Genrō
Genrō was an unofficial designation given to certain retired elder Japanese statesmen, considered the "founding fathers" of modern Japan, who served as informal extraconstitutional advisors to the emperor, during the Meiji, Taishō and early Shōwa periods in Japanese history. The institution of
genrō originated with the traditional council of elders common in the Edo period; however, the term
genrō appears to have been coined by a newspaper only in 1892. The term is sometimes confused with the
Genrōin, a legislative body which existed from 1875–1890; however, the
genrō were not related to the establishment of that body or its dissolution. Experienced leaders of the Meiji Restoration were singled out by the Emperor as
genkun, and asked to act as Imperial advisors. With the exception of Saionji Kinmochi, all the
genrō were from medium or lower ranking
samurai families, four each from Satsuma and Chōshū, the two former domains that had been instrumental in the overthrow of the former Tokugawa shogunate in the Boshin War of the Meiji Restoration of 1867-1868.