They not only guarded the shogun but also played a central role in the military force directly controlled by him, with privileges granted by the shogun, such as Kyosei (the right to direct tax payment of tansen, a kind of provisional tax imposed on the Imperial or shogunate family's estate and his private estate and paid to the bakufu without any intermediaries such as Shugo) and sanctuary from interference by Shugo.
彼らは将軍の警固のみならず、御料所の経営委任や自己の所領に対する段銭の京済（中間搾取の恐れのある守護などの中間者の関与を経ずに幕府へ直接納付を行う）や守護不入などの特権を得て将軍直属の軍事力の中核となった。