List of rulers of Japan


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, and the clearly dated emperors of 539 to the present. Political power was held in various eras by regents and shōguns, and since 1946 has been exercised exclusively by the Prime Minister as leader of a representative government.
PeriodNominal rulersEffective powersc
Foundation–Heian period[List of Emperor of Japan|Emperors of Japan|Emperors],
660 BC –present		Emperors
Soga clan, 530s–645
Fujiwara clan, 850s–1070
Minamoto clan, 960s–1192
Taira clan, 1160s–1185		Nara
Kyoto
Kamakura periodEmperors,
660 BC –present		Minamoto no Yoritomo, 1147–1199
Kamakura shōguns, 1192–1333
Regents of Kamakura shogunate, 1203–1333		Kamakura
Kyoto
Kenmu RestorationEmperors,
660 BC –present		Emperor Go-Daigo, 1333–1336
Ashikaga Takauji, 1333–1336		Kyoto
Muromachi periodEmperors,
660 BC –present		Ashikaga shōguns, 1338–1568
Northern Court Emperors, 1336–1392
Sakai Kubō, 1527–1532
Regional daimyōs, during Sengoku period		Kyoto
Azuchi–Momoyama periodEmperors,
660 BC –present		Oda Nobunaga, 1568–1582
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, 1582–1598
Five Commissioners, 1585–1600
Council of Five Elders, 1598–1600		Azuchi
Kyoto
Osaka
Edo periodEmperors,
660 BC –present		Tokugawa shōguns, 1603–1867
Tairō of Tokugawa shogunate, 1636–1865		Edo
After Meiji restorationEmperors,
660 BC –present		Emperors, 1867–1947
Kido Takayoshi, 1867–1877
Saigō Takamori, 1867–1873
Ōkubo Toshimichi, 1867–1878
Prime Ministers, 1885–present
Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, 1945–1952		Tokyo
-Emperors,
660 BC –present		--
-Emperors,
660 BC –present		--
-Emperors,
660 BC –present		--
-Emperors,
660 BC –present		--