藩主(はんしゅ)

はんしゅ
noun
feudal lord; domain lord; daimyō of a han
historypolitics
1. feudal lord; domain lord; daimyō of a han
The lord who governed a han (feudal domain) during the Edo period of Japan. Each han was a semi-autonomous territory granted by the shogun.
藩主(はんしゅ)が城(しろ)に戻(もど)った。
The feudal lord returned to the castle.
The lord of this domain promoted scholarship.
幕末(ばくまつ)には多(おお)くの藩主(はんしゅ)が藩政改革(はんせいかいかく)に取(と)り組(く)んだ。
At the end of the Edo period, many feudal lords undertook reforms of their domain's governance.

A term from the Edo period (1603–1868) referring to the ruler of a 藩(はん) (feudal domain). The 藩主(はんしゅ) held authority over governance, taxation, and military forces within the domain, but owed loyalty to the 将軍(しょうぐん) (shogun) in Edo.

Common collocations

Related words

  • 大名(だいみょう) — feudal lord (broader term used across all periods of Japanese feudalism)
  • 城主(じょうしゅ) — castle lord