The , literally “co-signatory”, was the assistant to the shikken

Shikken

The was the regent for the shogun in the Kamakura shogunate in Japan. The post was monopolized by the Hōjō clan, and this system only existed once in Japanese history, between 1203 and 1333...

(regent

Regent

A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...

) of the Kamakura shogunate

Kamakura shogunate

The Kamakura shogunate was a military dictatorship in Japan headed by the shoguns from 1185 to 1333. It was based in Kamakura. The Kamakura period draws its name from the capital of the shogunate...

 in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

.

The rensho placed his signature next to that of the shikken on official orders. In 1224 the third shikken Hōjō Yasutoki

Hojo Yasutoki

Hōjō Yasutoki was the third shikken of the Kamakura shogunate in Japan. He strengthened the political system of the Hōjō regency.He was the eldest son of second shikken Yoshitoki...

 appointed Hōjō Tokifusa

Hojo Tokifusa

was a member of Japan's Hōjō clan of nobles and courtiers; the brother of Hōjō Yoshitoki, shogunal regent, Tokifusa was appointed to the Kyoto-based government post of Rokuhara Tandai upon its creation in 1221, following the Jōkyū War...

 as the first rensho. From then on, the rensho was chosen from influential members of the Hōjō clan

Hojo clan

See the late Hōjō clan for the Hōjō clan of the Sengoku Period.The in the history of Japan was a family who controlled the hereditary title of shikken of the Kamakura Shogunate. In practice, the family had actual governmental power, many times dictatorial, rather than Kamakura shoguns, or the...

, but not from the main line of the clan (tokusō

Tokuso

Tokusō was the title held by the head of the mainline Hōjō clan, who monopolized the position of shikken of the Kamakura shogunate in Japan....

), with the one exception of Tokimune

Hojo Tokimune

of the Hōjō clan was the eighth shikken of the Kamakura shogunate , known for leading the Japanese forces against the invasion of the Mongols and for spreading Zen Buddhism and by extension Bushido among the warrior class.- Life :Born as the eldest son of the regent and Tokuso Tokiyori of the...

, who temporarily occupied the position from 1264 to 1268.

List of Rensho

Note: There are three Hōjō Shigetoki's, all different people

1. Hōjō Tokifusa
   Hojo Tokifusa
   was a member of Japan's Hōjō clan of nobles and courtiers; the brother of Hōjō Yoshitoki, shogunal regent, Tokifusa was appointed to the Kyoto-based government post of Rokuhara Tandai upon its creation in 1221, following the Jōkyū War...
   
    (r. 1225–1240)
2. Hōjō Shigetoki
   Hojo Shigetoki
   Note:There were other Hojo Shigetoki within the ruling family, but with different characters. was a Japanese samurai of the Kamakura period. He was the third Kitakata Rokuhara tandai, serving from 1230 to 1247. He was also known as . His writings influenced later samurai...
   
    (北条重時) (r. 1247–1256)
3. Hōjō Masamura
   Hojo Masamura
   was the seventh Shikken of the Kamakura Bakufu. Son of Yoshitoki, II Shikken....
   
    (r. 1256–1264)
4. Hōjō Tokimune
   Hojo Tokimune
   of the Hōjō clan was the eighth shikken of the Kamakura shogunate , known for leading the Japanese forces against the invasion of the Mongols and for spreading Zen Buddhism and by extension Bushido among the warrior class.- Life :Born as the eldest son of the regent and Tokuso Tokiyori of the...
   
    (r. 1264–1268)
5. Hōjō Masamura
   Hojo Masamura
   was the seventh Shikken of the Kamakura Bakufu. Son of Yoshitoki, II Shikken....
   
    (r. 1268–1273)
6. Hōjō Yoshimasa (r. 1273–1277)
7. Hōjō Shigetoki
   Hojo Shigetoki
   Note:There were other Hojo Shigetoki within the ruling family, but with different characters. was a Japanese samurai of the Kamakura period. He was the third Kitakata Rokuhara tandai, serving from 1230 to 1247. He was also known as . His writings influenced later samurai...
   
    (北条業時) (r. 1283–1287)
8. Hōjō Nobutoki aka Osaragi Nobutoki (r. 1287–1301)
9. Hōjō Tokimura (r. 1301–1305)
10. Hōjō Munenobu
    Hojo Munenobu
    , also family name Osaragi was the eleventh Shikken of the Kamakura Bakufu....
    
     aka Osaragi Munenobu (r. 1305–1311)
11. Hōjō Hirotoki
    Hojo Hirotoki
    was the twelfth Shikken of the Kamakura Bakufu....
    
     (r. 1311–1312)
12. Hōjō Sadaaki (r. 1315–1326)
13. Hōjō Koresada (r. 1326–1327)
14. Hōjō Shigetoki
    Hojo Shigetoki
    Note:There were other Hojo Shigetoki within the ruling family, but with different characters. was a Japanese samurai of the Kamakura period. He was the third Kitakata Rokuhara tandai, serving from 1230 to 1247. He was also known as . His writings influenced later samurai...
    
    (北条茂時)(r. 1330–1333)