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Abolition of the han system

 
Abolition of the Han System

 
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Abolition of the han system
 
 
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The was an act, in 1871, of the new Meiji government of the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan

The Empire of Japan was a Japanese political entity that existed during the period from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until its defeat in World War II in 1945....
 to replace the traditional feudal domain (han) system and to introduce centralized government authority (Prefectures of Japan
Prefectures of Japan

The prefectures of Japan are the country's 47 sub-national jurisdictions: one "metropolis" , Tokyo; one "Circuit #Japan" , Hokkaido; two urban prefectures , Osaka Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture; and 43 other prefectures ....
). This process marked the culmination of the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration

The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, or Renewal, was a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japan's political and social structure....
 in that all daimyo
Daimyo

The were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. The term derives from a shortening of the title , which literally means "great named land" and originally simply referred to the owner of a large estate....
 (feudal lords) were required to return their authority to the Emperor.






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Japan1855
The was an act, in 1871, of the new Meiji government of the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan

The Empire of Japan was a Japanese political entity that existed during the period from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until its defeat in World War II in 1945....
 to replace the traditional feudal domain (han) system and to introduce centralized government authority (Prefectures of Japan
Prefectures of Japan

The prefectures of Japan are the country's 47 sub-national jurisdictions: one "metropolis" , Tokyo; one "Circuit #Japan" , Hokkaido; two urban prefectures , Osaka Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture; and 43 other prefectures ....
). This process marked the culmination of the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration

The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, or Renewal, was a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japan's political and social structure....
 in that all daimyo
Daimyo

The were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. The term derives from a shortening of the title , which literally means "great named land" and originally simply referred to the owner of a large estate....
 (feudal lords) were required to return their authority to the Emperor. The process was accomplished in several stages.

Boshin War

After the defeat of forces loyal to the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate

The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the , and the , was a feudalism regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family....
 during the Boshin War
Boshin War

The was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the Emperor of Japan....
 in 1868, the new Meiji government confiscated all lands formerly under direct control of the Shogunate (tenryo) and lands controlled by daimyo who remained loyal to the Tokugawa
Tokugawa shogunate

The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the , and the , was a feudalism regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family....
 cause. These lands accounted for approximately a quarter of the land area of Japan and were reorganized into prefectures with governors appointed directly by the central government.

Hanseki Hokan

The second phase in the abolition of the han came in 1869. The movement was spearheaded by Kido Takayoshi
Kido Takayoshi

, also referred as Kido Koin was a Japanese statesman during the Late Tokugawa shogunate and the Meiji Restoration. He used the alias Niibori Matsusuke when he worked against the shogun....
 of the Choshu Domain, with the backing of court nobles Iwakura Tomomi
Iwakura Tomomi

was a Japanese statesman who played an important role in the Meiji Restoration, influencing opinions of the Imperial Court . The former 500 Yen banknote issued by the Bank of Japan carried his portrait....
 and Sanjo Sanetomi
Sanjo Sanetomi

Prince was an kuge and statesman at the time of the Meiji Restoration. He held many high-ranking offices in the Meiji government....
. Kido persuaded the lords of Choshu and of Satsuma, the two leading domains in the overthrow of the Tokugawa, to voluntarily surrender their domains to the Emperor. Between July 25, 1869 and August 2, 1869, fearing that their loyalty would be questioned, the daimyo of 260 other domains followed suit. Only 14 domains failed to initially comply voluntarily with the , and were then ordered to do so by the Court, on threat of military action.

In return for surrendering their hereditary authority to the central government, the daimyo were re-appointed as non-hereditary governors of their former domains (which were renamed as prefectures), and were allowed to keep ten percent of the tax revenues, based on actual rice production (which was greater than the nominal rice production upon which their feudal obligations under the Shogunate were formerly based).

As governors, the former daimyo could name subordinates, but only if the subordinates met qualification levels established by the central government. Furthermore, hereditary stipends to their samurai retainers were paid out of the prefectural office by the central government, and not directly by the governor, a move calculated to further weaken the traditional feudal ties.

The term daimyo was abolished in July 1869 as well, with the formation of the kazoku
Kazoku

The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan that existed between 1869 and 1947....
 peerage
Peerage

The Peerage is a system of titles of nobility in the United Kingdom, part of the British honours system. The term is used both collectively to refer to the entire body of titles, and individually to refer to a specific title....
 system.

Consolidation

Although the former daimyo had become government employees, they still retained a measure of military and fiscal independence, and enjoyed the customary veneration of their former subjects. This was considered an increasing threat to central authority by Okubo Toshimichi
Okubo Toshimichi

, was a Japanese statesman, a samurai of Satsuma Province, and one of the three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. He is regarded as one of the main founders of modern Japan....
 and other members of the new Meiji oligarchy
Meiji oligarchy

The Meiji oligarchy, was the name used to describe the new ruling class of Meiji period Japan. The members of this class were adherents of kokugaku and believed they were the creators of a new order as grand as that established by Japan's original founders....
, especially with the large number of ex-samurai revolts occurring around the country. In August 1871, Okubo, assisted by Saigo Takamori
Saigo Takamori

=Early lifeBorn lunar calendar December 7, the 10th year of Bunsei era , in Kagoshima in Satsuma domain , Saigo served as a low-ranking samurai official in his early career....
, Kido Takayoshi, Iwakura Totomi and Yamagata Aritomo
Yamagata Aritomo

Marshal Prince was a Field Marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army and twice Prime Minister of Japan. He is considered one of the architects of the military and political foundations of early modern Japan....
 forced through an Imperial Edict which reorganized the 261 surviving ex-feudal domains into three urban prefectures (fu) and 302 prefectures (ken). The number was then reduced through consolidation the following year to three urban prefectures and 72 prefectures, and to the present three urban prefectures and 47 prefectures by 1888.

The central government accomplished this reorganization by promising the former daimyo a generous stipend, absorbing the domain's debts, and promising to convert the domain currency (hansatsu
Scrip of Edo period Japan

During the Edo period, Han of Japan issued scrip called for use within the domain. This paper currency supplemented the coinage of the Tokugawa shogunate....
) to the new national currency at face value. The central treasury proved unable to support such generosity, so in 1874, the ex-daimyo stipend was transformed into government bond
Government bond

A government bond is a Bond issued by a national government denominated in the country's own currency. Bonds issued by national governments in foreign currencies are normally referred to as sovereign bonds....
s with a face value equivalent to five year’s worth of stipends, and paying five percent interest per year.

Makino Nobuaki
Makino Nobuaki

Count was a Japanese statesman, active from the Meiji period through the Pacific War....
, a student member of the Iwakura mission
Iwakura mission

The Iwakura Mission or Iwakura Embassy was a Japanese diplomatic journey around the world, initiated in 1871 by the oligarchy of the Meiji era....
 was to remark in his memoirs: Together with the abolition of the han system, dispatching the Iwakura Mission to America and Europe must be cited as the most important events that built the foundation of our state after the Restoration
Meiji Restoration

The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, or Renewal, was a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japan's political and social structure....
.

See also

  • Meiji period
    Meiji period

    The , or Meiji era, denotes the 45-year reign of the Meiji Emperor, running, in the Gregorian calendar, from 23 October 1868 to 30 July 1912. During this time, Japan started its modernization and rose to world power status....