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 (early fifth to early 6th centuries), 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 Emperors,
660 BC (traditional)–present		 Emperors
Soga clan, 530s–645
Fujiwara clan, 850s–1070
Minamoto clan, 960s–1192
Taira clan, 1160s–1185		 Nara
Kyoto
Kamakura period Minamoto no Yoritomo, 1147–1199

Kamakura shōguns (successors of Minamoto clan), 1192–1333
Regents of Kamakura shogunate, 1203–1333

 Kamakura
Kyoto
Kenmu Restoration Emperor Go-Daigo (descendant of Minamoto clan), 1333–1336
Ashikaga Takauji (descendant of Minamoto clan), 1333–1336		 Kyoto
Muromachi period Ashikaga shōguns (successors of Kamakura shōguns), 1338–1568 (1573)
Northern Court Emperors, 1336–1392
Sakai Kubō (Hosokawa and Miyoshi clan), 1527–1532
Regional daimyōs, during Sengoku period		 Kyoto
Azuchi–Momoyama period Oda Nobunaga, 1568–1582
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, 1582–1598
Five Commissioners, 1585–1600
Council of Five Elders, 1598–1600		 Azuchi
Kyoto
Osaka
Edo period Tokugawa shōguns (descendants of Minamoto clan), 1603–1867
Tairō of Tokugawa shogunate, 1636–1865		 Edo (Tokyo)
After Meiji restoration 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

See also

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