Moshitsugi, also called sosha/soja, originally referred to a person in charge of conveying messages to the Emperor or Daijo Tenno (the Retired Emperor), and in the Kamakura and Muromachi bakufu it also referred to a person conveying messages to the seii taishogun (literally, "great general who subdues the barbarians").
申次とは奏者とも呼ばれ、元来は天皇や太上天皇に奏聞を取次ぐ役目をする人物を指し、鎌倉幕府や室町幕府でも征夷大将軍に奏聞を取次ぐ人を指した。