death by hanging (ritsuryō punishment)
Historical term for a capital punishment under the ritsuryō legal system. Not used in modern contexts.
Under the ritsuryō system, 絞 was one of the death penalties.
strangulation; constriction; entrapment
death by strangulation; ligature strangulation
The kanji 絞 means 'strangle' or 'wring', and the reading こう is the on'yomi. The term is a historical legal designation.