These functions of the shugo during the Muromachi period were considerably different from those of the Kamakura period, which were limited to the military and law enforcement; accordingly, the shugo of the Muromachi period is called the shugo daimyo, being distinguished from the shugo of the Kamakura period.
こうした室町期の守護のあり方は、軍事・警察的権能のみを有した鎌倉期守護のそれと大きく異なることから、室町期守護を指して守護大名と称して区別する。