The title of is attested since the 7th century, alongside the word . Around the same time, the Japanese also adopted the Chinese title of . The title of "emperor" was borrowed from China, being derived from Chinese characters, and was retroactively applied to the legendary Japanese rulers who reigned before the 7th–8th centuries AD. Although the emperor has been a symbol of continuity with the past, the degree of power exercised by the emperor has varied considerably throughout Japanese history.
Origins According to the traditional account of the 8th-century
Nihon Shoki, Japan was founded by
Emperor Jimmu in 660
BC, years ago. Most modern scholars agree to regard Jimmu and at least the nine first emperors as mythical. In fact, the year was deliberately chosen because it was meant to align with the beginning of a 1260-year cicle, or 21 cycles of 60 years (see
Sexagenary cycle). The first ruler to appear in contemporary sources is
Yūryaku (), the 21st emperor, who is attested in the
Inariyama and
Eta Funayama Swords, dated to either 471 or 534
AD. As one argument, the reign of
Kinmei (–571 AD), the 29th emperor, is the first for whom contemporary historiography is able to assign verifiable dates. According to Chinese sources, the unification of Japan took place between the 2nd and 3rd centuries and was carried out by the rulers of
Yamatai, which likely correspond to the Japanese kingdom of
Yamato. Archaeological information about the earliest historical rulers of Japan may be contained in the ancient tombs known as
kofun, constructed between the early 3rd century and the early 7th century AD. However, since the
Meiji period, the
Imperial Household Agency has refused to open the
kofun to the public or to archaeologists, citing their desire not to disturb the spirits of the past emperors.
Kofun period artefacts were also increasingly crucial in Japan as the Meiji government used them to reinforce their authority. In 2016, the Imperial Household Agency reversed its position and decided to allow researchers to enter some of the
kofun with limits on time and methods.
Disputes and instability (10th century) The growth of the
samurai class from the 10th century gradually weakened the power of the imperial family over the realm, leading to a time of instability. Emperors are known to have come into conflict with the reigning shogun from time to time. Some instances, such as
Emperor Go-Toba's
1221 rebellion against the
Kamakura shogunate and the 1336
Kenmu Restoration under
Emperor Go-Daigo, show the power struggle between the
Imperial Court in Kyoto and the military governments of Japan.
Factional control (530s–1867) and shōguns (1192–1867) There have been seven non-imperial
families who have controlled Japanese emperors: the
Soga (530s–645), the
Fujiwara (850s–1070), the
Taira (1159–1180s), the
Minamoto (1192–1199/1203), the
Hōjō (1199/1203–1333), the
Ashikaga (1336–1565), and the
Tokugawa (1603–1867). However, every shogun from the Minamoto, Ashikaga, and Tokugawa families had to be officially recognized by the emperors, who were still the source of sovereignty, although they could not exercise their powers independently from the shogunate. During the major part of 1192 to 1867, political sovereignty of the state was exercised by the
shōguns or their
shikken regents (1203–1333), whose authority was conferred by Imperial warrant. When
Portuguese explorers first came into contact with the Japanese (see
Nanban period), they described Japanese conditions in analogy, likening the emperor with great symbolic authority, but little political power, to the
pope, and the
shōgun to secular European rulers (e.g., the
Holy Roman emperor). In keeping with the analogy, they even used the term "emperor" in reference to the
shōguns and their regents, e.g. in the case of
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, whom missionaries called "Emperor Taico-sama" (from
Taikō and the honorific
sama). A Dutch embassy report used similar terminology in 1691.
Empress Go-Sakuramachi was the last ruling empress of Japan and reigned from 1762 to 1771. During the
Sakoku period of 1603 to 1868, there was very limited trade between Japan and foreigners. The
Dutch were the only westerners who had limited access to Japan. Unequal treaties coerced and took advantage of Japan. He issued the imperial decree of constitutionalism on 14 April 1875. The
Meiji Constitution was adopted on 11 February 1889. The emperor of Japan became an active ruler with considerable political power over foreign policy and diplomacy which was shared with an elected
Imperial Diet.
