権ごん兵べ衛え

noun

John Doe; anonymous person; unknown name

Used as a placeholder name for an anonymous or hypothetical person, similar to 'John Doe' in English. Often appears in the set phrase 名無しの権兵衛 (nameless Gonbee).

See also: 名無しの権兵衛

• 犯はん人にんは名な無なしの権ごん兵べ衛えだった。

  The culprit was an anonymous person.

• この書しょ類るいの署しょ名めいは権ごん兵べ衛えになっている。

  The signature on this document is just 'John Doe'.

noun

country bumpkin; hick

Archaic derogatory term for an unsophisticated person from the countryside. Not used in modern Japanese outside historical contexts.

• 江え戸ど時じ代だいの文ぶん献けんでは、田舎いなか者ものを権ごん兵べ衛えと呼よぶことがあった。

  In Edo-period documents, country folk were sometimes called 'Gonbee'.