He was born on November 3 , 1852 and he died on July 30 , 1912 . He started ruling Japan in 1867 , after the death of his father , Emperor KÅ mei . The Meiji Emperor ( 3 November 1852 -- 30 July 1912 ) or Meiji the Great was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession , reigning from 3 February 1867 until his death .