List of rulers of Japan

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The rulers of Japan have been its Emperors, whether effectively or nominally, for its entire recorded history. These include the ancient legendary emperors, the attested but undated emperors of the Yamato period (early fifth to early 6th centuries), and the clearly dated emperors of 539 to the present. Political power was held in various eras by regents and shoguns, and since 1946 has been exercised exclusively by the Prime Minister as leader of a representative government.

Period Nominal rulers Effective powers c
Foundation–Heian period Emperors,
660 BC (traditional)–present
Emperors
Soga clan, 530s645
Fujiwara clan, 850s1070
Taira clan, 1160s1185
Nara
Kyoto
Kamakura period Kamakura Shoguns, 11921333
Regents of Kamakura Shogunate, 12031333
Kamakura
Kemmu restoration Emperor Go-Daigo, 13331336
Ashikaga Takauji, 13331336
Kyoto
Muromachi period Ashikaga Shoguns, 13381568 (1573)
Northern Court Emperors, 13361392
Sakai Kubō (Hosokawa and Miyoshi clan), 15271532
Regional daimyos, during Sengoku period
Kyoto
Azuchi-Momoyama period Oda Nobunaga, 15681582
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, 15821598
Five Commissioners, 15851600
Council of Five Elders, 15981600
Azuchi
Kyoto
Osaka
Edo period Tokugawa Shoguns, 16031867
Tairō of Tokugawa Shogunate, 16361865
Edo (Tokyo)
After Meiji restoration Emperors, 18671947
Kido Takayoshi, 18671877
Saigō Takamori, 18671873
Ōkubo Toshimichi, 18671878
Prime Ministers, 1885–present
Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, 19451952
Tokyo

[edit] See also