天照大神
Emperor Jimmu was the first emperor of Japan, and it is recorded in Japan's earliest history book, Kojiki (written in 712 AD), that he established his dynasty on February 11, 660 BC (during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period of China).
Emperor Jimmu
Due to the age of Emperor Jimmu and the fact that there are a lot of myths, like the Three Emperors and Five Emperors of China, his authenticity is not high, and there is a theory that Xu Fu, who was sent by Qin Shi Huang to find the elixir of life, was Emperor Jimmu, but it was around 210 BC at that time, and this theory is self-defeating.
Xu Fu
The lives of the eight emperors from the second to the ninth generation are appeasement, tranquility, Yide, filial piety, and enlightenment, and the lives of these eight emperors are almost impossible to verify, called "the eight generations of history", but their life span and reign are very long, even more than 100 years, and there is no doubt that they are fictitious in order to continue the "one line of ten thousand generations".
According to the Nihon Shoki (720 AD), the 10th Emperor Chongjin was enthroned on February 17 of the first year of Chongjin, that is, in 97 BC, and some people believe that he was the founder of the Chrysanthemum Dynasty.
The 11th Emperor Taruhito, the 12th Emperor Keikyo, the 13th Emperor Seimu, and the 14th Emperor Nakaai, although the Kojiki records their deeds, the authenticity is also questionable.
It was not until the fifteenth Emperor Ojin and later emperors that the credibility of his life and deeds increased due to archaeological excavations and historical research. Emperor Ojin is supposed to be the true ancestor of the Japanese emperor, who is known as the "One Lineage of Eternity".
In 607 A.D. (the 15th year of Emperor Suiko of Japan), Prince Shotoku sent Ono Meiko as an envoy to the Sui Dynasty, and the phrase "Emperor of the East respects the Emperor of the West" in his national letter was the first time that the word "Emperor" was used in a diplomatic setting. However, the Chinese Book of Sui records this national letter as "the Son of Heaven at sunrise to the Son of Heaven at sunset". It should be due to the fact that in accordance with the provisions of the "Great Treasure Order", the Japanese Shoki changed the terms "Great-king", "Maharaja", and "Emperor-honored" in historical materials to "Emperor".
The name "Emperor" comes from the Chinese Taoist concept of the Emperor of Heaven, the deified North Star (Emperor Taiyi). By the Tang Dynasty, Japan understood that "皇" was higher than "王", so they switched to the Chinese character "天皇", although it was still pronounced "てんおう" (tennō). Others say that it is a parody of the title of Tang Gaozong (Tang Gaozong is also called the emperor).
The emperor did not last long as the nominal supreme ruler of Japan!
Since the establishment of the Kamakura Shogunate (1192-1333), Japan has experienced three shogunate periods: the Kamakura Shogunate, the Muromachi Shogunate, and the Tokugawa Shogunate, and the emperor's power has been hollowed out for 682 years.
It was not until December 9, 1867, when the Shogunate faction launched a coup d'état and announced the abolition of the shogunate system, that Tokugawa Yoshiki, the last "shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate", was forced to declare the "return of the Daisei", and Meiji Emperor Muhito regained power.
Since the Meiji period, the emperor's power has reached its peak. From October 23, 1868 (September 8 of the old calendar) to Meiji, Japan embarked on a path of feudal militarism under the control and control of the emperor.
During the reign of Emperor Showa (Hirohito), he unleashed a criminal war of aggression against China and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
MacArthur and Emperor Hirohito
As the times changed, especially after the Meiji Restoration, the emperor's political power was greatly weakened, but his status as a national symbol was strengthened. The emperor no longer intervenes directly in politics, but instead becomes a symbol of unity and national image.
Culturally, the emperor remains the central figure in religious ceremonies, and through various traditional festivals and rituals, the ancient Shinto faith in Japan is maintained and its role as a spiritual pillar in the hearts of the people. This unique dual identity makes the Japanese emperor still maintain an irreplaceable position in modern society.
Atlas of successive emperors