Rinji (the Emperor's command), inzen (a decree from the retired Emperor), kansenji (a government edict) and kudashibumi (document issued by a superior or office) issued by the Imperial Court, government official and bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun), and moshijo (a document format for communicating something from a lower person to an upper person) to which gedaiando (an approval of landowner written in the margin of the document submitted) was written in, were used in place of kugen, and 'kugen' began to refer to all of those.
朝廷や官司・幕府が発給した綸旨・院宣・官宣旨・下文や外題安堵を加えた申状などが公験の替わりに用いられ、それらを指して「公験」と呼ぶようになった。