In 1868, the Tokugawa Shogunate, which had ruled Japan for over two and a half centuries, was formally abolished as part of the Meiji Restoration.
Power was returned to Emperor Meiji, marking the end of feudal military governance and the beginning of Japan’s rapid modernisation and centralisation.
The move paved the way for sweeping political, economic and social reforms, transforming Japan into a modern nation-state.
