Hirohito
Emperor Hirohito was Japan's 124th emperor who is vital to the history because he played a major role within world history. He was known as the Showa Tenno emperor. Showa is translated into "enlightened peace" and Tenno is translated into "heavenly sovereign." This is exceptionally ironic because he was the emperor during numerous disasters (Hirohito, 2005).
The worst war Japan had ever seen and a depression are just a few of the events that occurred throughout history. According to the Japanese constitution of 1889 the emperor had divine power over his country although his authority was based on religion and myth. The Japanese citizens viewed him as a divine figure and his word became what was thought of as the word of god (Hoyt, 1992). His wrath was severe as he devastated many countries including his own.
This is because of events such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the rape of Nanjing. He shocked his own country when he denounced the claims that he was a divine figure and a descendent of the sun god Amaterasu. This was the first time the Japanese people realized that their emperor was truly a mortal (Hirohito, Emperor of Japan, 2003). He became what was known as Japan's most memorable emperor.
To completely understand Hirohito we must take a concise look at the Shinto religion. The Shinto religion was first recorded in 712A.D. in a book called Kojiki which means record of ancient things. It was also written in a book called Nihon Shoki, which means chronicles of Japan. Two deities created Japan. A male being named Izanagi and a female being named Isonomy (Mackenzie, 1994).
There names translated into "he who invites" and "she who invites." After Izanami died Izanagi created Amaterasu which is the equivalent to what we think of as a sun goddess. Her name means heavenly light. It was thought that Izanagi then sent Amaterasu to rule the heavens. The deities discussed and then decided that Amaterasu's descendents should rule the land.
The worst war Japan had ever seen and a depression are just a few of the events that occurred throughout history. According to the Japanese constitution of 1889 the emperor had divine power over his country although his authority was based on religion and myth. The Japanese citizens viewed him as a divine figure and his word became what was thought of as the word of god (Hoyt, 1992). His wrath was severe as he devastated many countries including his own.
This is because of events such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the rape of Nanjing. He shocked his own country when he denounced the claims that he was a divine figure and a descendent of the sun god Amaterasu. This was the first time the Japanese people realized that their emperor was truly a mortal (Hirohito, Emperor of Japan, 2003). He became what was known as Japan's most memorable emperor.
To completely understand Hirohito we must take a concise look at the Shinto religion. The Shinto religion was first recorded in 712A.D. in a book called Kojiki which means record of ancient things. It was also written in a book called Nihon Shoki, which means chronicles of Japan. Two deities created Japan. A male being named Izanagi and a female being named Isonomy (Mackenzie, 1994).
There names translated into "he who invites" and "she who invites." After Izanami died Izanagi created Amaterasu which is the equivalent to what we think of as a sun goddess. Her name means heavenly light. It was thought that Izanagi then sent Amaterasu to rule the heavens. The deities discussed and then decided that Amaterasu's descendents should rule the land.