noun
house arrest; confinement at home
Historical term for a form of punishment in which a person was confined to their home, often with the gate closed. Used in Edo-period contexts.
江戸時代、武士の刑罰として閉門蟄居が科されることがあった。
In the Edo period, samurai were sometimes sentenced to house arrest as a punishment.
Yojijukugo composed of 閉門 (closing the gate) and 蟄居 (staying indoors). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is associated with Edo-period disciplinary practices.