The new Meiji government was established under the slogan of restoring imperial rule. As a result, both the shogunate and regency government were renounced, while the control of political authority and "supreme military power" that had long been lost came to be concentrated in the hands of Emperor Meiji. In the Edo period, the emperor was seen to be a cultural existence who was like a king from another world that "maintained the 'refinement' of the Heian period." In modern times, however, he is regarded as the supreme political authority who had the sovereign right to rule and the commander-in-chief who led all the military forces. In this paper, the following issues will be considered： First, how the emperor came to be recognized by the people as a military ruler. Second, how the framework to militarily assist the emperor who had become commander-in-chief was formulated under the Meiji constitutional system. Third, the clarification of the similarities and differences surrounding decisions to go to war among the three emperors who became modern rulers, especially by Emperor Meiji and Emperor Showa, as well as considerations on why these differences ensued.

Royal bodies 2
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