Shogunate

A shogunate is a form of military government in feudal Japan in which political and military power was exercised by a shogun, while the emperor remained a largely ceremonial figure. The system, governed by the bakufu or "tent government," emphasized the shogun's authority over the samurai and the daimyo who ruled Japan's provinces.

The shogunate began with the Kamakura Shogunate (1192–1333), established by Minamoto no Yoritomo after the Gempei War. Real power largely resided in the Hōjō clan as regents (shikken). The Muromachi or Ashikaga Shogunate followed (1336–1573), a period marked by political fragmentation and civil conflict. The Tokugawa or Edo Shogunate (1600/03–1868) centralized authority, structured the daimyo system, and pursued relative peace and isolation from much of the outside world through sakoku. The sankin-kotai policy required daimyo to maintain residences in Edo and spend alternating years away from their domains, reinforcing shogunal control.

The shogunate era ended with the Meiji Restoration, which restored political power to the emperor and initiated rapid modernization and centralization of state power. Across its centuries, the shogunate shaped Japan's political development, military organization, social order, and interactions with foreign powers, leaving a lasting legacy in constitutional models, samurai culture, and the imperial institution's historical role.