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Emperor Meiji

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Monarch

The Resume

    (November 3, 1852-July 30, 1912)
    Born in Kyoto, Japan
    Birth name was Sachinomiya
    Upon being named Crown Prince, took the adult name Mutsuhito (1860)
    122nd Emperor of Japan (1867-1912)
    Replaced the shogun as the supreme authority in Japan during the Meiji Restoration (1868)

Why he might be annoying:

    Accounts of his childhood are contradictory, with some saying he was delicate and in poor health and other portraying him as somewhat of a bully and an expert at sumo.
    Although nominally in charge, he was basically a figurehead for an oligarchy of military, political and economic leaders.
    He regularly attended cabinet meetings and government functions, but rarely spoke during them.
    He did not begin studying contemporary affairs until he had already been on the throne for a couple of years.
    All fifteen of his children were fathered with his ladies in waiting, and none with the Empress.

Why he might not be annoying:

    Only five of his fifteen children lived to adulthood.
    When he first visited Tokyo, he had sake distributed to the crowds (1869).
    He was the first Emperor to remain on the throne past age 50 since the 17th century.
    He presided over Japan's transformation from a feudal nation to one of the great powers on the world stage.
    Meiji, the name he chose for his era, translates as 'enlightened rule.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 32 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 13 Votes: 76.92% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 18 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 42 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 23 Votes: 52.17% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 71 Votes: 59.15% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 15 Votes: 73.33% Annoying