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71-452: In the late Nara period , after the establishment of a centralized government under the Ritsuryō system, local rule over the provinces was standardized under a kokufu (provincial capital), and each province was divided into smaller administrative districts , known as (郡, gun, kōri), composed of 2–20 townships in 715 AD. The kokufu complex contained the official residence and offices of

142-712: A deity ). Following Japan's surrender, the Allies issued the Shinto Directive separating church and state within Japan. In 1946, Emperor Shōwa was forced to proclaim the Humanity Declaration , but the declaration excludes the word arahitogami ( 現人神 ) , including the unusual word akitsumikami ( 現御神 , living god) instead. As such, some experts doubt whether his divinity was renounced. Jean Herbert said it would be inadmissible to deny his divine origin. Emperor Shōwa

213-582: A ceremonial head of state without even nominal political powers. For example, the emperor is the head of the Japanese honors system , conferring orders, decorations, medals, and awards in the name of the state and on behalf of its people in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet. Since the mid-nineteenth century, the emperor and other members of the imperial family have resided at the Imperial Palace , located on

284-468: A cliff formed by the Tama River , with the site currently occupied by the Ōkunitama Shrine . The surrounding area contains many Kofun period remains, and from the late 7th to late 8th century, the population of an area 2.4 kilometers east-to-west by 1.2 kilometers north-to-south of this shrine had a massive population growth, with the traces of more than 4000 pit dwellings having been discovered under what

355-513: A defected Kamakura general. The short three-year period during which the power was directly in the hand of the emperor is called the Kenmu Restoration . The direct ruling of the emperor proved however inefficient and ultimately failed, with Takauji grabbing political power for himself. In July 1853, Commodore Perry 's Black Ships of the US Navy made their first visit to Edo Bay . Japan lacked

426-403: A five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capital of Japanese civilization until Emperor Kanmu established a new capital, Nagaoka-kyō , in 784, before moving to Heian-kyō , modern Kyoto , a decade later in 794. Japanese society during this period was predominantly agricultural and centered on village life. Most of the villagers followed Shintō ,

497-570: A member of the Fujiwara clan, Hirotsugu, launched a rebellion from his base in Fukuoka, Kyushu. Although the rebellion was defeated, there is no doubt that the emperor was shocked and frightened by these events, and he moved the palace three times in only five years from 740, until he eventually returned to Nara. In the late Nara period, financial burdens on the state increased, and the court began dismissing nonessential officials. In 792 universal conscription

568-508: A minister in order to take effect, thus passing political responsibility to the minister. By contrast, Japan is one of only two such sovereign states where the monarch is not even the nominal chief executive; the other is Sweden . Rather, Article 65 of the Constitution of Japan explicitly vests executive authority in the Cabinet , of which the prime minister is the leader. The emperor

639-452: A population of 200,000 (representing nearly 7% of the country's population) and some 10,000 people worked in government jobs. Economic and administrative activity increased during the Nara period. Roads linked Nara to provincial capitals, and taxes were collected more efficiently and routinely. Coins were minted, if not widely used. Outside the Nara area, there was little commercial activity, and in

710-586: A religion based on the worship of natural and ancestral spirits named kami . The capital at Nara was modeled after Chang'an , the capital city of the Tang dynasty . In many other ways, the Japanese upper classes patterned themselves after the Chinese, including adopting the Chinese writing system, Chinese fashion, and a Chinese version of Buddhism . Concentrated efforts by the imperial court to record its history produced

781-551: A unique culture that was different from the Japanese people. They were eventually subjugated by the Ritsuryō . Relations with the Korean kingdom of Silla were initially peaceful, with regular diplomatic exchanges. The rise of Balhae north of Silla destabilized Japan-Silla relations. Balhae sent its first mission in 728 to Nara, which welcomed them as the successor state to Goguryeo , with which Japan had been allied until Silla unified

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852-572: Is also not the commander-in-chief of the Japan Self-Defense Forces . Instead, the Japan Self-Defense Forces Act of 1954 explicitly vests supreme command and control in the prime minister. Nevertheless, the emperor remains Japan's internationally recognized head of state. The emperor's fundamental role within the machinery of the Japanese constitution is to perform important representational functions as "…the symbol of

923-668: Is barred from making political statements. It is the emperor's preeminent constitutional duty to appoint the Prime Minister as designated by the Diet and the Chief Justice as designated by the Cabinet. However, the emperor does not have the authority to decline the nominations. The emperor's other responsibilities, laid down in Article 7 of the Constitution, concern the basic functioning of

