SharP' Unfinished Symphony.

THE MEIJI RESTORATION

However, many argue that it was this very act that prompted the beginning of the revolution. People saw their government as weak, since they did not refuse the United States. Still others were afraid that renewed contact with the outside world would have disastrous results. The Ishin movement was born from these concerns, and it wanted to take back to a more "refined" time in Japan's past. Their motto was "Sonno Joi" ("Revere the Emperor and expel the barbarians!"), and that is what they planned to do. Fights between the shogun's troops and the reformists were common.
But they only got as far as the first part. The Ishin movement (of which Kenshin and Shishio were both a part) claimed its legitimacy through the Emperor, and restored him to the throne. The Shogun could do little to stop them, as the government was a shambles. After taking the reins, however, the Meiji officials decided that modernizing Japan was the best way to go. After all, Imperialism was running rampant in Asia, and Japan did not want to become a colony of a European nation. So they decided the best way to compete was to play their game on their terms.
This move shocked and dismayed many who had once supported the Ishin movement. After all, the whole idea behind restoring the Emperor was to return Japan to a more golden time. But it was not to be. Japan, as a nation, was confused. A few political leaders steered Japan towards modernization and dragged the nation, kicking and screaming, into the Industrial Age.
The Meiji Era also marked the elimination of the samurai class. With no feudal lords to serve anymore, many of the samurai joined the army or local law enforcement offices, just as Saito did. Others attempted to become bureaucrats in the newly-formed government. They were also forbidden to carry swords anymore, something they had done since before the Tokugawa period. In one of the early episodes, the Meiji police warn Kenshin that it is illegal for him to carry a sword. Without a doubt, since their income had suddenly dried up and they were suddenly displaced, there was cause for much dissension.

pic.]Fights between the shogun's troops and the reformists were common.