''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. | ''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. |