noun
shogun
SHOH-guhn/ˈʃəʊɡən/
A hereditary military ruler in feudal Japan.
The shogun holds military power while the emperor performs ceremonial duties.
Etymology
The components literally mean “lead army,” expressing the role of a military commander. In Japan, the title named the hereditary commander whose military authority made him a ruler.
In context
the daimyo in turn commanded the samurai whose principal loyalty however was actually to the Shogun
More examples
- The shogun ordered the regional lords to send troops.
- His son succeeded him as shogun.
- The Tokugawa shoguns governed Japan for more than two centuries.
Forms
shogun · shoguns
shogunate noun — The office or government of a shogun.
Similar words
- ruler
- A broader term, without specifying military authority or Japanese history.
- general
- Commands an army but does not necessarily govern a country.