was a title, commonly translated as "Governor," 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 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 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. The
shugo
progressively supplanted the existing
kokushi, 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 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 (守護代),
was appointed.
Over time, the powers of some
shugo grew considerably.
Around the time of the
Ōnin War
(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, the
power in the country was divided amongst lords of various kinds
(
shugo,
shugodai, and others), who came to be
called
daimyō.
Famous Shugo and Daimyo clans of the Muromachi period
Below is a list of the some of the major clans that produced shugo
and daimyo during the Muromachi period, as well as the regions over
which they ruled.
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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