His position was in contrast to the lord of the manor (shoen), who belonged to the nobility, and the temples and shrines that had their base in the urban areas (urban lords), or Kokushu (head of provincial governors) and Chigyo-kokushu (provincial proprietor) in the public lands.
都市部に拠点を有する貴族や寺社などの荘園領主（都市領主）や公領における国守や知行国主などと対比される存在である。