<P> The Emperor of Japan is the head of the Imperial Family and the traditional head of state of Japan . According to the 1947 constitution, he is "the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people" and he has "no powers related to government". Historically, he was also the highest authority of the Shinto religion . In Japanese, the Emperor is called Tennō (天皇), which translates to "heavenly sovereign". In English, the use of the term Mikado (帝) for the Emperor was once common, but is now considered obsolete . </P> <P> Currently, the Emperor of Japan is the only head of state in the world with the English title of "Emperor". The Imperial House of Japan is the oldest continuing monarchical house in the world . The historical origins of the Emperors lie in the late Kofun period of the 5th - 6th centuries AD, but according to the traditional account of the Kojiki (finished 712) and Nihon Shoki (finished 720), Japan was founded in 660 BC by Emperor Jimmu, who was said to be a direct descendant of the sun - goddess Amaterasu . The current Emperor is Akihito . He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne upon the death of his father, Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito), in 1989 . </P> <P> The role of the Emperor of Japan has historically alternated between a largely ceremonial symbolic role and that of an actual imperial ruler . Since the establishment of the first shogunate in 1192, the Emperors of Japan have rarely taken on a role as supreme battlefield commander, unlike many Western monarchs . Japanese Emperors have nearly always been controlled by external political forces, to varying degrees . In fact, between 1192 and 1867, the shoguns, or their shikken regents in Kamakura (1203--1333), were the de facto rulers of Japan, although they were nominally appointed by the Emperor . After the Meiji Restoration in 1867, the Emperor was the embodiment of all sovereign power in the realm, as enshrined in the Meiji Constitution of 1889 . His current status as a figurehead dates from the 1947 Constitution . </P> <P> Since the mid-nineteenth century, the Imperial Palace has been called Kyūjō (宮城), later Kōkyo (皇居), and is located on the former site of Edo Castle in the heart of Tokyo (the current capital of Japan). Earlier, Emperors resided in Kyoto (the ancient capital) for nearly eleven centuries . The Emperor's Birthday (December 23) is a national holiday . </P>

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