letter of divorce
Historical term for a formal document issued by a husband to divorce his wife during the Edo period; not used in modern divorce procedures.
In the Edo period, a husband could write a letter of divorce and send his wife back to her family home.
Compound of 離縁 (りえん, 'divorce') and 状 (じょう, 'document'). The term is historically specific to the Edo period.