994-523: Is given to a number of competitions such as football, judo, volleyball, and the top division yūshō winner of a sumo tournament. Although the emperor has been a symbol of continuity with the past, the degree of power exercised by the emperor has varied considerably throughout Japanese history. According to the traditional account of the Nihon Shoki , Japan was founded by Emperor Jimmu 2683 years ago. However most modern scholars agree to regard Jimmu and

1065-403: Is now the center of Fuchū city. Per an archaeological excavation of the shrine precincts and the surrounding area, the layout of structures corresponding to that of the semi-standardized format for a government office complex was found. The ruins consisted of the foundations for the pillars used for a two large buildings orientated east-to-west, and three buildings arranged north-to-south, with

1136-442: Is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan . The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of the people with whom resides sovereign power". The Imperial Household Law governs the line of imperial succession . Pursuant to his constitutional role as a national symbol, and in accordance with rulings by

1207-560: Is the only remaining monarch and head of state in the world who holds the title of Emperor . Most constitutional monarchies formally vest executive power in the reigning monarch in their capacity as the head of state, who in turn is bound by either convention or statute to act on the advice of ministers responsible to the duly elected parliament. Some monarchies, such as those in Belgium , Denmark , Spain and Thailand , codify this principle by requiring royal acts to be countersigned by

1278-519: The Man'yōshū , was compiled from poems mostly composed between 600 and 759 CE. This, and other Nara texts, used Chinese characters to express the sounds of Japanese , known as man'yōgana . Before the Taihō Code was established, the capital was customarily moved after the death of an emperor because of the ancient belief that a place of death was polluted. Reforms and bureaucratization of government led to

1349-501: The Utakai Hajime is the annual poetry reading competition convened by the emperor. The emperor is supported in this function by the empress and other members of the imperial family, who have honorary patronages of many associations and organisations. They travel extensively throughout the year within the country to uphold these roles. In sports, the Emperor's Cup (天皇賜杯, Tennō shihai )

1420-461: The kokushi , the official sent from the central government as provincial governor, along with buildings housing offices concerned with general administration, farming, finance, police and military. In the periphery there was a provincial school ( kokugaku ), the garrison and storehouses for taxes. The Musashi Provincial Capital ruins are located in the Miyamachi neighborhood of Fuchū, at the edge of

1491-586: The shōguns , or their shikken regents in Kamakura (1203–1333), were the de facto rulers of Japan, although they were nominally appointed by the emperor. After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the emperor was the embodiment of all sovereign power in the realm, as enshrined in the Meiji Constitution of 1889. Since the enactment of the 1947 constitution, the role of emperor has been relegated to that of

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1562-474: The Diet and thence to the electorate. Nevertheless, the emperor enjoys three rights in the conduct of state business: (a) the right to be consulted before acting on ministerial advice; (b) the right to encourage a given policy or course of administrative action; and (c) the right to warn the Cabinet against the same. In these respects, the emperor personifies the democratic state, sanctions legitimate authority, ensures

1633-577: The Hyakumantō Darani — many examples of which survive. The small scrolls, dating from 770, are among the earliest printed works in the world. Shōtoku had the charms printed to placate the Buddhist clergy. She may even have wanted to make Dōkyō emperor, but she died before she could act. Her actions shocked Nara society and led to the exclusion of women from imperial succession and the removal of Buddhist priests from positions of political authority. Many of

1704-592: The Supreme Court of Japan , the emperor is personally immune from prosecution. By virtue of his position as the head of the Imperial House , the emperor is also recognized as the head of the Shinto religion, which holds him to be the direct descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu . According to tradition, the office of emperor was created in the 7th century BC, but the first historically verifiable emperors appear around

1775-773: The Tang court every twenty years. Many Japanese students, both lay and Buddhist priests, studied in Chang'an and Luoyang . One student named Abe no Nakamaro passed the Chinese civil examination to be appointed to governmental posts in China. He served as governor-general in Annam (Chinese Vietnam ) from 761 through 767. Many students who returned from China, such as Kibi no Makibi , were promoted to high government posts. Tang China never sent official envoys to Japan, for Japanese kings, or "emperors" as they styled themselves, did not seek investiture from

