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

"That's, I think, the biggest impact we've seen within Japan," Markan said, while international shows like "Shogun" have helped "introduce a new generation of people to samurai culture and Japanese swords".

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

Chamberlain became king of the 1980's TV mini-series: playing a western prisoner in Shogun and a catholic priest tempted by love in The Thorn Birds.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2025

It was even more successful than Shogun, winning an audience of 60% of television viewers and 16 Emmy nominations.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2025

Meanwhile, Shogun swept the TV drama categories, with individual prizes for its stars Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai.

From BBC • Feb. 23, 2025

On the other hand, those retainers who would have willingly died for a Shogun of the Minamoto family did not like to stake their lives on behalf of the H�j�.

From An Introduction to the History of Japan by Hara, Katsuro