1.
headquarters; main camp; base of operations
The central command post or main base from which operations are directed. Originally a military term for the commander's main camp, now also used figuratively for any central base of activity.
将軍は本営に戻った。
The general returned to headquarters.
大本営から命令が下された。
Orders were issued from the Imperial General Headquarters.
選挙運動の本営を駅前に構えた。
They set up their campaign headquarters in front of the station.
A compound of 本 (main, head) and 営 (camp, barracks). Originally referred to the main camp of a commanding officer during wartime, now also used figuratively for any central base of operations.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 本営を置く: to establish headquarters
- 本営を構える: to set up headquarters
- 本営に報告する: to report to headquarters
- 大本営: Imperial General Headquarters (WWII)
HISTORICAL NOTE:
大本営 (Imperial General Headquarters) was the supreme military command center during World War II. The expression 大本営発表 (Imperial Headquarters announcement) is now used sarcastically to mean 'official announcement that distorts the truth,' since wartime communiqués often exaggerated successes and concealed defeats.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 本部: headquarters — the most common modern term for organizational or corporate headquarters; 本営 retains a stronger military or campaign connotation
- 司令部: command post — specifically a military command center
- 拠点: base, stronghold — a more general term for any operational base