Japan in the late 19th century was governed under the Meiji Rule. Meiji was a political moment extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912, found after ending the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate. During the Meiji period Japan moved from being an isolated feudal society to great economic and social change, and it all occurred in a remarkable span of merely 50 years. A national army along with universal conscription law and universal education was formed. By the end of the 19th century, Japan had become a full-fledged modern industrialized nation, on par with western powers. The Meiji era ended with the death of Emperor Meiji in 1912.

These stunning hand-colored photographs from the late 19th-century show everyday life of Japanese people under the Meiji rule.