Articles
The Political Space of Meiji 22 (1889): The Promulgation of the Constitution and the Birth of the Nation
Abstract
The promulgation of the Meiji Constitution on 11 February 1889 was a realization of such Restoration ideals as "government by public discussion"; at the same time, it served to demonstrate to the Western powers that Japan was now a modern state. However, research into the Constitution has failed to take account of the fact that Japan's political space was completely reimagined by the act of promulgation. The present article focuses on the entire year 1889 to underscore the point that it was an epochal making year, for reasons above and beyond the Constitution. The awareness amongst the Japanese leadership that the Constitution must mean the launch of a new Japan led to the hosting of multiple ritual performances during the course of that year. These performances, from the 11 February promulgation through to the 3 November investiture of the crown prince, were staged with the utmost attention to dynamics and detail. The succession of rirual moments in 1889 finally put an historical end to the political and social conflicts that had scarred the previous years: the Boshin war, the samurai rebellions and the freedom and popular rights movement. Social and political conflict now dissolved, giving way to an epochal new stage in Japan's modern development. It was by means of this process that Japanese national awareness took root.