Japan's history, social structure and socio-cultural background, compared to Europe, seen and experienced through the eyes of a Daimyo Lord family for more than 2,650+ years
How could this even lead to this revolution?
Both fiefdoms were "neglected" fiefdoms, as they were on the wrong losing side during the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, which brought about the Tokugawa shogunate (1601-1868).
So for a good 260 years they were very angry at the Tokugawa Shogunate and because they chose the wrong side.
The Tokugawa Shogunate didn't really care about this, as you can hardly get further away from the central government than these two Daimyo fiefdoms - it was the fringes of Japan.
It was a major misjudgment by the Tokugawa Shogunate.
So after 260 years of bitterness and independence, these came to power and revenge was sweet.
This meant above all "heaven and hell" over the Tokugawa clan and all its Daimyo lord vassals mainly in the first decades of the Meiji era, - including large parts of the Yamana-Itotani lord family.
The rules for appointment in the new "Meiji high nobility" were rather politically motivated.
The rules of the new 1884+ Meiji nobility were originally and fairly officially based on the combined Kuge and Daimyo nobility Kazoku from 1869. But that was not how it turned out in reality.
The "poor" Kuge court nobility - was sporadic, very political and according to what the Kuge sheriff's family had held the "highest office and rank ever since the dawn of time".
The Emperor had more to say here. A LOT of emphasis was placed on high nobility genealogy.
For the daimyo feudal lords, the rules were at first glance very simple with the size of the fief's koku; 10,000+; Viscount. 50,000+; Count. 100,000+; Awning and 150,000+; Duke.
With small fonts, "additions" could be given for particularly fine genealogy, as could also be done for kuge - the court nobility.
Thus, the combined 1869 Kazoku high nobility of 429 families should be equal. But that was not the case for the new Meiji nobility.
Tokugawa Yoshinobu resigned in 1868
This was to officially take into account the "semi-divine" Daimyo Prince families, which included approx. 5 % of the Daimyo Lords, and distinguish between the old noble families before the Onin War (1467-1477) and the new late Sengoku Murumachi Daimyo Lords - "The Warring states period" after 1550+.
But the facts were that there was huge discrimination between Kuge, Daimyo lords and Genro's new noble.
The Kuge nobles, who had been totally isolated and confined in beautiful palaces together with the emperor, were after 650 years let out into the public space, where 38 million the Japanese watched wide-eyed.
After all, before in 650 years they had never seen their emperor or his courtiers, who had often dyed their teeth black, as a sign of their fine supremacy. But the Japanese thought it was something strange.
The Kuge courtiers received the Shin Meiji patent of nobility based on their genealogy. That is who your ancestors came from and what positions they had held at the pinnacle of power and not by actual power, koku and position by which the Daimyo lords were judged.
The highest paid Kuge, Duke Konoe had 1,470 koku per year from the Emperor's household. Most had between 100-1,000 koku per year in income corresponding to approx. DKK 500-550/Koku.
Titles of duke, marquis and count were promptly handed out by the emperor, along with new House of Lords uniforms and a handsome state pension.
Genro did not protest as they needed more "rubber stamps" and something for something.
But the facts are also that some of the ancient "semi-divine" Daimyo lords had at least as fine genealogy, or even finer genealogy than many of the newly appointed Shin Meiji Dukes, here among e.g. The Yamana-Itotani daimyo sheriff lineage.
Genro and 38 million knew that. Japanese well in 1884+, and 128 million. Japanese today.
So what do you do when you are Genro? They are of course trying to rewrite the entire history of Japan!
The Emperor could not lose face and credibility with Kuge and at the same time he did everything Genro ordered him to do.
With the Shogun - the king gone, this meant that there was no one to speak for the Daimyo fiefs, which is not very good in a particularly politically inflamed environment.
So the real rulers of the Japanese since 1185 and before had lost their vanguard; The Shogun - the warrior king and Emperor Meiji were busy listening to the court gossip of Kuge, who had only historically contributed footnotes to Japan's history, and the dictates of Genro, whose existence no Japanese knew at all up to just 15 years earlier!
This meant that the most powerful Daimyo lords in Japan were divided and partially powerless, as they had no unified voice.
They really only had two options; Rebellion that required a unifying figure or to come to terms with the situation with crushing calm, waiting to see how this violent political social revolution would land.
This meant, for example, that the Tokugawa shogun family, its direct vassals and all the Daimyo lords who had not bitten immediately, - were harassed, appointments delayed or kicked to the corner or vertically archived and other political Genro games.
