 The position of Emperor is a territory-independent phenomenon—the Emperor is the Emperor, even if he has followers only in one province (as was the case sometimes with the southern and northern courts).From 1192 to 1867, sovereignty of the state was exercised by the "shōguns", or their "shikken" regents (1203–1333), whose authority was conferred by Imperial warrant.When Portuguese explorers first came into contact with the Japanese (see "Nanban period"), they described Japanese conditions in analogy, likening the Emperor with great symbolic authority but little political power, to the Pope, and the "shōgun" to secular European rulers (e.g., the Holy Roman Emperor).