When you think of Japanese surnames, you can easily think of a lot: Sato, Suzuki, Honda, Toyota...
However, if you want to talk about the emperor's surname, I am afraid that I can't think of it even if I want to break my head. The reason is simple, the Japanese emperor and members of the imperial family do not have surnames. How can a head of state have a name and no name?
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako
The Emperor is a unique being
First of all, the Japanese emperor is known as the "one lineage of all generations", focusing on a bloodline that will be passed down forever. All the emperors came from the same family and there was never a change of dynasty. The reason why we ordinary people have surnames is to distinguish them from other families. But the Japanese imperial family did not have this demand, because in Japan, the emperor is unique and does not need to be deliberately named.
Similarly, the Japanese imperial family did not have a household registration, but instead the "Imperial Genealogy", which recorded the names of the emperors. The Imperial Genealogy has also become a symbol of the Emperor's "Ten Thousand Generations lineage". Interestingly, as the emperor's ancestor "Emperor Ancestor God", the Amaterasu God was also recorded, and the imperial power was justified.
The Emperor is the supreme power
In ancient Japan, only the privileged classes were entitled to surnames, and it was the emperor who granted them surnames. But the emperor is already the apex of the pyramid of power, and no one has the right to give the emperor a "surname", so the emperor has no surname.
In this way, it is quite reasonable.
Titles and palace numbers
Members of the Japanese imperial family do not have surnames, but they do have titles and palace names.
After the emperor's heirs are born, there will be a "title" (i.e., a young name) before the official name, such as "Jigong" before Emperor Akihito became crown prince, and Emperor Naruhito used to be called "Haogong".
In addition to the crown prince, other princes will establish a palace family with the approval of the imperial household department after they reach adulthood or marriage, and the emperor will give a "palace number", and there are currently 4 palace families in Akishinogu Palace, Tsunewa Palace, Mikasa Palace, and Takagi Palace, and the palace number is hereditary by the male descendants of the palace family. Among them, we are more familiar with the family of Prince Wenren of Qiuzhigong, the younger brother of Emperor Deren today.
Mr. and Mrs. Wenren and their son Yujin
With the withering of the Japanese imperial family, only the Akishinomiya family still has a male heir, which is known as Prince Yuhito. The other 3 houses are facing the dilemma of generational disconnection.
The imperial model stipulates that the throne is passed on to men and not women, and Yujin, who is only 15 years old this year, has become the second in line to the throne of Japan, second only to his father Fumihito, which can be described as a single seedling. In the context of the demographic crisis of the imperial family, it is really difficult to say how long the Japanese imperial family of the "ten thousand generations" can last.
Text/Wisdom of yellow stewed chicken rice
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