Timeline of Life and Family Background Emperor Hirohito was born on April 29, 1901 in Tokyo, Japan. He was born with the name Michinomiya Hirohito. Hirohito was the grandson of Emperor Meiji and the eldest son of Crown Prince Yoshihito. Emperor Meiji, who ruled from 1867 to 1912, saw Japan transform from a feudal society into one of the major powers of the modern world. The beginning of his reign ended the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate which included a 250 year period of cultural and economic isolation and saw political power returned to the Emperor. He argued for Japan's need for modernization; formally ordering: the eradication of the feudal land system in 1871, a new compulsory school system in 1872, the introduction of modern communications, and the establishment of a new constitution, Cabinet and Diet. He was a true revolutionary leader in Japanese history. Emperor Meiji was succeeded by his son Yoshihito in 1912. Unlike his father, he did not play an active role in Japanese politics. His inexperience and poor health meant that he was a figure rather than a true leader for Japan. Together with his wife Kujō Sadako, whom he married in 1900, he had four children, the eldest of whom was Hirohito. Growing up, Hirohito attended Peer's School from 1908 to 1914 and the Crown Prince Institute from 1914 to 1921. There he received a military education. and religious matters concerning Japan and also taught other important subjects such as mathematics and science. Hirohito soon developed an interest in marine biology, which later became a passion he wrote about. In 1921 Hirohito went on a six-month European tour; visit the UK, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium. He became Japan's first crown prince... middle of paper... any claim that the emperor had divine origins. Subsequently, with the Allied occupation of Japan, a new constitution was drafted to define the role of the emperor and the government. In his terms, the Emperor of Japan was "the symbol of the State and the unity of the people, deriving his position from the will of the people with whom the sovereign power resides." The Emperor is limited to symbolic roles, such as performing "acts in matters of state" and has no political function. During Emperor Hirohito's reign, the Emperor's role changed from one with much more power and authority in government to one with much more power and authority in government. with a symbolic purpose only. The role of the emperor decided after the Second World War still exists today. The emperor has a purely symbolic role, has no function in the administration of the government and carries out state affairs only during national ceremonies..