The imperial family

The imperial family is one of the most important – if not the most important – entities of the Japanese people. Considered the oldest dynasty in the world, it is a separate universe, governed by rigid traditions and protocols that younger generations of sovereigns find it difficult to shake off. At the heart of all habits and customs, the use of titles, honorary or not; as a suffix, as a prefix, whatever. Yes, as a prefix, a unique case. There are even posthumous titles and the family name system is very different from what we have seen so far.

The subject is therefore vast and this course aims to explain in the most detailed and simple way possible all the complexity of the status system in the Japanese imperial family. And to understand everything, it will be necessary to answer several questions:

– How was the imperial dynasty born?
– What does the imperial dynasty rely on to legitimize its power?
– How is imperial power passed from generation to generation?
– What are the specifics of the naming system for Emperors and Empresses? Imperial princes and princesses?
– What are the habits and customs?
– What are the cultural differences between Japan and the West in the way they designate their respective symbolic representatives?
– What suffixes or titles should be used depending on the status of the member of the imperial family and in what context?

Finally, once you have completed this course, you will have a list of over forty vocabulary words to learn and exercises. But for now, follow the guide.

For over 2,600 years, the same family ruled Japan. This oldest continuing hereditary dynasty in the world – once revered for its connection to the Shinto gods – has existed since around 660 BC. AD and physical evidence of his reign dates back to around AD 300. Today, the Imperial House of Japan has a symbolic role but does not exercise any executive or military power within the Japanese state. Even though it lacks the reality of power, the Japanese monarchy has significant traditional meaning.

It was Emperor Jinmu who is said to have founded the kingdom in 660 BC. after fighting with local chiefs. However, Jinmu is widely regarded as a symbolic and legendary figure. Experts assume that Jinmu, a descendant of the Sun Goddess, represents how the Yayoi culture, one of the fourteen traditional subdivisions of Japanese history, spread to the Yamato region. The day of Jinmu’s accession to the throne, February 11, is a holiday known as National Founding Day.

Jinmu’s descendants then ruled an expanding kingdom. Over the centuries, the importance of the powers of the Emperor of Japan has varied. From the 6th century AD, the Emperor was supposed to have contact with gods, but this power did not translate into political power. At various times in Japanese history, the Emperor was seen as a manifestation of the gods, but was not worshiped as a god per se.

As the samurai elite grew in Japan, from the 10th century AD, the influence of its monarchy waned in part because of the emperors’ inability to rule their people from Kyoto, the traditional seat of the monarchy. The shogunate, a dynasty of shoguns who ruled Japan from 1603 to 1867, ruled in the name of the empire until the 19th century.

During the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the function of the Emperor changed. Emperor Meiji transferred the monarchy to Tokyo, the shogunate ended, and the emperors ruled under a more centralized State. The Emperor of Japan had shifted from a primarily symbolic role to one with direct imperial power.

After World War II, the United States forced Emperor Hirohito, on whose behalf Japan had fought the Allies, to give up all connection with the deity. Hirohito also helped give legitimacy to the new Japanese constitution of 1947, which abolished the Japanese aristocracy, turned its back on the concept of imperial expansion, and made the Emperor a mere symbolic figure.

Japan’s imperial family is down to 18 members and is threatened by an inheritance law barring women from taking the throne. Although Japanese emperors traditionally rule until their death, Emperor Akihito, son of Hirohito, abdicated on April 30, 2019 for health reasons. The ascension of crown prince Naruhito to the throne will then leave room for only three heirs.

A number of women from the Japanese imperial family left the monarchy by marrying commoners. Although there were Empresses from Japan, the male-only rule of succession is still in effect, and although the Japanese government has been tasked with finding solutions to what is seen as a growing crisis, there is no indication yet that he will be willing to ignore tradition.

Now, I’m going to give you some vocabulary words that are important to know AND understand so that you can better tackle the rest.

世襲親王家 . セシュウシンノウケ

That’s a very long word. Let’s take a look at all these kanji :

– 世襲 . セシュウ . Hereditary
– 親王 . シンノウ . Imperial princes, princely parents
– 家 . ケ, カ. The house, the home ; the imperial house

世襲親王家 . セシュウシンノウケ . The imperial house of the hereditary imperial princes. So, what does this very pompous word mean? Before we dive into that, let’s see what it means :

世襲 . セシュウ . Hereditary : nothing in particular to say. This word should be taken literally.

