In the first half of the 15th century, disputes within the provinces began to escalate into violence. Local samurai families began to fight each other for the position of shugodai (deputy to the shugo), disobeyed their respective shugo, and involved themselves in succession conflicts within the powerful families which served as shugo. Meanwhile, the tax burden on the rural population grew, as both the central government as well as regional authorities tried to raise more money; many farmers consequently became indebted to moneylenders during times of bad harvests.
