A somewhat dated or literary term for a kidnapper, especially one who abducts a person by luring or tricking them. In modern Japanese, 誘拐犯 (ゆうかいはん) is more common.
In old tales, stories of children being abducted by kidnappers often appear.
'Kadowakashi' is a word that is not used much nowadays.
Rare kanji spelling without okurigana. May be encountered in older texts.
Derived from the verb かどわかす (to kidnap), which itself comes from かど (gate, or possibly a prefix meaning 'to lure') + わかす (to make someone go away, or to separate). The exact derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used since the Heian period.