SHUGO

:''This article is about the Japanese post. For the character in ''Legend of the Twilight'', please see Shugo Kunisaki.''
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''.

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References

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.