Between 1868 and 1912, Japan's leaders built a constitutional nation-state, developed an up-to-date industrial infrastructure and won major wars against China and Russia. They also preserved and nurtured their country's art traditions, inspiring the creation of works whose beauty and quality astonished the nations of the civilized world. From 1873 onwards, Japan's ceramics, metalwork, enamels, lacquer and other decorative arts were presented at domestic and international expositions, while in the United States remarkable objects like those in the collection of Dr. Nasser Khalili helped define the American image of Japan's national character at a formative time in the history of both countries. The three largest expositions held in America during Japan's Meiji Period were the Centennial Exhibitions at Philadelphia in 1876, the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893 and the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis in 1904. This comprehensive catalogue is taken from the collection of Dr Khalili and covers the 44 years of this period from 1868 to 1912. It is organized both chronologically and by subject and document some of the finest pieces from the Early, Middle and Late Meiji Period with six special sections on Metalwork, 'Satsuma' ware, Lacquer, Enamels, Textiles and Porcelain