1846-485: The Three Kingdoms of Korea . Emperors of Japan Naruhito [REDACTED] Fumihito [REDACTED] Shigeru Ishiba ( LDP ) Second Ishiba Cabinet ( LDP – Komeito coalition ) [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Fukushiro Nukaga Kōichirō Genba [REDACTED] Masakazu Sekiguchi Hiroyuki Nagahama Saburo Tokura Kazuo Ueda The Emperor of Japan

1917-742: The Tōdai-ji (literally Eastern Great Temple) was built. Within it was placed the Great Buddha Daibutsu : a 16-metre-high, gilt-bronze statue. This Buddha was identified with the Sun Goddess, and a gradual syncretism of Buddhism and Shinto ensued. Shōmu declared himself the "Servant of the Three Treasures " of Buddhism: the Buddha, the law or teachings of Buddhism, and the Buddhist community. The central government established temples called kokubunji in

1988-423: The provinces . The Tōdai-ji was the kokubunji of Yamato Province (present-day Nara Prefecture ). Although these efforts stopped short of making Buddhism the state religion, Nara Buddhism heightened the status of the imperial family. Buddhist influence at court increased under the two reigns of Shōmu's daughter. As Empress Kōken (r. 749–758) she brought many Buddhist priests into court. Kōken abdicated in 758 on

2059-475: The 21 Musashi counties written on tiles and rocks with a spatula, engraving, and ink. The site is about a five-minute walk from Fuchūhommachi Station on the JR East Musashino Line . Nara period The Nara period ( 奈良時代 , Nara jidai ) of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara ). Except for

2130-539: The 5th or 6th centuries AD . The role of the Emperor of Japan has historically alternated between a largely ceremonial symbolic role and that of an actual imperial ruler. Since the establishment of the first shogunate in 1192, the emperors of Japan have rarely taken on a role as supreme battlefield commander, unlike many Western monarchs . Japanese emperors have nearly always been controlled by external political forces, to varying degrees. For example, between 1192 and 1867,

2201-434: The 7th–8th centuries AD. The growth of the samurai class from the 10th century gradually weakened the power of the imperial family over the realm, leading to a time of instability. Emperors are known to have come into conflict with the reigning shogun from time to time. Some instances, such as Emperor Go-Toba 's 1221 rebellion against the Kamakura shogunate and the 1336 Kenmu Restoration under Emperor Go-Daigo , show

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2272-568: The Chinese emperor. A local Chinese government in the Lower Yangzi Valley sent a mission to Japan to return Japanese envoys who entered China through Balhae . The Chinese local mission could not return home due to the An Lushan Rebellion and remained in Japan. The Hayato people (隼人) in southern Kyushu frequently resisted rule by the imperial dynasty during the Nara period. They are believed to be of Austronesian origin and had

2343-676: The Empire, combining in Himself the rights of sovereignty", and he "exercises them, according to the provisions of the present Constitution". His rights included to sanction and promulgate laws, to execute them and to exercise "supreme command of the Army and the Navy". The liaison conference created in 1893 also made the emperor the leader of the Imperial General Headquarters . On Meiji's death in 1912 and

2414-532: The House of Representatives. Extra sessions usually convene in the autumn and are opened then. The Tennō is regarded as the foremost Shintō priest in terms of religion. This sacred duty dates back to the Niiname-sai (新嘗祭, "tasting of new rice") imperial harvest festival. In this ritual, the emperor presents newly gathered rice to the gods. The celebration is known as Daijōsai (大嘗祭, "Great Tasting") and takes place in

2485-506: The Imperial Household Agency reversed its position and decided to allow researchers to enter some of the kofun with limited time and way. In the early 7th century, the emperor had begun to be called the " Son of Heaven " ( 天子 , tenshi , or 天子様 tenshi-sama ) . The title of emperor was borrowed from China, being derived from Chinese characters, and was retroactively applied to the legendary Japanese rulers who reigned before

2556-534: The Japanese artworks and imported treasures from other countries during the era of Emperors Shōmu and Shōtoku are archived in Shōsō-in of Tōdai-ji temple. They are called "Shōsōin treasures" and illustrate the cosmopolitan culture known as Tempyō culture . Imported treasures show the cultural influences of Silk Road areas, including China, Korea, India, and the Islamic empire. Shosoin stores more than 10,000 paper documents,

