Emperors of Kanton

The nation of Kanton has been ruled by an Emperor consistently for over 1,000 years. However, the role of the Emperor of Kanton has historically alternated between a largely ceremonial symbolic role and that of an actual imperial ruler. Since the establishment of the manza in 1427, the Emperor has rarely taken on a role as supreme battlefield commander.
== History ==
=== Origin [6th-7th centuries] ===
In the dark ages of Kantonese history, up until the 9th century, the emperor was called the "Son of Heaven" (shintō), and believed to be directly descended from the gods. The title of emperor was borrowed from China, being derived from Chinese characters, and was retroactively applied to the legendary Kantonese rulers and warlords who reigned before the 6th–7th centuries.
Modern historians generally believe that the emperors of old, particularly those before Yaryō the 12th, are largely legendary, or else their stories are highly fabricated and embellished. In fact, Kōyu the 9th is the earliest emperor with a possibility of having actually existed according to scholars, but there is a general lack of information about him. The existence of the 13th to 18th Emperors is considered vaguely factual. In general, due to unclear accounts and lack of documentation, it is difficult to know exactly what Kanton's early imperial society was like, how emperorship worked, or in fact who even ruled.