Imperial House of Japan
The Japanese imperial family (Japanese皇室, Koshitsu; synonymously imperial court and imperial family, an alternate word that also means imperial house is天 皇家tennōke, ) includes the members of the family of the reigning Tennō who take representative public tasks, as well as their minor Children. According to the current Japanese Constitution of the Tennō is the symbol of the state and the unity of the people. The other members of the imperial family take on ceremonial and social duties but have no function in the affairs of government.
The Japanese monarchy is the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy in the world. The imperial house recognizes 125 legitimate monarchs since the accession of Jimmu - tennō. As ancestress applies the sun kami Amaterasu - ō -mi- kami, which should have given Jimmu the job and the right to control Japan.
Most historians attribute the first fourteen Tennō ( Jimmu - tennō to Chuai - tennō ) to more legendary than historical character. The currently reigning Tennō, Akihito, is the 125th Monarch of the official chronology.
- 2.1 Basic
- 2.2 Current Succession
Members of the Imperial Family
Current members
The law on the imperial family from 1947 defines the Imperial Family as: The Empress (皇后Kogo, ), the Empress Dowager (皇太后, kōtaigō ), the Kaiser -grandmother (太 皇太后, tai kōtaigō ); the Crown Prince (皇太子, kōtaishi ) and his wife, the Imperial grandson, the heir apparent is (皇太孙, kōtaison ) and his wife, the shinnō (亲王) and their spouses who naishinnō (内 亲王); the Ō (王) and their spouses, and the nyoō (女王). The legitimate children and grandchildren in the male line of the emperor are shinnō ( Imperial Prince ) in men and naishinnō ( Imperial princess ) in women. More distant descendants in the male line are Ō ( prince ) or nyoō ( princesses ). See below for more information on this item.
After 1947, eleven families were removed from the Imperial House in October, membership in the Imperial House is effectively reduced to the descendants in the male line of the Taishō tennō, with women who have married outside the imperial family and their descendants, are excluded. ( The real name is shown in brackets )
Former members of the imperial family
After default by the law of the imperial family female members of the imperial house are not suitable when they marry bourgeois. This is the case with the former following members:
- Ikeda Takamasa ( Atsuko ), born on March 7, 1931, fourth daughter of the Shōwa tennō and older sister of Akihito.
- Shimazu Hisanaga ( Takako ), born on March 2, 1939, fifth daughter of the Shōwa tennō and younger sister of Akihito.
- Konoe Tadateru ( Yasuko ), born on April 26, 1944, eldest daughter ( and first child ) of Prince and Princess Mikasa.
- Masako Sen, born on October 23, 1951, the second daughter ( and fourth child ) of Prince and Princess Mikasa.
- Sayako Kuroda ( Nori ), born on April 18, 1969, third child and only daughter of Akihito and Michiko Kogo.
Succession
Basics
Historically, the succession to Japan's Chrysanthemum Throne was generally about male descendants of the imperial line. Some of the Imperial Japanese dynasty owes its longevity to the use of concubines, a practice that came to the end until the Taishō period. The Japanese monarchy possessed for this purpose certain side lines (亲王 家, shinnōke ). Remained the imperial house without heir, was a shinnōke house provide an heir. In the Edo period there were four of these secondary lines: Fushimi, Katsura, Arisugawa, and Kan'in. Kōkaku - tennō (reigned 1780-1817 ), an ancestor in the direct line of all subsequent Tennō, was a scion of the house Kan'in. The houses Katsura and Arisugawa died out in 1881, respectively 1913. A descendant of the house of Fushimi was head of the House Kan'in in 1884. Fushimi The house is the main line of nine other so-called Prince houses (王家, OKE ) of the Imperial family during the Meiji period. This house and its offshoots were downgraded in 1947 in the civil status.
Before the Meiji Restoration, Japan had eight female Tennō, reigning empresses. However, Imperial daughters and granddaughters to the throne only as a " temporary solution ". They all thanked as soon as an appropriate male successors in the male line was available. Three of the reigning female Tennō, Suiko tennō, Kogyoku - tennō, and Jito - tennō, were widows of deceased male Tennō and even princesses of the imperial blood. A, Genmei - tennō, wife of the Crown Prince and Princess Imperial was. The other four, Gensho - tennō, Koken - tennō, meisho - tennō and Go- Sakuramachi - tennō, were unwed daughters of previous Tennō. None of these female Tennō married or gave birth to children after she ascended the throne.
