noun
displayed severed head; head on public display
Historical term referring to the Edo-period practice of displaying a criminal's severed head in public as a warning. Can also refer to the head itself or the act of displaying it.
江戸時代には、罪人のさらし首が行われた。
In the Edo period, the public display of criminals' heads was carried out.
さらし首は見せしめの意味があった。
Displaying severed heads served as a warning to others.
Rarely used kanji form; 曝 is less common than 晒.
獄門 refers specifically to the punishment of beheading and displaying the head at the prison gate, while さらし首 is a broader term for any public display of a severed head.
Compound of 晒し (さらし, 'exposing, bleaching') + 首 (くび, 'neck, head'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term straightforwardly describes the practice of exposing a head to public view.