Emperor Hirohito Essay

Emperor Hirohito ruled for 53 years, during those years, Japanese civilians invaded China, the Rape of Nanking happened, they attacked Pearl Harbor and Japan rose to become the world second economic superpower. He was the first Japanese Emperor to be welcomed into Europe. He married at age 16, was crowned prince in November 1921. He died in his 80’s of a sickness called Myocardial Infraction. In his early life at age 7 he was taught proper behavior by Maresoke Nayi at Peer’s School. Also, his parents hired two Confucian tutors for him to learn. A few years later at age 11 his father was crowned Emperor because the formal Emperor had died of old age. Hirohito was to marry at age 16 to a young Princess which name is Nagako Kuni who was only 14 at the time. Before he had married the princess he went and traveled around Europe and was the first Japanese prince who was welcomed by the royal queen herself. During the time he had traveled he became very interested in the study of Marine Science. He also developed an interest in golf, drinking tea and eating bread. After coming back from Europe he changed the law that said that royal family members could not travel the world and make new traditions. His main inspiration was watching how in Europe people could do as they please and not get judge for it. Around that same time his family had heard a rumor that said the Princess Nagako Kuni was colorblind, so Hirohito’s family decided to delay the wedding until they figured everything out. They didn’t get married until a year later in 1924. Just a couple of years later he had to become Emperor because of his father death (due to a mental illness). People refused to him as a god because of the way he ruled. Also, because nobody ever saw him. Hirohito was one who believed in democratic politics over any other thing. Due to this he everyone believed that Japan wanted to go to war with every single country. So many people had judged him very harshly for not putting himself together in the right time before the war. And his own military wanted to get someone more worthy of the thrown, not Hirohito. It was hard on him and even more because of the surprise attack f the two atomic bombs which were dropped an August 6-9, 1945 (O’Neil 1). Nobody knew what to do or how to do it. The only person that knew what to do was Hirohito. He had decided to surrender to Great Britain and United States and to see if that would make his people follow him again. Or maybe put him on their good graces. He ordered his government to make an unconditional surrender. Hirohito had to make a fast action and an effective plan for seizing power (Oâ€℠¢Neil 1). Even though he had to do all those things he never wanted to give in to those countries. He knew he could do better if he had done some military service. But he didn’t he had married young and did everything so fast due to his father’s death. But still no one gave him the credit for doing it. For this, he deserves considerable credit (O’Neil 1). He toured Europe in 1971, the first reigning Japanese monarch to visit abroad, and traveled to the United States in 1975 (Leaders 1). He was one of the first Japanese Emperor’s to do this. Later on in life he wrote a few books on Marine Science. It was one of the things that interested him in his younger ages. He has 7 children named: Akihito, Prince Hitachi, Atsuko Lkeda, Takako Shimazu, Shigeko Higashikuni, Kazuko Takasukasa, and Princess Hisa Sachiko. Hirohito’s reign was designated Showa, or â€Å"Enlightened Peace† (Leaders 1). But some people were relieved when he died and his son Crown Prince Akihito became Emperor. Even though they were glad there were disappointed because the Prince had married a commoner. Some contemporaries who lived in his time were Hitler and Hideki Tojo. Their roles in his life were that both of them had lived in the same days as Hirohito. And they never met in person but they had heard of each other. Emperor Hirohito was a very important person in his days because of the way he had treated his people he didn’t make any decisions with out considering the way they would have felt about it. After the war he had said â€Å"That most unfortunate war, which I deeply deplore. † The main reason he had said that was because of all the people who had lost their life just because of that war. Another quote he had said was â€Å"I made efforts to swallow tears and to protect the Japenese Nation. †