Civilization Wiki
Advertisement

BackArrowGreen Back to Civilizations (Civ7)

Wikipedia
Wikipedia has a page called:
Wikipedia
Wikipedia has a page called:

The Meiji Japanese people represent the Empire of Japan during the Meiji era, a Modern Age civilization in Civilization VII.

The Meiji Japanese's civilization ability is Goisshin, which grants Science Science, every time a building is overbuit, equal to a percentage of the new building's cost. Their associated wonder is the Dogo Onsen, and their unique components are as follows:

Intro[]

The sun rises. The Meiji ascend.

The chaos that followed the forced opening of Edo Japan led to a new synthesis: the Meiji. This was an era of profound change and contradiction. Meiji Japan fused Western government and technology onto the bones of Edo, expanding furiously and challenging Europe for dominance. A new dawn had broken upon the Pacific, dramatic and glorious, fiery and terrible.

Strategy[]

Pericles head (Civ6) Share your wisdom!

How do you use Meiji Japan?
Let the world know by editing this section. Sprite edit-pencil

Civilopedia entry[]

Japan in 1800 was a tightly controlled place. While the emperor in Kyoto was technically the country's leader, the real power rested with the shogun in Tokyo (called Edo at the time). Japan was largely closed to outsiders, except for a few ports for specialized trade. Noble families were pushed to reside in Tokyo, under the watchful eye of the shogun; due to this proximity, any rebellious daimyo (provincial lord) would suddenly find that his family was being held hostage. Yet the country prospered. The merchant class steadily acquired political influence. Foreign powers, especially the United States, grew increasingly desperate to gain inroads into Japan to capitalize upon its silver and rich manufactured goods. All the while, tectonic plates were shifting deep beneath the earth. All these factors ushered in a new age, when Japan became an international force to rival the great colonial powers of the time.

Commodore Perry arrived in 1853, sailing four ships into Edo harbor straight past the Japanese lines. When the Japanese sent a delegation, he refused to meet and demanded to see a high-ranking leader, threatening to march his troops to the shogun by force. The threat shocked the Japanese political system. Upon Perry’s return the following year, the Americans forced concessions and trading rights on the formerly isolated kingdom.

That was only the beginning. In 1855, a massive earthquake struck Edo, provoking widespread fires and devastation. This catastrophe occurred in the wake of several other quakes, and the confluence of the disasters dealt a significant blow to the shogun's authority. The earthquake created ripples in Japan's social structure – the merchant class began to demand a new and increased role in political society. A new day was dawning.

Japanese rulers struggled with these changes. In 1868, the emperor declared he would resume his position as the supreme power, ending the shogunate and embracing foreign technology and global trade. Naturally, old nobles rebelled, and the Boshin War ended with the shogunate dismantled as the emperor took direct control of its lands. Change came rapidly. Over the next four decades, Japan's silk exports exploded to nearly 300 times their initial output. This boom was coupled with a massive investment in steam power and railroads. The middle classes were freed of their feudal shackles, and the forces of industrialism spread across Japan. The Meiji (“enlightened”) era had begun.

Politically, Japan weighed its options. Many argued for democratic rule, but nobles worried about the risks and instability involved in such a venture. The Meiji system had political parties, but real power was centralized – a model based on Western imports. Many see the West of the late 1800s as a democratic place, but this was not the case. Nations like the German Empire still maintained a strong authoritarian streak, a model of a modern, bureaucratic, absolute monarchy that favored industry and stability over participation. Meiji Japan took this path. Furthermore, Japan adopted a rhetoric of colonial supremacy mirroring European norms of the time, viewing itself as the vanguard of civilization in Asia, which led to its colonial-inspired seizure of Korea in 1910. Domestically, those newly empowered middle classes formed large corporate conglomerates (zaibatsu) such as Mitsui and Mitsubishi.

During this era, new ideas – nationalism, industrialization, and colonialism – gained root in Japanese politics. They laid the groundwork for later fascist movements. The militarization of Japanese society led to great success, including the Japanese victory over Russian forces in 1905, but it also unleashed a new era of expansionism across Asia.

Cities[]

Trivia[]

Soundtrack[]

Original track Based on Composed by Performed by Length
"Meiji Japan (Modern Age)" Sakura Sakura
Rokudan no Shirabe
Kagome Kagome
Roland Rizzo FILMharmonic Orchestra, Prague; with Masayo Ishigure and James Nyoraku Schlefer 4:44

Gallery[]

Videos[]

See also[]

External links[]

Civilization VII Civilizations [edit]
Antiquity
Exploration
Modern
1 Requires DLC
Advertisement