Shogun
Shogun was the title of the warrior rulers who led Japan from the late 1100's to the mid-1800's. The term shogun means great general in Japanese. The emperor of Japan had first given this title to officers sent to fight tribes in the northern frontier region in the A.D. 700's.
In 1603, Ieyasu of the Tokugawa family founded the most powerful shogunate, in Edo (now Tokyo). Tokugawa authority lasted until 1867, when the shogun resigned and returned his powers to the emperor.
Excerpt adapted from the "Shogun" article, The World Book Encyclopedia © 1999