Departments
Intermediate Japanese - Free Online Course
TENNŌ
天皇
Japanese emperor
According to legend, the first Japanese emperor, Jinmu, established his reign over “the Land of the Rising Sun” in 660 B.C. Many historians believe that Jinmu in fact never existed. Nevertheless, tradition holds that the imperial line of succession begun in ancient times remains unbroken. The current emperor, Akihito, is the 125th emperor of this line.
In more recent times, there have been two major changes to the official status of the Japanese emperor. The first of these took place in 1889, when the Meiji Constitution “restored” the official rule of the emperor over the state. (National administration had previously been the province of the Tokugawa shoguns.) The Meiji Constitution gave the emperor control over civilian as well as military matters.
After Japan’s defeat in World War II, a “New Constitution” made the emperor a constitutional monarch. According to this constitution, which was promulgated in 1947, the emperor was a “symbol” of the Japanese state and its national unity. The emperor no longer has any power over government; his role is strictly ceremonial.