Itō Hirobumi October 16, 1841 (September 2, 1841 in the old Japanese calendar) – October 26, 1909 (Meiji 42) A Japanese statesman of the Meiji era. His court rank, decoration, and peerage were Junior First Rank, Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum, and Duke. He became the first Prime Minister and laid the foundation for a modern constitutional society. He served as Prime Minister four times (1st, 5th, 7th, and 10th), and during his first cabinet, he was a central figure in drafting the Constitution of the Empire of Japan. During his second cabinet, he drafted the Treaty of Shimonoseki, the peace treaty of the Sino-Japanese War. When forming his fourth cabinet, he founded the Rikken Seiyūkai (Constitutional Association of Political Friends) and became its first president, paving the way for party politics. In addition, he served as the first President of the Privy Council, the first President of the House of Peers, the first Resident-General of Korea, and a Genrō (elder statesman). He was also known as the "Present Taikō" (referring to Toyotomi Hideyoshi), and he rose from a peasant's status to become the first Prime Minister. He then led Meiji Japan as a Genrō, and is one of the most representative figures in the modern history of Japan and Asia. Item: Handwritten calligraphy, hanging scroll Mounting: (approx.) 113 cm x 64 cm Paper: (approx.) 16 cm x 56 cm Management Number: S 796-4