SHOGUN

Less Than 50 men Throughout History Bore the Title

831 years ago today, August 21, 1192, Minamoto no Yoritomo was invested with the title of Sei-i Taishogun, (Commander-in-Chief of the Anti Barbarian Forces) the military commander of Japan by the Emperor. He would be one of just less than 50 men throughout history to carry the title, simplified to “Shogun”. Originally the title referred to the general commanding the forces sent to quell the tribes of northern Japan, but after the twelfth century, the term was used to designate the leader of the growing warrior class.