> re-inserted imperial rule (i.e. the Japanese emperor was again the ruler) Eh, not really. The real military power behind the restoration was the Satsuma-Cho

> re-inserted imperial rule (i.e. the Japanese emperor was again the ruler) Eh, not really. The real military power behind the restoration was the Satsuma-Choshu Alliance, the Emperor was mostly[1] a convenient figurehead, and many of the Shogun's retainers transitioned smoothly into nobles and bureaucrats in the new system. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiji_oligarchy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiji_oligarchy [1] It's complicated though, and reams of paper have been written about eg. Hirohito's actual responsibility for WW2.