emperor for failing to rule justly. The right to rule of the Japanese emperor, descended from the sun goddess Amaterasu, was absolute. Based on epitaphs dating to the 4th and 5th centuries, Goguryeo had concepts of the Son of Heaven (天帝之子) and tianxia. The rulers of Goryeo used the titles of emperor and Son of Heaven and positioned Goryeo at the center of the Haedong (海東; "East of the Sea") tianxia, which encompassed the historical domain of the "Samhan", another name for the Three Kingdoms of Korea. The title was also adopted in Vietnam, known in Vietnamese as Thiên tử (Chữ Hán: 天子). A divine mandate gave the Vietnamese emperor the right to rule, based not on his lineage but on his competence to govern. Vietnam's adoption of a Confucian bureaucracy, presided over by Vietnam's Son of Heaven, led to the creation of a Vietnamese tributary system in Southeast Asia, modeled after the Chinese Sinocentric system in East Asia. See also Chinese sovereign Emperor of China Monarchy of China Emperor at home, king abroad Little China (ideology) Manifestation of God (Baháʼí Faith) Devaraja Divine Right of Kings Sinocentrism Chinese Tributary System Pax Sinica ("Chinese peace") Tian (Heaven) / Shangdi (God) Tian Xia (All under Heaven) Tian Chao (Dynasty of Heaven) Tian Kehan (Khan of Heaven) Tian Ming (Mandate of Heaven) Tian Zi (Son of Heaven) Zhou dynasty Chanyu, title used by the Xiongnu's supreme leaders, prefaced with Chinese transcription which was glossed as "Son of Heaven" by . References General references Tianzi Chinese royal titles Heads of state Japanese nobility Korean nobility Men's social titles Monarchy Noble titles Royal titles Titles of national or ethnic leadership Relationship between Heaven and Mankind