The Meiji Restoration began in 1868 when imperial rule was restored in Japan, ending the Tokugawa Shogunate and initiating rapid modernization and westernization. Emperor Meiji's government abolished the feudal system, established constitutional government, built industrial infrastructure, and reformed education while selectively adopting Western technology and institutions. Japan transformed from isolated feudal society to industrialized imperial power within decades.

Meiji modernization disrupted traditional poetic forms while introducing Western literary models. Masaoka Shiki reformed haiku and tanka, arguing these forms could express modern experience while preserving Japanese aesthetic sensibilities. Translation of Western poetry influenced Japanese poets' experimentation with free verse and new themes. The tension between preserving Japanese literary traditions and embracing modernity created productive creative friction, producing poetry that negotiated between classical refinement and contemporary consciousness, influencing 20th-century Japanese modernist poetry.