Iwakura Tomomi — The Court Noble Who Steered the New State
It was not only samurai who moved Bakumatsu politics. Among the court nobles who served the imperial house was a man who shaped the age — Iwakura Tomomi. From the stage of the court, he skillfully steered the overthrow of the shogunate and the founding of a new state.
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A start at court
Iwakura Tomomi was born in 1825 into a court noble family in Kyoto. Versed in the practical affairs of the court, he displayed real political talent.
After the arrival of the Black Ships, as the court's wishes came to sway national politics, Iwakura began to act at key moments. At first he favored reconciliation between court and shogunate, but he gradually turned toward overthrow.
The restoration of imperial rule
Iwakura's greatest achievement was his deep involvement in realizing the restoration of imperial rule (ōsei fukko). In 1867, following the return of power, the establishment of a new government centered on the emperor was proclaimed.
Joining with overthrow-faction figures such as Ōkubo Toshimichi, Iwakura led the maneuvering within the court. Using his standing as a noble to move the court, his work was indispensable to the new government's birth.
The Iwakura Mission
After the Restoration, Iwakura held central posts in the new government. Most famous is the great mission that toured Europe and the United States from 1871 — the Iwakura Mission.
Led by Iwakura and including government leaders such as Kido Takayoshi and Ōkubo, the party inspected institutions and industries firsthand. What they learned would greatly shape the country's later course.
A foundation of the new state
On his return, Iwakura devoted himself to building the institutions of a modern state. Handling the difficult adjustments between radical reform and reality, he helped solidify the foundations of the Meiji state.
A court noble who steered the great transformation of the age, Iwakura Tomomi supported the Restoration from a standpoint unlike that of the samurai.
The group portrait of those who carried the Restoration is gathered in Bakumatsu Figures.
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