親王 . シンノウ . Imperial princes, princely parents: here we have something more interesting. We have seen a few back courses of non-honorary titles to say « prince », « princess », etc. There is something very important to know to avoid confusion. To designate an imperial prince in Japan, the Japanese use the title 親王. To designate a prince from another country in royalty, especially in the West, the Japanese use 王子.

家 . ケ, カ. The house, the home; the imperial house : this kanji generally means « the house, the home » and is pronounced いえ and うち in purely Japanese. While, attached to a surname, it is pronounced カ in Sino-Japanese. And when it comes to the imperial family, it is pronounced ケ in Sino-Japanese.

I’ll quickly give you six more words. Memorize them :

内親王 . ナイシンノウ. The Imperial Princess: here too, beware of confusion. To designate an imperial princess in Japan, the Japanese use the title 内親王. To designate a princess of another country in a royalty, especially in the West, the Japanese use 王女. Finally, one last remark: the non-honorary title 姫 . ひめ refers to a princess, a daughter of a noble family who is often seen in works of Western but also Japanese inspiration BUT NEVER refers to an imperial princess in Japan.

皇太子 . コウタイシ. The crown prince, the hereditary prince: designates the crown prince, hereditary. Not to be confused with 親王 which simply designates the imperial prince, only likely to become crown prince.

皇太子妃 . コウタイシヒ. The crown princess, the hereditary princess : designates the crown princess, hereditary. Not to be confused with 内親王 which simply designates the imperial princess, who may only become crown princess.

皇后 . コウゴウ. The Empress : designates the Emperor’s wife.

皇太后 . コウタイゴウ. The Empress dowager : refers to the mother or widow of a Japanese Emperor.

太皇太后 . タイコウタイゴウ. The great dowager Empress : means the wife of emperors whose reign is separated from that of the current Emperor by at least one other sovereign.

Several centuries ago, in order to ensure the survival of the imperial line, houses were created to provide a male successor to the chrysanthemum throne if the main line no longer had an heir.

This is a very simple definition. I won’t tell you more yet, I’ll get into the details when we get to the historical part.

I give you below the names of the four branches (also called « house ») of the Japanese imperial family. Observe well :

桂宮家 . かつらのみやケ . The Katsura-no-miya house
伏見宮家 . ふしみのみやケ . The Fushimi-no-miya house
有栖川宮家 . ありすがわのみやケ . The Arisugawa-no-miya house
閑院宮家 . カンインのみやケ . The Kan’in-no-miya house

The most important thing to note here is the kanji 宮 . みや. This kanji can have several meanings depending on the sentence. Generally speaking, it is used as a suffix for the names of palaces, temples, and even Shinto sanctuaries, which we saw in a previous lesson. And it is also used as a prefix of the birth names of imperial princes and princesses to define which houses each and every one comes from. And in this second case, we have to use the form 宮 . の-みや. This form is used exclusively for the prefixes of the names of imperial princes and princesses.

Note that the house 伏見宮家 . ふしみのみやケ itself gave birth to nine other branches, the 王家 . オウケ (minor branches), minor branches), all created by 伏見宮 . ふしみのみや’sons except one. The 王家 . オウケ are sometimes called « minor branches » to distinguish them from the four houses which are themselves sometimes called « branches ». De-ennobled by US forces in 1947, these minor branches no longer exist today. However, in recent years, political conservatives have offered to restore these old branches to allow the imperial family to adopt a male member as a solution to the controversy over Japanese imperial succession.

Finally, if we take into consideration all the princely houses in addition to their minor branches and the fact that they are now de-ennobled, you will find several imperial princes and princesses who do not necessarily wear 桂宮-, 伏見-, 有栖川-, 閑院宮- as a name of convenience. Indeed, all imperial princes and princesses born after 1947 have a name of convenience now based on a passage from one of the Chinese Classics only, as tradition dictates.

Thus, the last Emperor of Japan, born on February 23, 1960, is called 浩宮徳仁 . ひろのみやなるひと. At birth, he was titled 浩宮徳仁親王. In English, we will translate by « His Imperial Highness Prince Imperial Hiro Naruhito ». Then, on the death of his grandfather, Emperor Hirohito, when he was not yet Emperor, he assumed the title of 皇太子徳仁親王. In English, we will translate by « His Imperial Highness Crown Prince Naruhito ». Finally, after the abdication of his father Akihito, his ascension to the throne marked the beginning of the Reiwa era and he is no longer known in Japan except as 天皇陛下 or as 今上陛下. In English, we will translate by :

– 天皇陛下 . テンノウヘイカ . « His Majesty the Emperor ».

