Japanese Emperor: Did you mean...?

This is a portion of the "Bussetsu zoho ketsugi kyo," which was a sutra copied by hand in ink on paper in 12th-century CE Japan. (Tokyo National Museum)

This is one of 60 scrolls from a transcription of the "Avatamsaka Sutra." Ruled lines in gold pigment segment the paper, which is decorated with flakes of god. At some point, the top and bottom of this scroll were burnt in a fire with the...

Made of wood with polychrome, cut gold leaf, and crystal eyes, this is one of the most remarkable statues from ancient Japan. The ink inscription eclosed in the statue of Bishamon Ten (Vaisravana) reveals that it was dedicated on the seventh...

In Japanese folklore the Shichifukujin are the Seven Lucky Gods who may also be known as the Seven Gods of Happiness or the Seven Gods of Good Fortune. The seven gods are in fact of diverse origin as some are originally from Buddhism, some...

The Song of Everlasting Sorrow is a narrative poem of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) inspired by the love affair between Xuanzong (r. 712-756 CE), the seventh emperor of the dynasty, and his consort Lady Yang. It was written by the Chinese...

The government of the Byzantine Empire was headed and dominated by the emperor, but there were many other important officials who assisted in operating the finances, judiciary, military, and bureaucracy of a huge territory. Without elections...

The Holy Roman Empire officially lasted from 962 to 1806. It was one of Europe’s largest medieval and early modern states, but its power base was unstable and continually shifting. The Holy Roman Empire was not a unitary state, but a confederation...

The Crisis of the Third Century (also known as the Imperial Crisis, 235-284) was the period in the history of the Roman Empire during which it splintered into three separate political entities: the Gallic Empire, the Roman Empire, and the...

Valerian ruled as emperor of the Roman Empire from 253 CE until his capture in 260 CE. In 253 CE an elderly Roman military commander and experienced former senator was proclaimed emperor by his troops - a very common occurrence at the time...

When Maximinus Thrax was named Roman emperor upon the death of Alexander Severus, the news was not well-received by many in Rome and the Roman Senate considered him an illiterate barbarian. His financial excesses, principally used to fund...