Emperor Meiji

The symbol of Japan’s miraculous metamorphosis from a feudal shogunate to a global industrial power in a single generation. While he remained a secluded deity to his people, his reign dissolved the samurai class and embraced the steam engine. He represents the "Silent Revolution," the pivot point where tradition bowed to necessity. He is the silk kimono meeting the Western military tunic, the calm center of a nation reinventing its own soul.