court nobles and samurai; the imperial court and the shogunate
Historical term referring to the two major political forces in pre-modern Japan: the imperial court (公家) and the warrior class (武家), often in the context of their relationship or combined authority.
江戸時代には公武合体が模索された。
During the Edo period, a union of the imperial court and the shogunate was sought.
公武の対立が幕末の動乱を招いた
The conflict between the court nobles and the samurai led to the upheaval at the end of the Edo period.
union of the court and the shogunate
Compound of 公 (court, public) and 武 (military). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term conventionally refers to the dual structure of imperial and shogunal authority in pre-modern Japan.