noun
ethnology; folkloristics
Obsolete term; modern Japanese uses 民族学 for ethnology and 民俗学 for folklore studies. This word may appear in older academic texts.
戦前の文献では「土俗学」という言葉が使われていた。
In pre-war literature, the term 土俗学 was used.
Modern standard term for folklore studies; 土俗学 formerly covered similar ground.
Compound of 土俗 (local customs, folkways) and 学 (study, -ology). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it was used in early Japanese academic discourse before being replaced by 民族学 and 民俗学.