Archaic term for a person who guards or protects someone or something. Not used in modern everyday Japanese; the modern equivalent is 守護者 (しゅごしゃ) or ガード.
古文書には、城の守護人として名が記されている。
In the old document, his name is recorded as the castle's guard.
Compound of 守護 (しゅご, 'protection') and 人 (にん, 'person'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning of a guardian or protector.