Charter Oath of 1868

E132057

The Charter Oath of 1868 was a foundational statement of policy issued at the start of the Meiji era that outlined Japan’s modernization goals, including the creation of representative assemblies, the promotion of public discussion, and the abandonment of outdated feudal practices.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Charter Oath 4
Charter Oath of 1868 canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Meiji era reform document
government policy statement
political charter
alsoKnownAs Gokajō no Goseimon
Oath in Five Articles
article1Content Deliberative assemblies shall be widely established and all matters decided by public discussion
article2Content All classes, high and low, shall unite in vigorously carrying out the administration of affairs of state
article3Content The common people shall, as far as possible, be allowed to pursue their own calling so that there may be no discontent
article4Content Evil customs of the past shall be broken off and everything shall be based on the just laws of nature
article5Content Knowledge shall be sought throughout the world so as to strengthen the foundations of imperial rule
country Japan
dateIssued 1868-04-06
era Meiji era
hasCanonicalNumberOfArticles 5
historicalPeriod Meiji Restoration
implementedBy Meiji oligarchy
surface form: Meiji government
influenced Meiji Constitution
modernization of Japan
subsequent Meiji reforms
influencedBy Western political ideas
rangaku
issuedBy Emperor Meiji
language Classical Japanese
legalStatus non-constitutional foundational policy statement
locationOfPromulgation Kyoto Imperial Palace
mainTheme economic reform
modernization of Japan
political reform
social reform
numberOfArticles 5
policyGoal abandonment of feudal practices
adoption of foreign knowledge
creation of representative assemblies
promotion of public discussion
social mobility and freedom of occupation
unification of social classes in state affairs
politicalOrientation centralizing
modernizing
promulgatedBy Emperor Meiji
purpose guide Japan’s modernization and reform program
outline basic principles of the new Meiji government
relatedDocument Meiji Constitution
relatedEvent Meiji Restoration
abolition of the han system
relatedInstitution Imperial Diet
surface form: Imperial Diet of Japan
significance considered the basic policy charter of the Meiji government
provided ideological basis for Meiji reforms
symbolized the break with Tokugawa feudal order
targetOfReform Tokugawa shogunate
surface form: Tokugawa feudal system

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (5)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Emperor Meiji notableEvent Charter Oath of 1868
Emperor Meiji signedDocument Charter Oath of 1868
this entity surface form: Charter Oath
睦仁 associatedDocument Charter Oath of 1868
this entity surface form: Charter Oath
Meiji Restoration event Charter Oath of 1868
this entity surface form: Charter Oath
Meiji Restoration legalInstrument Charter Oath of 1868
this entity surface form: Charter Oath