Emperor of Japan

The Empereur of Japan (天皇, tennō ) is the Head of the Japanese State. According to the Constitution promulgated in 1947 at the time of the occupation having followed the Second world war, it has a role now only symbolic system and holds its function of the Japanese people.

The current emperor, Akihito, are the last of a succession which the tradition claims uninterrupted and which the historical legend makes begin into -660 with the emperor Jimmu, going down from the goddess Amaterasu.

For the partisans of the imperial worship, whose influence was prevalent at the time of the expansion of the era Shōwa, the emperor had a divine statute, symbolized by the imperial distinguished . This statute was the subject of a handing-over in question at the time of the occupation of the country by the American forces, the latter obliging Hirohito consequently to give up officially, in January 1946, with its nature of " divinity incarnée" ( akitsumikami ) without however giving up its divine ascent.

The current official list includes/understands 125 sovereigns (of which Akihito), among which one finds 8 empresses (of which 2 reigned under two different names).

The imperial capacity was often usurped in fact by household heads powerful, whose the best known ones are the Shogun S. to escape the pressures and to preserve their capacity, certain withdrawn emperors “” affected to leave the throne to members of their family, while exerting their control since the slides.

After having resided several centuries at Kyōto, the emperors settled in the middle of the 19th century in the old castle of Edo (Tōkyō), become Imperial palace (Kyūjō 宮城 or Kōkyo 皇居). The imperial Agence (宮内庁, kunaichō), located on the field of Kōkyo, almost all that manages concerns the emperor and his family: service of the palate and menus, health, safety, displacements and official timetable.

Name

Until the middle of the 7th century, the title of the Japanese sovereign was Amenoshita shiroshimesu ōkimi (治天下大王), literally “Large king directing territory under the sky” or Yamato ōkimi (ヤマト大王/大君), “Large king of the Yamato”; the Chinese texts appoint it “King of the Wa” (倭王, 倭国王, 大倭王 waō/wakokuō/daiwaō).

There existed in Japanese several names respectful for the emperor, employees at various times and in various circumstances (by the ministers, the emperor himself, at the time of religious ceremonies etc), but much existed only in written form and was read all Sumemima No mikoto or Sumera mikoto , “sublimates sovereign which reigns above the clouds”. Mikado (御門/帝/みかど), literally “sublimates door”, indicating in the beginning the imperial palace, was adopted by Métonymie to indicate the imperial function (as the Elysium indicates the presidential function in France) at the times Heian and Edo.

The most used name nowadays is Tennō (天皇), “celestial emperor”. It appears in Japan in VIIe century under the reign of the emperor Tenji (r.661-672) or Temmu (r.672-686). One generally thinks that the Japanese sovereigns took as a starting point their Chinese counterpart Tang Gaozong (628-683), which had been countered of this name at the origin reserved gods of the Taoïsme, official religion of the imperial family. Some, however, think that the term is of Japanese origin and reflects the divine origin of the emperors. It is used thereafter in alternation with Kōtei (皇帝), usual title of the emperors of China since Qin Shihuang, preferred in the diplomatic documents. Indicated like official name by the Meiji constitution, Tennō entirely replaces Kōtei in the official documents only as from 1936.

The reigning emperor is generally called Tennō Heika (天皇陛下) “his majesty the Emperor” or Kinjō Heika (今上陛下) “majesty present”. The late emperors are named name of their era: Shōwa Tennō (昭和天皇) “Showa emperor” for Hirohito; after its death, Akihito will be known like the “Heisei emperor” or Heisei Tennō (平成天皇). The term Teiō (帝王), literally “emperor-king”, is used for the foreign emperors.

Historic insight

See also: List of the emperors of Japan

Certain dates and of the details of the history of the emperors are the subject of controversies among the Japanese historians. The first 15 sovereigns (of which an empress regent) are regarded as legendary, and others died in if young age that they can have really controlled with difficulty. Nevertheless, the dates of reign of the complete listing remain the standard reference for the determination of the eras of the Japanese history (in Japanese - yo).

