State of Japan Index

Naruhito, Emperor of Japan, reigned 2019 – present; Credit – Wikipedia

Japan is an island country located in the Pacific Ocean, off the eastern coast of the Asian continent. It has five main islands – Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Okinawa. The Emperor of Japan is currently the only sovereign in the world with the English title of “emperor”. The Japanese Imperial Family is the longest-reigning dynasty in the world. The first known Emperor was Jimmu who lived from 660 B.C. to 585 B.C. The Imperial Family is therefore approximately 2,600 years old. The Japanese believe that Emperor Jimmu was descended from the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu, who created Japan. All subsequent Japanese emperors have claimed descent from Emperor Jimmu and, as a result, they were revered as a living God. In 1946, Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) renounced his divinity by publicly announcing, “I am no more divine. I am a human.”

In the Japanese Imperial Family and among the Japanese people, there are very specific naming conventions. Information can be found at Japanese Naming Conventions. One of the naming conventions which will be noticed in the index below is that Emperors have two names.  Since the modern era, the reign of Emperor Meiji 1867 – 1912, a deceased Emperor is referred to by his posthumous name, which is the name of the era coinciding with the Emperor’s reign. Emperor Meiji was born Prince Mutsuhito but having ruled during the Meiji Era, he is posthumously known as “the Meiji Emperor” or simply “Emperor Meiji”. Deceased Empresses are also given a posthumous name. After the death of Emperors and Empresses, their posthumous names are the only names that Japanese speakers use when referring to them.

Below is an indexed listing with links to biographical articles about the Japanese Imperial Family at Unofficial Royalty.  If it says “Notable Issue” before a name, that means not all of the children for the parent of that person are listed. Also listed below are links to Japanese Imperial Wedding articles, links to Japanese Miscellaneous Articles, and links to the various Japanese Content Areas.

Modern Japan (1867 – present)

Family of Emperor Meiji (Mutsuhito)

  • Emperor Meiji (Mutsuhito) (reigned 1867 -1912)
    • Notable Issue: Emperor Taishō (Yoshihito) (son of Yanagihara Naruko, a concubine, see below)
  • Empress Shōken (Lady Masako Ichijō, wife of Meiji) 

Family of Emperor Taishō (Yoshihito)

Family of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito)

Family of Emperor Emeritus Akihito

Family of Emperor Naruhito

Family of Crown Prince Akishino

Japanese Weddings 

Japanese Miscellaneous Articles

Japanese Content Areas