World War II (1937–1945) Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) was in power during the
Pacific War; he controlled both the sovereign of the state and the imperial forces. The role of the emperor as head of the
State Shinto religion was exploited during the war, creating an
Imperial cult that led to
kamikaze bombers and other manifestations of
fanaticism. This in turn led to the requirement in the
Potsdam Declaration for the elimination "for all time of the authority and influence of those who have deceived and misled the people of Japan into embarking on world conquest". In State Shinto, the emperor was believed to be an (manifest
kami or
incarnation of a
deity). Following Japan's surrender, the
Allies issued the
Shinto Directive separating church and state within Japan. In 1946, Emperor Shōwa was forced to proclaim the
Humanity Declaration, but the declaration excludes the word , including the unusual word instead. As such, some experts doubt whether his divinity was renounced. Emperor Shōwa was excluded from the postwar
Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal. Scholars dispute the power he had and the role he played during WWII. Hirohito maintained an official boycott of Yasukuni Shrine after it was revealed to him that Class-A war criminals had secretly been enshrined. The boycott was continued by his son and grandson,
Akihito and
Naruhito. According to journalist Makoto Inoue of
The Nikkei, Emperor Emeritus
Akihito wanted to be closer to the people, rather than be treated like a god or robot. In March 2019, the
Mainichi reported 87% thought Akihito fulfilled his role as symbol of the state. The previous time abdication occurred was
Emperor Kōkaku in 1817. Akihito's eldest son,
Naruhito ascended on 1 May 2019, referred to as
Kinjō Tennō and
Reiwa era started.
Current constitution In 1947 the post-war became law when it received the emperor's
assent on 3 November 1946. It provides for a
parliamentary system of government and guarantees certain fundamental rights. Under its terms, the emperor of Japan is "the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people" and exercises a purely ceremonial role without the possession of sovereignty. It was drawn up under the
Allied occupation that followed World War II and changed Japan's previous Prussian-style
Meiji Constitution that granted the emperor theoretically unlimited powers. The
liberal constitution was inspired by several European states. Currently, it is a rigid document and the oldest unamended constitution.
Realm and territories Historically, territorial designations are not a requirement for the position of
Tennō (emperor). Rather it is the emperor's symbolic and religious power of authority. Since the
Kamakura shogunate, the emperor held
de jure ownership of the realm. Throughout most of medieval Japan, the
shogun's legitimate authority was based on being appointed and receiving the power from the emperor even though the shogun was the
de facto ruler. The emperor was considered a direct descendant of
Amaterasu and of utmost importance in the
Shinto religion and sentimental traditions. However, the emperor still had the power to "control time" via the Japanese
Nengō which names eras on calendars after emperors. The territory of Japan has changed throughout history. Its largest extent was the
Empire of Japan. In 1938 it was . The maximum extent including the home islands and the
Japanese colonial empire was in 1942. After its defeat in
World War II the empire was dismantled. The contemporary territories include the
Japanese archipelago and these
areas. Regardless of territorial changes the emperor remains the formal
head of state of Japan. During most of history,
de facto power was with
shoguns or
prime ministers. The emperor was more like a revered embodiment of divine harmony than the head of an actual governing administration. In Japan, it was more effective for ambitious
daimyo (feudal lords) to hold actual power, as such positions were not inherently contradictory to the emperor's position. The shoguns and prime ministers derived their legitimacy from the emperor. The
parliamentary government continues a similar coexistence with the emperor. The first recorded instance of the name
Nihon was between 665 and 703 during the
Asuka period. This was several centuries after the start of the current imperial line. The various names of Japan do not affect the status of the emperor as head of state.
Education The emperors traditionally had an education officer. In recent times,
Emperor Taishō had Count
Nogi Maresuke,
Emperor Shōwa had Marshal-Admiral Marquis
Tōgō Heihachirō, and Emperor
Akihito had
Elizabeth Gray Vining as well as
Shinzō Koizumi as their tutors. Members of the imperial family were obliged to be educated at the
Gakushūin (Peer's School) by the 1926 Act of Education for the Imperial family, which was abolished in 1947. ==Reference and naming==