版はん籍せき奉ほう還かん

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Meanings

noun

return of the land and people from the feudal lords to the Emperor

historical termyojijukugo (four-character idiom)

A specific historical event of the early Meiji period (1869) in which the daimyō formally returned their domains and subjects to the Emperor, paving the way for the abolition of the han system.

版はん籍せき奉ほう還かんは明めい治じ2年ねんに行おこなわれた。
The return of the land and people to the Emperor took place in 1869.
版はん籍せき奉ほう還かんによって、藩はん主しゅは知ち藩はん事じに任にん命めいされた。
Through the return of the land and people, the feudal lords were appointed as governors of their domains.

See all 3 example sentences ›

Kanji

版printing block, printing plate, edition
籍enroll, domiciliary register, membership
奉observance, offer, present
還send back, return
藩clan, enclosure

Related words

廃はい藩はん置ち県けん
廃藩置県 (abolition of the han system and establishment of prefectures) was the subsequent step in 1871 that replaced the domains with prefectures, while 版籍奉還 was the formal return of domains and people by the daimyō two years earlier.

Built from

版はん籍せき+奉ほう還かん

Written forms

版はん籍せき奉ほう還かん
Standard kanji spelling for this historical term.
藩はん籍せき奉ほう還かん
Variant spelling using 藩 (domain) instead of 版 (register); less common but attested.

Etymology

A yojijukugo composed of 版 (register of land and people), 籍 (register), 奉 (offer respectfully), and 還 (return). The term refers specifically to the 1869 event in Japanese history.