Terms and Definitions – History 9
Shogun – Title of the military dictator of Japan
Daimyo – Title given to a person who is a member of the Japanese nobility
Samurai – Literal translation: one who serves
Han – The Japanese term that refers to the various small territories of Japan
Bushido – The code of the samurai class
Tokugawa – The name of the dynasty of shoguns that reigned from 1600 to 1868
Edo – Modern day Tokyo. It was also the city that was the centre of the Tokugawa
shogunate
Amaterasu – Japanese sun goddess. It is believed all Japanese emperors are her
direct descendant
Shinto – A religion native to Japan
Confucianism – A system of philosophy that originated in China and also had a large
impact on Japanese society
Buddhism – A religion that was brought to Japan from China. It eventually comes to
dominate among the Japanese religions
Kami – Shinto word referring to holy spirits