noun
working as a servant for a series of masters
Historical term referring to a practice in the Edo period where servants, often from rural areas, would work under fixed-term contracts for different employers in turn, rather than being permanently bound to one household.
江戸時代には、地方から出てきた若者が渡り奉公をして生計を立てることがあった。
In the Edo period, young people from the countryside sometimes made a living by working as servants for a series of masters.
年季奉公 refers to a fixed-term indenture, often with a single master, while 渡り奉公 specifically implies moving between multiple masters over time.
Compound of 渡り (watari, 'moving from one place to another') + 奉公 (hōkō, 'service, apprenticeship'). The term reflects the itinerant nature of the employment.