Since 80 % of all the Daimyo lords had less than 50,000 koku, this should mean the following; according to the regulation, they had the legal right to have the emperor place them in rank 3+/3, which according to the rules of the new Meiji nobility was Viscount or Count.
But whether or not you were with the Tokugawa shogunate mattered greatly as Genro also tried to rewrite Japanese history.
Tokugawa Shogunate
The Emperor had correctly dictated the Shin Meiji rank of Viscount or Count, and if the Emperor had power, this had to be followed.
But it was far from always that way. Genro, who was to administer this on behalf and at the will of the emperor, sent the new Shin Meiji patents of nobility according to their administrative political opinion. Therefore, many simply received the designation of Shin Meiji Baron with Imperial Seal, with the above explanations. So who do you think had the real political power in the name of the Emperor.
In the glaring cases it was Imperial appointment at rank 1+, but no new Meiji noble title or simply Baron. Although the rules said Hertug.
As previously mentioned, the best example is the last Tokugawa Shogun, who was rank 1+, but no Meiji nobility title was given until 1902! as a duke.
The same also happened with the two Honke (main lines) and various Bunke (side lines) of the Yamana-Itotani Daimyo sheriff family, who were appointed by the emperor since "Doomsday" to rank class 1+, 1, 2+, 2, 3+, 3, 4+ (officially corresponding to Prince, Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount and Baron in the new Meiji nobility), but in 1884 only had to start with the Meiji titles as Barons.
The Emperor says Daimyo Sheriff rank class 2+, which corresponds to the Meji Nobility title Marquis, but the Genro politicians say Baron. At the same time, the local tax inspector for Thyborøn harbor was appointed Shin Meiji Markis 15 years ago. It seems 38 million Japanese people were something strange.
Who will the Japanese take seriously? The Divine Emperor No. 122? Or the Genro politicians, who nobody knew existed until 15 years earlier?
That's why there were no protests when the US military court abolished the Meiji nobility titles in 1947, when they wrote Japan's new constitution, that everyone is equal before the law - with the exception of the emperor.
The same thing happened in Denmark in 1848 and in most other European countries in the same time period. All titles of nobility became titular. But where in Europe it is common to use one's titular noble title, this is not normal in Japan due to the above problem with the 47 years of Meiji noble titles, which the Japanese are embarrassed by, and therefore do not care about and therefore rarely mention.
It is therefore most common for the old noble families to refer to themselves as the former Daimyo county princely house, and instead refer to particularly well-known historical ancestors who have contributed to Japan's history and creation. Because that's how it's been for 2,650+ years!
But since Emperor Meiji officially stamped and named the new Meiji shin high nobility and there is a tradition in Japan that all criticism of the Imperial House is an "insult to national majesty", there are sometimes some witty titular mentions and announcements.
Such as titular official Meiji title or titular official imperial rank order class with the real unofficial Meiji title.
Therefore, there are a number of nobles who have two or more titular titles of nobility.
But this political mismatch also helped to undermine the new Meiji "Genro" titles, which were actually created for the new political; House of Lords and House of Commons, following the English Victorian model.
Genro knew this well and therefore special uniforms were also created for the purpose, ala the old minister uniforms that the politician Søren Pind tried to reintroduce.
But it is not the first time that politicians try to influence the democratic and political decision-making processes, and with an arrogant stroke of the pen try to rewrite history!
Genro effectively ruled Japan from 1868-1912, which means throughout the reign of Emperor Meiji.
Fortunately, Emperor Meiji intervened at times when the pre-distribution or vested interests became too problematic for Japan internally and externally, and developed into a stabilizing factor.
But Genro considered himself and rather quickly dubbed himself the "Japan Founding Fathers", had the Emperor appoint almost everyone as Dukes, which included their former employers; The Satsuma and Choshu Daimyo County princes, some even became generals and admirals, - and made the emperor give the blue stamp that after democratic elections, Genro decided the next prime minister, regardless of the result of the election!
Of course, this often meant that they themselves appointed themselves prime minister if the democratically elected did not want as they wanted.
It was like that right up to 1940, when the last Genro died.
It was a messy time with "Trial and Error" methods and the foundation of the seeds for militaristic Japan up to World War II.
Genero
Yamana-Itotani Family Closer Family Relations – Blood or Adopted after year 1600+;
Honke and Bunke families and their coat of arms
Yamana-Itotani
Yamana-Itotani of Inaba-Hoki family crest, main coat of arms and side coat of arms
Yamana-Shimizu
Yamana-Shimizu of Tajima, second Honke of the Yamana family – main line (1624)
Tokugawa shogun
Tokugawa shogun family related Bunke mon from 1607+
Bunke family
Pile of family lines etc
