noun
commonage; use of common land
Historical term for the shared use of communal land, such as forests or fields, by members of a village community. Now mostly encountered in historical or legal contexts.
江戸時代には、村人が入会地で薪を集めていた。
In the Edo period, villagers gathered firewood on common land.
入会権は、地域の慣習として認められてきた。
Commonage rights have been recognized as a local custom.
Refers specifically to the common land itself, while 入会 denotes the system or right of shared use.
Compound of 入り (iri, 'entering') + 会い (ai, 'meeting' or 'gathering'), referring to the act of entering into a shared arrangement. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term has long been associated with communal land use.