An Ancient Monarch for the Modern State. A comparative approach to the modernisation of monarchy and state formation in Meiji Japan

Abstract

The Meiji period (1867-1912) saw the opening of Japan with a wave of dynamic modernisation and a restoration of the ancient position of the Japanese emperor as well. In this thesis, a multiperspectivity and comparative approach has been chosen to analyse the Meiji monarchy’s conceptualisation of modernity during the process of nation state formation. By comparing the case of Meiji Japan to that of similar processes in Italy and Germany, this thesis aims to highlight points of difference and similarities between the chosen cases in order to understand how the Meiji monarchy conceptualised modernity and applied this concept to the process of state formation. As part of the multiperspectivity approach, this thesis has been divided into two distinct sections, with part one taking a more state level and institutional approach to topics such as nationalism, constitutionalism and religion in connection with emperorship and empire, whilst part 2 shifts the perspective more onto the monarchs themselves as independent actors during the process of modernisation, with the focus being not so much on the personality but on the person itself of the emperor as an extension and embodiment of the monarchical institution. In this part, topics like the succession ceremony, royal tours, royal weddings, state portraits and royal funeral aim to expand our understanding of how these monarchs acted as transformative actors bringing about a concept of modernity and how they adapted themselves to better suit the needs of their respective nation states.