Meaning & use
daimyo
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Meaning
nouncountablespecialist
A powerful Japanese regional lord of the feudal period, who governed a large territory and commanded samurai under the shogun.
Grammar: The plural is the same as the singular: one daimyo, several daimyo.
Patterns
- a daimyo of somewhere
Each daimyo lived in a castle and ruled the surrounding land.
The daimyo was required to spend alternate years in the capital.
Several daimyo allied against the shogun.
Word forms
| plural | daimyo |
|---|---|
| plural (alternative) | daimyos |
Common combinations
- feudal daimyo
- A feudal daimyo controlled the whole province.
- daimyo domain
- The daimyo domain paid taxes in rice.
- serve a daimyo
- Many samurai served a daimyo for life.
- powerful daimyo
- The powerful daimyo raised an army.
- daimyo castle
- The daimyo castle still stands on the hill.
Synonyms and how they differ
- feudal lord
- Feudal lord is a general term for medieval rulers anywhere, while daimyo is specific to Japan.
- warlord
- Warlord stresses military power, while daimyo describes a formal rank.
- baron
- Baron is a European noble title and only roughly matches the Japanese role.
- shogun
- The shogun was the supreme military ruler above the daimyo, not an equal.
Word family
- samurai noun
- a warrior serving a lord
- shogun noun
- the military ruler of Japan
- han noun
- a daimyo's domain
- shogunate noun
- the government of a shogun
Commonly confused: daimyo or samurai? daimyo or shogun?
daimyo vs samurai
A samurai is a warrior who served a lord, whereas a daimyo is the lord himself.
daimyo vs shogun
A shogun ruled the whole country, while a daimyo ruled one domain.
Practice
In feudal Japan, who commanded samurai and governed a domain under the shogun?
Choose one answer.
The daimyo was the territorial lord. A ronin was a masterless samurai, a geisha an entertainer, and the emperor a ceremonial head.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “daimyo”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.