Article 2 of the Meiji Constitution states from 1889: " The throne is to be passed on to male imperial descendants, according to the requirements of the law on the imperial family. " The law of the imperial family of 1889 limited the succession on male descendants and closed female offspring explicitly. In the event of the extinction of the male line, the throne would pass to the next branch line, also in the male line. If the Kogo bore no heir to the throne, the Tennō could choose a concubine, and the son of the concubine would be recognized as heir to the throne. This law, promulgated on the same day as the Meiji Constitution, had equal status.
Article 2 of the Japanese Constitution states that " the imperial throne should be dynastic in accordance with the law adopted by the Parliament of the imperial family. " The law of the imperial family of 16 January 1947 adopted in the 69th and final meeting of the Imperial Parliament, retained the exclusion of female regent of the Law of 1889. The government of Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru hastily cobbled together the legislation to bring it into line with the written of Americans postwar constitution, which came into force in May 1947. In an effort to keep the size of the Imperial family under control, lays down the law states that only legitimate male descendants can take the succession in the male line that princesses lose their status if they marry outside the Imperial family, and that the emperor and other members of the imperial family may not adopt children.
It threatened a succession crisis, because since 1965 no male child was born in the imperial family. After the birth of Princess Aiko, there was a public debate to amend the law on the Imperial family, to enable women to the throne. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in January 2005 appointed a commission of judges, university professors and public officials to explore possible changes to the law and to develop legislative proposals. One of the options was to enable women in the male line of imperial succession, the enthronement.
With the birth of the heir Hisahito on 6 September 2006, the debate over the succession to the throne, at least for the time being terminated.
Current succession
Crown Prince Naruhito has a daughter ( Aiko ), Prince Akishino has two daughters ( Mako and Kako ) and September 6, 2006, a son ( Hisahito ). It is the first time since 1965 that another boy was born into the family of Akihito, whose dynasty was threatened otherwise extinct in the male line. The brother of the Tennō, Prince Hitachi is childless. Of the three sons of Prince Mikasa Prince Tomohito has two daughters, ( Akiko and Yōko ), Prince Katsura is childless, and Prince Takamado has three daughters ( Tsuguko, Noriko, and Ayako ).
History of the title
王, Ō read and usually translated as Prince, the title, the male members of the Imperial Family is wearing that bear no higher title shinnō (亲王). The female equivalent is Nyoō (女王). The character王can be historically translated as king. This double meaning was transferred from Chinese into Japanese. Unlike in China,王but was used only for members of the imperial family. Similarly, the character of Nyoō Joo also can be read, which would then mean queen.
Before the Meiji period, each male member of the Imperial Family was titled Ō, where shinnō and the female equivalent Naishinnō (内 亲王,内stands for inside) special, awarded by the title of emperor had. After the Meiji Restoration, the importance of Ō and shinnō was changed. Shinnō and Naishinnō were legitimate offspring of a Tennō to the great-grandchildren. " Legitimate " in this case includes all those whom are not descended in direct male line, and the descendants of those who have given up their membership in the imperial family, or were excluded. The heads of princely courts, the Shinnōke (亲王 家), also bore the title shinnō. A law that was never used, said that a head of a Prince house should ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne, his brothers and descendants would also elevated to the rank of shinnō. The Tennō could confer the title shinnō also. After 1947, the law was changed so that nurmehr the children and grandchildren of the emperor could wear the title shinnō. The imperial house was reduced further characterized in that the OKE and Shinnōke lost their status.
The wife of a Ō or shinnō adds the suffix -hi (妃) to its title, and is thus OHI or Shinnōhi.
Flags
Standard of Regents ( sesshō ), white outer edge
Standard of the Empress, Empress Dowager and Emperor Grandmother
Standard of the crown prince and eldest grandson
Standard of the Crown Princess and the wife of the eldest grandson
Standard of the imperial family