Emperors of Japan: the history of the ruling houses of the Land of the Rising Sun

There are not many countries in the world where the monarchy has been preserved. Oddly enough, Japan is one of them. Nowhere will you find such an attitude towards the person of the emperor as in the Land of the Rising Sun. At the same time, Japan is one of the most high-tech countries in the world. If you look at it, the post of president of Japan is occupied by two people - the emperor and the prime minister.

The status of president formally belongs to the emperor, who represents the country in the foreign policy arena. At the same time, the actual duties of the president are performed by the Prime Minister of Japan, who is the head of government. Nevertheless, the mentality of the Japanese, who sacredly honor their ancient traditions, provided the Emperor of Japan with popular love. This can be fully seen during Foundation Day, which is a national Japanese holiday. It is celebrated on February 11th. It was on this day that the first Japanese emperor Jimmu was born, who received this status in the 7th century BC

Japan's new constitution clearly defines the role of the emperor. It is “a symbol of the state and the unity of the people.” In fact, since 1945, Japan has been governed by a parliament that carries out reforms, issues decrees, and sets tasks and goals for the further development of the country. However, the emperor must sign all important state papers.

The role of the emperor in Japanese history

Imperial power in Japan, as in many Asian countries, has a religious background. The first Japanese semi-legendary Emperor Jimmu was a direct descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami. It is not known for sure whether this ruler actually existed, but it is not customary to doubt the divine essence of imperial power in Japan. This position has always been very convenient for the ruling elite of society. Any dissatisfaction was regarded as blasphemy and was severely punished. The orders of the emperor were perceived as the will of the Almighty.

The Japanese imperial power, according to some sources, has existed for 2,600 years, so the Japanese emperors can rightfully be considered the oldest dynasty in the world that has survived to this day. If you compare it with the European ruling dynasties, you can see that the age difference between them is more than 1,500 years.

Principle of decentralization

Japanese officials have quite a lot of power. To revise an existing bill or introduce a new one, they do not need to contact the “President of Japan,” that is, the emperor. It is enough to send the project for consideration to the government, after which it is sent to parliament.

Parliament consists of two houses: representatives (lower) and councilors (upper). The term of service of a member of the House of Representatives is four years (or less in case of dissolution). Councilors are elected for six years. Representatives of different parties are present in the chambers. The largest parties take on leadership functions.

The first emperors in Japanese history

As mentioned above, the first Japanese emperor is considered to be Jimmu, who ruled the country from 660 to 585 BC. Although many European historians have repeatedly raised doubts about whether he is a real person, no one in Japan doubts his reality. In the Japanese epic Kojiki, Emperor Jimmu is not only mentioned, his time of birth, years of reign and death are clearly indicated there. Since Emperor Jimmu came from the island of Kyushu, where archaeological finds show that the culture was more developed, it can be assumed that it was he who managed to create a powerful tribal union based on conquests.

The first Japanese emperor whose existence is confirmed in official documents that have survived to this day was Sujin. It was he who was prescribed the creation of the first Japanese state, Yamato. This emperor reigned from 97 to 29 BC. Sujin was the 10th Japanese emperor of the Yayoi era. Even in those ancient times, the imperial power in Japan was significantly different from the European one, which was formed much later. Japanese dynasties did not belong to the same clan, but were representatives of the same dynastic line.

When the emperor ascended the throne, he received the title "Tenno Heika", which means His Majesty the Emperor. The ruler's real name was not used until his death. After several centuries, the imperial title in Japan was “overgrown” with various titles and ranks that emphasized the divinity and exclusivity of the imperial person. This tradition migrated to the island from China.

Although the Imperial Ruling House in Japan is considered the oldest in the world, it acquired the official status of “imperial” only in the 6th – 7th centuries. This happened thanks to wandering monks who, having visited China, were able to establish the legal mechanism of supreme power in Japan in the image and likeness of the Chinese.

In order to raise the imperial title to a height unattainable for the common people, it was declared that the emperor was the high priest, and his divine origin was beyond doubt. Only in this way was it possible to strengthen power in medieval society and save it from constant wars between principalities.

It was at this time that the first official regalia of imperial power appeared in Japan, which have survived to this day:

• The main symbol of imperial power is the sword. It symbolizes courage;
• Necklace made of precious stones. The main one is jasper, which symbolizes wealth;
• A mirror symbolizing wisdom.

These symbols were passed from one emperor to another during the succession ceremony.

The Golden Era of the Emperors of Japan

The golden age of Japanese imperial power began with the advent of the Yamato era, which took shape between 400 and 539 AD. In addition to the strengthening of imperial power in Japan, this period is characterized by:

• The spread of Buddhism throughout the country;
• Recognition of Japanese emperors as descendants of gods on earth;
• Formation of the country's governance structure;
• Establishing trade and political ties with China and Korea.

