In the late Medieval period, with the mandokoro (Administrative Office) and Ie no tsukasa (house steward) system that constituted mandokoro being broken up by the court, those of the court nobles at the level of vassals were to be reassigned to retainers, mainly including shodaibu and Aozamurai; however, the court nobles at the lower and middle levels who could not have vassals at shodaibu rank had only Aozamurai constituting their vassals and managing their households, whereas Aozamurai and vassals were treated as synonyms in some cases (according to "Noritoki Kyo ki" [The Diary of Noritoki YAMASHINA]).
ただし、公家社会において政所及びこれを構成する家司の制度が解体された中世後期に入ると、公家の家臣層も諸大夫と青侍を中心とする家僕に再編成されることになるが、諸大夫を持てない中下層公家では青侍のみで家僕が構成されて公家家政を運営するようになり、青侍と家僕が同義語として扱われる場合もあった（『教言卿記』など）。