Meiji Tenno portrays the buildup to the Russo-Japan War. In addition to showing the political events that led to war, it also shows the era from the story of a farm family in rural Japan that sends their son off to war. As such, it could be considered an anti-war movie, showing how, while war is devised by governments, the people do not really understand what war is, and its combatants often do not know what they are fighting for.

Kanjūrō Arashi
Emperor Meiji

Kusuo Abe
Hirobumi Itō

Minoru Takada
Aritomo Yamagata
Shin Takemura

Susumu Fujita
Kaoru Inoue
Yōji Misaki
Prime Minister Katsura

Ureo Egawa
Navy Minister Yamamoto

Tsunemi Hirose
War Minister Terauchi
Fumio Hara
Foreign Minister Komura
Hiroaki Kurahashi
Finance Minister Sone
Jun Mihara
Eiichi Nobuo
Field Marshal Ōyama