This is the glossary of Japanese history including the major terms, titles and events the casual (or brand-new) reader might find useful in understanding articles on the subject.

A

*'' ashigaru'' (足輕) – feudal foot soldiers drawn from the peasant or commoner class, rather than from the samurai hereditary warrior class. *''

Ashikaga Ashikaga (足利) may refer to: * Ashikaga clan (足利氏 ''Ashikaga-shi''), a Japanese samurai clan descended from the Minamoto clan; and that formed the basis of the eponymous shogunate ** Ashikaga shogunate (足利幕府 ''Ashikaga bakufu''), a ...

'' – ''bushi'' clan from

Kamakura is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Kamakura has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 persons per km² over the total area of . Kamakura was designated as a city on 3 November 1939. Kamak ...

whose members ruled as ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

s'' over Japan from 1336 to 1573.

B

*'' bakufu'' (幕府) – a ''

''s government; commonly called "shogunate" in English. * '' bettō'' (別當) – the head of a civilian, military or religious institution. *'' bugyō'' (奉行) – a magistrate. Examples include the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

''machibugyō'' who administered the city during the Edo period. *'' bushi'' (武士) – a member of the warrior class (a samurai). *'' bushidō'' (武士道) – purported warrior code of honor, analogous to Western

chivalry Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christianity, Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours we ...

C

*''

chōnin was a social class that emerged in Japan during the early years of the Tokugawa period. In the social hierarchy, it was considered subordinate to the samurai warrior class. Social Class The ''chōnin'' emerged in ''joka-machi'' or castle ...

'' (町人, "townsman") - a social class that emerged in Japan during the early years of the Tokugawa period. The majority of ''chōnin'' were merchants, but some were craftsmen, as well.

D

* ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...

'' () – a feudal lord during the later

Muromachi period The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by t ...

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

Azuchi–Momoyama period The was the final phase of the in Japanese history from 1568 to 1600. After the outbreak of the Ōnin War in 1467, the power of the Ashikaga Shogunate effectively collapsed, marking the start of the chaotic Sengoku period. In 1568, Oda Nobuna ...

and Edo period.

E

* ''

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

'' (江戸) – the old name of Tokyo when it was the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate. Alternate, outdated spellings include Yedo and Yeddo. *Eikyō Rebellion (永享の乱 ''Eikyō no Ran'') – Ashikaga Mochiuji's 1439 rebellion against the Ashikaga shogunate. See also the article '' Kantō kubō''.

F

*'' fudai daimyō'' (譜代) – a ''daimyō'' who was a hereditary vassal of the Tokugawa before the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu prefecture, Japan, at the end of ...

(1600). See also ''tozama daimyō''.

G

*''

gaikoku bugyō were the commissioners or "magistrates of foreign affairs" appointed at the end of the Edo era by the Tokugawa shogunate to oversee trade and diplomatic relations with foreign countries. In essence this was the beginning of the creation of a Minis ...

'' – commissioners appointed to oversee foreign trade and relations between 1858 and 1868. *

Genkō War The , also known as the , was a civil war fought in Japan between the Emperor Go-Daigo and the Kamakura Shogunate from 1331 to 1333. The Genkō War was named after Genkō (second), Genkō, the Japanese era name, Japanese era corresponding to the ...

(元弘の乱, Genkō no Ran) – a civil war which marked the fall of the Kamakura shogunate and end of the power of the Hōjō clan *''

Genpei War The was a national civil war between the Taira and Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yoritomo, who appointed himself ...

'' (源平合戦 Genpei Kassen) (1180–1185) – a conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans and in late-Heian period Japan that resulted with the defeat of the Taira. *'' genrō'' (元老) – unofficial term for retired Japanese statesmen considered "founding fathers" of modern Japan who served as informal advisors to the emperor during the Meiji and Taishō periods. * '' gokenin'' (or ''kenin'') – A vassal of the ''shōgun'' during the Kamakura, Ashikaga and

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

s. *'' Gosanke'' – Three branches of the Tokugawa clan from which a ''shōgun'' might be chosen if the main line became extinct. Established by

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

in the early Edo period. They were the ''daimyōs'' of the Owari (or Bishū), Kii (or Kishū), and

Mito Mito may refer to: Places *Mito, Ibaraki, capital city of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan *Mito, Aichi, a Japanese town *Mito, Shimane, a Japanese town * Mitō, Yamaguchi, a Japanese town * Mito District, a district in the province of Concepción, Per ...

Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

. *''

Gosankyō The were three branches of the Tokugawa clan of Japan. They were descended from the eighth of the fifteen Tokugawa shōguns, Yoshimune (1684–1751). Yoshimune established the ''Gosankyo'' to augment (or perhaps to replace) the ''Gosanke'' ...

'' – Three branches of the Tokugawa clan from which a ''shōgun'' might be chosen if the main line became extinct. Established by

Tokugawa Yoshimune was the eighth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1716 until his abdication in 1745. He was the son of Tokugawa Mitsusada, the grandson of Tokugawa Yorinobu, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lineage Yoshimune ...

in the middle of the

. * ''gosho'' (御所) – The Emperor's throne or his residence. The residence of a member of the Imperial family, and a term to indicate those members. The residence of a prince or ''shōgun'', and a term for prince or ''shōgun''. *''

gōzoku , in Japanese, refers to powerful regional families. In historical context, it can refer to powerful non-royal families regardless of their area of influence, in contrast to the Imperial Family. The most powerful ''gōzoku'' families of the Yamat ...

'' (豪族) – local samurai clans with significant local land holdings.

H

*''

haibutsu kishaku (literally "abolish Buddhism and destroy Shākyamuni") is a term that indicates a current of thought continuous in Japan's history which advocates the expulsion of Buddhism from Japan. Under the shogunate, obtaining the permission to open or cl ...

'' (廃仏毀釈）– anti-Buddhist violence, in particular that of the early Meiji period. See also ''

shinbutsu bunri The Japanese term indicates the separation of Shinto from Buddhism, introduced after the Meiji Restoration which separated Shinto ''kami'' from buddhas, and also Buddhist temples from Shinto shrines, which were originally amalgamated. It is a ...

''. *''haimyō'' (俳名) – a "

haiku is a type of short form poetry originally from Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases that contain a ''kireji'', or "cutting word", 17 '' on'' (phonetic units similar to syllables) in a 5, 7, 5 pattern, and a ''kigo'', or se ...

pen-name". It was common in the

for artists, writers,

kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought to ...

actors and others to take part in poetry circles and to take on pen-names under which they would compose poetry or create related works, such as ''

haiga is a style of Japanese painting that incorporates the aesthetics of ''haikai''. ''Haiga'' are typically painted by haiku poets (''haijin''), and often accompanied by a haiku poem. Like the poetic form it accompanied, ''haiga'' was based on simp ...

'' paintings. *''

han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

'' (藩) – feudal

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...

s; the land owned and controlled by a noble lord or clan. *''hansatsu'' (藩札) – scrip issued by a ''han''. *''Heian'' **(a) ''

Heian-kyō Heian-kyō was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the official capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868 with an interruption in 1180. Emperor Kanmu established it as the capital in 794, mov ...

'' (平安京) – capital of Japan from 794 to 1185; located in present-day

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

. **(b) ''

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

'' (平安時代) – historical period during which capital was located at

. *

Hiki Yoshikazu was a Japanese samurai lord and a powerful ''gokenin'' of the Kamakura Shogunate during the Kamakura period. He was related to the ruling Minamoto clan through his daughter's marriage. He, and much of the Hiki clan, were killed for allegedly cons ...

's rebellion (比企能員の乱 ''Hiki Yoshikazu no Ran'') – Hiki Yoshikazu's rebellion against the

Hōjō clan The was a Japanese samurai family who controlled the hereditary title of ''shikken'' (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate between 1203 and 1333. Despite the title, in practice the family wielded actual political power in Japan during this period ...

. *

(北条氏) – branch of the Taira clan that ruled Japan from Kamakura during the Kamakura period. Not to be confused with the Later Hōjō clan (see below). *'' Hōkōshū'' (奉公衆) – During the Muromachi period, the Gokenin part of the ''shōgun''s personal army. They constituted five uits were in service from the time of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu to that of Ashikaga Yoshinori. The '' KantōkKubō'' had his own ''Hōkōshū'', which were an important part of his power base.

J

*'' jitō'' (地頭) – ''shōgun''-appointed officials that managed ''

shōen A was a field or manor in Japan. The Japanese term comes from the Tang dynasty Chinese term "莊園" (Mandarin: ''zhuāngyuán'', Cantonese: ''zong1 jyun4''). Shōen, from about the 8th to the late 15th century, describes any of the private, ...

