A gokenin awarding himself a rank of his own accord without obtaining the permission of the Kanto bugyo (and, by extension, the Kamakura bakufu) was called "jiyu-ninkan" (literally "appointment without consent"), and this was subject to punishment.
この官途奉行（ひいては鎌倉幕府）の許しを得ず、御家人が勝手に任官することを自由任官といい、処罰の対象となった。