La Restauración Meiji

by William Gerald Beasley

En 1853 el Comodoro Matthew Perry, al mando de una flota armada estadounidense, arribó al puerto de Uraga, cerca de Tokyo, demandando un tratado de apertura del país al comercio. Este hecho fue el detonante de una grave crisis política y social que se prolongó durante 15 años, y que tuvo como consecuencia el fin del feudalismo y el comienzo de una nueva era para Japón, inspirada por el gobierno del Emperador Meiji. En un breve periodo de tiempo la sociedad japonesa, sus instituciones y su economía se transformaron por completo, situando al país del sol naciente al nivel de las naciones más industrializadas y avanzadas de Occidente. La Restauración Meiji constituye una obra fundamental para comprender el Japón de la primera mitad del siglo XX, pues la política imperialista que acabaría conduciendo a la nación a la Segunda Guerra Mundial hunde sus raíces en la época histórica que el presente libro analiza.

Genres: History, Japan, Nonfiction, Japanese History, Japanese Literature, Research, Asia

430 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1972

About the author

William Gerald Beasley was Emeritus Professor of the History of the Far East at the School of Oriental and African Studies of London University.

Reviews

[Gerald Kinro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This scholarly work explores the influences, foreign and domestic, that shook Japan out of its feudal government in the mid-19th century and thrust it into the modern world. This one required careful reading as the force lines Beasley describes are many and complex. So many characters were involved in the movement. In simple words things were a mess with lords of different provinces having different motivations all wanting a piece of the sun. Is Afghanistan like that? Beasley, to his credit, tries to simplify it through his writing. Of great assistance to the reader are the two appendices. The first is a glossary of Japanese words. The second is a list of the important players and a brief description of their involvement. I found myself referring to these, especially the second, continuously. I found myself rewarded for reading it and sticking it out.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thourogh and detailed discussion of the restoration. I've read a lot of history. This one is on the dry side.

[Ricardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for those who are passionate about Japan. The Meiji Restoration is the beginning of modern Japan. The author describes and analyzes every stage of this period.

[Adam C Lutge · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly didn't think I would get through this one. I started it almost a year ago and was so incredibly bored that I put it down and started something else. But I came back to it to give it another chance and made it to the end after being enticed by more exciting geopolitical chapters, rather than the earlier chapters that are heavily focused on economics, a subject that does not interest me. Overall the book was not what I expected, and I think that's partially my own fault. I am no expert on Japanese history by any stretch of the imagination. Still, when I see the phrase "Meiji Restoration" my mind usually goes from the ascension of Emperor Meiji, through the Satsuma Rebellion, and into the 20th century with all of the modernization and geopolitics that go with it, culminating in the beginnings of the Japanese Empire. This book very much only deals with the removal of the Japanese Shogunate and the return of imperial rule in Japan - a story that ends in approximately 1873, making it far, far more narrow in scope than I had expected. The "Restoration" itself is, as this book illustrates, the mere act of reforming Japanese society away from the Shogun and towards renewed Imperial rule. Though, that leaves me wondering what the rest of those events I described are referred to as.

The book itself is also just boring most of the time, partially due to a heavy focus on economics that I don't personally enjoy reading about, but also because the whole thing reads like a long-form research paper, that generally sticks to a timeline of events but has a tendency to jump all over the place, leaving me confused. There are also SO MANY NAMES of people and places and I have retained almost none of them, leaving me even further confused. This is also my fault, but still, it detracted from my enjoyment of the book.

[Mariam Rawwas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A meticulous, comprehensive study of the contexts and motivations behind the main actors that led to the overthrow of the Tokugawa shōgunate and the commencing of the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Beasley wants to read the event as more than simply the re-establishment of the Emperor, or of a return to feudalism, but as a response to the increased threat of Western imperialism, via a determinate "turn to the West." This is the standard reading today, though I wonder if it was novel at the time of writing (this was first published in 1972, after all). I do think this has interesting implications for a "materialist" reading of history, for lack of a better term, as well as revising the thesis that only after WWII, with the US' occupation of Japan until General MacArthur, did Japan truly "Westernize" or be brought into the Western fold—as the Meiji Restoration demonstrates, this "Westernization" process goes back much further. However, I fear that Beasley remains Orientalist in his account of Japan seeking to "catch up" to the West by attempting to imitate it, and for his counterposing of China's response to the same threat with Japan's, positing both as inferior to the West, but the latter as less so due to its imitation attempt. The historical facts remain useful here, even if some of the analysis is iffy.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful indexes, glossaries, and annotations make this one a keeper. Beasley’s writing here is meant more for the studious reader but he weaves a thread which can be followed thanks to the supplemental materials.

[Stanley Xue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a thorough detailed telling. Had heard but didnt know much about this topic so learnt a lot.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beasley provides a detailed and nuanced account of political, economic, and social conditions leading to the start of the Meiji era. The scrutiny afforded to the varied political actors' motives and relations and their guiding ideologies proved captivating. The last quarter of the book, which detailed implementation of various institutions, such as land reform, seemed less engaging than the earlier political intrigue, however.

[Mary]

Good coverage of a crucial time in Japanese history.

[Sofie Tyger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great attention to detail and political nuances.