Jinin were armed guards at the front of shrines and at religious services, and thus, from the times of insei from the Heian period to the Muromachi period, records show that along with priest warriors, they frequently committed violence and organized petitions.
神人は社頭や祭祀の警備に当たることから武器を携帯しており、平安時代の院政期から室町時代まで、僧兵と並んで乱暴狼藉や強訴が多くあったことが記録に残っている。