18 February 2014

Japan: A Super Short Discription of the Shogun

将軍
Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last Shogun
Shogun means "military commander"
Although theoretically the state, and therefore the Emperor, held ownership of all land of Japan, the system had some feudal elements, with lesser territorial lords pledging their allegiance to greater ones. Samurai were rewarded for their loyalty with agricultural surplus, usually rice, or labor services from peasants. The hierarchy that held this system of government together was reinforced by close ties of loyalty between samurai and their subordinates. Each shogun's power and area was dynamic, not static. Power was constantly shifting and authority was often ambiguous. Each shogunate encountered competition from almost every leadership system in Japan. This system lasted approximately 250 years
(Adapted from Wikipedia)