1837-1919. Japanese military and political
leader, the founder of Japan's first
political party, the (Liberal) Jiyuto
1875-81. Involved in the overthrow of the
Tokugawa shogunate and the Meiji restoration
1866-68 (see Mutsuhito), Itagaki became a
champion of democratic principles while
continuing to serve in the government for
short periods. After ennoblement in 1887 he
retained the leadership of the party and
cooperated with Ito Hirobumi in the
establishment of parliamentary government in
the 1890s.