Shogun

A Shogun (将軍, Shōgun, [ɕoːɡu͍ɴ], "general", literally "military commander") was a hereditary military dictator in Japan during the period from 1192 to 1867. 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. Nevertheless, an unusual situation occurred in 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 known as the Regent Rule (執権政治). The shogun during this period met the same fate as the Emperor and was reduced to a figurehead until a coup in 1333, when the shogun was restored to power.

The modern rank of shogun is roughly equivalent to a generalissimo. The title of shogun, is the short form of Sei-i Taishōgun (征夷大将軍, literally "Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force Against the Barbarians"); the individual governing the country at various times in the history of Japan, ending when Tokugawa Yoshinobu relinquished the office to the Emperor Meiji in 1867.

Shogun (Stormwitch album)

Shogun was the seventh album by the German heavy metal band Stormwitch, released in 1994. It is probably the most controversial of Stormwitch's albums and poorly received by fans due to its almost entirely different sound, with progressive elements and very little of their classic heavy metal styles. It also marked the end of their original span which has lasted from 1982-1994. The album was the first to feature only one guitarist, making a four member band.

The album is a concept album, based on James Clavell's novel; Shōgun. The lyrics all revolve around parts from the novel referring to both names and places. It is the second album in a row released by Stormwitch to feature a novel based concept, the first being War Of The Wizards.

Track listing

Shogun (2006 board game)

Shogun is a strategy board game designed by Dirk Henn and published by Queen Games in 2006. It is based on his earlier game Wallenstein, but it is set in the Sengoku period, which ends with the inception of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Background

Japan during the Sengoku or “Warring States” Period: each player assumes the role of a great Daimyo with all his troops. Each Daimyo has the same 10 possible actions to develop his kingdom and secure points. To do so he must deploy his armies with great skill. Each round, the players decide which of the actions are to be played out and in which of their provinces. If battle ensues between opposing armies, the unique Cubetower plays the leading role. The troops from both sides are thrown in together and the cubes that fall out at the bottom show who has won immediately. Owning provinces, temples, theaters and castles means points when scores are tallied. Whichever Daimyo has the highest number of points after the second tally becomes shogun and wins the game.

Juggernaut

A juggernaut (UK ⁱ/ˈdʒʌɡərnɔːt/, US /-nɒt, -nɔːt/, JUG-ər-not), in current English usage, is a literal or metaphorical force regarded as mercilessly destructive and unstoppable. This usage originated in the mid-nineteenth century as an allegorical reference to the Hindu temple cars of Jagannath Temple in Puri, which apocryphally were reputed to crush devotees under their wheels.

Overview

The figurative sense of the word has ground in mechanics comparable to figurative uses of steamroller or battering ram to mean something overwhelming. Its ground in social behavior is similar to that of bandwagon, but with overtones of devotional sacrifice. Its British English meaning of a large heavy truck or articulated lorry dates from the second half of the twentieth century.

The word is derived from the Sanskrit Jagannātha (Devanagari जगन्नाथ) "world-lord", where jagath means the world and natha means lord, one of the names of Krishna found in the Sanskrit epics.

The English loanword juggernaut in the sense of "a huge wagon bearing an image of a Hindu god" is from the 17th century, inspired by the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, which has the Ratha Yatra ("chariot procession"), an annual procession of chariots carrying the murtis (statues) of Jagannâth, Subhadra and Balabhadra (Krishna's elder brother).

Juggernaut (novel)

Juggernaut is a first-person narrative novel written by English author Desmond Bagley, and was first published in 1985. This was Bagley’s last novel, and as he died in 1983, it was published posthumously by his widow.

Plot introduction

American narrator Neil Mannix is a troubleshooter for multinational British Electric, and is sent to former British colony in Africa, Nyala to oversee the installation of a huge 550-ton power transformer. The newly independent Nyala is rich with oil, and hopes to prop up its shaky democracy and economy with a showcase new power station located at a remote location near its oil fields. Due to the increasing precarious political situation, the Nyalan government insists that British Electric dispatch the transformer via huge flatbed truck to reassure the populace, and suspecting difficulties, Mannix is sent to supervise the travels of "the rig". However, a civil war breaks out, and Mannix is bullied by a local doctor and an Irish nun into using the rig as a traveling hospital. He must deal with opposing armies, unsafe roads and bridges, some untrustworthy crew members and the local Nyalans who start to trek after the huge machine, which has taken on symbolic role for the populace.

List of Star Wars air, aquatic, and ground vehicles

The following is a list of fictional Star Wars ground vehicles, including tanks, landspeeders, and assault units.

Armored Assault Tank (AAT)

The AAT is a Trade Federation vehicle that appears in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, the Star Wars expanded universe, and The Clone Wars. Early drafts of The Phantom Menace described the Trade Federation's invasion of Naboo being led by "armored attack craft" that resembled helicopters. The final version's forward curve is based on the curve of a shovel, and parts of it are intended to suggest animalistic traits.LEGO released an AAT model in 2001.

AT-AT

AT-ST

BARC speeder

The BARC speeder appears in Revenge of the Sith and is a playable vehicle in Star Wars: Battlefront, Battlefront II and Star Wars Galaxies. They perform cavalry, scouting and mounted infantry roles and are armed with a single, or sometimes two, blasters. Inexpensive, lightweight, easy to maintain and able to fill various functions, they are a widespread mainstay of many armed organisations, governments and major armed forces.