The former group belonged to the upper class which was in charge of the smooth operation of cultivation in shoen by recruiting sakunin and kobyakusho, and some of the influential figures in the group also became a shokan as a part of the managerial side of shoen.
前者は荘園住民のうちの上級層にあたり、年貢納入の義務を負う代わりに作人・小百姓らを動員して荘園内の円滑な耕作を行い、更に有力者には荘官の職の体系に補任されることもあった。