These characters were Emperor of Japan.
The Emperor of Japan is the head of the Imperial Family and the traditional head of state of Japan. The Japanese mark the ascension of the first emperor in the year designated 660 BCE by the Gregorian Calendar. The first 28 emperors are legendary, with little evidence to support that most of them even existed, let alone reigned.
The role of the Emperor of Japan has historically been a largely ceremonial symbolic role, although there have been periods when the Emperor actually ruled. Since the establishment of the first shogunate in 1192, the Emperors of Japan have rarely taken on a role as supreme battlefield commander, unlike many Western monarchs. Between 1192 and 1867, the shoguns were the de facto rulers of Japan, although they were nominally appointed by the Emperor. After the Meiji Restoration in 1867, the Emperor was the embodiment of all sovereign power in the realm, as enshrined in the Meiji Constitution of 1889. His current status as a figurehead dates from the 1947 Constitution, which was created by United States Army General Douglas MacArthur and his staff as a reaction to Japan's role in World War II.
Harry Turtledove works involving Japan are usually set partly or entirely during the reign of Hirohito, Emperor Showa.
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