shogun

American  

[shoh-guhn, -guhn] / ˈʃoʊ gən, -gʌn /

Or shōgun

noun

Japanese History.

1. the title applied to the chief military commanders from about the 8th century a.d. to the end of the 12th century, then applied to the hereditary officials who governed Japan, with the emperor as nominal ruler, until 1868, when the shogunate was terminated and the ruling power was returned to the emperor.

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shogun British  

/ ˈʃəʊˌɡuːn /

noun

1. (from 794 _ad ) a chief military commander

2. (from about 1192 to 1867) any of a line of hereditary military dictators who relegated the emperors to a position of purely theoretical supremacy

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Other Word Forms

• shogunal
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of shogun

1605–15; < Japanese shōgun, earlier shaũgun < Middle Chinese, equivalent, to Chinese jiāngjūn literally, lead the army

Compare meaning

How does shogun compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• shogun vs. emperor

Explanation

In Japanese history, a military ruler was known as a shogun. The country was controlled by a series of shoguns from the 12th century until 1868. Shogun is a shortened form of the Japanese Sei-i Taishōgun, which translates to "barbarian-subduing commander-in-chief." The title was first given to military leaders who led successful campaigns. Minamoto Yoritomo was the first true shogun, gaining control of Japan in 1185. The position was officially hereditary, but over the centuries of shogun rule, several different clans held the title. The shogunate era came to an end with Japan's political revolution in 1867 and 68.

Example Sentences

He could defend himself, issue the order for Crimson Sky, make war on Osaka, declare himself shogun — but he won’t.

From New York Times • Apr. 2, 2024

There is no shogun, no unquestioned and absolute ruler, holding the country’s fractious lords together when “Shogun” begins.

From New York Times • Feb. 27, 2024

Rucci dubbed one of the most magnificent of the robes “the shogun caftan.”

From Washington Post • Feb. 11, 2023

In November, the reigning shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu resigned and relinquished his power, and in January 1868 the emperor officially proclaimed the end of the shogunate.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

“Word has it,” Marie-Laure overhears one taxidermist telling another, “the stone is from Japan, it’s very ancient, it belonged to a shogun in the eleventh century.”

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr