1889 (under the Imperial House Law of 1889, which barred women from ruling)[1]
Supporters
About 90% of Japanese people support the idea of a reigning empress (according to a 2024 survey)[2]
Empress Suiko, the first verifiable empress regnant
Josei Tennō (女性天皇) is a Japanese title referring to an empress regnant.[a][3] Unlike the title Kōgō, which can refer to an empress consort, Josei Tennō only refers to a reigning empress. Tennō may also refer to a reigning empress.[note 1]
The title (much like the male equivalent Tennō) was used to greatly emphasize the emperor's power, and control, adding a divine aspect to it. Unofficially women rulers were typically also called Tennō.[4][5] On most lists retaining to the emperors of Japan, the term Meishō Tennō can be seen for female rulers rather than Meishō Josei Tennō. Josei Tennō is only used to differentiate between the male and female monarchs.
Before the Fujiwara clan and in times when an heir was underaged, a female relative (typically a sister or mother) would take the throne, such as Empress Jitō (the first person to use the title Josei Tennō). Out of all empresses regnant, Empress Kōken/Shōtoku is the only one to have been granted the title "crown princess" before accession.[6]
When Suiko's husband Emperor Bidatsu, died, her brother Emperor Yōmei took the throne. Soon though Yōmei died of illness and so Emperor Sushun took the throne. Sushun was assassinated and so the throne was vacant. In a time of need Suiko became the empress, yet she was probably styled as great queen of Yamato. Suiko ruled until her death.[8][9]
After taking the throne, Kōgyoku was soon forced off due to the Isshi incident. Blood was seen as impure and Soga-no-Iruka being killed in front of the empress, namely the most pure person (being Japan's leader) meant she had to abdicate so it would not stain her reign.[9][12][13]
Jitō was the wife of Emperor Tenmu. After he died and her son Prince Kusakabe was deemed too young to rule, Jitō took the throne in his place until he was old enough. When Kusakabe died, Jitō remained as empress until her grandson came of age.[15] Jitō was the first to use the title "Josei Tennō"[4]
The wife of Jitō's son Kusakabe and Jitō's half-sister. After Genmei's son died, Genmei became empress. After copper was found nere the capital, a new era in her honour (called the Wadō) was ushered in. The Kojiki was also completed under her reign.[17]
Under her first reign, Kōken was basically a puppet for her mother, Empress Kōmyō, the Empress Dowager.[22] Possibly because of this, Kōken abdicated. Yet soon after Kōken would overthrow Emperor Junnin and vest all power in herself, becoming Empress Shōtoku. She possibly fell in love with a monk named Dōkyō, and may have had plans to make him her heir.[23] Yet when she died, Dōkyō fell from power and was exiled.[24]
Meishō only became empress because her father was involved in the Purple Robe Incident and had to abdicate.[26] The 5 year-old empress did not do much as the shogun system was in place.
Similar to Empress Meishō, she did not have much power due to the shogunate. She was the last Josei Tennō and also adopted Emperor Kōkaku as her own. Empress Go-Sakuramachi died in 1813.[28]
Empress Jingū is not counted among the official monarchs.[b]Princess Iitoyo's legitimacy and validity (concerning her reign) is mostly unknown.[29]
The debate for a possible future Josei Tennō[edit]
Due to the current Japanese rules of succession a woman cannot inherit the throne. Yet there has been calls to allow Aiko, Princess Toshi to become the 9th empress regnant. To this day there is an ongoing succession debate. An event was held called "Making Aiko the Imperial heir" which pushed for the rules to be changed and a new line of succession to be introduced, which would be as follows:
There was also a Parliament meeting held in December 2023 about the matter. [31] In February 2024, the former Prime minister Yoshihiko Noda of the Democratic Party of Japan held another Parliament meeting, suggesting women should be allowed to marry without losing their titles, lead their own branch of the Imperial family, and possibly rule.[32] To this day Princess Sumiko remains one of the only women to lead a branch of the imperial family.[33] On March 15, 2024, there were more discussions about allowing women to rule [34] with discussions of women being allowed to retain their titles upon marriage on March 18 of the same year.[35][36] As of June 2024, parties did agree women should marry without losing their title, with no conclusion on the status on their spouses.[37]Emperor Naruhito has also admitted the family is running out of male heirs.[38]
^Josei Tennō is just a title to avoid confusion with male monarchs. Unlike European languages, the title of Josei Tennō can be abbreviated to Tennō, much like its male counterpart. Along with Tennō, Jotei (女帝) may also refer to an empress regnant, but primarily of another country, not Japan. It literally means "female emperor".[3]
^Josei Tennō (女性天皇) literally means "female heavenly emperor".
^Jingū is only sometimes referred to as Tennō (天皇) and is typically referred to only as a regent, thus she does not count as a Josei Tennō either.
^p. 1235, "The Imperial House Law - Chapter 1: Succession to the Imperial Throne," Japan Year Book 1933, Kenkyusha Press, Foreign Association of Japan, Tokyo
^ abcCherry, Kittredge (November 14, 2016). Womansword: What Japanese Words Say About Women. Stone Bridge Press. ISBN978-1-61172-919-1. During Japan's long history eight women have ruled as female emperor or josei tenno. An older term is empress or jotei. In English "empress" can mean either a reigning monarch or the wife of an emperor, but in Japanese there are separate words for each. The title bestowed on the emperor's wife is kogo.
^Ooms, Herman (2009). Imperial politics and symbolics in ancient Japan : the Tenmu dynasty, 650-800. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. pp. 237–241.
