Kyoto Fuchishu (京都扶持衆) (京都扶持衆)
The Kyoto Fuchishu were samurai warriors who established master-subordinate relationships with the Seii Taishogun (literally, "great general who subdues the barbarians") of the Muromachi Bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun) in the Muromachi Period in the Kanto (currently, Tokyo and six other prefectures) and Tohoku (north of the Kanto region) regions. It is also called Kyoto Onfuchishu (京都御扶持衆).
In the Muromachi Period, the Kanto region was ruled by Kamakura Kubo, who was the representative of the Seii Taishogun and acted in the role as head of the Kamakura-fu. The Kanto region was put under the indirect rule of the bakufu. The Kamakura Kubo was gradually confronting the bakufu and finally came to desire the shogun post. To put a stop to these actions by Kamakura Kubo, the bakufu formed master-subordinate relationships directly with influential samurai warriors who were opposed to Kamakura Kubo in the Kanto and Ou area.
These samurai warriors were called Kyoto Fuchishu (according to the records of the time, Kyoto Onfuchishu.)
Although they were samurai warriors from a province under the jurisdiction of the Kamakura Bakufu, they were not obliged to go and serve the Kamakura-fu and were put under the direct direction/control of the shogun, and were not directed by the Kamakura Kubo. The bakufu formed the Kyoto Fuchishu and proceeded with anti-Kamakura Kubo activities. It is believed that there were more than a dozen Kyoto Fuchishu samurai families during the reign of Shogun Yoshimochi ASHIKAGA. The Muromachi Bakufu superficially criticized the activities of the Fuchishu, whilst at the same time actually providing mental and material support.
Individuals who actually became Kyoto Fuchishu were of the Takeda clan of Kai Province, the Yamairi clan, Oguri clan, Makabe clan and Daijo clan of Hitachi Province, the Utsunomiya clan, Nasu clan and Onodera clan of Shimotsuke Province and the Sasagawa Palace, Date clan, Ashina clan, Nanbu clan and Shirakawa Yuki clan of Mutsu Province.
When Zenshu UESUGI, former kanrei of Kanto (a deputy to the shogun in the Kanto region) attacked Mochiuji ASHIKAGA (a warlord in Kamakura) in the War of Zenshu UESUGI, these clans supported Zenshu or maintained a neutral stance, ignoring Yoshimochi's order to put down Zenshu. Moｒeover, though Yoshimochi issued the order of subjugation, Yoshimochi implicitly approved these acts in order to weaken Mochiuji's influential power. When Mochiuji learnt this, he killed Mitsushige OGURI to scare the Kyoto Fuchushu (War of Mitsushige OGURI). Yoshimochi aggressively suggested it as being a 'personal war', which led to asking Sankanrei (three deputies), Tokihiro YAMANA and Mitsusuke AKAMATSU about whether the killing Mochiuji would be right or wrong. Finally, the disturbance was cleared up with Mochiuji`s apology.
However, while the bakufu was trying to prevent Mochiuji from strengthening his influential power using the warrior Kyoto Fuchishu as an intermediary, Mochiuji was attempting to put them down, and such continued confrontations became a cause that lead to Eikyo no Ran (Eikyo War). After the fall of Kamakura Kubo in the Eikyo War, the Yamanouchi-Uesugi family, kanrei of Kanto, who were sympathizers of the bakufu, seized power to control Kanto, so it is believed that the warrior Kanto Fuchishu disappeared naturally.