Shogun Japan Revision

Archipelago

An area that contains a chain or group of islands scattered in lakes, rivers, or the ocean.

Bakufu

The Japanese term for the Shogunate government translating to ‘tent government’

Bushido

The code of behaviour of the Japanese samurai warriors that required honour, loyalty (even to death), good living, thrift and martial arts skill.

Daimyo

A Japanese lord, vassal to the shogun.

Emperor

A sovereign ruler of great power and rank, especially one ruling an empire. Under the Shogunate system, the emperor was seen as a ceremonial and religious figurehead, while governing power was in the hands of the Shogun.

Outcast

A person who has been rejected by society or a social group due to their occupation conflicting with Japanese religious beliefs. They are typically responsible for jobs considered dirty or unclean such as grave digging or butchery.

Ronin

A samurai without a master or lord.

Sakoku

The name given to Japan’s foreign policy of isolationism during the Tokugawa Shogunate (1633–1853) that forbade any Japanese person leaving Japan, or any foreigner entering it. The penalty for disobeying sakoku was death.

Samurai

A Japanese medieval warrior for lived by the Bushido code and were loyal to their daimyo

Sankin Kotai

A system implemented under the Tokugawa shogunate that demanded that daimyo reside in the Tokugawa castle at Edo for periods of time, alternating with residence at the daimyo's own castle

Seppuku

A ritual suicide common among Japanese samurai who felt they have been dishonoured; this involved self-disembowelling (cutting open the belly).

Shogun

A title given to Japan’s top military rulers between the 12th and 19th centuries

Westernisation

A process whereby societies come under or adopt what is considered to be Western culture, in areas such as industry, technology, science, education, politics, economics, lifestyle, law and social norms