The hired foreigner, the silent drawing room that assumes blood: Iwakura Tomomi and the eve of the birth of the nation (early Meiji period, late 1860s to early 1870s)

The hired foreigner, the silent drawing room that assumes blood: Iwakura Tomomi and the eve of the birth of the nation (early Meiji period, late 1860s to early 1870s)
In the early Meiji period, Japan was an unstable nation in which the former feudal lords retained military power and a financial base, despite the restoration of the monarchy. Even after the repeal of the shogunate, the centralization of power was still incomplete, and the biggest challenge was how to dismantle the various domains in a competent manner. Iwakura Tomomi understood this reality with a cool head and saw that the abolition of feudal domains was not merely an administrative reform but a disarmament of the old ruling class. If a rebellion broke out, bloodshed was inevitable and civil war was highly likely. Iwakura had assumed the worst from the beginning and was prepared to submit by force. His true intentions were expressed in the informal space of Hulbecki's reception room. These frank words, which could not be left in an official document, show the backstage of the formation of the nation, as he said that he was not willing to submit to coercion and bloodshed. As
a result, the abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures were realized without massive bloodshed, but this was only possible because the resolve to use military force and the system were in the background. Iwakura's top-secret consultation eloquently illustrates that the Meiji nation was established not on principle but on resolve.