Answer: Daimyo
The daimyo were feudal lords which ruled most of Japan after the Meiji period. They were subordinate to the shogun from the 10th to the mid-19th century (the Tokugawa shogunate extends from 1603 to 1868). During the Tokugawa period, there were around 300 daimyo in Japan. It was often from this class that a shogun arose. Daimyo often hired samurai to protect their land. The daimyo era ended with the creation of prefectures in 1871.