There are a variety of reasons why someone may have chosen to return to secular life; for example, if a son or relative of a family head became a monk in order to prevent a rebellion against the head of the family or for some other reason, he might have decided to return to secular life in the event of the death of the family head in order to continue the family name if the family head had succeeded to the position of samurai, court noble, master builder, or clan chieftain.
武士・公家の家督や棟梁、氏長者といったものを相続していた当主が亡くなり、謀反防止のためなどの理由で出家していた子弟・縁者などが相続して家名存続させる目的のものもあるなど、背景はさまざまである。