All Topics  
Shugo

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Shugo
 
 
  Topics Shugo Topic Home

was a title, commonly translated as "Governor," given to certain officials in feudal Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
. They were each appointed by the shogun
Shogun

is a military rank and historical title for Hereditary Commanders in Chief of the Armed Forces of Japan. The Japanese word for "general", it is made up of two kanji characters: sho, meaning "commander", "general", or "admiral", and gun meaning military troops or warriors....
 to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan
Provinces of Japan

Before the modern Prefectures of Japan was established, the land of Japan was divided into tens of kuni , usually known in English language as provinces....
. The position gave way to the emergence of the daimyo
Daimyo

The were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. The term derives from a shortening of the title , which literally means "great named land" and originally simply referred to the owner of a large estate....
 (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.

The post was initially created in 1185, by Minamoto no Yoritomo
Minamoto no Yoritomo

was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan. He ruled from 1192 until 1199....
, in order to aid the capture of Yoshitsune
Minamoto no Yoshitsune

was a general of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian period and early Kamakura period. Yoshitsune was the ninth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo....
, with the additional motivation of extending the rule of the shogunate government throughout Japan.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Shugo'
Start a new discussion about 'Shugo'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


was a title, commonly translated as "Governor," given to certain officials in feudal Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
. They were each appointed by the shogun
Shogun

is a military rank and historical title for Hereditary Commanders in Chief of the Armed Forces of Japan. The Japanese word for "general", it is made up of two kanji characters: sho, meaning "commander", "general", or "admiral", and gun meaning military troops or warriors....
 to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan
Provinces of Japan

Before the modern Prefectures of Japan was established, the land of Japan was divided into tens of kuni , usually known in English language as provinces....
. The position gave way to the emergence of the daimyo
Daimyo

The were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. The term derives from a shortening of the title , which literally means "great named land" and originally simply referred to the owner of a large estate....
 (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.

The post was initially created in 1185, by Minamoto no Yoritomo
Minamoto no Yoritomo

was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan. He ruled from 1192 until 1199....
, in order to aid the capture of Yoshitsune
Minamoto no Yoshitsune

was a general of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian period and early Kamakura period. Yoshitsune was the ninth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo....
, with the additional motivation of extending the rule of the shogunate government throughout Japan. The shugo progressively supplanted the existing kokushi
Kokushi

Kokushi were officials in Classical Japan sent from the central government to oversee a Japanese province from around the 8th century, after the enactment of the Ritsuryo system....
, who were appointed by the Imperial Court in Kyoto
Kyoto

Sorry, no overview for this topic
. Officially, the gokenin
Gokenin

A was initially a vassal of the shogunate of the Kamakura period and the Muromachi periods. In exchange for protection and the right to become shugo or jito , in times of peace a gokenin had the duty to protect the imperial court and Kamakura, Kanagawa, in case of war had to fight with his forces under the shogun?s flag....
 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 shogun as well.

Shugo often stayed for long periods in the capital, far from their province, and were sometimes appointed shugo for several provinces at the same time. In such cases, a delegate shugo, or shugodai
Shugodai

were officials during History of Japan#Feudal Japan.Shugodai were representatives of provincial shugo when the shugo could not exercise his power, being often away from his province....
, was appointed.

Over time, the powers of some shugo grew considerably. Around the time of the Onin War
Onin War

The was a civil war from 1467 to 1477 during the Muromachi period in Japan. A dispute between Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sozen escalated into a nationwide war involving the Ashikaga shogunate and a number of daimyo in many regions of Japan....
 (1467-1477), conflicts between shugo became common. Some shugo lost their powers to subordinates such as the shugodai, while others strengthened their grip on their territories. As a result, at the end of the 15th century, the beginning of the Sengoku period
Sengoku period

The was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict in Japan that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century....
, the power in the country was divided amongst lords of various kinds (shugo, shugodai, and others), who came to be called daimyo.

Famous Shugo-Daimyo of the Muromachi period

  • Hosokawa clan
    Hosokawa clan

    The was a Japanese clan, descended from Emperor Seiwa and a branch of the Minamoto clan, by the Ashikaga clan. It produced many prominent officials in the Ashikaga shogunate's administration....
     - ,,,,,,,
  • Takeda clan -
  • Otomo clan
    Otomo clan

    The Otomo clan was a Japanese clan whose power stretched from the Yamato period through the Sengoku period, spanning over 1100 years. The clan's hereditary lands lay in Kyushu....
      -
  • Rokkaku clan
    Rokkaku clan

    The was a Japanese samurai clan which wielded considerable power in the Muromachi period under the Ashikaga shogunate....
     -
  • Ogasawara clan
    Ogasawara clan

    The was a Japanese samurai clan descended from the Seiwa Genji. The Ogasawara acted as shugo of Shinano province in the medieval period , and as daimyo of territories on Kyushu during the Edo period ....
     --