also: しじょう
noun
junior official under the sakan (ritsuryō system)
Historical term for a low-ranking government clerk in the ritsuryō bureaucracy, ranked just below the sakan (主典).
See also: 主典
律令制では、史生は主典の下で文書作成や記録を担当した。
Under the ritsuryō system, the shishō was responsible for drafting documents and keeping records under the sakan.
主典 (sakan) is the immediate superior rank to 史生 (shishō) in the ritsuryō official hierarchy.
The term is composed of 史 (history, record) and 生 (life, student), likely referring to a junior scribe or clerk. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.