the great military regime of Edo, which until recently had been all powerful was floundering not because of military weakness, or because the machinery of government had broken, but because the Japanese public and the Shoguns supporters felt they had lost the Imperial Will The end of the Tokugawa regime demonstrated the power of symbolism and myths surrounding the imperial institution. Secondly, with greater circulation of goods, capital and even labor, localism of village society broke down, and the village people felt that they belonged not only to the village but to the nation as a whole. Thus, with the example of the Meiji Constitution, we can see that the Meiji leaders emulated Western political structure to strengthen their own traditional view of the symbolic power of the Emperor. There were more techinicians and skilled workers to carry out industrialization. The Rescript was intended to counter the growing influence of Western thought. Thirdly, industry replace agriculture as the nation's more important economic activity, thus transforming Japan into a modern state. The symbols and traditions of Japan's past are an enduring legacy that have manifested themselves in the Meiji Restoration and today in Japan's continued reverence for the Emperor. On the other hand, greater social mobility was achieved. Effects of national projects and industrialization laid the foundation of Japan as a modern state.
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