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shogunate

American  
[shoh-guh-nit, -nayt] / ˈʃoʊ gə nɪt, -ˌneɪt /

noun

  1. the office or rule of a shogun.

  2. a government controlled by shoguns.


shogunate British  
/ ˈʃəʊɡʊnɪt, -ˌneɪt /

noun

  1. Japanese history the office or rule of a shogun

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of shogunate

First recorded in 1870–75; shogun + -ate 3


Vocabulary lists containing shogunate

Example Sentences

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The last section covers the modern fantasies about samurai that developed at home and abroad after the bushi class’s abolishment, a result of Japan’s transition from shogunate rule to a Western-style constitutional monarchy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 2026

After the military shogunate system was overturned in the late 19th century, the house became the Yokois’ private residence and went through several renovations, according to Yokoi and her husband, Akira.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2023

Their country was in the midst of annexing much of Northern Africa and Southeast Asia; they were fascinated that the Tokugawa shogunate, still in power, had thus far resisted European takeover.

From New York Times ● Feb. 11, 2021

When Tsuda arrived, Japan had recently emerged from a civil war that had seen the ruling shogunate fall to supporters of the emperor.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 28, 2020

THE epochs of Japanese history from the eighth century until the fall of the Ashikaga shogunate are generally divided into the Nara, the Heian, the Kamakura, the Muromachi, and the Higashi-yama.

From A History of the Japanese People From the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era by F. (Frank) Brinkley

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