Emperor Hirohito was the 124th emperor of Japan and is vital to history because he played an important role in world history. He was known as Emperor Showa Tenno. Showa is translated to “enlightened peace” and Tenno is translated to “heavenly ruler.” This is exceptionally ironic because he was emperor during numerous disasters (Hirohito, 2005). The worst war Japan had ever seen and a depression are just some of the events that happened throughout history. Under Japan's 1889 constitution the emperor had divine power over his country, although his authority was based on religion and myth. Japanese citizens considered him a divine figure and his word became what was considered the word of God (Hoyt, 1992). His wrath was severe as he devastated many countries, including his own, due to events such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the Rape of Nanjing. He shocked his own country when he denounced claims that he was a divine figure and a descendant of the sun god Amaterasu. This was the first time that the Japanese people realized that their emperor was truly mortal (Hirohito, Emperor of Japan, 2003). He became what was known as Japan's most memorable emperor. To fully understand Hirohito we must take a concise look at the Shinto religion. The Shinto religion was first documented in 712 AD in a book called Kojiki which means register of ancient things. It was also written in a book called Nihon Shoki, which means chronicles of Japan. Two deities created Japan. A male called Izanagi and a female called Isonomy (Mackenzie, 1994). There are names translated as “he who invites” and “she who invites.” After Izanami's death, Izanagi created Amaterasu who is the equivalent of what we consider a sun goddess. His name means celestial light. Izanagi was then thought to have sent Amaterasu to rule the heavens. The deities discussed and then decided that Amaterasu's descendants should rule the country. Amaterasu's great-grandson became the first emperor of Japan (Mackenzie, 1994). This means that all the emperors of Japan were descendants of one god. This is why the Japanese believed that the emperor was a god and not a mortal man. Hirohito was an interesting individual. He was born on April 29, 1901 in Aoyama Palace in Tokyo (Hirohito, 2005).