Archaic term for a judge, used historically before the modern legal system. In contemporary Japanese, 裁判官 (さいばんかん) is the standard word.
The judges of the Edo period had a different role from modern-day judges.
chief justice of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong
Composed of 法 (law) and 官 (official). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the term was used in pre-modern Japan to refer to judicial officials.