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.
| Period | Nominal rulers | Effective powers | c |
| Foundation–Heian period | Emperors, 660 BC –present | Emperors Soga clan, 530s–645 Fujiwara clan, 850s–1070 Taira clan, 1160s–1185 | Nara Kyoto |
| Kamakura period | Emperors, 660 BC –present | Kamakura shōguns, 1192–1333 Regents of Kamakura shogunate, 1203–1333 | Kamakura |
| Kenmu Restoration | Emperors, 660 BC –present | Emperor Go-Daigo, 1333–1336 Ashikaga Takauji, 1333–1336 | Kyoto |
| Muromachi period | Emperors, 660 BC –present | Ashikaga shōguns, 1338–1568 Northern Court Emperors, 1336–1392 Sakai Kubō, 1527–1532 Regional daimyōs, during Sengoku period | Kyoto |
| Azuchi–Momoyama period | Emperors, 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 period | Emperors, 660 BC –present | Tokugawa shōguns, 1603–1867 Tairō of Tokugawa shogunate, 1636–1865 | Edo |
| After Meiji restoration | Emperors, 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 |
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