The emperor Ojin (r.270-310) would be the first to have had a real existence, but the current imperial family would go back to the emperor Keitai (r.507-531), probably founder of a new dynasty rather than heir to her predecessors. The authorization to explore the funerary tumulus partially imperial was granted in 2007 by the Agency of the imperial Family. In addition to the respect due to the imperial ancestors, reason advanced to refuse archaeological research up to now, much suspect fear of discovering that certain occupants are not emperors, or that elements point in direction of an origin Korea nne of the line, assumption suggested besides for a long time and considered openly by the current emperor at the time of a declaration.

The first historical, sovereign emperors of the Yamato, exerted their power on a limited field (northern of Kyūshū and south-west of Honshū), which extended gradually towards south-west and the North-East. The territories of Kyūshū and Honshū were completely dominated only at the 9th century. The emperor of Japan generally underwent the pressure of the allied families, of which most important were Soga (530-645), Fujiwara (850-1070), Taira, Minamoto (1192-1331), Ashikaga (1336-1565) and Tokugawa (1603-1867). Certain sovereigns withdrew themselves in a monastery to escape from it, continuing to exert a strong influence and maintaining their successor official in their dependence. This stratagem always did not avoid the conflicts, as shows it the Rébellion of Hōgen (1156). Nevertheless, the imperial function never was officially usurped nor called into question; the shoguns were thus officially invested by the emperor. It seems that this function right from the start was especially nun and symbolic system, notwithstanding the existence of strong emperors. In their descritions of the empire of the Rising sun, Portuguese and Spaniards compared the respective positions of the emperor and the shogun with those of the Pope and the emperor of the Saint empire.

The Restauration of Meiji (1868) put theoretically fine at the feudal system while placing the ground and the population directly under imperial jurisdiction, while founding a representative mode. The preeminence of the sovereign was supported by the old worship Shinto redefined like national worship affirming the divinity of the emperor. Nevertheless, the parallel forces did not disappear from the scene. The extra-governmental Council of the genro “fathers of the country”, composed members of factions having supported the Restoration, exerted an important influence as of the reign of the emperor Meiji, and the bad health of its successor the emperor Taisho allowed the chiefs of the Army and the Japanese imperial Marine to undertake their catch in hand of the capacity.

Current role

By the constitution of 1889, the emperor had already transferred most of his old capacities of absolute monarch to the representatives of the people. Its current role is defined in chapter I of the Constitution of 1947: article 1 defines it as the symbol of the State and the unit of the Japanese people; article 3 stipulates that for all its actions concerning the businesses of State, the authorization of the cabinet is necessary; article 4 specifies that it is not qualified as regards government; article 6 gives him the capacity to accredit the Prime Minister and the chief of the supreme court (named respectively by the diet and the cabinet); article 7 gives him the capacity to act as Head of the State with the approval of the cabinet. Contrary to the majority of the constitutional monarchies, the emperor of Japan thus does not have any reserved capacity but finds himself in a situation close to that of king de Suède. He fills the majority of the roles of a Head of State and is recognized as such by the foreign powers (the diplomatic accreditations are presented to him by the foreign ambassadors for example). He exists there a recurring controversy in Japan concerning the way in which the emperor must be considered: Head of the State, or nobody acting as Head of State. Attempts of the preserving forces in the Fifties to amend the constitution in order to appoint the emperor clearly as Head of State were rejected.

Alliances

The sovereigns preceding the emperor Taisho (1912-1926) had several wives and concubines of noble origin, including in theory one (or more rarely two) empress (S) in title. The choice of these women as their row was given according to their family of birth. It seems that in the beginning the empresses came from the imperial clan itself. Thereafter, they were generally selected in the allied clan most powerful, which was first of all the Soga with the Life - VIIe centuries. The relai was taken at the beginning of VIIIe century (emperor Shomu) by the Fujiwara. The practice to choose the empress in the imperial clan or the principal allied clan made that a consanguineous relation existed between the imperial couple, very brought closer sometimes, especially in the first centuries (half-brother and sister or uncle and niece). The father-in-law of the emperor, who was often his maternal uncle, exerted an important power. Fujiwara, in particular, allotted in a hereditary way the positions of regents (Sessho and Kampaku) and dominated the policy during the Period Heian (794-1185). Fujiwara No Michinaga (966-1027), to ensure its capacity, made create a second position of empress ( chugu 中宮, term including in the beginning the empress in title and the empresses dowagers) for her Shosi daughter, equal to the position of kogo (皇后) held by Teishi, girl of its older brother Fujiwara No Michitaka. Even after the rise of the shoguns Minamoto, Will conceal and Ashikaga, the five principal branches of the clan Fujiwara (Ichijo, Kujo, Nijo, Konoe and Takatsukasa) continued to provide the main part of the empresses. This fact was ratified officially at the time of the restoration of Meiji (1889); the girls of the five large Fujiwara branches and the imperial clan were designated like the only ready ones to reach the statute of empress. The last Fujiwara empress was Teimei, wife of Taisho. The empress Kojun, woman of Hirohito, came from the imperial clan; his/her Akihito son was the first to marry a woman who did not come from the nobility (empress Michiko).

