After the fall of the Edo shogunate, the
newly inaugurated Meiji government
started to develop Hokkaido. The
Hokkaido Development Commission
was established in 1869, and the
island's name was changed from Ezo to
Hokkaido. Many people immigrated
from other parts of Japan and struggled
amidst the island's severe natural
environment. These people built the
foundation on which today's Hokkaido
has developed and modernized.