[3] They came from the powerful myōshu (名主), who owned farmland and held leadership positions in their villages, and became vassals of shugo (守護) and later sengoku daimyō (戦国大名).
Towards the end of the Kamakura period, inheritance began to be split among a lord's sons, making each heir's holdings, and thus their power, smaller.
[citation needed] Though many jizamurai were members of the aristocracy, they were considered to be lower in status compared to the samurai who ruled in castles and cities.
Over time, many of these smaller fiefs came to be dominated by the shugo, constables who were administrators appointed by the shogunate to oversee the provinces.
In the late 15th century, jizamurai also formed ikki in Iga and Kōka, the military forces of which became known as ninja and gave name to the ninjutsu styles of Iga-ryū and Kōga-ryū.