2627-514: The State and of the unity of the People, deriving his position from the will of the people with whom resides sovereign power." He is limited to performing "acts in matters of state" as delineated by the Constitution, without even nominal powers related to government . Moreover, said acts are only exercised in accordance with the binding advice and consent of the Cabinet , which is collectively responsible to

2698-633: The accession of his son Taishō , who suffered from ill-health and various disabilities, many of these powers were assumed by the Imperial Diet in an era known as the Taishō Democracy . Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) was in power during the Pacific War ; he controlled both the sovereign of the state and the imperial forces. The role of the emperor as head of the State Shinto religion was exploited during

2769-399: The advice of her cousin, Fujiwara no Nakamaro . When the retired empress came to favor a Buddhist faith healer named Dōkyō , Nakamaro rose up in arms in 764 but was quickly crushed. Kōken charged the ruling emperor with colluding with Nakamaro and had him deposed. Kōken reascended the throne as Empress Shōtoku (r. 764–770). The empress commissioned the printing of 1 million prayer charms —

2840-614: The ancient tombs known as kofun , constructed between the early 3rd century and the early 7th century AD. However, since the Meiji period , the Imperial Household Agency has refused to open the kofun to the public or to archaeologists, citing their desire not to disturb the spirits of the past emperors. Kofun period artefacts were also increasingly crucial in Japan as the Meiji government used them to reinforce their authority. In 2016,

2911-441: The buildings in a U-shaped orientation. Traces of moats on the south, west and north sides of these foundations indicate that they occupied a complex roughly 100 meters square, with the total complex measuring 300 meters from north to south by 200 meters from east to west. The complex was built in the first half of the 8th century and fell into ruins around the end of the 10th century. The Wamyō Ruijushō from 935 AD states only that

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2982-523: The call of sonnō jōi ("revere the emperor, expel the barbarians"). The domains of Satsuma and Chōshū , historic enemies of the Tokugawa, used this turmoil to unite their forces and won an important military victory outside of Kyoto against Tokugawa forces. On 9 November 1867, the Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu formally stepped down to restore Emperor Meiji to nominal full power. He issued

3053-444: The city of Nara at the end of the eighth century. Shorelines and stone settings were naturalistic, different from the heavier, earlier continental mode of constructing pond edges. Two such gardens have been found at excavations; both were used for poetry-writing festivities. The Nara court aggressively imported knowledge about the Chinese civilization of its day (the Tang dynasty ) by sending diplomatic envoys known as kentōshi to

3124-422: The court after the death of Fujiwara no Fuhito . Fuhito was succeeded by four sons, Muchimaro , Umakai , Fusasaki , and Maro. They put Emperor Shōmu, the prince by Fuhito's daughter, on the throne. In 729, they arrested Nagaya and regained control. As a major outbreak of smallpox spread from Kyūshū in 735, all four brothers died two years later, resulting in temporary reduction in the Fujiwara dominance. In 740,

3195-540: The emperor with great symbolic authority, but little political power, to the pope , and the shōgun to secular European rulers (e.g., the Holy Roman emperor ). In keeping with the analogy, they even used the term "emperor" in reference to the shōguns and their regents, e.g. in the case of Toyotomi Hideyoshi , whom missionaries called "Emperor Taico-sama" (from Taikō and the honorific sama ). A Dutch embassy report used similar terminology in 1691. Empress Go-Sakuramachi

3266-486: The emperors, who were still the source of sovereignty, although they could not exercise their powers independently from the shogunate. During the major part of 1192 to 1867, political sovereignty of the state was exercised by the shōguns or their shikken regents (1203–1333), whose authority was conferred by Imperial warrant. When Portuguese explorers first came into contact with the Japanese (see Nanban period ), they described Japanese conditions in analogy, likening

3337-422: The era was the permanent establishment of Buddhism . Buddhism was introduced by Baekje in the sixth century but had a mixed reception until the Nara period, when it was heartily embraced by Emperor Shōmu . Shōmu and his Fujiwara consort were fervent Buddhists and actively promoted the spread of Buddhism, making it the "guardian of the state" and a way of strengthening Japanese institutions. During Shōmu's reign,

3408-454: The establishment of a permanent imperial capital at Heijō-kyō , or Nara , in AD 710. The capital was moved shortly (for reasons described later in this section) to Kuni-kyō (present-day Kizugawa ) in 740–744, to Naniwa-kyō (present-day Osaka ) in 744–745, to Shigarakinomiya (紫香楽宮, present-day Shigaraki ) in 745, and moved back to Nara in 745. Nara was Japan's first truly urban center. It soon had

