The master-servant relationship between the Kamakura-dono and gokenin was preserved by a reciprocal relationship called "favor and service," a system known as the lower-ranking vassal system.
鎌倉殿と御家人の主従関係は、御恩と奉公と呼ばれる互恵関係によって保持された、この制度を御家人制度と呼ぶ。