Seii Taishōgun
/seɪ.iː taɪ.ʃoʊ.ɡʊn/noun
A historical Japanese title meaning the great general who subdues the eastern barbarians, commonly translated as shogun.
Did you know?The title was first granted in 征夷大将軍 form to military commanders campaigning against the Emishi, Indigenous peoples living northeast of the early Japanese state.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Sino-Japanese
征夷大將軍
“Great general who subdues the eastern barbarians; the Classical Chinese source of the Japanese title.”
8th Century
Old Japanese
Seii Taishōgun
“A temporary military title for commanders leading campaigns against the Emishi in northeastern Japan.”
794–1185
Japanese
征夷大将軍
“A prestigious military office associated with imperial campaigns and frontier control.”
1192
Japanese
Seii Taishōgun
“A title institutionalized through Minamoto no Yoritomo’s military government, later known in English as the shogunate.”
1603–1868
Japanese
征夷大将軍
“The formal office held by the Tokugawa rulers, who governed Japan through the Tokugawa shogunate.”
Modern English
English
shogun
“A hereditary military ruler of Japan, especially one of the commanders who governed during the shogunate era.”