emperors of Japan, written by Ernest Mason Satow Under Shinto religious influence, the goddess Amaterasu, who is of the highest rank in the kami system, might suggest that Japan's first rulers were women. According to the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki chronicles in Japanese mythology, the Emperors of Japan are considered to be direct descendants of Amaterasu. Empress consort In ancient Japan, most of the empresses consort were princesses, except for Iwa no hime (empress consort of Nintoku). After Empress Kōmyō (empress consort of Shōmu), daughters of the Fujiwara clan or other clans could become empresses consort. Originally, Chūgū (中宮) referred to the palace of the Kōgō (皇后), Kōtaigō (皇太后) (Empress Mother/Empress Dowager), or Tai-Kōtaigō (太皇太后) (Grand Empress Mother/Grand Empress Dowager). Until the mid-Heian Period, the emperor had only one empress consort, and the empress consort was also called Chūgū. From the time of Emperor Ichijō, when emperors had two empresses consort, one of them came to be called Kōgō and another one was called Chūgū. After maiden Princess Yasuko became Kōgō as the honorary or adoptive mother (准母) of Emperor Horikawa, maiden princesses could also become Kōgō. List of empresses consort Kōgō (皇后) is the title of a non-reigning empress consort. The title, still in use, is generally conferred on an emperor's wife who had given birth to the heir to the throne. The title was first awarded posthumously in 806 to the late mother of Emperor Heizei. Chūgū (中宮) was a term that evolved during the Heian period; and it came to be understood as the title of the empress. For a time, Chūgū replaced Kōgō; and then the titles became interchangeable. The numbers of Kōgō varied, but there was only one Chūgū at a time. The title Kōtaigō (皇太后) was given to the wife of an ex-emperor; and the title Tai-kōtaigō (太皇太后) came to be used by dowager empresses. List of empresses dowager List of grand empresses dowager See also Emperor of Japan List of emperors of Japan Himiko Taiyoo Imperial House of Japan Japanese imperial succession debate Dayang Kalangitan Kōkyū List of Nyoin Midaidokoro List of female castellans in Japan References Japanese empresses Japan