Written on 28 Dec 2010.
Lwh, 1 August 2025
In Imperial China, there were 2 bases to claim the right to succeed to the throne.
They are lineage and virtue. Virtue is tied to the concept of the Mandate of Heaven. This mandate uses the authority of heaven to override the claim of lineage and thus justify a change to a new dynasty.
Such a change is not accepted in Imperial Japan, which does not accept any limitations on imperial birthright. (See p 942, Three Kingdoms, Part 2, Moss Roberts.)