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The earliest historic written mentions of Japan were in Chinese records, where it was referred to as Wa (倭 later 和), which later evolved into the Japanese name of Wakoku (倭國). Suishō (帥升, ca. 107 CE) was a king of Wa, the earliest Japanese monarch mentioned in Volume 85 of the Book of the Later Han from 445 CE.
[1] [2] [3] There are several theories as to who was the first Japanese ruler supported by historical evidence: notable candidates are Emperor Yūryaku (r. 456–479) and Emperor Kinmei (r. 539–571), among others. [4] [5] The terms Tennō ('Emperor', 天皇), as well as Nihon ('Japan', 日本), were not adopted until the late 7th century AD.
Each of the First to Third Ranks is divided into Senior (正, shō) and Junior (従, ju).The Senior First Rank (正一位, shō ichi-i) is the highest in the rank system. It is conferred mainly on a very limited number of persons recognized by the Imperial Court as most loyal to the nation during that era.
However, the conventionally accepted names and dates of the early emperors were not to be confirmed as "traditional" until the reign of Emperor Kanmu (737–806), the 50th sovereign of the imperial dynasty. [6] This family tree emphasizes the medieval to modern history of the Japanese royal family.
Japanese emperors take on a regnal name, which is the common and polite way to refer to the emperor as a person during their reign. Japanese regnal names are more precisely names for a period of time that begins with a historical event, such as the enthronement of an emperor.
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.
Ancient clan names are still prominent today, if altered somewhat, due to those ties with ancestry and history. As you'll see, there are many variations of Japanese last names with similar meanings.
This is a list of Japanese clans. The old clans ( gōzoku ) mentioned in the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki lost their political power before the Heian period , during which new aristocracies and families, kuge , emerged in their place.