[1. The relationship between the Emperor and the shogunate][Manually transcribed]
The Emperor and the shogunate were actually rivals. If the shogunate was stronger than the Emperor, it became the real power, while the Emperor became a puppet; if the Emperor was tough enough and had sufficient support from the daimyo and great families, he could suppress the shogunate instead.
Imperial power reached its peak around the tenth century. Afterward, the Soga, Ashikaga (during the Muromachi and Warring States periods), and Tokugawa (during the Edo Period) shogunates took part in governing. Under the Tokugawa Shogunate in particular, the Emperor was almost completely stripped of power. Only with the Meiji Restoration and the return of governing authority to the Emperor did he truly gather power back into his own hands.
Among Japan's early female Emperors, many were highly capable and politically astute. Besides the Hakuhō Empress, who created Hakuhō Culture, there were plenty of remarkable female Emperors before her. Let's dig into them~
No. 1: Suiko Emperor. The first female Emperor. After the previous Emperor-her husband-died, both their son and Prince Shōtoku wanted the throne. Neither would back down, so she took it instead. Youxin reckons Suiko Emperor must have been beautiful: she was originally a princess of the preceding Emperor, making her the reigning Emperor's paternal half sister, yet he insisted on taking her as a consort, then elevated her to Empress five years later. Yep, that tells you just how messed up Japan's imperial family was = = But it gets even messier later _(:з"∠)_ Still, she was formidable. She almost single-handedly created the Asuka Period and could be considered Japan's most famous female Emperor.
There was another thing Youxin admired from an objective standpoint: she refused to become China's vassal, yet actively learned from its advanced culture and politics.