shogun

or shō·gun

[ shoh-guhn, -guhn ]

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.

shogun

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˈshoˌgunal, adjective

Other Words From

• shogun·al adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of shogun¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of shogun¹

C17: from Japanese, from Chinese chiang chün general, from chiang to lead + chün army

Example Sentences

FX’s highest profile and most acclaimed limited series before “Say Nothing” is “Shogun,” a reimagining of a Reagan-era bestseller told from the Japanese perspective.

From Salon

Jon Jon Briones takes on the role of the Reciter as well as the Shogun and Emperor, moving gracefully from narration to enactment.

From Los Angeles Times

Several of the items on the site were listed recently as sold out, including a $300 Shogun Warriors Skeletor figure that stands more than 2 feet tall, a miniature $200 Porsche 930 in a display case modeled after a white sculpture by artist Daniel Arsham and $30 brightly colored Magic 8 balls decorated like an astronaut Barbie or a Hot Wheels race car driver.

From Los Angeles Times

FX also had a record-setting winner with “Shogun,” a drama set in 17th century feudal Japan, which earned 18 awards, the most of any program in a single year.

From Los Angeles Times

Anna Sawai says she connected deeply with Lady Toda Mariko, her character in FX’s ‘Shogun,’ and that she was encouraged by the creators’ desire to avoid stereotypes of Japanese women.

From Los Angeles Times