Mutsuhito

Mutsuhito (1852–1912), emperor of Japan (1867–1912); his regal title was Meiji (“enlightened rule”). The long isolation of Japan under the shoguns ended in 1867 with the restoration of imperial power. Mutsuhito guided the transformation of Japan from a feudal empire into a modern nation. He established industries, promoted education, gave farmers titles to their land, and modernized the armed forces. Japan's defeat of China (1895) and Russia (1905) and its alliance with England (1902) helped to establish the nation as a great power.