Editing Emperor of Japan (section)

=== Factional control (530s–1867) and ''shōguns'' (1192–1867) ===
{{Main|Shogun}}
There have been seven non-imperial [[Japanese clans|families]] who have controlled Japanese emperors: the [[Soga clan|Soga]] (530s–645), the [[Fujiwara clan|Fujiwara]] (850s–1070), the [[Taira clan|Taira]] (1159–1180s), the [[Minamoto clan|Minamoto]] (1192–1199), the [[Hōjō clan|Hōjō]] (1199–1333), the [[Ashikaga shogunate|Ashikaga]] (1336–1565), and the [[Tokugawa shogunate|Tokugawa]] (1603–1867). However, every shogun from the Minamoto, Ashikaga, and Tokugawa families had to be officially recognized by the emperors, who were still the source of sovereignty, although they could not exercise their powers independently from the shogunate.

During the major part of 1192 to 1867, political sovereignty of the state was exercised by the ''shōguns'' or their ''[[shikken]]'' regents (1203–1333), whose authority was conferred by Imperial warrant. When [[Portuguese discoveries|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]]). In keeping with the analogy, they even used the term "emperor" in reference to the ''shōguns'' and their regents, e.g. in the case of [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]], whom missionaries called "Emperor Taico-sama" (from [[Sesshō and Kampaku|Taikō]] and the honorific ''[[Japanese titles|sama]]''). A Dutch embassy report used similar terminology in 1691.<ref name="jpciv">{{cite book |year=1978 |title=A Brief History of Japanese Civilization |page=147 |author1=Conrad Schirokauer |author2=David Lurie |author3=Suzanne Gay |publisher=Cengage Learning |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UaYJAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA147 |isbn=978-0495913252}}</ref> [[Empress Go-Sakuramachi]] was the last ruling empress of Japan and reigned from 1762 to 1771.<ref>Titsingh, pp. 411–412.</ref> During the [[Sakoku]] period of 1603 to 1868, there was very limited trade between Japan and foreigners. The [[Japan–Netherlands relations|Dutch]] were the only westerners who had limited access to Japan.<ref name="jpciv"/>