Chrysanthemum Throne
From Freepedia
The Chrysanthemum Throne is the common name given to the Imperial throne of Japan. The chrysanthemum (菊 kiku in Japanese) is the mon of the Emperor of Japan.
According to legends, the Chrysanthemum Throne is the oldest continuing monarchy in the world. In Nihonshoki it is said that the Empire of Japan was founded in 660 BC by Emperor Jimmu. According to tradition, the current Emperor Akihito is the 125th direct descendant of Jimmu. With historical assurance the record is back to Emperor Ōjin who supposedly reigned in the early 5th century. Despite the fact that there had previously been eight female Emperors (in Japan only the wife of an Emperor is called an Empress), under Japanese Imperial law (promulgated by the Imperial Household Agency and the Privy Council) women cannot reign since the middle of the 20th century.
The Emperor (Japanese: tennō (天皇), "heavenly emperor") acts as a high priest in Shinto, although his divine origins were renounced after World War II.
Under the provisions of the current Constitution of Japan, the Emperor is a symbol of the state and the unity of the people; he has no real political power but is regarded as a ceremonial Head of State and constitutional monarch.
See also
- National emblem
- National and Imperial Seal
- Imperial Household of Japan
- List of Japanese Emperors
- Japanese nationalism