'' ( manors) during the Kamakura and Muromachi shogunates. *'' Jōkyū War'' (承久の乱 ''Jōkyū no Ran'') – a 1221 war between Emperor Go-Toba and the

Kamakura shogunate The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Y ...

K

*'' kaikin'' (海禁) – "maritime prohibitions" imposed by the Tokugawa shogunate from roughly 1635 to 1853. See also ''

hai jin The Haijin () or sea ban was a series of related isolationist policies in China restricting private maritime trading and coastal settlement during most of the Ming dynasty and early Qing dynasty. Despite official proclamations the Ming policy was ...

'', ''

sakoku was the Isolationism, isolationist Foreign policy of Japan, foreign policy of the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate under which, for a period of 265 years during the Edo period (from 1603 to 1868), relations and trade between Japan and other countri ...

''. *''

Kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...

'' (神) - are the spirits or phenomena that are worshipped in the religion of

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

. *''

Kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...

'' (神風) – were a part of the

Japanese Special Attack Units During World War II, , also called ''shimbu-tai'', were specialized units of the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army normally used for suicide missions. They included ''kamikaze'' aircraft, ''fukuryu'' frogmen, and several types of ...

of military aviators who initiated

suicide attack A suicide attack is any violent Strike (attack), attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has suicide, accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have oc ...

s for the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent fo ...

. It also means "divine wind" or "

spirit Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

wind". *'' kampaku'' (関白) – an Imperial regent who served a number of functions, including chief advisor and secretary. * ''Kannō'' disturbance (観応擾乱, Kannō Jōran), also called ''Kannō'' incident – a 1350 factional struggle with serious consequences pitting

Ashikaga Tadayoshi "Ashikaga Tadayoshi" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 624. was a general of the Northern and Southern Courts period (1337–92) of Japanese history and a close associate ...

, Takauji's brother, against the Kō brothers, Moronao and Moroyasu. See also the article Nanboku-chō period. *'' kanrei'' (管領) - a high political post (''shōgun''s deputy) of the Kamakura and Ashikaga shogunates. Originally called

shitsuji or, more rarely, ''kanryō'', was a high political post in feudal Japan; it is usually translated as ''shōguns deputy''. After 1349, there were actually two ''Kanrei'', the ''Kyoto Kanrei'' and the ''Kantō Kanrei''. Originally, from 1219 until ...

. *'' kenin'' (家人) – one of the lower castes under the ''ritsuryō'' system (see below). Also a direct vassal of the ''shōgun'' during the Kamakura period (see "gokenin" above). *'' Kentō-shi'' (遣唐使) – mission to Tang China (唐) for importing the technologies and culture of China to Japan. *'' Kenzui-shi'' (遣隋使) – mission to Sui China (隋) for importing the technologies and culture of China to Japan. *''

koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. 1 koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about . It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1000 gō. One ''gō'' is the volume of the "rice cup", the plastic measuring cup that is supplied ...

'' (石) – an amount of rice equal to the amount one man eats in a year; used in feudal times as a measurement of income and of wealth. *''Koga kubō'' (古河公方) – title arbitrarily assumed by Ashikaga Shigeuji after his escape from Kamakura to the city of Koga, Ibaraki. *'' kubō'' (公方) – ''shōgun''. Title later also assumed by the Kantō ''kanrei'', who became known as '' Kantō kubō''. * ''

kugyō is the collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan in pre- Meiji eras. The term generally referred to the and court officials and denoted a court rank between First Rank and Third Rank un ...

'' (公卿) – a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan in pre-Meiji eras. *''

Kyōtoku Incident was a after ''Hōtoku'' and before ''Kōshō.'' This period spanned the years from July 1452 through July 1455. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1452 : The era name was changed to mark an event or a number of events. The old era end ...

'' (享徳の乱, ''Kyōtoku no Ran'') – a long series of skirmishes and conflicts fought for control of the Kantō region of Japan in the 15th century.

L

*'' Later Hōjō clan'' (後北条氏) – also known as Odawara Hōjō clan. A powerful warrior clan of the Sengoku period, it had renamed itself after the original Hōjō clan from Kamakura (see above).

M

*''

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

'' – The 1867 restoration of the

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

to being the true ruler of the country, in practice as well as name, and the downfall of the last shogunate. *''

Minamoto was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility from 1192 to 1333. The practice was most prevalent during the ...

