Meiji+PSD

Document Excerpts with Questions From Sources of Japanese Tradition, edited by Wm. Theodore de Bary, Ryusaku Tsunoda, and Donald Keene, 1st ed., vol. 2 (New York: Columbia University Press, 1964), 137. © 1964 Columbia University Press. Reproduced with the permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

The Charter Oath (of the Meiji Restoration), 1868

By  this  oath  we  set  up  as  our  aim  the  establishment  of  the  national  weal  on  a  broad  basis  and  the  framing  of  a  constitution  and laws.

1.  Deliberative  assemblies  shall  be  widely  established  and  all matters  decided  by  public discussion.

2.  All  classes,  high  and  low,  shall  unite  in  vigorously  carrying  out  the  administration  of  affairs  of state.

3.  The  common  people,  no less  than  the  civil  and  military  officials,  shall  each  be  allowed  to  pursue  his  own  calling  so  that  there  may  be  no discontent.

4.  Evil  customs  of  the  past  shall  be  broken  off  and  every thing  based  upon  the  just  laws  of Nature.

5.  Knowledge  shall  be  sought  throughout  the  world  so  as  to  strengthen  the  foundations  of  imperial rule.

Questions: 1. Why did the leaders of the Meiji Restoration feel it necessary to issue the Charter Oath?

2. How would you have reacted to this document as a Japanese samurai at the time? What if you were a warrior from the Tokugawa clan? What if you had been a peasant or urban merchant?

3. What do you think the authors of this document meant by “deliberative assemblies” and “public discussion”? Does this suggest a commitment to democratic rule, why or why not?

4. What did the authors of the Charter Oath believe to be the “evil customs of the past”?

5. Make a prediction about Japan, will the new government live up to the goals established in the Charter Oath?