It was Chinese culture that had a huge influence on the development of Japanese statehood, and its introduction occurred thanks to the efforts of Buddhist monks.

The Yamato era is associated with the names of two Japanese emperors: Yuryaku and Keitai. They tried to strengthen state power in Japan through the development of eastern religious teachings. All Japanese emperors of this era adopted Buddhism.

It was during the Yamato era that a stable principle of succession to the throne was formed. Imperial power passed to the eldest son of the deceased emperor. Although legally only men could be emperors in Japan, the country was often ruled by women who became regents for their young sons.

Strengthening imperial power in Japan

During the Nara era, which began at the beginning of the 8th century and continued until its end, imperial power in Japan strengthened significantly. The country has turned into a real state with its own laws and governing bodies. This period was quite calm, its feature was the introduction of Chinese culture into society. Even Japanese cities were built according to Chinese standards.

Although the Japanese emperor gained real power during the Nara era, it was not unlimited. It was limited by a large state council, which was even spelled out in Japanese laws of that time. It was during the Nara period that such a public holiday as the Emperor's Birthday appeared, which is still celebrated today.

During those same years, there was a struggle for power between the ruling imperial house and the Buddhist monks, who had enormous power in the country. In the middle of the 8th century, Buddhist monks even tried to overthrow the legitimate emperor, but thanks to the intervention of the Fujiwara clan, this attempt failed.

Starting in 781, a new era began in the country, called in history as the Heian era. It lasted until 1198. This period is considered one of the most dramatic in the history of Japan, since at that time there was a struggle for power between strong and noble Japanese clans. The imperial power was greatly weakened, which ultimately had a negative impact on the economy of the entire country. Gradually, rival clans almost completely removed the emperor from governing the country, leaving him only for appearances.

The powerful Japanese emperors turned into puppets who could only advise the major parties on how to govern the country. During the Heian era, the country had 33 emperors, many of whom had rather tragic fates. Palace coups, conspiracies and even open murders of emperors occurred quite often at this time.

The complete decline of imperial power in the country began when the shogunate was formed in Japan - a new government, which included representatives of noble samurai families and high nobles. Although the emperor's supporters repeatedly tried by force to revive the emperor's right to sole power in the country, rich samurai, each of whom had his own strong army, quickly and effectively dealt with the dissatisfied.

The imperial house became impoverished, and its budget was especially hit hard by the transfer of the capital of Japan to the city of Heian (modern Kyoto). All orders and decrees of the emperor concerned mainly state rituals and ceremonies, and financial well-being was now completely dependent on the sale of noble titles and government positions.

The Kamakura era (1198-1339) did not bring anything good for the imperial power in terms of strengthening it. The first Japanese emperor who tried to revive the power of the imperial dynasty was Go-Daigo. He carried out a series of reforms aimed at restoring the full power of the emperor. The standard in those days was the Nara era, so Go-Daigo tried to return the country to this period. Unfortunately, these attempts led to bloody wars, which, although they led to the defeat of the shogunate, split the imperial ruling house into northern and southern dynasties.

After the split of the ruling dynasty, the country plunged into chaos. It was then that the samurai became the main force in the country, and were able to develop the art of war to unimaginable heights. Unfortunately, they mainly honed their personal skills, and did not pay due attention to the training of the militias.

With the rise to power of the rulers of the Muromachi era, imperial power did not increase at all. Every rich samurai could openly tell the emperor how he should act in a given situation, and if something happened, he could go to war against his formal master. Only the advent of the Edo era was able to return the Japanese imperial house to its former power.

At the beginning of the 19th century, imperial power in Japan began to be considered the main symbol of the state. Since that time, Japan has become a real empire, possessing a strong army and almost unlimited power over its subjects.

On-site management

Japan consists of 47 prefectures. Such a strong “fragmentation” of a relatively small territory requires a developed system of local self-government. Each village, town, city or prefecture has its own regulatory authorities. Elections are held every four years. The main task of local government representatives is to convene meetings to consider important issues. The Prime Minister can remove the prefect from office. The prefect, in turn, has the right to remove the mayor or village chief. Executive power is exercised by special commissions that are elected at meetings.

