A was a hereditary military dictator in
Japan during the period from 1192 to 1867, with some caveats. In this period, the shoguns were the
de facto rulers of the country, although nominally they were appointed by the
Emperor as a formality. The Shogun held almost absolute power over territories through military means, in contrast to the concept of a colonial
governor in Western culture who was appointed by a king. Nevertheless, an unusual situation occurred during the
Kamakura period (1199-1333) upon the death of the first shogun, whereby the
Hōjō clan's hereditary titles of
Shikken and
Tokuso (1256-1333) monopolized the shogunate, collectively deemed as the
Regent Rule (執権政治). The actual shogun during this period met the same fate as the Emperor and was reduced to a
figurehead until a
coup in 1333, in which retainers restored power to the shogun.