WebMutsuhito ( Japanese: 睦仁, 3 November 1852 – 30 July 1912), posthumously honored as Emperor Meiji [a] (明治天皇, Meiji-tennō), was the 122nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era.