The battle line in Meiji Restoration

Today we arrived at Takamatsu (高松）in Shikoku (四国）, the smallest island of the four major islands in Japan. It was too early to check in the hotel. We wandered around and visited the giant castle nearby. The castle was for a long time the family residence of the local lord. I noticed that its family crest was identical to the family crest of the Shogun. They must be related. Indeed, the first lord of this land was the brother of a Shogun. The last Shogun was actually a biological descendant of the clan from Takamatsu.

Shogun’s family ruled Japan for more than two and a half centuries, after a decisive battle in 1600. They were overthrown during Meiji Restoration in 1868. We read from the textbooks that Meiji Restoration was fought for an idea. If so, it has nothing to do with family connections. But in reality, it was mainly fought between families designated by the first Shogun in 1600 as Shinpan (亲藩) and Tozama (外样）. Shinpan, if you read Chinese, are families. They were the families of the Shogun. Tozama are outsiders, who submitted to Shogun only after defeating in 1600. Meiji Restoration was mainly a war fought by Tozama against Shinpan. The losers of 1600 took the revenge against the winners of 1600.

People might say Meiji Restoration is a war fought by the reformers against the conservatives. This statement certainly is not wrong. The outsiders, being disadvantaged, naturally want to reform the system. The ruling families, being advantaged, naturally want to conserve the system. But the outsiders had to wait for more than two centuries before they saw an opening. In the meantime, their families passed down their humiliation from one generation to another.

Today’s world is no different. People claim to fight for ideas. But a closer inspection will reveal some small close knit groups benefit greatly from grand ideas.

These days I am reading a little bit Japanese history. It is difficult to find truthful history.

American history is a total lie from the very beginning. The real reason of US independence movement was the difference on the treatment of natives. British government, being far away, preferred a low confrontation and a low cost governance, which would allow natives to live. Americans, with a fertility of ten at revolutionary years, saw a great need to clear the land all for themselves. They wanted to exterminate all natives. Like all cruel movements, American Revolution was packaged in the most beautiful language, as we all learn today. 

History is written by winners, who can write whatever way to make themselves look best. Technically, loser countries also write history. But loser countries have less leeway to lie. Japan was a loser in WWII. Probably Japanese history contains more truth than American, or Chinese history. Naturally, this is not the standard understanding. In standard understanding, winners, being morally superior, tell the truth and losers, being morally inferior, tell lies.