Bunmei-kaika (Japanese: 文明開化, lit. 'civilization and enlightenment') refers to the phenomenon of Westernization in Japan during the Meiji era (1868–1912), which led to major changes in institutions and customs.

Although westernization is not necessarily synonymous with “civilization and enlightenment,” in practice bunmei kaika often meant imitation of the West. Some of the trends of this period were purely superficial movements toward westernization.

Jan 15, 2024 · This chapter surveys Japan’s era of civilization and enlightenment (bunmei kaika), roughly the first decade of the Meiji era (1868–1912). It interprets bunmei kaika as a revolutionary attempt at Westernization intended to overcome the disruption wrought by the globalizing effects of Western imperialism.

For the purposes of this exhibit I have examined two art pieces which show in different lights the Rokumeikan-style Westernization that dominated upper class life in the mid to late 1870s. The two pieces, by Chikanobu and Bigot respectively, present two different viewpoints on …

Bunmei Kaika or “civilization and enlightenment” was the watch word of the Meiji Era, and in the quest to become a “civilized” nation, elements of polite Western society were reproduced all over Japan, particularly at the highest rungs of Meiji society.

Aug 8, 2016 · In the series, Bunmei is a time traveler who intervenes in the Yomota family’s affairs for bringing order back to the space time continuum by preventing paradoxes.

Under the slogan “Bunmei Kaika” (civilization and enlightenment), the new government formed by the Meiji Restoration in 1868 aggressively pursued modernization, aiming to become internationally recognized as a civilized nation.

Bunmei-kaika (Japanese: 文明開化, lit. 'civilization and enlightenment') refers to the phenomenon of Westernization in Japan during the Meiji era (1868–1912), which led to major changes in institutions and customs.

In Gosenzosama, the inevitable rise of modernity for late twentieth century Japan is appropriately channeled through the character Bunmei when the “aggressive modernization in the Meiji period was captured in the slogan bunmei kaika.” Oshii even comically depicts Bunmei’s first appearance as being dispensed by a Coca-Cola vending machine ...

The movement of “Bunmei Kaika” in Vietnam, which was initiated and developed throughout the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century with the proposal to renovate the country following the …