However, some researchers argue that Yoshimitsu defined himself as "Nihon kokuo (the king of Japan) = chiten" and that his notion was still in a transitional stage compared with the notion of "Tenkabito" (the ruler of Tenka) clarified later.
ただし、義満については自身を「日本国王＝治天」として位置づけているという研究もあり、後代に明確化される「天下人」概念に比べると、いまだに過渡期であったと見ることもできる。