Oban as a standing force was the oldest force among the similar organization called gobangata (the collective name of five military organizations in the Edo period: kosho-gumi [the page corps], shoinban [the castle guards], shinban [the new guards], oban [the great guards], and kojunin [the escort guards]).
常備兵力としての大番は、同様の組織である五番方（小姓組、書院番、新番、大番、小十人）の中で最も古い。