noun
- Plural of genro; influential elder statesmen or senior advisors in Japanese government, particularly during the Meiji and Taisho periods.
Usage: historical; Japanese history; often capitalized when referring to the specific group of Japanese statesmen
Examples
- The genros wielded considerable power behind the scenes in early 20th-century Japan.
- Japanese genros like Ito Hirobumi and Yamagata Aritomo shaped the nation's modernization.
- The influence of the genros gradually declined as democratic institutions developed.
- Historians study the genros to understand Japan's transition from feudalism to modernity.