First, depending on his connection to the Tokugawa Shogun family, related families (Shinpan, Shinpan Daimyo) were classified mainly as Fudai Daimyo (hereditary Daimyo) that were vassals of the Tokugawa family before the Battle of Sekigahara, and Tozama Daimyo (non-hereditary Daimyo) that became vassals around the time of the Battle of Sekigahara.
まず、徳川将軍家との関係によって、一族の御家門(親藩、親藩大名)、主に関ヶ原の戦い以前に徳川家の家臣だった譜代大名、関ヶ原の戦い前後から家臣となった外様大名に分類される。