What Is The Emperor of Japan?

Most people have heard of and know that there is an emperor of Japan but do you really know what that means? What is the Emperor of Japan?

We are going to be trying to understand what the Tenno is within the political structure of Japan.  

The Emperor of Japan is known as the Tenno. I will be referring to the Japanese emperor exclusively as Tenno because it will better serve to illustrate the unique political and religious function that position has performed throughout the ages. There are five primary eras of Tenno throughout Japanese history. 

• The pre-Tenno period (pre/proto history) 

• The Yamato court Period 8th Century - 12th century 

• The Bakufu Period 12th century - 19th century 

• Constitutional Period 19th century - 20th century 

• Post Tenno period  20th century - today. 

The Tenno is the wellspring of authority, and power flows from that position out into the world. There have been 5 major paradigms dealing with the Tenno throughout Japanese history. 

Pre-Tenno Period- The Tenno is the incarnation of the Kami’s authority in the world. The Tenno is a self illuminating diode whose power is made incarnate.  

Yamato Court: The power of the Tenno flows into the branches of the Yamato court and is carried out by the ministers and retainers. 

The Bakufu: Power comes from the Tenno but is stored and utilized by the Bakufu (tent government). The Shogunate acts and rules as stewards of Japan. 

The Constitutional Period: The Authority of the Tenno is invested into the constitution and through the mechanisms of legislation, the will of the Tenno is carried out. 

The Post Tenno Period: The Tenno no longer is a source of authority. Legitimate authority no longer originates in the Kami but now in the consent of the people of Japan. 

LEGENDARY ORIGINS

Historically, the Tenno has served as a conduit of power. The role of the Tenno was to govern and cultivate the people of the world (Ashihara-no-nakatsukuni (葦原中国) - The Reed / field middle country) on behalf of Ameteratsu. In this storied origin of the position the rhetoric is established that the Tenno is the prime emissary on earth for the Kami and that it is by their authority that the Tenno will govern the people. Ninigi no Mikoto and his descendants were chosen to be the representative of Ameteratsu OKami but it would not be until his grandson Jimmu migrated to the Nara/Kyoto/Osaka region that he would take on the title of Tenno. 

Pre-Tenno Period

This is the narrative that begins the Pre-Tenno period. This period is characterized by legendary and pseudo-legendary figures such as the early Tenno, and other important political figures like Prince Shotoku and Soga no Umako. The period begins with authority resting solely with the Yamato court and as the branches of the Yamato clan expand some are distinguished and found separate clans that still maintain tremendous influence in the Yamato court. Towards the end of the pre-historic period into the proto-historic period of the Yamato narrative we see the emergence of political scheming. Powerful clans begin to maneuver themselves into higher positions of power trying to gain greater and greater influence on the Yamato court and the Tenno. 

Historic Period 

Once we reach the Historic period in the 8th century there is a well established paradigm of  legitimate authority in Japan. The Tenno is the undisputed position of authority and in order to control political power in Japan, you need to control that position. The accepted paradigm is that the Tenno can not be replaced because they are a descendant of the Kami so we don’t see any outright dynastic changes even through open war and violent conspiracies. During this period the Fujiwara clan dominates the political scene and controls power of the Tenno as it moves through the mechanisms of the Yamato court to exercise their influence in Japan. 

The Bakufu - 

In the aftermath of a series of disastrous civil wars, there was a rise in power of the military clans throughout Japan. A three year old Tenno headed the Yamato court at the end of the wars and Minamoto Yoritomo capitalized on the opportunity by seizing the reins of power and establishing complete control over the government by the Bakufu. 

Minamoto Yoritomo established a tent government after a series of brutal wars and ushered in the feudal era of Japan. During this time, authority in the state still came from the Tenno but in name only. The shoguns justified their rule of Japan by claiming to be the military stewards in service to the Tenno. It is by the Tenno’s authority that they govern and administer to the people of Japan. Here we see authority emanating from the Tenno and flowing out to be made manifest by the Military government under the Shoguns.

The Constitution

The European and American powers came knocking at the door in the late 19th century. There was a young shogun and an older ambitious Tenno. The Tenno launched a civil war to reclaim the apparatus of government that had been built and cultivated by the Shoguns. Once the Meiji restoration was underway the Tenno would utilize modern mechanisms of government. The Meiji Imperial court went about establishing a constitutional government to wield the power of and be guided by Meiji Tenno. 

Post-War / Post-Tenno Period 

Post WWII the power of the Tenno was stripped. No longer would that position serve as the locus of power for Japan. Similar to prior, the constitutional government would be the conduit through which power would be enacted upon the world but now instead of coming from the tenno the constitution redefined the source of legitimate authority to be from the consent of the people of Japan. This is the period we live in now. The Tenno in Japan no longer is identified “legally” as the source of authority and the actual power and authority of the Tenno has been stripped. The Tenno is now a medium through which the three branches of the Japanese government are able to carry out their will and governance.