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

He could defend himself, issue the order for Crimson Sky, make war on Osaka, declare himself shogun — but he won’t.

From New York Times

There is no shogun, no unquestioned and absolute ruler, holding the country’s fractious lords together when “Shogun” begins.

From New York Times

He was adopted by his uncle, who served the shogun as a maker of mirrors, and at age 19 he entered the studio of Shunsho, who specialized in imagery of actors and women.

From New York Times

Rucci dubbed one of the most magnificent of the robes “the shogun caftan.”

From Washington Post

The word “meyasubako,” meaning a petition box in Japan under the shogun, appeared for the first time yesterday in The Times in an article about taking suggestions.

From New York Times