Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World, 1852’1912 by Donald Keene Read Free Book Online

Saig ō ’s private schools, Iwakura proposed himself as the envoy and offered to leave at once for Kagoshima. Ō kubo did not agree, contending that at a time when the emperor was in the western part of the country, Iwakura’s responsibilities were too heavy to permit him to leave the capital. But as more and more reports on the situation in Kagoshima reached T ō ky ō , it became clear that something had to be done to end the “students’ violence.” Ō kubo decided to leave for Ky ō to to be with the emperor. It was as yet unclear what course of action Saig ō and Shimazu would take, and Iwakura decided not to reveal publicly that a punitive force would be sent to Ky ū sh ū .
    In the meanwhile the emperor continued his visits to places of interest in the Kansai region. On February 14, attired in court robes, he worshiped at the Sumiyoshi Shrine. Later in the morning he changed to informal clothes and visited the tea house where Toyotomi Hideyoshi had once amused himself. The emperor and his party went next to Ō saka, where soldiers of the garrison, lined up along the way, presented arms. The houses were decorated with flags, lanterns, and brightly colored pennants in honor of the visit. At the garrison he was greeted with an artillery salute and gave an audience to Yamagata Aritomo and Kido Takayoshi. After lunch he went to the Ō saka English Language School, where he heard the pupils recite in English and observed a science experiment. From the English school Meiji went to the Ō saka Teachers Training School where there was a repetition of classroom visits, and he gave prizes to the outstanding students. Finally the emperor proceeded to the Ō saka Mint where he received various dignitaries and ate a Western meal.
    Granted that Meiji was still a young man, the day must nevertheless have been exhausting, and the remainder of the journey was equally taxing. On the fifteenth, among other activities, he quizzed gifted children from city elementary schools about Japanese history, asking about the achievements of six emperors—Keik ō , Nintoku, Goshirakawa, Gouda, Ō gimachi, and Goy ō zei. After resting briefly he asked a similar group of schoolchildren from the countryside about Japanese geography. On the sixteenth, before leaving Ō saka, the emperor visited an indigo-dyeing factory and watched stages of the process. He returned to Ky ō to that day.
    This is one of the moments in the life of Meiji when the biographer would give anything for a glimpse into his reactions. How did he feel when he learned that Kagoshima, a highly important province, was on the brink of secession and likely to be joined in rebellion by other provinces? And how did he react to the possibility that his government’s troops might soon be fighting against those commanded by Saig ō Takamori, who was not only the hero of the Restoration but a man for whom he had special affection? Perhaps the energy with which Meiji threw himself into routine visits may have been his way of putting such thoughts from his mind. The apathy he displayed during the rest of his stay in Ky ō to may have stemmed from the same cause.
    On February 16 Ō kubo arrived in K ō be from T ō ky ō and met with It ō Hirobumi and Kawamura Sumiyoshi. The three men had a prolonged discussion, after which Ō kubo and It ō left for Ky ō to to meet with Sanj ō Sanetomi. On the following day they (and Kido) went to the Gosho where they conferred for several hours in the presence of the emperor. Yamagata, who arrived late, also joined the discussion, and they agreed to send an imperial envoy to Kagoshima. The emperor summoned Prince Taruhito and commanded him to serve as his envoy. Taruhito planned to leave on February 18 aboard the steamship Meiji maru . The ship was about to sail when a message arrived from the Kumamoto garrison reporting that a spearhead of Kagoshima rebels had entered Kumamoto Prefecture, and it seemed likely fighting would break out at any moment.