The following is the reason why the word "kuji," which originally meant a responsibility that was imposed by a higher-ranking person on a lower-ranking person in order to secure their right to be a member of the community or a free citizen, began to be used to mean an appeal to a higher-ranking person by a lower-ranking person:
従来、上位者から下位者に対して共同体の一員としてまたは自由民としての権利保障のために課されていた公事という語が下位者から上位者に対する訴願に用いられた背景は次のとおりである。