3479-567: The first works of Japanese literature during the Nara period. Works such as the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki were political, used to record and therefore justify and establish the supremacy of the rule of the emperors within Japan . With the spread of written language, the writing of Japanese poetry , known in Japanese as waka , began. The largest and longest-surviving collection of Japanese poetry,

3550-480: The first year after the emperor's accession to the throne. The historical text Nihonshoki , written in the year 720, has the first mention of this ceremony, whose beginnings are believed to date back even further. The event evolved through time to become the Day of Thanksgiving for Labour, a recognized official holiday today. The office of the emperor is also cultural bearer and steward of tradition and culture. For example,

3621-518: The former site of Edo Castle in the heart of Tokyo , the current capital of Japan. Earlier, emperors resided in Kyoto , the ancient capital, for nearly eleven centuries. The Emperor's Birthday (currently 23 February) is a national holiday. Naruhito is the current emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne upon the abdication of his father, Emperor Akihito , on 1 May 2019. He

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3692-408: The imperial decree of constitutionalism on 14 April 1875. The Meiji Constitution was adopted on 11 February 1889. The emperor of Japan became an active ruler with considerable political power over foreign policy and diplomacy which was shared with an elected Imperial Diet . The Japanese subjects gained many rights and duties. The constitution described the emperor (in Article 4) as: "the head of

3763-527: The late eleventh century, the city was popularly called Kyoto (capital city), the name it has had ever since. Some of Japan's literary monuments were written during the Nara period, including the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki , the first national histories, compiled in 712 and 720 respectively; the Man'yōshū , an anthology of poems; and the Kaifūsō , an anthology written in kanji by Japanese emperors and princes. Another major cultural development of

3834-410: The legality of his official acts, and guarantees the execution of the public will. These functions, when considered altogether, serve two purposes: foremost, to uphold the continuity and stability of Japanese democracy; and second, to foster a shared national identity and cultural heritage that transcends party politics. In order to maintain his institutional neutrality as Japan's national symbol, he

3905-546: The loss or abandonment of land by many people who became the "wave people" ( furōsha ). Some of these formerly "public people" were privately employed by large landholders, and "public lands" increasingly reverted to the shōen . Factional fighting at the imperial court continued throughout the Nara period. Imperial family members, leading court families, such as the Fujiwara , and Buddhist priests all contended for influence. Earlier during this period, Prince Nagaya seized power at

3976-516: The military and industrial power to prevent it. Unequal treaties coerced and took advantage of Japan. Consequently, Japan was forcibly opened to foreign trade and the shogunate proved incapable of hindering the "barbarian" interlopers; Emperor Kōmei thus began to assert himself politically. By the early 1860s, the relationship between the Imperial Court and the shogunate was changing radically. Disaffected domains and rōnin began to rally to

4047-458: The nine first emperors as mythical. Emperor Sujin , the 10th emperor, may have been a real historical figure. The emperors from Emperor Ōjin are considered as perhaps factual. As one argument, the reign of Emperor Kinmei ( c.  509 –571 AD), the 29th emperor, is the first for whom contemporary historiography is able to assign verifiable dates. Archaeological information about the earliest historical rulers of Japan may be contained in

4118-597: The people, rather than be treated like a god or robot. Inoue believes that during his reign, he transformed the symbolic role of emperor into a human being. In March 2019, the Mainichi reported 87% thought Akihito fulfilled his role as symbol of the state. On 30 April 2019, Emperor Akihito abdicated due to health issues and Heisei era ended. The previous time abdication occurred was Emperor Kōkaku in 1817. Akihito's eldest son, Naruhito ascended on 1 May 2019, referred to as Kinjō Tennō and Reiwa era started. In 1947

4189-407: The position of Tennō (emperor). Rather it is the emperor's symbolic and religious power of authority. Since the Kamakura shogunate , the emperor held de jure ownership of the realm. Throughout most of medieval Japan, the shogun 's legitimate authority was based on being appointed and receiving the power from the emperor even though the shogun was the de facto ruler. The emperor was considered

4260-420: The post-war Constitution of Japan ( 日本国憲法 , Nihonkoku-Kenpō ) became law when it received the emperor's assent on 3 November 1946. It provides for a parliamentary system of government and guarantees certain fundamental rights. Under its terms, the emperor of Japan is "the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people" and exercises a purely ceremonial role without the possession of sovereignty. It

