Archaic term referring to the practice of male-male sexual relationships, particularly between an older man and a youth, in pre-modern Japan. Often associated with samurai culture and the wakashū (若衆) tradition.
It is said that wakashudō was widely practiced in samurai society during the Edo period.
Wakashudō is a historical term for relationships in which an older samurai loved a youth.
Compound of 若衆 (wakashū, 'young person, youth') and 道 (dō, 'way, path'). The term emerged in the context of samurai culture, where it denoted the 'way of the youth' in the sense of a codified practice of male-male relationships.