noun
great impropriety (toward the imperial family)
Archaic term for a serious breach of etiquette or disrespect directed at the imperial family or related institutions.
江戸時代、大不敬とみなされる行為は厳しく罰せられた。
In the Edo period, acts considered great impropriety toward the imperial family were severely punished.
noun
crime against the imperial family (or related shrine)
Historical legal term, often associated with the 八虐 (eight unpardonable crimes) in ancient Japanese law. Refers to offenses against the emperor, imperial family, or imperial shrines.
See also: 八虐
律令制では、大不敬は八虐の一つに数えられた。
Under the ritsuryō system, great disrespect toward the imperial family was counted among the eight unpardonable crimes.
八虐 refers to the eight most serious crimes in ancient Japanese law, of which 大不敬 was one. 大不敬 is a specific crime, while 八虐 is the category.
From Middle Chinese 大不敬 (dà bù jìng), meaning 'great disrespect'. The term was adopted into Japanese legal and historical vocabulary, particularly in the context of the ritsuryō codes.