asianroyals

The Monarchs and Pretenders of E. Asia

JAPAN
Although in a rather "unique" position today, Japan is traditionally considered the oldest monarchy in the world. According to legend, the Japanese Imperial Family can be traced back in an unbroken line to the sun goddess Amaterasu. For a long time Japan was ruled by a Shogun with the Emperor acting more as a supreme spiritual figure (early Westernerners called the Shogun the king or emperor and called the Emperor of Japan their version of the Pope). The power of the emperors returned with the famous "Meiji Restoration" but lasted only until the end of World War II. During that conflict, fought in the name of Emperor Hirohito, Japan conquered almost a quarter of the world, absorbing most of China, all of Southeast Asia, as far west as India, all of the Philippines, Indonesia and about half of the Pacific. After the war, Japan was forced to adopt a new constitution that made the Emperor the "symbol of the nation" rather than sovereign. The current reigning monarch is Emperor Akihito.

MONGOLIA
Today a relatively poor and forgotten country, the Mongols once ruled the largest land empire in history, stretching all the way from Korea to Poland. The founder of this empire (and the most famous Mongol in history) was Temujin or "Genghis Kahn" (Great Ruler). However, the Mongols reached their real height of wealth, power and prestige under Kublai Kahn who completed the conquest of China and founded the Yuan Dynasty, introduced to Europe by the writings of Marco Polo. After the overthrow of the Yuan, Mongolia slowly became a troubled area caught between the ambitions of Russia and China. Interestingly enough, this land once ruled by the great Khans became a Buddhist theocratic monarchy in later life (in fact it was the Mongols who helped establish the Buddhist theocracy in Tibet). They declared independence in 1911 under their ruler, known as "the Living Buddha", chosen by the lamas according to the belief in reincarnation; as such there can be no claimant. As far as I know, the last "Living Buddha" of Mongolia was Jebtsundamba Khutuktu (1869-1924).

CHINA
Historically, the most dominant country in the Far East has always been China, the "Middle Kingdom" and often regarded as the country with the oldest recorded history. China has had many dynasties in her history, some of the most famous being the Qin, the Han, the Tang, the Yuan, the Ming and the Qing. The last dynasty was the Qing dynasty of Manchuria. The famous last Emperor of the Qing Empire was Henry Pu-Yi (Xuantong or Kangte), although General Yuan Shikhai attempted to make himself emperor as well. Pu-Yi was restored by the Japanese as Emperor of Manchukuo throughout the 30's and early 40's but was dethroned again by World War II. He had no heirs but his brother whose marriage produced only daughters. In his memoirs he wrote that he named his cousin, Prince Yu Yan to be his adopted heir and successor. Interestingly though, the only Imperial Chinese claimant is a rather farcial group based in Hawaii claiming to be of the Chow (Zhou) dynasty, organized by a Chinese American named Lester D. K. Chow who evidently spends most of his time asking people for money. They claim a mysterious figure known as HIM Emperor Yao Sui to be the true Emperor of China living in exile.

KOREA
Difficult as it might be to believe, I have heard that Korea may have at least some hope of a monarchist restoration in the future. Although usually a vassal of China, Korea has been one of the most advanced and totally Confucian monarchies in the Far East under the Yi dynasty. The prestige of the Korean royal family was badly damaged by their occupation by Japan when the Yi were reduced in rank and taken into the Japanese aristocratic system. Since the division and the Korean war, the shared history of the Korean Empire may be the only thing north and south have in common. The current heir to the Korean throne is Grand Prince Yi Ku, who was born in Japan and later became an American citizen. He is Governor of the Yi Royal Family Association and is allowed by the republic in South Korea to participate in traditional ceremonies for national occasions at the old imperial palace.

TIBET
One of the most tragic cases in modern times is that of the Buddhist theocracy of Tibet, an ancient kingdom in the Himalayas, known as the "Roof of the World". The name "Tibet" actually comes from the Sanskrit word for "Heaven". It has long been a center of religion and pilgrimage, particularly the capital holy city of Lhasa. The official ruler of Tibet in the past was the Dalai Lama, a spiritual leader, who was assisted by the Panchen Lama, a slightly more secular ruler. Tibet had a good relationship with the latter Qing emperors in China, but following the Chinese civil war the Communists invaded Tibet in 1950. The world community failed to respond and the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso fled to India where he set up a government in exile. The Panchen Lama became a Chinese puppet ruler. Sporadic talks continue, but even if the Dalai Lama is restored it seems that the Tibetan theocracy is gone forever as, perhaps due to his status as a celebrity for New Age liberals, the Dalai Lama has stated his first order of business would be to secularize Tibet and remove Buddhism as the official religion.

BURMA
An old an once powerful Southeast Asian kingdom, Burma (Myanmar) is now an extremely brutal and isolated dictatorship. The last monarch of Burma was King Thibaw of the Alaungpaya dynasty who was deposed in 1885 by the British who ruled Burma as a colony within the Empire of India. The last king left no heirs and with no set rules of succession there can be no heir to the throne. The only claimant is a British subject who has taken the name and title of "Crown Prince Shwebomin of Burma", which literally means 'Crown Prince Prince of Shwebo of Burma'. Lacking any legitimate claim to the throne, he is ambiguous about his background, though claims widespread "secret" support in Burma and spends most of his time trying to socialize with other elites in the hope of gaining legitimacy by association.