their due positions in respect of their nation’s stirring history, I have in the smallest degree succeeded in conveying useful information concerning our allies and their country to the people of the Occident, I shall not have laboured in vain, and in submitting my work in all humility—conscious of its many defects and shortcomings—to the judgment of the public, my one hope is that it may be of some slight service to those who may honour me by perusing its pages. J. M. CONTENTS PAGE I. HIS MAJESTY THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN 1 II. PRINCE TOKUGAWA KEIKI: THE LAST OF THE SHOGUNS 53 III. FUJITA TOKO 97 IV. SAKUMA SHURI (OTHERWISE SHOZAN) 101 V. YOSHIDA TORAJIRO (OTHERWISE SHO-IN) 114 VI. MARQUIS ITO 119 VII. PRINCE IWAKURA TOMOMI 154 VIII. PRINCE SANJO SANETOMI 163 IX. COUNT INOUYE KAORU 170 X. VISCOUNT OKUBO TOSHIMICHI 184 XI. COUNT GOTO SHOJIRO 195 XII. MARSHAL SAIGO TAKAMORI 202 XIII. FIELD-MARSHAL MARQUIS YAMAGATA 219 XIV. COUNT OKUMA SHIGENOBU 246 XV. FIELD-MARSHAL MARQUIS OYAMA 255 XVI. FUKUSAWA YUKICHI 268 XVII. MARQUIS KIDO KOIN 273 XVIII. COUNT ITAGAKI 279 XIX. COUNT MATSUKATA MASAYOSHI 284 XX. ADMIRAL VISCOUNT ENOMOTO 299 XXI. ADMIRAL TOGO HEIHACHI 306 XXII. BARON EICHI SHIBUSAWA 315 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS H.M. THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN _Frontispiece_ THE GEKU SHRINE AT ISÉ _to face page_ 8 THE ARMS MUSEUM AT TOKIO ” ” 32 THE EX-SHOGUN AND FAMILY ” ” 53 (_From a Photograph by the Kinkodo Co., Tokio_) THE INTERIOR OF SHIBA TEMPLE ” ” 84 FUJITA, SAKUMA, AND YOSHIDA ” ” 97 MARQUIS ITO ” ” 119 JAPANESE SCHOOL AT SEOUL ” ” 136 PRINCE IWAKURA TOMOMI ” ” 154 PRINCE SANJO SANETOMI ” ” 163 COUNT INOUYE KAORU ” ” 170 VISCOUNT OKUBO TOSHIMICHI ” ” 184 COUNT GOTO SHOJIRO ” ” 195