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)