also: ほんがん
noun
registered domicile (ritsuryō period); hometown
Historical term for one's officially registered place of residence under the ritsuryō system; also used more loosely for one's hometown or ancestral home.
律令制では、人々は本貫地に戸籍を置いていた。
Under the ritsuryō system, people had their family register in their registered domicile.
彼の本貫は信濃国だったと伝えられている。
His registered domicile is said to have been Shinano Province.
From 本 (hon, 'main') + 貫 (kan, 'register' or 'census'). The term originated in the ritsuryō legal codes to designate a person's official registered residence.