January 3, 1868

Meiji Restoration

Imperial Restoration proclaimed in the Kyoto palace coup

Before the proclamation was read, armed domain troops sealed the Kyoto palace and decided who was allowed in.

A palace with the gates controlled

Troops from Satsuma, Chōshū, Owari, Fukui and Tosa surrounded Kyoto's Imperial Palace on 3 January 1868 and strictly controlled admission while restoration leaders convened a court council.

Thirteen admitted daimyō and courtiers, led politically by Iwakura Tomomi, discussed the proclamation and obtained the sanction of Emperor Meiji — fifteen by Western reckoning, seventeen under the contemporary counted-age system.

What the proclamation did

It accepted Yoshinobu's return of authority and his resignation, abolished the shogunate along with the offices of regent and chancellor, and created three new governing posts: sōsai, gijō and san'yo.

“Restoration” did not mean reviving an unchanged ancient administration. The same document that abolished the shōgun and the ancient regency invented three replacement offices.

War came later

This was not a teenage emperor independently assuming personal rule. It was an armed palace coup conducted by domain leaders and court nobles in his name and with his sanction; Saigō Takamori helped secure the palace, and Ōkubo Toshimichi worked with Iwakura on the new regime.

Yoshinobu, absent from the council, withdrew from Kyoto to Osaka within days. The Boshin War's first battle, at Toba-Fushimi, began twenty-four days later, on 27 January 1868.

Sources

Researched 23 Aug 2026 7 sources 2 audit passes

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What the sources leave uncertain

The official date was Keiō 3, twelfth month, ninth day, corresponding to 3 January 1868 Gregorian.
The palace operation and deliberations extended through the day and night, which helps explain occasional narrative references to the following day. Japanese archival authorities date the proclamation to 3 January.
Mutsuhito was 15 by Western age reckoning but 17 under the contemporary East Asian counted-age system.