shugo
Sign in to savethumb|A map of shugo territories from the Kamakura period , commonly translated as '[military] governor', 'protector', or 'constable', was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the shogun to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The position gave way to the emergence of the daimyo (military feudal lords) in the late 15th century, as shugo began to claim power over lands themselves, rather than serving simply as governors on behalf of the shogunate.
Article
4 sectionsContents
- History
- List of ''shugo'' and ''daimyō'' clans
- References
- Further reading
thumb|A map of shugo territories from the Kamakura period , commonly translated as '[military] governor', 'protector', or 'constable', was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the shogun to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The position gave way to the emergence of the daimyo (military feudal lords) in the late 15th century, as shugo began to claim power over lands themselves, rather than serving simply as governors on behalf of the shogunate.
== History == The post is said to have been created in 1185 by shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo to aid the capture of Yoshitsune, with the additional motivation of extending the rule of the Minamoto shogunate government throughout Japan. The shugo (military governors) progressively supplanted the existing kokushi (civil governors), who were appointed by the Imperial Court in Kyoto. Officially, the gokenin in each province were supposed to serve the shugo, but in practice, the relationship between them was fragile, as the gokenin were vassals of the shōgun as well.