While shinsei before Chohogannenrei were no more than a "new ban" which retained characteristics of the former laws, Chohogannenrei was the first to be established based on the idea of promotion of "virtuous rule" for eradicating disaster and rehabilitating politics, originating from tenjin sokansetsu (one of ancient Chinese views of the world and political thought, the theory that there is close relationship between human action or political affairs, personnel affairs, and natural phenomenon), which was the main motivation for issuing shinsei in the medieval period.
それまでの新制は、従来から行われてきた法令の性格を残した「新しい禁制」としての新制に留まっていたのに対し、長保元年令は中世における新制公布の最大の動機である天人相関説に由来する攘災と政治再建のための「徳政」の推進という理念に基づいて定められた最初のものであった。