What caused the Meiji restoration?

Fearing European control of Japan, the Tokugawa shogunate (1603-1867) limited contact with foreigners and adopted a policy of isolation. The shoguns restricted trade and prohibited European clergy from entering Japan. Japanese were not allowed to travel overseas. Japan's isolation was shattered in July 1853 when a fleet of American ships sailed into Edo Bay, demanding trading rights. Recognizing the superiority of the United States Navy, the shogun opened Japanese ports to the Americans. Britain, France, and Russia quickly followed and acquired trading rights of their own. Upset with the shogun for allowing foreign influences in Japan, the daimyo and samurai overthrew the shogun in 1867 and "restored" the emperor to power. Up to then, the emperor had been nothing more than a figurehead. The young emperor took the name Meiji, meaning "enlightened rule." This period in Japanese history is called the Meiji Restoration.