The ', usually translated as "Great Watch," was a contingent of troops dedicated to protecting the Home Provinces (畿内, ''kinai'') and safeguarding the

Throne A throne is the seat of state of a potentate or dignitary, especially the seat occupied by a sovereign on state occasions; or the seat occupied by a pope or bishop on ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the mon ...

. The Watch existed in one form or another across Japanese feudal history, serving under the

Ashikaga shogunate The , also known as the , was the feudal military government of Japan during the Muromachi period from 1336 to 1573.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Muromachi-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 669. The Ashikaga shogunate was establi ...

as well as the Tokugawa.

References

*Sansom, George (1961). ''A History of Japan: 1334-1615.'' Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. Japanese warriors {{japan-hist-stub