also: しょうてい
young male laborer (ritsuryō system)
Archaic historical term for men aged 17–20 who were subject to a quarter of the corvée and tax obligations of full adult males under the ritsuryō legal codes.
Under the ritsuryō system, shōchō bore one quarter of the labor and tax obligations of full adult males.
Historical term from the ritsuryō system; the reading しょうちょう is the primary reading.
Alternate reading; less common than しょうちょう.
From 少 (shō, 'young, small') + 丁 (chō/tei, 'adult male, laborer'), a term used in the ritsuryō legal system to classify males by age and corvée obligations.