[Taken from the back cover text.] The samurai ruled the Land of the Rising Sun from the end of the 12th century to the middle of the 19th century. At the top were the Shogun, the military dictators who dominated Japan as regents to the Emperors. Below the Shogun were the daimyo, provincial warlords who governed their individual fiefs with virtual sovereignty. Shogun & Daimyo provides detailed information on the three dynasties of Shogun and one Shogunal Regency that dominated Japan during the feudal era, along with 171 daimyo clans that were defeated, dispossessed, or otherwise dissolved before the end of the samurai era. The information is organized as an handbook for creating more realistic backgrounds for role-playing games, boardgames, miniatures games, and computer games. It is also useful for those writing historical novels, screenplays, graphic novels, comic books, animé, and other creative works.