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''Seiitaishôgun'' (征夷大将軍), "Supreme Commander Against the Barbarians", often shortened simply as ''shôgun'' (将軍), was originally a temporary Court commission assigned to courtier military commanders in the 8th century frontier campaigns against the [[Emishi]] in northern [[Honshu]]. It later became a hereditary distinction acknowledging the recipient as the ''[[buke no toryo|buke no tôryô]]'', "Head of the Warrior Houses", and titular head of the three [[Bakufu|bakufu]] warrior governments.

''See also: [[Chinjufu shogun|Chinjufu shôgun]], [[Daishogun|daishôgun]].''

In the late 8th century, the [[Yamato]] court embarked on a series of military campaigns into northern [[Honshu]] in an attempt to bring the region and its [[Emishi]] population under its sphere of influence. The title ''seiitaishôgun'' was first awarded to [[Sakanoue no Tamuramaro]] in [[797]] as commander of one such campaign. He was reappointed in [[804]] due to his successes, and a friend and protégé of Tamuramaro's, one [[Fumiya no Watamaro]], succeeded him as ''seiitaishôgun'' in [[811]].

''Seiitaishôgun'' (征夷大将軍), "Supreme Commander Against the Barbarians", often shortened simply as ''shôgun'' (将軍), was originally a temporary Court commission assigned to courtier military commanders in the 8th century frontier campaigns against the Emishi in northern Honshu. It later became a hereditary distinction acknowledging the recipient as the ''[[buke no toryo|buke no tôryô]]]'', "Head of the Warrior Houses", and titular head of the three [[Bakufu|bakufu]] warrior governments.  

During the 12th century [[Gempei War]], [[Minamoto Yoshinaka]] rebelled against [[Minamoto Yoritomo]], and in [[1183]] persuaded [[Emperor Go-Shirakawa|Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa]] to appoint him ''seiitaishôgun'', with an ill-fated commission to punish Yoritomo, who would himself be awarded the title less than a decade later.

In [[1192]] [[Minamoto Yoritomo]], as head of the newly established [[Kamakura Bakufu]], was invested with the ''seiitaishôgun'' title by the Court, which he returned in [[1193]]. Following his death in [[1199]] the bakufu had the Court appoint his sons in turn as ''shôgun'', beginning the link of the title with the titular head of the bakufu. After the murder of both Yoritomo's sons, the bakufu brought children of [[Kyoto]] courtiers and [[Emperor|Emperor's]] children to serve as ''shôgun'' for the remainder of the [[Kamakura Period]], though none held any actual power, instead serving as figureheads of the regime.

==[[Kamakura Period]] ''Shôgun''==

Following the destruction of the Kamakura Bakufu, [[Ashikaga Takauji]] established his own [[Muromachi Bakufu]], and was awarded the title of ''shôgun'' in [[1338]]. The power Takauji wielded as ''shôgun'' was comparable to that which Yoritomo held, and was passed down through several generations of [[Ashikaga clan|Ashikaga]] ''shôgun''. As unrest grew throughout the nation in the 15th century, the Ashikaga ''shôgun'' began to lose their hold over the provinces, with the outbreak of the [[Onin War]] and the subsequent civil warring effectively removing them from national influence, useful only as political tools to warlords with their eye on national hegemony. The final Ashikaga ''shôgun'', [[Ashikaga Yoshiaki]], was evicted from Kyoto by [[Oda Nobunaga]] in [[1573]], bringing to an end the line of Ashikaga ''shôgun''.

In 1192 the Court invested Minamoto Yoritomo, head of the newly-established [[Kamakura Bakufu]], with the ''seiitaishôgun'' title. Yoritomo returned the title in [[1193]], prefering the more prestigious title of ''[[utaisho|utaishô]]'', "Commander of the Inner Palace Guards".

Following the [[Battle of Sekigahara]] and [[Tokugawa Ieyasu|Tokugawa Ieyasu's]] grasp of the realm, Ieyasu was granted the title of ''shôgun'' in [[1603]] as head of the [[Tokugawa Bakufu]] located in [[Edo]], passing the title down to his son [[Tokugawa Hidetada|Hidetada]] two years later. The Tokugawa clan continued to reign as ''shôgun'' throughout the [[Edo Period]] until the Imperial Restoration of [[1867]].

 

Following his death in [[1199]], the bakufu had the Court appoint Yoritomo's son [[Minamoto Yoriie|Yoriie]] as ''shôgun'', beginning the link of the title with the titular head of the bakufu. Neither Yoriie (r. [[1199]]-[[1203]]) nor his brother [[Minamoto Sanetomo|Sanetomo]] (r. [[1203]]-[[1219]]) held any real power as ''shôgun'', with actual authority alternating between members of the [[Hojo clan|Hôjô family]] and the various bakufu judicial organs. Both brothers became involved in schemes involving bakufu officials and were assassinated, Yoriie in [[1204]], and Sanetomo in [[1219]], ending Yoritomo's bloodline.

 

In need of an appropriate candidate for ''shôgun'' to follow the heir-less Sanetomo, the bakufu had arranged for [[Emperor Go-Toba|Retired Emperor Go-Toba's]] son to succeed, but following the assassination of Sanetomo, Go-Toba withdrew his offer. After a show of force in the capital, the bakufu secured an infant from the prestigious [[Fujiwara clan|Fujiwara family]] and brought him to [[Kamakura]]. By this time the Hôjô family were dominant within the bakufu as regents, or ''[[shikken]]'', to the successive noble-born ''shôgun'', who were head of the bakufu in name only.

 

*''"Pushing beyond the Pale: The Yamato Conquest of the Emish and Northern Japan"'', by Karl F. Friday. ''Monumenta Nipponica'', vol. 23, No. 1. (Winter, 1997), pp. 1-24.

 

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