The reigning empresses or regents were in general installation by the principal allied family to protect her interests in the absence of a male heir dependant on the clan, or in the event of insoluble conflict between two applicants. During their reign, they remained unmarried, unless they did not arrive or returned to the capacity already widowed. The question of the choice of an emperor consort thus never arose.

Succession

Formerly

According to traditional historiography, the title of emperor of Japan always remained in the same patrilineal clan (Yamato line) since the legendary beginnings of the dynasty with VIIe front century J. - C. Even if it is not reality, it is in any case probable that since the first historical emperor (fine of the 3rd century), the successive sovereigns maintained between them authentic bonds of consanguinity, more especially as imperial wives and concubines being generally resulting from a number limited families; even Keitai (450-531), which seems to be come from a clan different from that from his predecessors, was related for them by the women.

The Trône of the chrysanthemum was transmitted according to the patrilineal principle, but with a certain flexibility. Contrary to the French Monarchy, no order rigorous of succession seems to be imposed, the transmission being able to be done of brother with brother as well as of father with wire, with in this last case priority with wire of the empress in title, but also possibility of adopting the son of another male member of the family. At the time of the emperor Go-Saga (1220-1272), an alternation of the imperial function was founded between two collateral branches resulting from two imperial princes. The system finishes badly, giving place to the appearance of two rival emperors, one of north and one of the southern. As from the 16th century, the transmission of the throne to the oldest son became the most usual mode, without to be an official obligation. It was also possible with an imperial princess to go up on the throne, but not to transmit it, this is why the reigning empresses were in general named on standby valid male candidate and remained unmarried, unless they are not already widowed. Many emperors abdicated after a few ten years of reign, either to direct in the slides, or to enjoy a comfortable retirement. The imperial function, in the strongly religious beginning, had very constraining ritual aspects unfavorable to the effective exercise of the capacity.

Since Meiji

Article 2 of the constitution of 1889 interdict formally that the throne is occupied by a woman. The law on the imperial family specified that the wire of the emperor took the step on his brothers and its nephews in the succession; if the emperor did not have wire, the throne passed to the collateral branch nearest. The emperor was authorized to take one or more concubines so necessary, which will make besides the emperor Meiji, the empress being sterile. In 1947, the prohibition of the women on the throne was maintained and cuts it of the reduced imperial family to the descendants of the emperor Taisho. Only the legitimate biological sons can inherit the throne, excluding the recourse to the adoptions and the concubines.

Starting from the birth in 2001 of the princess Aiko, girl of the current crown prince Naruhito, a debate rose in Japan concerning the relevance to submit to the Diet a proposal for a revision of the laws of succession aiming at authorizing the accession of the women to the Throne of the chrysanthemum. The drastic reduction of the number of collateral branches authorized to inherit, associated with the strict monogamy, can indeed lead to a total absence of male heir. Thus, the younger brother of Naruhito, Akishino, had at the time two girls; the three other possible heirs, brother or cousins of Akihito, already quinqua or sexagenerians, were also without male descent. In January 2005, the Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi set up a composite commission of judges, academics and executives of the administration to study the possible changes with the rules of succession and to propose recommendations in this respect. October 25th, 2005, the opening of the throne to the women was recommended and in January 2006, Koizumi promised to undertake a legislative change, but the arrival in the world this same year of the prince Hisahito suspended this project, as the new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared officially given up in January 2007.

References and notes

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