Yamato Dynasty
History of the Yamato Dynasty
The imperial house of Japan, called the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy on earth, with a legendary founding by Jimmu in 660 BC and reliable records from the sixth century AD. It has no surname and has never been displaced by another dynasty, ruling now as the symbol of the state under the postwar constitution.
Related Monarchs and Houses
Emperor Jimmu
The legendary first emperor, said to descend from the sun goddess Amaterasu and to have founded the throne in 660 BC. Historians...
Empress Suiko
The first of eight women to reign as Japanese empress. She took the throne after factional strife, with Prince Shotoku as regent...
Emperor Meiji
Mutsuhito, the teenage emperor whose 1868 restoration ended 260 years of shogun rule. Under the Meiji slogan of a rich country...
Emperor Showa
Hirohito, whose 62 year reign spanned the war in China, the Pacific war, defeat, occupation and the transformation into a...