Shikken

The shikken (Japanese: 執権) was a titular post held by a member of the Hōjō clan, officially a regent of the shogunate, from 1199 to 1333, during the Kamakura period, and so he was head of the bakufu (shogun's government). It was part of the era referred to as Regent Rule (執権政治, Shikken Seiji).^[1]

During roughly the first half of that period, the shikken was the de facto military dictator of Japan (not including the independent Northern Fujiwara).^[1] The title of shikken was modified, as second in command to the Tokusō in 1256, but by the Muromachi period (1333–1573) the position, though not abolished, did not even figure in the top ranks. The position ceased to exist after the Muromachi period.