noun
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.
江戸時代の武家社会では、若衆道が広く行われていたと言われる。
It is said that wakashudō was widely practiced in samurai society during the Edo period.
若衆道は、年長の武士が少年を愛する関係を指す歴史的な言葉だ。
Wakashudō is a historical term for relationships in which an older samurai loved a youth.
衆道 is a synonym for 若衆道, often used interchangeably, but 若衆道 explicitly includes the word 若衆 (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.