墾 means 'groundbreaking'

Eighth-century Japanese governments exercised astounding power. The authorities established colors that each rank of bureaucrats could wear and permitted only the highest-ranking ones to dress in dark purple (紫). The imperial court cultivated (墾) certain fields using public labor, permitting regular people to hold private land permanently only in 743. A rigorous legal and political framework known as the ritsuryo system forced people to do 10 days of unpaid labor if they couldn't pay taxes. And the Dazaifu, an agency governing all of Kyushu, wielded such might that it had its own diplomatic relations with China.

As this bundle shows, the Meiji era (1868–1912) plunged the Japanese economy into turmoil. The government disbanded feudal domains, leaving many samurai unemployed. In response, the government provided them with work—a land reclamation project. Silkworms also saved the day! Raw silk accounted for 70 percent of Japan's exports, generating money that enabled the Japanese to buy machines. As the country rapidly industrialized and developed a capitalist economy, feudal workers became wage laborers, gaining freedom and power thanks to their earnings. But these changes also brought tumult to the country in the form of labor disputes, strikes, and riots.