'' – the Minamoto clan defeated the rival Taira clan in 1185, establishing the first shogunate.

N

*''

Nagaoka-kyō was the capital of Japan from 784 to 794. Its location was reported as Otokuni District, Yamashiro Province, and Nagaokakyō, Kyoto, which took its name from the capital. Parts of the capital were in what is now the city of Nagaokakyō, while ...

'' (長岡京) – the capital of Japan from 784 to 794 (after Nara, before Kyoto).

O

* ''

Ōnin War The , also known as the Upheaval of Ōnin and Ōnin-Bunmei war, was a civil war that lasted from 1467 to 1477, during the Muromachi period in Japan. ''Ōnin'' refers to the Japanese era during which the war started; the war ended during the Bunmei ...

'' (応仁の乱, Ōnin no Ran) – a civil war that lasted from 1467 to 1477 during the Muromachi period.

R

*'' rensho'' (連署) – "co-signatory", the ''rensho'' was the assistant to the regent of the Kamakura shogunate. *''

ritsuryō , , is the historical law system based on the philosophies of Confucianism and Chinese Legalism in Japan. The political system in accord to Ritsuryō is called "Ritsuryō-sei" (律令制). ''Kyaku'' (格) are amendments of Ritsuryō, ''Shiki'' (� ...

'' (律令) – the East Asian historical law system based on the philosophies of

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

and Chinese Legalism. In Japan, ''ritsuryō'' was in effect during the late

Asuka period The was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710 (or 592 to 645), although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Yamato polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after t ...

, the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the cap ...

and the early

. The ''Taihō-ritsuryō'' (大宝律令, Code of Taihō) was a key element of the ''ritsuryō''. *'' rōjū'' (老中) – one of the highest-ranking government posts in the

. There were usually four or five ''rōjū''. *''

rōnin A ''rōnin'' ( ; ja, 浪人, , meaning 'drifter' or 'wanderer') was a samurai without a lord or master during the feudal period of Japan (1185–1868). A samurai became masterless upon the death of his master or after the loss of his master's ...

'' (浪人) – a

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

without a lord or master during the feudal period (1185–1868) of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

S

* ''

sadaijin The ''Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary'', Kenkyusha Limited, was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the ini ...

'' (左大臣) – Senior Minister of State overseeing all branches of the Department of State with his deputy, the ''udaijin''. *''

'' (鎖国) – the "self-isolation" policy followed during the

(1603–1867), under which Japan engaged in limited trade or communication with the outside world. *''

'' (侍) – the feudal Japanese noble warrior class. *''

sankin-kōtai ''Sankin-kōtai'' ( ja, 参覲交代/参覲交替, now commonly written as ja, 参勤交代/参勤交替, lit=alternate attendance, label=none) was a policy of the Tokugawa shogunate during most of the Edo period of Japanese history.Jansen, M ...

'' (参勤交代) – the

(1603–1867) policy under which feudal lords (''daimyōs'') had to travel to the capital in

annually, and to leave their families in Edo year-round. This was used by the ''shōgun'' (warlord leader of the nation) to prevent rebellion. *''

'' (戦国時代, sengoku jidai) was a time of social upheaval and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. *''

seppuku , sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese people ...

'' (切腹) – honorable ritual suicide. Also called ''hara-kiri''. One of the death penalties which respected a samurai's honor. The belly was ceremonially cut and an assistant then cut the head from the back. Suicide allowed a samurai to keep his honor because it was considered dishonorable for a samurai to be killed by others. *'' sesshō'' (摂政) – Imperial regent for a child emperor or empress; the regent often continued in this role, changing titles to '' kampaku'' once the child emperor came of age. *''

shikken The was a titular post held by a member of the Hōjō clan, officially a regent of the shogunate, from 1199 to 1333, during the Kamakura period, and so he was head of the ''bakufu'' (shogunate). It was part of the era referred to as . During rou ...

