Japan Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Japan appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 11 different states, among them Japan, Empire of Japan, Yamato, Imperial Japan (Fujiwara), Tokugawa shogunate.
JapanExplore the history of Japan in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Japan as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Japan, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
| Map | Main states on this land |
|---|---|
| 400 BC | Yayoi 46% |
| AD 100 | Yayoi 98% |
| AD 500 | Yamato 50% |
| AD 600 | Yamato 88% |
| AD 700 | Yamato 88% |
| AD 800 | Japan 94% |
| AD 900 | Yamato 94% |
| 1000 | Imperial Japan (Fujiwara) 98% |
| 1100 | Imperial Japan (Fujiwara) 98% |
| 1200 | Imperial Japan (Fujiwara) 98% |
| 1300 | Shogun Japan (Kamakura) 98% |
| 1400 | Ashikaga Shogunate 98% |
| 1492 | Japan 100% |
| 1500 | Japan 100% |
| 1600 | Japan (Warring States) 98% |
| 1650 | Tokugawa shogunate 100% |
| 1700 | Tokugawa shogunate 100% |
| 1783 | Japan 100% |
| 1800 | Japan 100% |
| 1815 | Japan 100% |
| 1880 | Imperial Japan 100% |
| 1900 | Imperial Japan 100% |
| 1914 | Empire of Japan 100% |
| 1920 | Empire of Japan 100% |
| 1930 | Empire of Japan 100% |
| 1938 | Empire of Japan 100% |
| 1945 | Japan (USA) 100% |
| 1960 | Japan 100% |
| 1994 | Japan 100% |
| 2010 | Japan 100% |
Historic cities in Japan
Famous people of Japan
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| AD 574 – AD 622 | Prince Shōtoku | Regent of Japan |
| c. AD 973 – 1014 | Murasaki Shikibu | Writer |
| 1147 – 1199 | Minamoto no Yoritomo | First Kamakura shogun |
| 1534 – 1582 | Oda Nobunaga | Warlord |
| 1537 – 1598 | Toyotomi Hideyoshi | Unifier of Japan |
| 1543 – 1616 | Tokugawa Ieyasu | First Tokugawa shogun |
| 1852 – 1912 | Emperor Meiji | Emperor of Japan |
Battles and historic sites
| Year | Battle or site |
|---|---|
| 1281 | Battle of Mongol invasions of Japan |
| 1600 | Battle of Sekigahara |
Landmarks
Himeji CastleStanding · 1609
Tōdai-jiStanding · AD 752
Hiroshima Peace MemorialRuins · 1915
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Japan?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Japan belonged to Japan, Empire of Japan, Yamato, Imperial Japan (Fujiwara), Tokugawa shogunate, Imperial Japan, along with 5 other states.
What was Japan part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Japan lay within Imperial Japan (Fujiwara).
What was Japan part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Japan lay within Japan.
What was Japan part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Japan lay within Imperial Japan.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.