Bakuhan
/ˈbɑːkʊhɑːn/noun
A term for Japan’s Edo-period political system, combining the centralized shogunate with semi-autonomous feudal domains.
Did you know?Bakuhan is a modern scholarly term, coined from Japanese 幕藩 (bakuhan), rather than the name commonly used by people living under the Edo-period system itself.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Chinese
幕 (mù)
“A curtain, tent, or military commander’s field headquarters—the source of Japanese maku and baku.”
Classical Chinese
Chinese
藩 (fān)
“A defensive border barrier or vassal territory—the source of Japanese han.”
8th–9th Century
Japanese
幕 (maku)
“A curtain or military camp; in compounds, it became associated with a military government.”
12th Century
Japanese
幕府 (bakufu)
“The shogun’s military government, literally a commander’s field headquarters or tent government.”
Edo Period, 1603–1868
Japanese
藩 (han)
“A domain governed by a daimyo under the authority of the Tokugawa shogunate.”
20th Century
Japanese
幕藩体制 (bakuhan taisei)
“The “bakuhan system,” a modern historical term for the political order linking the shogunate and domains.”
Modern English
English
bakuhan
“An English historiographical term for the Tokugawa political system of shogunal rule alongside semi-autonomous domains.”