Emperor Meiji (3 November 1852 – 30 July 1912), or Meiji the Great, is the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from February 3, 1867 until his death.

He presides over a time of rapid change in Japan, as the nation rises from a feudal shogunate to become a world power.

His personal name is Mutsuhito, and although outside of Japan he is sometimes called by this name or Emperor Mutsuhito, in Japan deceased emperors are referred to only by their posthumous names.

At the time of his birth in 1852, Japan is an isolated, pre-industrial, feudal country dominated by the Tokugawa Shogunate and the daimyo, who rule over the country's more than 250 decentralized domains.

By the time of his death in 1912, Japan has undergone a political, social, and industrial revolution at home and emerged as one of the great powers on the world stage.

A detailed account of the state funeral in the New York Times concluded with an observation: "The contrast between that which preceded the funeral car and that which followed it was striking indeed.

Before it went old Japan; after it came new Japan."

(The Funeral Ceremonies of Meiji Tenno" reprinted from the Japan Advertiser [Article 8—No Title],] New York Times.

13 October 1912.)