The Nara period saw the appointment of the first shōgun , Ōtomo no Otomaro by Emperor Kammu in 794 CE. The shōgun in this time was not the type of de facto military dictator of Japan as in later history but was appointed to pacify the northern borderlands. The full title "Sei-i Taishōgun" means "Barbarian-subduing Great General".[8] Emperor Kammu... See more