Era of Meiji
On December 31st, 1868, the new "Era of Meiji" was officially begun in Japan. The Tokugawa shogunate had ended (after 263 years) due to the westernization of Japan which facilitated the overthrow of the shoguns and the restoration of the emperor. Japan resolved to build an armed force that would make her master of her own destiny, and ultimately lord of the East.
Source: Durant, Will, 1885-1981, Our Oriental Heritage. Volume I: Our Oriental Heritage Simon and Schuster, 1935.
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Full disclosure, I may occasionally borrow a sentence from Will Durant's Story of Civilization. I absolutely love that collection!