At first, it was prohibited for shugo to intervene in the tasks of Kokushi and the authorities of Jito, however, as a result of settlement in local areas and expansion of authorities after the Onin War, they gradually became feudal lords and cemented their grip in local areas by the late Muromachi period; shugo in this period are especially called shugo-daimyo (Japanese territorial lords).
また守護は、当初は国司の業務や地頭の権限への介入を禁じられていたが、応仁の乱以後の地方定住と権力の拡張の結果次第に領主化して室町後期には地方支配も進み、この頃の守護は守護大名と呼ばれる。