Samurai-dokoro originally referred to a box of the residence of the imperial family and high-ranking nobles where security guards stationed.
In the Kamakura shogunate, Minamoto no Yoritomo established the Samurai-dokoro in 1180, and appointed Wada Yoshimori as the director (別当 bettō) and Kajiwara Kagetoki as the vice-director (所司 shoshi). Along with the Kumonjo and Monchujo, the Samurai-dokoro became one of the central organ of the shogunate. Its role was to guard the shogunate and give judgment on criminals in peacetime and to take the leadership of gokenin in wartime.Samurai-dokoro during the Kamakura shogunate