History of Shogun in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: March 23, 2025

The Shogun was a military title in Japan, held from 1185 to 1868, where the holder was nominally appointed by the Emperor, but was usually the de facto ruler. While the Emperor remained the symbolic head of state, Shoguns wielded true power, commanding the military and governing the country. However, during certain periods, the Shoguns themselves were figureheads, with actual power held by regents from powerful clans like the Hōjō and Hosokawa. Some powerful leaders, like Taira no Kiyomori and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, gained high aristocratic positions instead of the Shogunate to rule.

1912: End of the Meiji era

In 1912, the Meiji era came to an end. The rapid modernization of Japan during the Meiji era (1868–1912) was aided by the education under the Tokugawa shoguns.

December 1945: Tokugawa Iemasa gave the Honjō Masamune sword to a police station at Mejiro and it went missing.

In December 1945, Tokugawa Iemasa gave the Honjō Masamune sword to a police station at Mejiro and it went missing.

2016: Japanese history textbooks do not specify a specific year for the beginning of the Kamakura period

In 2016, Japanese history textbooks did not specify a specific year for the beginning of the Kamakura period, because there are various theories about the year the Kamakura shogunate was established.