List of rulers of Japan explained

See also: List of emperors 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 (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.

Period	Nominal rulers	Effective powers	c
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, 1147–1199Kamakura 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