<P> This led to a series of riots from disgruntled samurai . One of the major riots was the one led by Saigō Takamori, the Satsuma Rebellion, which eventually turned into a civil war . This rebellion was, however, put down swiftly by the newly formed Imperial Japanese Army, trained in Western tactics and weapons, even though the core of the new army was the Tokyo police force, which was largely composed of former samurai . This sent a strong message to the dissenting samurai that their time was indeed over . There were fewer subsequent samurai uprisings and the distinction became all but a name as the samurai joined the new society . The ideal of samurai military spirit lived on in romanticized form and was often used as propaganda during the early 20th century wars of the Empire of Japan . </P> <P> However, it is equally true that the majority of samurai were content despite having their status abolished . Many found employment in the government bureaucracy, which resembled an elite class in its own right . The samurai, being better educated than most of the population, became teachers, gun makers, government officials, or military officers . While the formal title of samurai was abolished, the elitist spirit that characterized the samurai class lived on . </P> <P> The oligarchs also embarked on a series of land reforms . In particular, they legitimized the tenancy system which had been going on during the Tokugawa period . Despite the bakufu's best efforts to freeze the four classes of society in place, during their rule villagers had begun to lease land out to other farmers, becoming rich in the process . This greatly disrupted the clearly defined class system which the bakufu had envisaged, partly leading to their eventual downfall . </P> <P> The military of Japan, being strengthened by nationwide conscription and the infusion of a samurai military spirit, became emboldened to see themselves as a growing world power after winning both the Sino - Japanese War and the Russo - Japanese War . </P>

What measures did the meiji leaders take to modernise japan