Shugo in the context of "Satake clan"

Daimyo (大名, daimyō; English: /ˈdaɪm.joʊ/, Japanese: [dai.mʲoꜜː] ) were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominally to the emperor and the kuge (an aristocratic class). In the term, dai (大) means 'large', and myō stands for myōden (名田), meaning 'private land'.

From the shugo of the Muromachi period through the Sengoku period to the daimyo of the Edo period, the rank had a long and varied history. The backgrounds of daimyo also varied considerably; while some daimyo clans, notably the Mōri, Shimazu and Hosokawa, were cadet branches of the Imperial family or were descended from the kuge, other daimyo were promoted from the ranks of the samurai, notably during the Edo period.

The Kamakura period (鎌倉時代, Kamakura jidai; 1185–1333) is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first shōgun Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle between the Taira and Minamoto clans. The period is known for the emergence of the samurai, the warrior caste, and for the establishment of feudalism in Japan.

There are various theories as to the year in which the Kamakura period and Kamakura shogunate began. In the past, the most popular theory was that the year was 1192, when Minamoto no Yoritomo was appointed Seii Taishōgun (征夷大将軍). Later, the prevailing theory was that the year was 1185, when Yoritomo established the Shugo (守護), which controlled military and police power in various regions, and the Jitō (地頭), which was in charge of tax collection and land administration. Japanese history textbooks as of 2016 do not specify a specific year for the beginning of the Kamakura period, as there are various theories about the year the Kamakura shogunate was established.

Ikkō-ikki (一向一揆; "single-minded leagues") were armed military leagues that formed in several regions of Japan in the 15th–16th centuries, composed entirely of members of the Jōdo Shinshū sect of Buddhism. In the early phases, these ikki leagues opposed the rule of local governors or daimyō, but over time as their power consolidated and grew, they courted alliances with powerful figures in the waning Ashikaga shogunate until they were crushed by Oda Nobunaga in the 1580s.

The Ikkō-ikki mainly consisted of priests, peasants, merchants and local military rulers who followed the sect, but they sometimes associated with non-followers of the sect. They were at first organized to only a small degree. However, during the reforms of the monshu Jitsunyo, and further under his grandson Shōnyo, the temple network enabled more efficient and effective mobilization of troops when needed. The relationship between Hongan-ji and its monshu was complicated: some monshu, such as Rennyo, condemned the violence, others, such as Shōnyo and Kennyo, channelled it to further political aims.

The jizamurai (地侍; Japanese pronunciation: [dʑi.(d)zaꜜ.mɯ.ɾai], lit. 'samurai of the land') were lower-ranking provincial samurai that emerged in 15th-century Japan Muromachi period. The definition was rather broad and the term jizamurai included landholding military aristocracy as well as independent peasant farmers. They alternated between warfare and using their relatively small plots of land for intensive and diversified forms of agriculture. They came from the powerful myōshu (名主), who owned farmland and held leadership positions in their villages, and became vassals of shugo (守護) and later sengoku daimyō (戦国大名).

One of the primary causes for the rise in the number of smaller landholders was a decline in the custom of primogeniture. Towards the end of the Kamakura period, inheritance began to be split among a ruler's sons, making each heir's holdings, and thus their power, smaller. Though many jizamurai were members of the military aristocracy, they were considered to be lower in status compared to the samurai who ruled in castles and cities.

The Ogasawara clan (Japanese: 小笠原氏, Hepburn: Ogasawara-shi) was a Japanese samurai clan descended from the Seiwa Genji. The Ogasawara acted as shugo (governors) of Shinano Province during the Sengoku period (c. 1185–1600), and as daimyō (feudal lords) of territories on Kyūshū during the Edo period (1600–1867).

During the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, the clan controlled Shinano province, while related clans controlled the provinces of Awa, Bizen, Bitchū, Iwami, Mikawa, Tōtōmi and Mutsu. According to some theories, the Miyoshi clan and the Mizukami clan were descendants of the Ogasawara clan.

Kitabatake Akiie (北畠 顕家; 1318 – June 10, 1338) was a Japanese court noble, and an important supporter of the Southern Court during the Nanboku-chō Wars. He also held the posts of Commander-in-Chief of the Defense of the North, and Governor of Mutsu Province. His father was Imperial advisor Kitabatake Chikafusa.

Hōjō Tokimasa (北条 時政; Japanese pronunciation: [hoː.(d)ʑoː (|) to.kʲiꜜ.ma.sa], 1138 – February 6, 1215) was a Japanese samurai lord who was the first shikken (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate and head of the Hōjō clan. He was shikken from 1203 until his abdication in 1205, and Protector of Kyoto from 1185 to 1186.