Recommended readings for Meiji era social reforms?

by ManintheArena8990

I’m studying japan as a 4th year student and I’ve to come up with my own essay question.

I’ve chosen this era and subject but I’m struggling to find good reading material?

Starwarsnerd222

Greetings! Whilst there are plenty of other reading recommendations which hopefully other contributors will mention in their own comments, I highly recommend checking out the following articles and books for Meiji era Japan. Note that the books do not exclusively deal with Meiji era reforms, but they do form a considerable part of the focus during that time period in each work:

Note: the articles are located on JSTOR, so I am assuming that your institution will have the means to help you access them, though a personal account should suffice as well (all of them fit within the "100 free articles a month" option).

Articles:

  • Honjo, Eijiro. "FROM THE TOKUGAWA PERIOD TO THE MEIJI RESTORATION." Kyoto University Economic Review 7, no. 1 (13) (1932): 32-51. Accessed February 28, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43217270. (bit of an older one, but it perfectly compares the social and economic changes experienced by the Japanese populace from the era of the last shogunate to the Meiji Restoration).
  • IKEGAMI, EIKO. "Citizenship and National Identity in Early Meiji Japan, 1868–1889: A Comparative Assessment." International Review of Social History 40 (1995): 185-221. Accessed February 28, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26405180. (this one is more focussed on the idea of a national identity, but does touch nicely on the evolution [or de-evolution] of the feudal system which broke down during the Meiji era).
  • Horie, Hideichi. "REVOLUTION AND REFORM IN MEIJI RESTORATION." Kyoto University Economic Review 22, no. 1 (52) (1952): 23-34. Accessed February 28, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43216962. (This one also touches on the social reforms in more-depth, and explicitly mentions that it pretty much skims over the economic and political changes, so for a social-heavy focus, take this article I imagine).

Books:

  • Modern Japan: A Very Short Introduction by Christopher Goto-Jones (2009, ISBN 9780199235698): This entry in the incredibly Very Short Introduction series by Oxford University Press covers in-depth the effects of the Meiji Restoration on the Japanese economy, society, politics and even military. It also traces Japan's eager and rapid rise as a world power in the early 1900s to the 1920s, as well as it' descent into the "dark valley" of ultranationalism and expansionism in the 1930s. Not specific to the Meiji restoration per se, but a good starting points regardless. It especially helps when it comes to "context-setting", that is, seeing where the social reforms fit into the whole wave of change which came during the Meiji period.
  • A History of Japan: From Stone Age to Superpower by Kenneth Henshall (2012, ISBN 9780230346628): Think of this second book as Goto-Jones' publication but expanded in scope and (at times) depth. Henshall traces the origins of Japan from the earliest settlers of the island back in the stone age, all the way to the modern era (ending in 2005 if memory serves) with the creation of an Asian superpower. Along the way, Henshall does bring up some primary sources to support his arguments, but don't go in expecting a fleshed out historiographical treatise on the development of Japan. His arguments are more on the "causes, course, consequences" side rather than deeper historiographical topics, but nonetheless serve as a further jumping-off point into the "deep end" of this cesspool (or should I say, onsen? excuse the context-appropriate joke). Again, he does pay particular attention to the Meiji restoration and an entire sub-chapter is dedicated to the social reforms, with primary quotes and figures to back up the writing. Helpful for more in-depth reading.
  • A Modern History of Japan: From Tokugawa Times to the Present by Andrew Gordon (2003, ISBN 9780190920555): Consider this the deep end of the onsen I mentioned earlier. Gordon does limit his scope to something similar to Goto-Jones' publication, but treats each topic in far more historiographical detail. The book generally follows a chronological timeframe from the Tokugawa Shogunate up until the 1990s, but be prepared to read a lot more argumentative writing. The main strength of this book is that it is structured rather well, and strikes the perfect balance of context-historiography so you aren't overwhelmed by in-depth discussions which assume you already know the basic facts. As a side bonus, there are even some illustrations and primary source quotations dotted all over the place, so if I had to recommend only one of these books for you to buy, it would definitely be this one. His treatment of the Meiji era social reforms is particularly fleshed-out, and contains an extensive overview of most (if not all) of the causes and consequences of the reforms (pictures, quotes, and facts included!).

Feel free to ask any questions regarding any of the recommended works thus far, and happy history reading!