- This article is about the Japanese post. For the character in Legend of the Twilight, please see Shugo Kunisaki.
Shugo (守護?) was a title, commonly translated as "Governor," given to certain officials in feudal Japan. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. They were each appointed by the shogun to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. is a military rank and historical title in Japan. The Japanese word for "general" it is made up of two Kanji words sho, meaning "commander" Before the modern prefecture system was established the land of Japan was divided into tens of kuni (国 countries) usually known in The position gave way to the emergence of the daimyō (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 ( were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings
The post was initially created in 1185, by Minamoto no Yoritomo, in order to aid the capture of Yoshitsune, with the additional motivation of extending the rule of the shogunate government throughout Japan. was the founder and the first Shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate of Japan. Yoshitsune_with_benkeijpg|thumb|"Yoshitsune and Benkei Viewing Cherry Blossoms" by Yoshitoshi Tsukioka]] Minamoto no Yoshitsune (ja 源 義経 (1159 &ndash The shugo progressively supplanted the existing kokushi, who were appointed by the Imperial Court in Kyoto. Imperial Court in Kyoto was the nominal ruling government of Japan from 794 AD until the Meiji Era, in which the court was moved to Tokyo (IPA /kʲoːto / is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. 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 shogun as well. appeared as direct vassals ( kenin) of the Shogun (or Regent Shikken) in Japan during the Kamakura Shogunate.
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 (守護代), was appointed. were officials during feudal Japan.Shugodai were representatives of provincial Shugo when the shugo could not exercise his power being often away from his province
Over time, the powers of some shugo grew considerably. Around the time of the Ōnin War (1467-1477), conflicts between shugo became common. The was a civil war from 1467 to 1477 during the Muromachi period in Japan. 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, the power in the country was divided amongst lords of various kinds (shugo, shugodai, and others), who came to be called daimyō.
References
- Frederic, Louis (2002). "Japan Encyclopedia. " Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
- Sansom, George (1961). "A History of Japan: 1334-1615. " Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
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