During the reign of the Tokugawa clan, the system began in 1580 when TANI Shinrokuro Masatsugi (later his last name became UCHIDA) changed his name into Zenami and started serving Ieyasu TOKUGAWA as Doboshu.
徳川氏では、天正8年に谷新六郎正次（後に内田姓）が全阿弥と改名して同朋衆として徳川家康に仕えたのが始めとされる。