4331-866: The power struggle between the Imperial Court in Kyoto and the military governments of Japan. There have been seven non-imperial families who have controlled Japanese emperors: the Soga (530s–645), the Fujiwara (850s–1070), the Taira (1159–1180s), the Minamoto (1192–1199), the Hōjō (1199–1333), the Ashikaga (1336–1565), and the Tokugawa (1603–1867). However, every shogun from the Minamoto, Ashikaga, and Tokugawa families had to be officially recognized by

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4402-414: The provinces the old Shōtoku land reform systems declined. By the mid-eighth century, shōen (landed estates), one of the most important economic institutions in prehistoric Japan, began to rise as a result of the search for a more manageable form of landholding. Local administration gradually became more self-sufficient, while the breakdown of the old land distribution system and the rise of taxes led to

4473-514: The provincial capital of Musashi was in "Tama County" and does not give the exact location. At least five candidate sites have been considered by scholars since the Edo period ; however, from the artifacts discovered, scale of the ruins, and its location on the Kōshū Kaidō highway linking Musashi with Kai Province , this site is now regarded as the correct one. Excavated artifacts include the names of 19 of

4544-493: The so-called Shōsōin documents ( 正倉院文書 ) . These are records written in the reverse side of the sutra or in the wrapping of imported items that survived as a result of reusing wasted official documents. Shōsōin documents contribute greatly to the historical research of Japanese political and social systems of the Nara period, and they even can be used to trace the development of the Japanese writing systems (such as katakana ). The first authentically Japanese gardens were built in

4615-461: The state. To this end, the emperor, on behalf of the Japanese people: Regular ceremonies of the emperor with a constitutional basis are the Imperial Investitures (Shinninshiki) in the Tokyo Imperial Palace and the Speech from the Throne ceremony in the House of Councillors in the National Diet Building . The latter ceremony opens ordinary and extra sessions of the Diet. Ordinary sessions are opened each January and also after new elections to

4686-452: The war, creating an Imperial cult that led to kamikaze bombers and other manifestations of fanaticism . This in turn led to the requirement in the Potsdam Declaration for the elimination "for all time of the authority and influence of those who have deceived and misled the people of Japan into embarking on world conquest". In State Shinto, the emperor was believed to be an arahitogami ( 現人神 ) (manifest kami or incarnation of

4757-404: Was abandoned, and district heads were allowed to establish private militia forces for local police work. Decentralization of authority became the rule despite the reforms of the Nara period. Eventually, to return control to imperial hands, the capital was moved in 784 to Nagaoka-kyō and in 794 to Heian-kyō (literally Capital of Peace and Tranquility), about twenty-six kilometers north of Nara. By

4828-402: Was drawn up under the Allied occupation that followed World War II and changed Japan's previous Prussian-style Meiji Constitution that granted the emperor theoretically unlimited powers. The liberal constitution was inspired by several European states. Currently, it is a rigid document and the oldest unamended constitution. Historically, territorial designations are not a requirement for

4899-460: Was excluded from the postwar Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal . Scholars dispute the power he had and the role he played during WWII. Emperor Shōwa's reign from 1926 until his death in 1989 makes him the longest-lived and longest-reigning historical Japanese emperor, and one of the longest-reigning monarchs in the world . The Emperors of Japan have not visited Yasukuni Shrine since 1978. Hirohito maintained an official boycott of Yasukuni Shrine after it

4970-552: Was revealed to him that Class-A war criminals had secretly been enshrined. The boycott was continued by his son and grandson, Akihito and Naruhito . By 1979, Emperor Shōwa was the only monarch in the world with the monarchical title " emperor ." Emperor Shōwa was the longest-reigning historical monarch in Japan's history and the world's longest reigning monarch until surpassed by King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand in July 2008. According to journalist Makoto Inoue of The Nikkei , Emperor Emeritus Akihito wanted to be closer to

5041-420: Was the last ruling empress of Japan and reigned from 1762 to 1771. During the Sakoku period of 1603 to 1868, there was very limited trade between Japan and foreigners. The Dutch were the only westerners who had limited access to Japan. Emperor Go-Daigo succeeded in 1333 to get back the direct authority directly to the emperor after overthrowing the Kamakura shogunate , with the help of Ashikaga Takauji ,

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