Database: The Emperor

The Japanese monarchy is headed by a figure who has been called many things throughout Japan's history. Western countries often use the term "emperor," although Christian missionaries in the 16th century referred to him as a "pope" and the daimyō as "kings." In truth, though he once ruled and reigned, the emperor had very little authority during this time. The dynasty's economic power had greatly diminished due to the collapse of the shōen manor system and the decline of his military forces. The imperial court was sustained by the patronage of the great lords, who made their wealth from the lands they seized (which had once belonged to the court). The prestige of the imperial court was based its dynastic lineage and its ability to bestow titles: a relic of an old system of codes from the 7th and 8th centuries that had been reduced to symbolic value only.

Despite this, warriors still considered the emperor to be of high importance. Once Oda Nobunaga entered Kyoto in 1573, he eventually abolished the Ashikaga shogunate, but never contested the imperial system. The emperor granted Hideyoshi the right to bear the name "Toyotomi," which meant that he became a high-ranking kuge (a court noble by imperial decree) even though the court held only symbolic power. Then, Hideyoshi was appointed to positions such as naidaijin (inner minister), kampaku (imperial regent), and daijō-daijin (Chancellor of the Realm): positions that only the emperor could grant, but which were nothing more than honorary titles. The emperor, who had once been a monarch who ruled and governed, had become a purely symbolic figure, yet the warriors continued to accord him considerable importance despite the incessant civil wars. Similarly, in 1603, it was the emperor who conferred the hereditary title of shōgun (sei-i taishōgun, great general tasked with pacifying the eastern barbarians) to Tokugawa Ieyasu.