Empress of Japan

The empress of Japan is the title given to the wife of the Emperor of Japan or a female ruler in her own right. The current empress consort is Empress Masako, who ascended the throne with her husband on 1 May 2019.

Empress regnant

Titles

Josei Tennō or Jotei – Because there is no feminine equivalent to king and emperor in East Asian languages, different titles are used for female monarchs and female consorts. Josei Tennō refers only to an empress regnant of Japan, and Jotei refers to an empress regnant of any countries.Tennō or Kōtei – Unlike European languages, in East Asia, the titles of female monarchs can also be abbreviated as "king" or "emperor", much like their male counterparts. However, to avoid confusion with male monarchs, they are usually referred to as "female king" or "female emperor".

List of empresses regnant

There were eight female imperial reigns in Japan's early history between 593 and 770, and two more in the early modern period. Although there were eight reigning empresses, with only one exception their successors were selected from amongst the males of the paternal Imperial bloodline. After many centuries, female reigns came to be officially prohibited only when the Imperial Household Law was issued in 1889 alongside the new Meiji Constitution.
The eight historical empresses regnant are:

Nukatabe, Empress Suiko was the 33rd empress of Japan from 593 until 628, according to the traditional order of succession, and the first historically attested woman to hold this position. She was the granddaughter of Tashiraga of Yamato, herself sister of the childless Emperor Buretsu, transferring some legitimacy in succession to the throne of Yamato to her husband Emperor Keitai. Tashiraga's mother had been Kasuga of Yamato, sister of the childless Emperor Seinei, whose own marriage with the future Emperor Ninken had a similar effect a generation earlier. According to legends, these ladies descended from the legendary Empress Jingū, who had been ruler of Yamato for decades at some time in the past, probably in the mid-4th century, and who herself descended, according to legends, from Amaterasu omikami, the Sun Goddess of the Japanese pantheon.
Takara, Empress Kōgyoku, also Empress Saimei was the 35th and 37th empress of Japan, initially from February 18, 642, to July 12, 645, ascending upon the death of her uncle Emperor Jomei. When she abdicated, her own younger brother succeeded her. However, upon the death of the said younger brother, she reascended the throne as Empress Saimei on February 14, 655, and ruled until her death on August 24, 661. She was succeeded by her and Emperor Jomei's son, Naka no Ōe, as Emperor Tenji.
Unonosasara, Empress Jitō was the 41st imperial ruler of Japan, and ruled from 686 until 697. The previous emperor was her uncle and husband, Emperor Tenmu, and she later abdicated the throne to her grandson Emperor Monmu.
Ahe, Empress Genmei was the 43rd imperial ruler of Japan ruling 707–715. She was Empress Jitō's younger half-sister and the mother of Emperor Monmu, who died at a young age.
Hitaka, Empress Genshō was the 44th monarch of Japan. She succeeded after her mother Empress Genmei and later abdicated to her nephew Emperor Shōmu, son of Emperor Monmu.
Abe, Empress Kōken also Empress Shōtoku was the 46th imperial ruler of Japan from 749 to 758, and the 48th from 764 to 770. Her posthumous name for her second reign was Empress Shōtoku. She never married and her ex-crown prince was Prince Bunado, her first cousin twice removed, but after her death, another of her cousins ascended the throne as Emperor Kanmu, who was also her brother-in-law.
Okiko, Empress Meishō was the 109th empress of Japan, reigning from December 22, 1629, to November 14, 1643. She ascended upon the abdication of her father, being the eldest surviving child of her parents, holding priority over her younger half-brothers.
Toshiko, Empress Go-Sakuramachi was the 117th empress of Japan, and ruled from September 15, 1762, to January 9, 1771. She abdicated in favor of her young nephew. Surviving over forty years, the retired Empress held all those decades the position of Dajo Tenno, and acted as sort of guardian of subsequent emperors.

Other than the eight historical empresses regnant, two additional empress are traditionally believed to have reigned, but historical evidence for their reigns is scant and they are not counted among the officially numbered Emperors/Empresses regnant:

Empress Jingū r. 206–269 —not counted among the officially numbered Emperors
Princess Iitoyo: Imperial princess and possibly empress regnant. She was baptized as Empress Tsunuzashi in the list of emperors of Japan.

Under Shinto religious influence, the goddess Amaterasu, who is of the highest rank in the kami system, might suggest that Japan's first rulers were women. According to the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki chronicles in Japanese mythology, the Emperors of Japan are considered to be direct descendants of Amaterasu.

Empress consort

Titles

' – It is the title of a non-reigning empress consort. The title, still in use, is generally conferred on an emperor's wife who had given birth to the heir to the throne. The title was first awarded posthumously in 806 to the late mother of Emperor Heizei. In ancient Japan, most of the empresses consort were princesses, except for Iwa no hime. After Empress Kōmyō, daughters of the Fujiwara clan or other clans could become empresses consort.Kōtaigō – Empress Mother/Empress DowagerTai-Kōtaigō – Grand Empress Mother/Grand Empress Dowager

' – It was a term that evolved during the Heian period; and it came to be understood as the title of the empress. For a time, Chūgū replaced Kōgō; and then the titles became interchangeable. The numbers of Kōgō varied, but there was only one Chūgū at a time. Originally, Chūgū referred to the palace of the Kōgō, Kōtaigō, or Tai-Kōtaigō. Until the mid-Heian Period, the emperor had only one empress consort, and the empress consort was also called Chūgū. From the time of Emperor Ichijō, when emperors had two empresses consort, one of them came to be called Kōgō and another one was called Chūgū.Junbo-Ritsugō – It means individuals elevated to the rank of empress due to their position as honorary mother of the emperor. After maiden Princess Yasuko became empress as the honorary or adoptive mother of Emperor Horikawa, maiden princesses could also become empress.Zōkō – It means individuals that were given the title of empress posthumously.' – Empress Emerita
' – was an ancient title for empress consort or empress dowager. The definitions were laid down in the Ritsuryō code. Use during the Heian period is exemplified for example for the character Kiritsubo Consort in The Tale of Genji. The title Kōi later gave way for Kōgō for the empress consort to avoid confusion.