'' (執権) – the regent for the ''shōgun'' during the Kamakura shogunate. The

monopolized the ''shikken'' post and was therefore the effective ruler of Japan. *''

'' (神仏分離) – The forcible separation of Buddhism and Shinto, in particular during the Meiji era. *''

shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

'' (神道) – is the traditional religion of Japan that focuses on ritual practices to be carried out diligently to establish a connection between present-day Japan and its ancient past. *Shinto and Buddhism Separation Order (神仏判然令, Shinbutsu Hanzenrei) - A Meiji era law that forbade the mixing of Buddhism and Shinto, an effort to weaken Buddhist temporal power. See

*''shitsuji'' (執事) – see ''kanrei'' above. *''

shizoku The was a social class in Japan composed of former ''samurai'' after the Meiji Restoration from 1869 to 1947. ''Shizoku'' was a distinct class between the ''kazoku'' (a merger of the former ''kuge'' and ''daimyō'' classes) and ''heimin'' (commo ...

'' (士族) – "warrior families", term used to refer to former samurai after the abolition of the class system following the Meiji Restoration. *''

'' (荘園 or 庄園) – a

manor Manor may refer to: Land ownership *Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England *Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism *Man ...

and its fields. *''

'' (将軍) – warlord dictator; the practical head of the nation, having seized power militarily or inherited it from another ''shōgun''. *shogunate – see ''bakufu'' *''

shugo , commonly translated as “(military) governor,” “protector,” or “constable,” was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the ''shōgun'' to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The pos ...

'' (守護) – officials appointed by the ''shōgun'' to oversee one or more provinces.

T

*'' taikō'' (太閤) – a title frequently taken on by retired '' kampaku'' (Imperial regents). The term is most commonly used in reference to

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...

. *'' tairō'' (大老) – the highest-ranking government post of the Tokugawa shogunate. There was usually only one ''tairō'', or, at times, none. *'' tandai'' (探題) – during the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, ''tandai'' was a colloquialism for a high-ranking official (for example a ''shikken'' or ''rensho'') with governmental, judiciary or military responsibilities within a certain area. *'' Tokugawa'' (徳川) –

united Japan through force, becoming its ''shōgun'' in 1603.

His family ''His Family'' is a novel by Ernest Poole published in 1917 about the life of a New York widower and his three daughters in the 1910s. It received the first Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1918. Plot introduction ''His Family'' tells the story of ...

ruled in that position until 1867. *''

tokusō was the title (post) held by the head of the mainline Hōjō clan, who also monopolized the position of ''shikken'' (regents to the shogunate) of the Kamakura shogunate in Japan during the period of Regent Rule (1199–1333). It’s important not ...

'' (得宗) – the head of the mainline Hōjō clan, who monopolized the position of ''shikken'' (see above) during the Kamakura shogunate. *''

tozama daimyō was a class of powerful magnates or ''daimyō'' (大名) considered to be outsiders by the ruler of Japan.Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary, ''Tozama daimyō'' were classified in the Tokugawa Shogunate (江戸幕府) as ''daimyō'' w ...

'' (外様) – a ''daimyō'' who had become a vassal of Tokugawa Ieyasu after the Battle of Sekigahara (see ''fudai''). There were ''tozama'' who had fought both for and against Ieyasu.

U

* '' udaijin'' (右大臣) – Junior Minister of State overseeing all branches of the Department of State during the late Nara and Heian periods, deputy of the ''sadaijin'' (see above). *''

Uesugi clan The is a Japanese samurai clan which was at its peak one of the most powerful during the Muromachi and Sengoku periods (14th to 17th centuries). Appert, Georges. (1888) ''Ancien Japon,'' p. 79./ref> At its height, the clan had three main branch ...

'' (上杉氏, Uesugi-shi) – a clan, descended from the Fujiwara clan, important for its power in the Muromachi and Sengoku periods (roughly 14th–17th centuries). *

Uesugi Zenshū , also known as Uesugi Ujinori, was the chief advisor to Ashikaga Mochiuji, an enemy of the Ashikaga shogunate in feudal Japan. When he was rebuked by Mochiuji in 1415, and forced to resign, Zenshū organized a rebellion. Zenshū received aid fo ...

's rebellion (上杉禅秀の乱 ''Uesugi Zenshū no Ran'') – Uesugi Zenshū's 1416 rebellion against Ashikaga Mochiuji.

W

*''Warring states period'' - See ''

Y

* Yūki Kassen (結城合戦) – 15th century rebellion by the

Yūki clan is a Japanese samurai kin group. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Yūki," ''Nobiliare du Japon'', pp. 71–72 retrieved 2013-5-6. History The Yūki claim descent fr ...

against the Ashikaga shogunate.