– 今上陛下 . キンジョウヘイカ . « The Reigning Emperor ».

Now that all of this has been explained, it’s time to move on to some culture. Read quietly what follows.

If, for the average Japanese citizen, choosing the name of his child is generally quite easy, for the imperial family, there are traditions to respect (even if they are not always respected though). Let’s see right away what these traditions are :

Each child and grandchild, girl and boy, elder and younger, of the Emperor receives, seven days after birth, a :

– First name (名前 . なまえ) chosen by the father. Generally used by Western observers, like the current Emperor himself, referred to in the West by his first name 徳仁 . なるひと, it ends with the suffix -仁 (meaning « man » in its general sense) for boys and -子 (meaning « child » in its general sense) for girls.

– Honorary title. I have already explained to you what this is about. Placed as a prefix of the birth name, it is followed by the suffix 宮 . の-みや which literally means « from the house ». By the way, all members of the imperial family, except the emperor, empress, dowager empresses, the crown prince and his wife, have an official name followed by this suffix which marks their belonging to a branch of the imperial family. So was the tradition until US forces de-ennobled the 王家 . オウケ in 1947. Today, this title is based only on a passage from one of the Chinese Classics. It is generally translated by the term « prince of / princess of », even by the nobiliary particle traditional in England « of ».

– Personal emblem (お印 . おしるし), usually a plant, chosen by the mother and symbolizing the character of the child. The princely wives, after their marriage and their entry into the imperial family, also choose a personal emblem. Only the Emperor is brought to lose this one during his enthronement, in favor of a personal seal also called お印 . おしるし.

As said above, the first kanji of the first name and that of the honorary title traditionally come from one or more sentences from the Four Books and Five Classics of Chinese Literature believed to symbolize the general character of the prince or princess.

All the sons and grandsons of an Emperor in male line, as well as his successor until his enthronement as crown prince, have the rank of imperial prince (親王 . シンノウ), and the Emperor’s daughters and granddaughters in male line, until marriage, hold the title of imperial princess (内親王 . ナイシンノウ). Finally, each member of the imperial family, with the exception of the Emperor, Empress, and dowager empresses, is referred to as « Her imperial highness » (殿下 . デンカ, literally « Below the Master »).

This can all lead to titularies that are sometimes very complex at first, but once you understand how it all works, you will find your way around.

We saw it in the course called « Write A Date In Japanese » in the first season. If Westerners use the Gregorian calendar to write the date, the Japanese write the date based on the Japanese eras which correspond to the reigns of the Emperors of Japan. Each time a new Emperor assumes the throne in Japan, the Japanese change era. And what I did not specify in the course at the time is that the Japanese Emperors, upon their death, receive the title of 天皇 . テンノウ which directly follows the name of the era corresponding to their reign. Clearly, it’s a posthumous name.

A posthumous name is an honorary name given, among other things, to members of royal families or nobles in East Asia after the person’s death. It is used almost exclusively in place of his personal name or other official titles accumulated during his life. This practice has its origins in China and has spread to other neighboring countries such as Vietnam, Korea and of course Japan. There are some subtle differences between countries but here we will only focus on Japan.

In Japanese tradition, an Emperor is regularly named by his posthumous name which also names the era of his reign. This practice originated with Emperor Meiji, by birth name 睦仁 . ムツヒト. Before him, all previous Emperors carried the title of 天皇 . テンノウ that directly follows the birth name. And since him, all the Emperors, once deceased, bear the title of 天皇 . テンノウ which directly follows the name of the era corresponding to their reign.

All this having been explained, I invite you to re-read the aforementioned lesson of the first season which summarizes everything that has transpired in Japan from the Meiji era to the present day. Above all, memorize the proper names I gave you in this course at the time. You may well find some of them in the exercises.

The Japanese therefore have titles, suffixes and prefixes specific to their language to respectfully designate their symbolic representatives. They also have titles to designate the kings, queens, princes and princesses of other nations, especially Western ones. We have seen most of them in the course on honorary suffixes, but without dwelling on cultural embedding. It is high time to get started because there is a lot to say.

The Japanese therefore clearly mark a difference through language and the origin of this difference is mainly historical and cultural. I’ll walk you through these differences starting with the West and then Japan.

