In present-day English, the "emperor of Japan" refers to the [[tenno|''tennô'']] 天皇, the monarch who has reigned over (but not necessarily ruled) Japan for virtually all of recorded history. It is uses to refer to the tennô of any period of history. However, this English term apparently was not used for the tennô until sometime after [[Perry|Perry's]] visit in [[1853]]. | In present-day English, the "emperor of Japan" refers to the [[tenno|''tennô'']] 天皇, the monarch who has reigned over (but not necessarily ruled) Japan for virtually all of recorded history. It is uses to refer to the tennô of any period of history. However, this English term apparently was not used for the tennô until sometime after [[Perry|Perry's]] visit in [[1853]]. |