Women in power in Japan

In Japanese history, there were many noble women who managed to become equals to emperors, since the title of regent that they bore was actually equivalent to the title of emperor. In the official chronicles, which are called “Annals of Japan”, the following female names are mentioned:

• Empress Suiko occupied the imperial throne for 35 years. She acted as regent for her nephew Shotoku. It was she who was able to make Buddhism the main religion in the country, although this is attributed to the merits of her nephew Shotoku. Another significant achievement of hers is the first set of official laws in Japanese history, the so-called “17 Articles of Law”;
• Empress Kogyoku-Saimei was a woman who occupied the imperial throne twice: from 642 to 645 as Kogeku and from 655 to 661 as Saimei;
• Jito - Japanese empress (686-697) and poetess;
• Genmei - 43rd Empress of Japan (707-715), took the throne after the death of her son, which was a violation of existing customs. She appealed to the authority of Emperor Tenchi, who allegedly admitted that the dying emperor had the right to choose his own successor. It created a precedent for indirect inheritance, which later became very common in Japanese history. By her order, the chronicle of imperial power “Kojiki” was created, as well as the “Annals of Japan”;
• Gensho was a Japanese empress who occupied the throne from 715 to 724;
• Koken-Shotoku is one of two rulers of the Land of the Rising Sun who occupied the throne twice (the first was Empress Kogeku-Saimei). She became the 46th empress after the abdication of her father, Emperor Semu, and held office under the name Koken from 749 to 758 until she abdicated power in favor of her grandson. She next ascended the throne in 765 and ruled until 770 under the name Setoku;
• Meisho became empress after the abdication of her father, Emperor Go-Mizuno, in 1629 and occupied the throne until 1643, after which she abdicated power in favor of her younger brother. She was considered the first woman to sit on the Japanese throne since Empress Shotoku;
• Go-Sakuramachi was the last of eight women to occupy the Japanese throne, and ruled from 1762 to 1771, after which she gave up the throne to her nephew.

Women could become regents, and in fact empresses, until 1889, when the Statute of the Imperial Family was adopted. It officially stated that women could not bear the highest title of the Japanese Empire.

A little prince

Reiwa Time: Japan Announces New Era Name

The Land of the Rising Sun relied on peace and harmony during the reign of Naruhito

The now 59-year-old Naruhito, of course, was groomed to be a future emperor from childhood. Life in the palace, apparently, did not really appeal to him, but it developed a fantasy about what was beyond its external borders.

“In my position, I could not go outside the gates whenever I wanted, but as I wandered along the paths in the Akasaka Palace grounds, I felt that I was taking a trip to a part of the world that I did not know at all. For me, these paths played an important role as a means of connecting me with the unknown world,” the future emperor wrote in his autobiography.

In this way he tried to explain where his interest in the topic of public transport and the decision to write a dissertation on transport on the River Thames came from. The prince prepared her as a result of two years of study at Oxford, a period he called “the happiest time in his life.”

— Naruhito was interested in a very specific area - water communications and issues of cargo flows in a historical context. This interest later grew into an understanding of the role of water resources in human life - he is even one of the leaders of the advisory council under the UN Secretary General dedicated to water and sanitation, - Japanese specialist Dmitry Streltsov, head of the Department of Oriental Studies at MGIMO, told Izvestia.

Japan

Naruhito is the 126th Emperor of Japan, the eldest son of Emperor Akihito, who abdicated on April 30, 2021.

Photo: REUTERS/Kyodo

Japanese emperors of modern times

Japan received formal imperial status during the reign of Emperor Meiji. It was he who was able to raise the country to an unusually high level. During the reign of Emperor Meiji (1876-1912), the country achieved the following successes:

• Came out of economic and political isolation;
• Western value systems began to be actively inculcated in society;
• Reforms were carried out in industry, public administration, the economy and the banking sector;
• Industry began to develop, and at such a rapid pace that Japan was able to win the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905;
• Japan became one of the three largest maritime powers in the world;
• In 1889, Japan created its first constitution.

It was in the text of the constitution that the Japanese emperor was officially equated to a deity, and his power was practically unlimited. Although all orders and laws adopted by the emperor had to be approved by parliament, it played only a secondary role, since the constitution granted the emperor the right to dissolve parliament.

All the tasks set by the emperors of the Meiji era were the basis of Japanese foreign and domestic policy, and were immediately enshrined at the legislative level. The Emperor had the following rights:

• He could convene and dissolve parliament;
• He was the first person of the state;
• He was the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Empire;
• Could bestow titles and appoint to government positions;
• Declaring war or making peace;
• Conclude all kinds of military, political and economic alliances.

After the death of Emperor Meiji, Taisho, better known as Yoshihito, became Emperor of Japan. The period of his reign was relatively calm for the Japanese, both politically and economically. The era of the reign of Emperor Yoshihito entered the history of Japanese statehood as “Great Justice”.

In 1926, Showa, better known as Hirohito, became Emperor of Japan. It was under him that Japan took part in World War II on the side of Nazi Germany. Despite the fact that many are still convinced that it was Hirohito who became the ideological inspirer of Japan’s entry into the war, the emperor himself tried to resolve everything peacefully until the very end. Placed in a hopeless situation, he was forced to sign a decree on the start of hostilities, as a result of which Japan suffered a crushing defeat.