In the course on Japanese honorary suffixes, I gave you an example with the unit of measure 世 . セイ which allows to indicate the order of succession. I give you the same example below in addition to a few others :

エリザベス2世 . エリザベス2セイ . Queen Elisabeth II
ヘンリー8世 . ヘンリー8セイ . King Henry VIII
フランソワ1世 . フランソワ1セイ . King Francis I
ルイ16世 . ルイ16セイ . King Louis XVI
マルグレーテ2世 . マルグレーテ2セイ . Queen Marguerite II
ビルスタン司教 . ビルスタンシキョウ . Bishop Birstan
ミシェル・オペティ大司教 . ミシェル・オペティダイシキョウ . Archbishop Michel Aupetit
教皇ベネディクト16世 . キョウコウベネディクト16セイ . Pope Benedict XVI (from Latin « Benedictus »)
教皇フランシスコ . キョウコウフランシスコ . Pope Francis (from Latin « Franciscus »)
教皇パウロ6世 . キョウコウパウロ6セイ . Pope Paul VI (from Latin « Paulus »)

Now that I have given you all of these examples, I would like to draw your attention to several things.

In the West, kings, queens, princes and princesses are referred to by first name and order of succession. As always, the Japanese transcribe the names of Western sovereigns based on the language of origin. As for the order of succession, it is represented with the unit of measurement 世 . セイ.

The vast majority of Westerners these days are not particularly keen on the use of honorary marks when it comes to speaking of a sovereign. Most European absolute monarchies no longer exist, and even in the days when they still existed, there have never been complex honorary expressions in Western languages to address the sovereign or to refer to the sovereign. There was a protocol (and the protocol still exists in the few constitutional monarchies that remain in Europe) but at the level of the language, the honorary expressions are much less numerous and codified than they are in Asian languages like Chinese, Korean and Japanese.

We have seen it since the beginning of this fourth part. In Japanese, marks of respect are absolutely everywhere: in the use of personal pronouns, in the way of marking the plural, in the use of honorary suffixes, honorary and non-honorary titles, honorary prefixes. There are dozens of them! And we have yet to see in detail how politeness is also expressed through the conjugation of verbs. We can easily say that it’s practically an obsession, but it’s how most of the cultures in Asia evolved.

And so, in the West, if we do not burden ourselves with complex titles, the Japanese transcribe this lack of complexity when they katakanize the names of kings, queens, princes and princesses from Europe. So, to say « Queen Elisabeth II » or « King Henry VIII » or « King Francis I », they will most often transcribe as below:

エリザベス2世 . エリザベス2セイ . Queen Elisabeth II
ヘンリー8世 . ヘンリー8セイ . King Henry VIII
フランソワ1世 . フランソワ1セイ . King Francis I
ルイ16世 . ルイ16セイ . King Louis XVI
マルグレーテ2世 . マルグレーテ2セイ . Queen Marguerite II

Of course, it is quite possible to add the corresponding non-honorary titles as a suffix: 女王, 王 and 国王. But more often than not, they will be transcribed in their abridged version. If you go to the Japanese-language Wikipedia page of these kings and queens, it is these versions above that will be most present.

Then we have the names of bishops and archbishops. These are non-honorary titles. I give them to you below :

司教 . シキョウ . the bishop
大司教 . ダイシキョウ . the archbishop

I give you the examples seen above :

ビルスタン司教 . ビルスタンシキョウ . Bishop Birstan
ミシェル・オペティ大司教 . ミシェル・オペティダイシキョウ . Archbishop Michel Aupetit

I am not giving you the words to say « priest » and I am actually saying WORDS in the plural because, in English, we name « priest » different people regardless of religion. But in Japanese, depending on whether it is a Christian priest, a Buddhist priest or even Taoist or Shinto, not to mention the hierarchy specific to each of these religions, this constitutes a slew of titles and this lesson is long enough as it is. I invite you to research for yourself if the subject interests you.

Then we have the names of the Popes. In the West, the Pope is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. He is considered by believers to be the representative of God on Earth. It owes its status and power to divine will. Therefore, how are the names of the Popes transcribed into Japanese? I give you below the examples seen above :

教皇ベネディクト16世 . キョウコウベネディクト16セイ . Pope Benedict XVI (from Latin « Benedictus »)
教皇フランシスコ . キョウコウフランシスコ . Pope Francis (from Latin « Franciscus »)
教皇パウロ6世 . キョウコウパウロ6セイ . Pope Paul VI (from Latin « Paulus »)

The first thing that we can notice is that the name of the Pope is of Latin origin and the Japanese therefore base themselves on the Latin origin of the name to katakanize it. Yet in Italian, Pope Benedict XVI, we simply call him Benedict XVI, not Benedictus XVI. This is quite simply because the name of the Pope is still translated into other Western languages. Thus, the Italians say « Benedetto », the English « Benedict », the Spanish « Benedicto », the Portuguese « Bento », the French « Benoît », and so on. But the Japanese stick to the original name « Benedictus ».

