(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
shogunal (ˈshoˌgunal)
adjective
Word origin
C17: from Japanese, from Chinese chiang chün general, from chiang to lead + chün army
shogun in American English
(ˈʃoʊˌgʌn; ˈʃoʊˌgʊn; ˈʃoʊˌgun)
noun
any of the hereditary governors of Japan who, until 1867, constituted a quasi-dynasty exercising absolute rule and relegating the emperors to a nominal position