Realizing that there was no escape from the war, Hirohito supported his army and people to the last. After the war, Japan almost lost its emperor, as the allies (especially the USSR) insisted that the emperor abdicate the throne. As a result, imperial power was preserved, although the new Japanese constitution of 1946 deprived him of real power in the country.

Further training

Immediately after graduating from school, Akihito entered the university at the department of politics of the same university that contains the specified junior educational institution. In 1952, namely in the second month of autumn, he was officially presented to the people by the Crown Prince.

The following year, the guy traveled to 14 countries around the world, during which he stopped in London. There he attended the coronation of Catherine II and spoke on behalf of his father.

The university was graduated in 1956. Three years later, the President of Japan married the daughter of the ruler of one of the large flour-grinding companies. Thus, he destroyed his family’s tradition of marrying only with a partner of exclusively aristocratic blood. The woman was born into the society of the intelligentsia.

Functions of the Japanese Emperor at present

After the end of World War II, Japan established a constitutional monarchy, which still exists there today. Similar monarchies exist in Great Britain, Sweden and the Netherlands. It is noteworthy that the power of the Japanese emperor is significantly less than the power of the English queen. Japanese Emperor Hirohito, who held this title until his death in 1989, like his successor Akihito, who is currently emperor, is not involved in any way in the management of Japanese government affairs.

The Japanese Emperor ceded all his powers to the Cabinet of Ministers, which is headed by the Prime Minister. Representative functions, organization and participation in state ceremonies remained under the authority of the imperial court. In addition, the emperor has the right:

• Submit candidates to parliament for the role of Prime Minister and Head of the Supreme Court. However, this right is purely advisory in nature;
• As a personal initiative, the Japanese Emperor may submit amendments to existing laws to Parliament;
• Proclaim elections of deputies;
• Provide amnesties;
• Confirm ministers and major government officials;
• Accept all kinds of letters from foreign ambassadors.

The maintenance of the imperial court is the responsibility of the Cabinet of Ministers, and its budget is approved annually at the state level. Now the Japanese Emperor is no longer the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, since this function has been transferred to the Prime Minister.

The current Emperor of Japan, Akihito, has ruled the country since 1989. He has three children and a wife, Empress Michiko. Now he is 84 years old, but he leads an active lifestyle, appearing with his wife at many official events in Japan. If Emperor Akihito dies, his eldest son Naruhito will become the new emperor. In 2021, the Japanese parliament passed a new law according to which the current emperor can voluntarily abdicate the throne in favor of his eldest son.

Michiko Sede

Emperor's wife Michiko was born in 1934 on October 20th. Her family is a highly respected group of Japanese intellectuals. At the same time, two of her relatives received the highest state award, which is awarded personally by the emperor for outstanding achievements in science. The woman can play the piano and harp. She also enjoys spending her free time embroidering. She really likes literature and floristry. By translating the poems of one of Japan's poets, Michiko made him famous throughout the world, and the author was soon given an honorary award.

Residence of the Emperors of Japan

Currently, the residence of the Japanese emperors is located in Tokyo. This is where the Koiko palace complex is located. The emperor's residence appeared in Tokyo in 1869. It was then that Emperor Meiji moved from Kyoto to Tokyo. The palace looks like a real fortress, and this is not surprising, because it was built on the site of Edo Castle, which was a real fortress.

During World War II, the palace complex of the Japanese Emperor was repeatedly bombed and was seriously damaged. It was completely restored only in 1968. Now the residence of the Japanese emperors is the largest residence in the whole world. It is here that the emperor’s chambers are located, and official ceremonies and meetings take place here. During major public holidays, which include the emperor's birthday, tourists are allowed into some parts of the palace complex.

Personal life

In his youth, Naruhito, who was seriously involved in education, had no time for his personal life, and the crown prince married only at the age of 33. The chosen one was Masako Owada, who worked as a diplomat at the Japanese Foreign Ministry. Naruhito proposed to the 29-year-old girl twice, and at the beginning of 1993, Masako agreed. Six months later, a magnificent wedding took place in Tokyo. The ceremony was attended by European leaders, monarchs and 800 dignitaries.

Embed from Getty Images Naruhito and wife Masako Owada

In the first years after the wedding, there were no children in the family, and the only daughter of Naruhito and Masako, who was named Aiko, was born in December 2001. The appearance of the girl caused a lot of discussion about the possibility of succession to the throne through the female line, because the younger brother Naruhito also raised two daughters. The possibility of introducing changes to the law obliging the transfer of the throne only to boys was considered, but in 2006 Fumihito had a son, and the issue was closed.

This situation with the need to give birth to a male heir and public pressure negatively affected Masako’s health: the prince’s wife fell into severe depression, so he was forced to turn to the people and ask for sympathy in connection with the princess’s rare appearances in public.

Naruhito's height is 162 cm.