uly 30, 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Taisho (“period of great righteousness”) era in Japan. This all-too-brief period of Japanese history followed the chaotic post-revolutionary Meiji era and preceded the Showa era, when militarism and nationalism took hold. In contrast, the Taisho era saw the beginnings of a liberal movement known as the Taisho Democracy.