At the time of Emperor Meiji's birth in 1852, Japan was an isolated, pre-industrial, feudal country dominated by the Tokugawa shogunate and the daimyōs, who ruled over the country's more than 250 decentralized domains.
Cando naceu a finais de 1852, o Xapón era un país illado, preindustrial e feudal, dominado polo shogunato Tokugawa e os daimyō, que controlaban os máis de 250 dominios descentralizados do país.