Then, the names of the popes are prefixed with an honorary title : 教皇 . キョウコウ. It simply translates to « pope », you will understand. And yet, it is indeed an honorary title prefixed.

There are only three prefixed honorary titles. I put them for you below. I also put in red a kanji present in these three honorary titles :

皇太子 . コウタイシ . the crown prince, the hereditary prince
皇太子妃 . コウタイシヒ . the crown princess, the hereditary princess
教皇 . キョウコウ . the Pope

I also give you the other honorary titles that contain this same kanji :

皇后 . コウゴウ . the empress
皇太后 . コウタイゴウ . the empress dowager: refers to the mother or widow of a Japanese Emperor
太皇太后 . タイコウタイゴウ . the great dowager empress
天皇太后 . テンノウ. the Emperor
天皇陛下 . テンノウヘイカ . His Majesty the Emperor
皇后陛下 .コウゴウヘイカ . Her Majesty the Empress

Warning! This is not the star’s kanji. The kanji of the star is this one (星) with, below, the kanji 生 which means « raw », « natural », while the kanji of the divine, of the imperial is this one (皇). There is a very small line at the top and the kanji below is that of the king, 王. That’s all that sets them apart.

I will not seek to dwell on the etymological relationship between the two kanji even though it seems obvious that they are very closely related. The important point to remember is that the presence of this kanji in titles testifies to the divine character of those who wear them. For officially, as we saw at the start of this course, this continuing hereditary dynasty is the oldest in the world with ‘‘proven’’ links to the Shinto gods. Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, is presented as the matrix of the Land of the Rising Sun and the Japanese Imperial Family since, according to legend, she bestowed on Jinmu, the first Emperor of Japan and ancestor of all others, the sacred insignias of the imperial family which are still transmitted today from one male heir to another.

The ‘‘myth’’ of the Japanese Imperial lineage is presented to the Japanese people as a historical truth that few dare to question. For us, the most important thing is that you understand the presence of the kanji 皇 in the aforementioned titles.

The same goes for the Pope. Officially, the Pope gets his power from God, therefore in Japanese we have the word 教皇 . キョウコウ.

In the titles designating the kings, queens, princes and princesses of the West, the kanji 皇 is not present because, even though the European monarchies have established their power according to an alleged Divine Law, all the sovereigns of Europe had to pass through the Pope to be sacred. The latter remained the holder of divine power.

I do a little culture point on the goddess Amaterasu. We’ve talked about her a bit in class. But what I haven’t told you is that as a Guardian Goddess, she is also entitled to her titulary and super honorary little nicknames. Thus, the goddess Amaterasu is not simply called respectfully 天照様 . あまてらすさま . She is also sometimes called:

天照大神 . あまてらすおおかみ . The great goddess Amaterasu

天照大御神 . あまてらすおおみかみ . The great goddess Amaterasu (the kanji 御 strengthens the honorary side)

天照皇大神 . あまてらすすめおおかみ . The great imperial goddess lighting up the sky Amaterasu (the kanji 皇 is pronounced すめ in its purely Japanese pronunciation, the use of this kanji signifies the goddess’s connection to the Emperors of Japan.)

We have seen how the order of succession is expressed with the unit of measurement 世 . セイ. Now you should know that in Japan, when an Emperor decides to have a name that has already been worn by another Emperor before him, we will not use the unit of measurement 世 . セイ. We will use as a prefix of the name the kanji 後 in its Sino-Japanese pronunciation ゴ.

So, to give you a quick example, there was a first Emperor who had as a posthumous name 白河 . しらかわ. A few decades later, a second Emperor found himself bearing the same posthumous name in honor of his ancestor. And to remember the latter, he was named 後白河 . ゴしらかわ, or « Shirakawa II ».

We have seen it in this course. Members of the imperial family do not strictly speaking have surnames. Not in the sense that we learned in a previous class on the subject. Before the American forces de-ennobled the 王家 . オウケ in 1947, the members of this family bore in prefixed title the name of the house from which they came. Today, that title is based solely on a passage from one of the Chinese Classics. The only thing in common is the form 宮 . の-みや exclusively used for the prefixes of the names of imperial princes and princesses.

