shoguns

Cultural  

1. Japanese military leaders who ruled the country from the twelfth to the nineteenth centuries. There was still an emperor in Japan under the shoguns, but he was reduced to a mere figurehead.

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Example Sentences

In that era, the cranes were kept as pets — as well as prepared as culinary delicacies — for the shoguns who ruled the realm.

From New York Times • Mar. 21, 2022

It was worn by the Tokugawa shoguns and declared a national treasure of Japan in 1939.

From The Guardian • May 18, 2018

Fans get a sneak peak at a training session for hosts who appear to be shoguns.

From Time • Dec. 5, 2016

For her, World War II must seem as remote as the time of the shoguns.

From National Geographic • Aug. 7, 2015

Other instances might be quoted showing how little mercy the Tokugawa shoguns extended to wrongdoers among their own relatives.

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