| The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07. |
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| Okubo, Toshimichi |
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(t ´´sh m´ch ´k b) (KEY) , 1830–78, Japanese statesman. A major figure in the Meiji restoration, he was influential in introducing Western ideas to Japan. He supported the emperor against the shogun and worked to eliminate feudalism. A powerful figure in the new government, he put down (1873) the party favoring war with Korea. In 1874 he became home minister and sponsored a military expedition to Taiwan. After the Satsuma rebellion of 1877 (see Saigo, Takamori), in which he took the government side, he was assassinated, presumably by a fellow clansman of Satsuma. | 1 | | See biography by M. Iwata (1964). | 2 |
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| | | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright © 2007 Columbia University Press. |
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