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For scholars, Japan's modern period is usually dated from 1868, the year the Meiji Restoration signaled the start of the nation's rapid development into a modern state, and ending in 1945, with the nation's surrender to the Allies in World War II. This phase of history is characterized by the "modern emperor system." As stated in Article 1 of the Constitution of the Empire of Japan promulgated in 1889-"The Empire of Japan shall be reigned over and governed by a line of Emperors unbroken for ages eternal"-ultimate sovereign power under the modern political system of this period lay in the emperor. This article specified an unbroken imperial reign that necessarily sought to present the emperor as a sovereign and strong ruler in whose name the nation could be governed.
The period had three emperors, Meiji, Taisho and Showa (so named posthumously from the names of the eras in which they reigned). Emperor Meiji (Mutsuhito) reigned from 1868 to 1912, Emperor Taisho (Yoshihito) from 1912 to 1926 and Emperor Showa (Hirohito) from 1926 to 1989. Partly because of their long reigns, the Meiji and Showa emperors are relatively well known. The portraits of Emperor Meiji and Emperor Showa-known by the term of special respect goshinei-appear in history textbooks for elementary, and junior high and senior high school students, and are thus widely known. The two emperors' birthdays, November 3 for Emperor Meiji and April 29 for Emperor Showa, have been national holidays since 1927, although the holidays are now called Culture Day (November 3) and Greenery Day (April 29), respectively.
The Taisho era, sandwiched between Meiji and Showa, is rather obscure, partly because it was relatively short. Few Japanese have any clear idea what the Taisho emperor looked like, and his August 31 birthday has long been forgotten. Curious vignettes of the behavior of Emperor Taisho, although regarded as taboo, have been passed down since the time of his reign as if they were true. One of the most widely familiar accounts is of an opening ceremony of the Imperial Diet, when after reading out a rescript, he rolled up the document he had just read and peered through it like a telescope at the seated members of the Diet. I remember having heard this tale...