Iwakura Tomomi

Iwakura Tomomi (1825–1883) was a Japanese court noble who helped overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate, shape the Meiji Restoration, and lead the new imperial government.

Emperor Meiji: The Japanese emperor whose reign began in 1867 and became the symbolic center of the Meiji state. Iwakura helped restore imperial rule in Meiji's name and served as a senior court adviser.
Meiji Restoration: The political transformation beginning in 1868 that ended Tokugawa rule and established imperial government in Japan. Iwakura helped organize the court's seizure of power and the new regime's early direction.
Iwakura Mission: A Japanese diplomatic and educational mission that traveled through the United States and Europe from 1871 to 1873. Iwakura led this mission to study foreign institutions and seek revision of unequal treaties.
Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors: A 1882 imperial statement prescribing loyalty and conduct for members of Japan's armed forces. Iwakura helped prepare this text, which tied military duty directly to the emperor.
Ōkubo Toshimichi: A Satsuma statesman who helped overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate and build the Meiji government. A close political ally, Ōkubo joined Iwakura in directing the new state.
Sonnō jōi: A late Edo political slogan meaning “revere the emperor, expel the barbarians.” Iwakura used imperial authority amid a political movement initially mobilized by this slogan.
Unequal treaties: Treaties that imposed foreign privileges and restrictions on Japan and other Asian states in the nineteenth century. Treaty revision was a central diplomatic aim of Iwakura's overseas mission.
Meiji oligarchy: The small group of leaders, largely from former domains, who dominated Japan's early Meiji government. Iwakura's career helped consolidate this elite's power over policy and imperial institutions.
Kido Takayoshi: A Chōshū leader who helped bring down the Tokugawa shogunate and establish the Meiji government. Kido was a fellow Restoration leader and member of the mission Iwakura led abroad.
Boshin War: The 1868–1869 civil war between forces supporting the new imperial government and the Tokugawa shogunate. The conflict secured the regime Iwakura helped establish after the 1868 coup.

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