Rebellion started in 1866 by a group of Samurai from Satsuma and Choshu, which took place at the end of the Tokugawa era (bakumatsu), and which resulted in the restoration of the Imperial power.
The rebellion resulted from Commodore Perry and his black ships forcing the Tokugawa Shogunate to open its ports to trade, thus demonstrating the immense superiority of the Western military power over Japan at the time. The aim of the rebellious samurai was consequently to restore the pride and power of Japan, by modernizing the country at all cost.
The shogun abdicated in favor the the 15 year-old Mutsuhito emperor, posthumously known as Meiji ("enlightened rule"). The capital was moved from Kyoto to Edo and subsequently renamed Tokyo ("Eastern Capital").
The Meiji Restoration saw the fast modernization and westernization of Japan, with many Japanese scholars and politicians (such as Ito Hirobumi or Saionji Kinmochi) sent to study the Western system and technologies in Europe and North America, and Westerners invited to Japan to help develop new industries. For instance, beer brewing, the manufacturing of dairy products and Japan's first railway were all introduced under the supervision of Westerners. In that sense, the Meiji Restoration was not just a political change, but a real cultural revolution.
