also: ほうがん · じょう · ぞう
Only with reading はんがん
Modern term for a judicial officer who presides over court proceedings. Reading is はんがん.
The judge carefully examined the evidence.
He was appointed as a judge of the district court.
third-grade official (ritsuryō system); assistant district officer; inspector
Historical term from the ritsuryō legal system; refers to a specific rank of official. Archaic in modern usage. Readings じょう and ぞう are archaic; はんがん and ほうがん may also appear in historical texts.
Under the ritsuryō system, the third-grade official handled practical affairs under the provincial governor.
Standard kanji form; reading はんがん is the most common modern reading.
Alternate reading, less common; sometimes encountered in historical contexts.
Archaic reading used in the ritsuryō system; see cross-reference to 尉.
Archaic reading used in the ritsuryō system.
From Chinese 判官 (pànguān), originally a Tang dynasty official title. Adopted into Japanese with the ritsuryō system, later extended to mean 'judge' in modern legal contexts.