Sonnō jōi

A late Edo-period slogan meaning “revere the emperor, expel the barbarians.” It rallied opposition to the Tokugawa shogunate and foreign influence, though its supporters differed over how to achieve those aims.

Commodore Perry's expedition to Japan: The 1853–1854 United States naval mission that compelled Japan to open ports to American ships. Perry’s arrival intensified calls to resist foreign intrusion and challenged the shogunate’s authority.
Yoshida Shōin: A Japanese intellectual and teacher whose writings and students shaped the anti-shogunate movement in the late Edo period. His advocacy of direct action and imperial loyalty influenced activists who embraced the slogan.
Imperial Court in Kyoto: The emperor’s court, based in Kyoto, which held symbolic authority while the Tokugawa shogunate governed Japan. Activists invoked the court’s authority to challenge the shogunate’s control of foreign policy.
Meiji Restoration: The political transformation beginning in 1868 that ended Tokugawa rule and established a government in the emperor’s name. It fulfilled the slogan’s demand for rule under the emperor while abandoning the campaign to expel foreigners.
Rangaku: The study of Western sciences and technologies in Japan through Dutch-language sources during the Edo period. Rangaku shows that engagement with foreign knowledge could coexist with political opposition to foreign control.
Treaty of Kanagawa: The 1854 agreement that opened two Japanese ports to American ships and established limited diplomatic relations. Its concessions gave opponents a concrete example of the foreign influence the slogan condemned.
Takasugi Shinsaku: A Chōshū samurai who helped build the domain’s modern military forces and supported the overthrow of the shogunate. He turned anti-shogunate resistance in Chōshū toward military organization rather than simple expulsion of foreigners.
Ansei Purge: The 1858–1859 crackdown in which the shogunate arrested, executed, or exiled political opponents. Repression of imperialist activists deepened opposition to shogunal rule and encouraged violent resistance.
Meiji Constitution: Japan’s 1889 constitution, which established a constitutional monarchy and defined the emperor’s sovereign status. Its imperial sovereignty gave a new institutional form to political ideas once voiced against the shogunate.
Kaikoku: The policy of opening Japan to foreign trade and relations, advocated by some late Edo leaders as a route to national strength. Its advocates rejected expulsion and argued that selective engagement could protect Japan’s sovereignty.

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