Be careful not to confuse this form with real last names like 錦ノ宮 . にしきノみや or 四宮 . しのみや. In the latter, we actually have the form 宮 . の-みや but if the person named as such is not a member of the imperial family, it is a classic last name.

In works of fiction, manga and anime, when the author wants to show that a character comes from a very high social class, that this character comes from the Japanese aristocracy, it sometimes happens that he attributes to him a last name in ノ宮 . ノみや or 宮 . の-みや.

In real life, people with last names like the ones above actually exist. Some have aristocratic ancestry, others not.

Once again, it has been a great pleasure for me to write this course. We have seen new honorary suffixes as well as honorary and non-honorary titles. We also discovered honorary prefixes and a posthumous honorary title. I therefore give you a quick reminder in order to differentiate the five :

– The honorary suffix comes only after a name,
– The honorary title is only placed after a name or is used alone,
– The non-honorary title can be used after a name and also alone but when it is alone it itself needs an honorary suffix or an honorary title,
– The honorary prefix comes only before the birth name of a member of the imperial family or a papal name,
– The posthumous honorary title comes only after the name of the Japanese era that an Emperor embodied during his lifetime.

I could also have talked about the Emperor’s enthronement ceremony but there would have been a lot to say and to sum it all up in a few paragraphs without obscuring important aspects is impossible. So, if the topic interests you, don’t hesitate to do some research on the Internet.

Finally, you have of course the exercises to do, theme and version. There you will find some proper names of well-known Japanese personalities and not just members of the imperial family. Also, I didn’t tell you, but if in our Western languages it is common practice to quote a royal figure by title and first name, in Japan it is considered disrespectful. In the first exercise, you will have English sentences to translate into Japanese. So, pay attention to the way the English sentence is worded and who you are talking about in the sentence to translate as best as possible into Japanese by adding the corresponding prefixes and suffixes. Ditto in the second exercise.

It’s time to move on to a recap of all the new words we’ve seen in this course. Over thirty words in total. The list includes many words seen in this course as well as other new words.

世襲親王家 . セシュウシンノウケ . the imperial house of the hereditary imperial princes
世襲 . セシュウ . hereditary
親王 . シンノウ . the imperial princes, the princely parents (honorary title)
王家 . オウケ . the princely house
皇太子 . コウタイシ . the crown prince, the hereditary prince (honorary title prefixed)
皇太子妃 . コウタイシヒ . the crown princess, the hereditary princess (honorary title prefixed)
皇后 . コウゴウ . the Empress
家 . ケ, カ . the house, the home; the imperial house (suffix)
皇室 . コウシツ . the Imperial House of Japan, the Yamato Lineage
殿下 . デンカ . His / Her Majesty (honorary title)
両陛下 . リョウヘイカ . the Emperor and the Empress (honorary title)
天皇陛下 . テンノウヘイカ . His Majesty the Emperor (honorary title)
皇后陛下 . コウゴウヘイカ . Her Majesty the Empress (honorary title)
今上陛下 . キンジョウヘイカ . The Reigning Emperor (honorary title)
国王陛下 . コクオウヘイカ . His Majesty the King (honorary title)
女王陛下 . ジョオウヘイカ . Her Majesty the Queen (honorary title)
お印 . おしるし . the personal emblem
皇位 . コウイ . the imperial throne, the chrysanthemum throne
高御座 . たかみくら . the imperial throne, the chrysanthemum throne (super honorary word, used during the ceremony of accession to the throne of a new Emperor)
玉座 . ギョクザ . the throne (used to designate a throne other than the chrysanthemum throne)
王座 . オウザ . the throne (used to designate a throne other than the chrysanthemum throne)
王位 . オウイ . the throne (used to designate a throne other than the chrysanthemum throne)
御座 . みくら . the throne (super honorary word, used to designate a throne other than the chrysanthemum throne)
君主 . クンシュ . the monarch, the regent
天皇 . テンノウ . the Emperor of Japan (posthumous name)
太上天皇 . ダイジョウテンノウ . the Emperor Emeritus (title designating emperors who abdicated in favor of a successor)
上皇 . ジョウコウ . the Emperor Emeritus (abridged version)
天皇万歳 . テンノウバンザイ . Long live the Emperor! (formula quoted during the enthronement of the Emperor)
天皇誕生日 . テンノウタンジョウビ . the Emperor’s birthday
教皇 . キョウコウ . the Pope (honorary title prefixed)
司教 . シキョウ . the bishop (non-honorary title)
大司教 . ダイシキョウ . the archbishop (non-honorary title)