Shogun: the military ruler of Japan. The first shogun was Minamoto Yoritomo, whose victory in the Genpei War of 1181- 1185 and subsequent alliance with important figures at the imperial court enabled him to establish a military government in the town of Kamakura in eastern Japan.
Shogunate: the English term for the government of the shogun. The Japanese term, bakufu, may be anachronistic for the earliest shogunate.
There were three shogunates in Japan:
1. The Kamakura shogunate (1192-1331), established by Minamoto Yoritomo. At its inception in the late twelfth century, it concerned itself with governing members of the warrior class. The civilian government continued to oversee non-military affairs, including civilian landholdings. In the thirteenth century, however, the Kamakura shogunate interfered more and more often in civilian matters, including the succession to the imperial throne.
2. The Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (1333-1568). Established by Ashikaga Takauji, it claimed control over all Japan. Under the Muromachi shogunate, the civilian government was severely weakened. However, after the late fourteenth century the shogunate itself lost power; and it was always dependent upon its own vassals, who sometimes sacrificed its interests to their own.
3. The Edo or Tokugawa shogunate (1603-1867). Established by Tokugawa Ieyasu, it kept Japan at peace--and strictly controlled contact with foreign powers--until Western navies forced Japan to open trade in the 1850s. Under the Edo shogunate, provincial lords or daimyo exercised control over the taxation and legal affairs of their own domains, while the shogunate controlled foreign relations and relations among domains. While the shogunate claimed to honor daimyo autonomy, it actually interfered considerably in the domains' internal affairs.